Twitter is not pleased with Chris Pratt's 'jarring' voice in The Super Mario Bros Movie teaser: 'What the hell is this'

Chris Pratt's voice as Mario in the teaser of The Super Mario Bros Movie has fans angry with the actor.

The teaser trailer for the much-awaited Mario film, The Super Mario Bros Movie, was released on Thursday night. The animated film has the voice talents of Chris Pratt and Jack Black as Mario and Bowser, respectively. And even though the teaser largely focused on the antagonist, giving Mario only two lines, it was enough for the internet to be furious at the casting.

Chris Pratt voices Super Mario in The Super Mario Bros Movie.

For the unversed, Mario is one of the most popular and iconic video game characters in history and in canon, he is a middle-aged Italian plumber. In most games, he has had a thick Italian accent and a heavy voice, both of which were absent in Chris’ rendition. Many fans tweeted that Chris was actually using his normal voice as opposed to getting into character, with several asking for him to be replaced as well.

The teaser trailer introduced Bowser and his arrival at Mushroom City before all hell breaks loose. He proclaims nobody can stop him and it is then that we are introduced to a bewildered Mario, who is unsure where he is. Reacting to the first glimpse of Chris’ voice as Mario, a fan tweeted, “I'll be honest, my only real problem was Chris Pratt just uses his speaking voice.” Another wrote, “Chris Pratt as Mario is a prime example of why you should hire voice actors for voice acting roles because what the hell is this.”

Many others compared Chris’ performance (or at least that limited glimpse of it) with Jack Black’s portrayal of the villain Bower in the same teaser. “You can tell Jack Black put a ton of love and heart into his Bowser voice, while Chris Pratt just uh... spoke,” tweeted one fan.

Several fans, did praise the visuals and the animation style of the film. “The visuals are absolutely stellar, and I love the general vibe of the whole thing,” tweeted one. Another wrote, “I'm genuinely excited to see this thing.”

The Super Mario Bros Movie is the third adaptation of the Nintendo game after the 1986 anime Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach! and the 1993 live-action film Super Mario Bros. Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, it also stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, and Charlie Day as Luigi. The film will be released in theatres in April 2023.