Two brothers, Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day), just want to save Brooklyn, New York, one broken pipe at a time.
After going underground to fix a water main break, they stumble upon a mysterious pipe that splits them up and takes them to a different magical world. Mario gets transported to Magic Kingdom, where Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) live.
Luigi on the other hand gets transported to the “Dark Lands” and is captured and taken to Bowser (Jack Black). He is kept in a cage above hot lava until Bowser can sacrifice him in front of Peach and Mario.
Mario, Peach and Toad team up with the Jungle Kingdom and get help from Cranky Kong (Fred Armisen), Donkey Kong (Seth Rogan) and the rest of the Kongs to defeat Bowser and get back Luigi.
Parents should be aware that this film is rated PG and has some action/mild violence and some scary moments for littles.
A few takeaways from the movie to discuss with the kids:
- Don’t quit just because something is hard. You’re not going to be good at everything right away. Mario kept going, even if he was losing, such as his fight with Donkey Kong.
- Face your fears. Luigi was always known as the more scared of the two brothers. When it comes to saving his brother though, he just went for it and went against Bowser when he was after Mario. He was so proud that he was brave.
- Don’t always work alone. Mario and Luigi always said they could do anything if they were together. Sometimes, it works out better to overcome obstacles or split tasks if you share them with someone else.
- Follow your dreams. Mario and Luigi wanted to be the best plumbers and although they weren’t getting many calls from people in need, they still remained positive.
Movie-inspired activities
- Use plastic Easter eggs and paint them to look like Yoshi’s eggs with this craft by Our Nerd Home.
- Mario and Luigi’s family were eating mushroom pasta at dinner. Make this recipe by Inspired Taste.
- Mario used a power up to get through the course. Make red and blue mushroom cupcakes with this recipe by Fun Cakes. When you eat a red, you can pretend you’re bigger and when you eat a blue, you can pretend you’re smaller – just like in the movie.
- Print these coloring pages from Super Coloring.
- Make these star and fire flower paper plate crafts with this activity by All About Hope.
- Make your own obstacle course indoors or outdoors using plastic cylinder containers as the pipes and balloons as the Goombas. Use these ideas and others by Kids Activities.
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