The Super Mario franchise most often features nearly silent protagonists. Besides a few notable exceptions, Mario, Luigi and just about every other character in the series tends to not talk much - at least not when it comes to fully voiced dialogue. Simple phrases, noises and words are much more common, so it can be jarring when the franchise does branch out into recording full sentences of voice work, raising questions about how Nintendo will handle its characters in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie.
Both WarioWare Gold and Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour features major characters speaking in complete sentences, but Super Mario Sunshine is perhaps the most notable. Bowser, Bowser Jr. and Peach all have full dialogue. The latter two's voices fit their characters well, but Bowser sounds oddly childish for a monster usually capable of such intimidating roars and grunts. Perhaps it's the lack of extra effects applied to his voice - he sounds more like someone trying to do a deep voice than a big reptile that actually has one. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour gives the same treatment to other characters who typically wouldn't have reason to speak much, like Daisy, and it's just as odd. It seems Nintendo may feel the same, as subsequent Mario games have mostly returned to the standard, partially voiced dialogue.
Some titles in the franchise have full dialogue but bypass the need for voice acting. The Paper Mario series includes a lot of talking, but it's all in the form of written text. Characters may make noises, but they don't speak every line aloud. However, while this is feasible in a video game, it wouldn't make much sense in a movie.
Will Mario Talk In The Super Mario Bros. Movie?
Nintendo announced an animated Super Mario Bros. movie back in 2018, partnering with Illumination (Despicable Me) for the project. As of September 2020, it was still on track for a 2022 release. It won't be the first Super Mario Bros. movie, of course, following the infamous 1993 live-action adaptation. While much is still unknown about the new movie, it has several big questions to answer, including how Nintendo plans to handle the issue of dialogue. Mario almost never talks much - even in the fully voiced Sunshine, he remained quiet, letting F.L.U.D.D. do the talking.
The movie could follow suit, giving Mario a chatty sidekick, rather than giving him dialogue directly. Stories that feature quiet protagonists often utilize this method to deliver exposition without relying on the main character. If Nintendo wants to maintain Mario's iconic vocal patterns, this would be an easy solution. However, there have been examples of Mario media that feature him speaking in complete sentences, and many fans still look back on them fondly - even the live-action Mario found some cult success. There are many options Nintendo could utilize in the production of the Super Mario movie, and only time will tell which path it intends to take.