If you’ve watched the recent Mario movies, you’ve likely noticed a whirlwind of familiar faces and references. Every scene is packed with callbacks to the beloved universe. But it turns out the filmmakers had even more surprises planned for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, including some wild cameos from the game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
Douglas Lovelace, a storyboard animator with a strong background in animation, was part of the team behind the scenes. He worked on key scenes, including a wedding between Peach and Bowser. Lovelace has shared his sketches online, revealing that several characters who could have added fun to the movie were cut.
In the original storyboards, you see faces like Wart, Birdo, and Mouser in the crowd. They didn’t make it to the final cut of the movie but appeared later in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, with Wart as a major villain. Interestingly, one quirky moment involved Birdo laying an egg when Toad objects to the marriage.
But the standout cameo was Rawk Hawk, a character from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. If you don’t remember him, Rawk Hawk is a pompous fighter in the Glitz Pit, where he boasts about his skills while belittling others. Despite his cocky attitude, he earns some respect after losing to Mario, known as “The Great Gonzales.”
Imagine if Rawk Hawk had made it into The Super Mario Bros. Movie! His inclusion would have been a delightful nod to dedicated fans, easily overlooked by casual viewers. His look in the storyboard even resembles Fox McCloud, another Nintendo character who appeared later.
While I find some parts of the Mario movies to be overwhelming with references, it’s still fun to see these quirky characters get even a brief moment in the spotlight. In the wedding scene, we also got to spot King Boo and King Bob-omb, which added to the silliness of the event. As a fan, I can’t help but hope for more appearances by characters like Goombella in future films. And let’s not forget Wario and Waluigi—I think fans everywhere would love to see them join the fun.
To dive deeper into Lovelace’s work, you can check out the full storyboards online. They showcase some exciting scenes and give a glimpse into what could have been.
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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door,The Super Mario Bros. Movie,The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
