Donald Glover Stars in New “Mario Movie” as Yoshi, With a Performance That he Calls ‘Oscar-Worthy’
Following the astonishing success of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” back in 2023, the sequel to the animated hit has just arrived. On April 1st, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” was released, met with praise and admiration mirroring (and possibly exceeding) the original, and one of the highlights of the new movie is Donald Glover’s performance as the beloved and iconic green, squeaky-voiced dinosaur, Yoshi.
Fans Initially Skeptical
When the first “Super Mario” movie came out a couple years ago, fans of the hit video game series were initially a little skeptical. Based on early trailers, people worried that the film would shape out to be a gimmicky iteration of the cult-classic Mario games, fearing that it would turn out like its predecessor – the 1993 “Super Mario” movie adaptation is widely-known for its infamous flop, both critically and commercially. The 2023 version, however, surpassed fans’ and critics’ expectations, performing highly at the box offices and winning the hearts of viewers of all ages. The success of the “Mario Movie” led to palpable demand for a sequel, and the creators chose to answer with their big-screen adaption of one of the most visually appealing and treasured games in the Mario franchise, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.”
”The Spectrum of Doing the Yoshi Noises”
“Mario Galaxy” introduces a host of new characters from the Mario universe into the “Mario Movie” franchise, including Princess Rosaline (played by Brie Larson), Honey Queen (played by Issa Rae), Fox McCloud (played by Glenn Powell), and fan-favorite, Donald Glover’s Yoshi. People have already begun raving about Glover’s performance as the cheerful, falsetto-whistling dinosaur, and when interviewed during the film’s premiere Glover himself had a couple tongue-in-cheek remarks about his Yoshi rendition. “I’d be surprised if I’m not nominated for an Oscar for this,” the five-time Grammy winner joked. “The spectrum of what I’m doing in this is pretty, I don’t want to say Daniel Day-Lewisesque, but it’s kind of in that range. But I think the spectrum of doing the Yoshi noises, I think, is good. I think I did a good enough job.”
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Oscar Worthy?
Through the jokes, there is some truth, though. Glover’s portrayal of the iconic Yoshi sounds eerily similar to the Yoshi of the games, and it’s almost impossible to tell that it’s Glover’s voice if you didn’t already know. Glover has done voice-acting in the past (with previous roles in things like the 2019 “Lion King,” “Adventure Time,” and the “Ultimate Spider-Man” TV series), and his success in the music industry translates well to voice-acting, but as Yoshi, Glover has found new heights he’s capable of reaching. Who’s to say he doesn’t deserve an Oscar for it.
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is now in theaters.
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