The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Review: A Colorful Cosmic Sequel With Plenty of Charm
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie understands one very important thing right away: if it is going to take Mario into space, it needs to make that leap feel big. Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, the 2026 animated sequel sends Mario and Luigi on a galactic adventure sparked by Princess Peach’s birthday, with Bowser Jr. emerging as the main threat and Rosalina and Yoshi joining the journey along the way.
What follows is a sequel that knows exactly how to play to the strengths of this world. It is bright, busy, frequently funny, and eager to give audiences as much visual pleasure as possible. The film is not chasing perfection, and it does not need to. Its job is to deliver a good time while pushing the franchise somewhere a little bigger, and for the most part, it succeeds.
A visual playground with plenty to look at
The easiest thing to admire here is the film’s look. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a full-on visual feast, packed with saturated color, shifting palettes, layered backgrounds, and a constant stream of tiny details that make the larger universe feel playful rather than overdesigned. It has the kind of animated density that invites your eyes to keep moving, because there is always another piece of business in the frame, another familiar texture pulled from the games, or another small design flourish giving the setting extra life.
That goes a long way in a movie like this, especially when the whole point is to make Mario’s world feel larger than it did the first time around. And the film mostly leans into that expansion with confidence. Space gives it room to go broader, stranger, and more elaborate, and the animation team clearly has fun with that freedom. More importantly, the spectacle rarely feels empty. There is shape to it, personality to it, and enough visual imagination to make the film feel like a real event for audiences who want a big-screen animated adventure.
The adventure earns its place in the Mario world
One of the bigger wins here is that the adventure itself still feels worthwhile. In a franchise film this packed with iconography, it would have been easy to simply parade recognizable faces and references across the screen and call it a day. Instead, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie builds a journey that feels active, cheerful, and closely tied to the appeal of the games.
Mario, Luigi, and Peach all have enough to do, and the story keeps its familiar cast moving through a world that feels lively rather than overcrowded. The Easter eggs are there, of course, but they are not the only draw. The film understands that fan recognition works best when it is attached to momentum, and that is a big part of what keeps the adventure satisfying.
There are a few moments where quick exposition, rushed introductions, and more forced franchise beats make the writing feel a little thinner than the world around it. Even so, the movie’s playful tone helps smooth over some of those rougher edges, keeping it inviting for younger viewers, longtime Mario fans, and casual moviegoers alike.
A sequel that Often understands what audiences want
Ultimately, the film’s biggest strength is that it understands its purpose. Yes, this is the kind of sequel that absolutely could have been made on fan demand alone after a game-changing box office run with the first installment. Instead, it actually uses the opportunity to widen the franchise’s scope, bring in new pieces of Nintendo history, and offer something that feels bigger without becoming too self-important. That keeps the movie squarely in the sweet spot of a good popcorn sequel. It is mostly trying to entertain, to reward affection for this world, and to leave viewers smiling. So, on that level, it definitely works.
Score: 8/10
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a lively, colorful sequel that mostly understands how to turn Mario’s universe into a big-screen spectacle.
