Super Mario Galaxy Movie Confirms Surprise Crossover With Fan-Favorite Nintendo Franchise

Well, here we go again: The Super Mario Movie-verse is expanding, and it's not shy about crossing over some of Nintendo's most iconic franchises. If you thought the first movie was stacked with references, the sequel is ready to up the ante—and then some.

Fox McCloud Rockets Into the Mario Galaxy

Here's something I did not expect (and honestly, I doubt most folks outside a Nintendo boardroom saw coming): Fox McCloud is crashing Mario's party. Yes, for the first time, the talking, spaceship-flying fox from the Star Fox series is appearing in a Mario film—specifically, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which lands in theaters April 1, 2026.

No word yet on who'll voice Fox. Nintendo and Universal are keeping those comms as encrypted as a Star Fox mission briefing. But just knowing the Arwing pilot is joining this group is big news. Star Fox is a fan favorite (especially if you grew up button-mashing both Star Fox 64 and Super Smash Bros.), and this kind of cross-franchise move signals Nintendo's feeling very bold with its cinematic universe.

Who Else Is Joining the Scene?

Fox isn't the only new face. The sequel is rounding up some surprisingly deep Nintendo cuts:

• R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy): Yes, the retro NES accessory you probably only know from Mario Kart or Smash Bros. Ed Skudder is lending his voice to R.O.B.—and honestly, I hope we get at least one R.O.B.-throwing-a-laser gag.
• Pikmin: The little plant creatures are getting some screen time too. Voice actor still a mystery, but if they stick to the games, expect a lot of squeaks and existential horror hiding behind cuteness.

Old Favorites Are Back (With Some New Voices)

The core cast from the 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie (the one that officially made over $1 billion and finally broke the video game movie curse) is mostly back. For those needing a refresher:

Chris Pratt is still Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy is back as Peach, Charlie Day isn’t giving his Luigi hat to anyone, and Jack Black persists as Bowser—because who else could? Keegan-Michael Key returns as Toad, Benny Safdie is Bowser Jr., Donald Glover jumps in as Yoshi (yes, seriously), Kevin Michael Richardson brings back Kamek, and Brie Larson is joining the fun as Princess Rosalina.

What’s This One About?

According to the official synopsis, the plot has the Mario bros dealing with Bowser Jr. this time—who's understandably not thrilled about how things ended for dear old dad. His big plan: break Bowser out of jail and put the family name back on top (as villainous families do). The catch? This time, the adventure is taking them 'across the stars.' So yes, you can definitely expect cosmic set pieces, new worlds, and clearly, plenty of cameos.

'Having thwarted Bowser's previous plot to marry Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi now face a fresh threat in Bowser Jr., who is determined to liberate his father from captivity and restore the family legacy. Alongside companions new and old, the brothers travel across the stars to stop the young heir’s crusade.'

Who's Running the Show?

If you liked (or at least tolerated) the first movie, good news—the team is back. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic are directing again, with Matthew Fogel on script duty. Illumination head honcho Chris Meledandri and actual Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto are still producing, basically ensuring every character's glove size gets signed off twice. Universal Pictures and Nintendo are splitting the bill for this one, just like before.

Final Thoughts

In short: This movie is throwing a lot at the wall, and if you’re even a casual Nintendo fan, it should be fun to see what sticks. Fox McCloud in a Mario movie? I didn’t have that on my bingo card, but here we are. Mark your calendars—April 1, 2026 is going to be weird, colorful, and possibly just the start of a much weirder Nintendo film crossover experiment.