The primary big reveals in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie trailer were our first look at Princess Rosalina and Bowser Jr., voiced by Brie Larson and Benny Safdie, respectively. But for eagle-eyed Super Mario fans, there were other important details in the form of Easter eggs that call back to Nintendo games that aren’t Super Mario Galaxy.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the fun Easter eggs Nintendo and Illumination have worked into The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, no doubt with plenty more to come.
Bowser is singing his Super Mario 64 theme
Early in the trailer, after Bowser puts the finishing touches on his The Scream-inspired painting of Dry Bones Mario — a callback to the Skeleton Suit from Super Mario Odyssey — he goes upstairs to meet with Mario and Luigi. In the process, he hums a little tune: “Sippin’ the soup, cleanin’ the paint, doo-do-lee-do, doo-do-lee-do.” Bowser’s song is set to the tune of his theme from Super Mario 64, though it’s much cheerier.
Mario and Luigi ride to Tostarena from Odyssey
Speaking of Odyssey, the trailer also shows Mario and Luigi riding motorcycles (with big Mad Max energy) to visit the Sand Kingdom, a location in Super Mario Odyssey. This is a pretty blatant reference, not so much an Easter egg. Also, the Sand Kingdom’s appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was previously outed on Old Spice packaging. Expect Mario and Luigi to meet up with some Tostarenans for plot reasons.
Is that Casino Delfino?
At one point in the trailer, we see Princess Peach engaged in a Burly Brawl against hundreds of Ninji. Wherever she is, it looks like one of the casino-inspired locations from the Super Mario series. I choose to believe the biggest inspiration comes from Super Mario Sunshine‘s Casino Delfino, which is full of slot-machine imagery and has a giant roulette wheel for a floor. But the sparkly environment Peach finds herself in is also reminiscent of Waluigi Pinball tracks from the Mario Kart series, and the Lucky Houses from Super Mario 3D World.
Wonder Bowser Jr.
When Bowser Jr. makes his first appearance in the trailer, he goes from relatively normal Koopa to full-on Wonder mode, appearing as he did in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Junior is equipped with the Magic Paintbrush (from Sunshine and Bowser’s Fury) and uses splotchy goop to become the deadlier Wonder Bowser Jr.
My god, is that Prowler’s music?
One of the more suspicious and intriguing possible Easter eggs is the sound that accompanies Wonder Bowser Jr.’s appearance in the trailer. To my ears (and those of many others), there’s a sound effect that’s very reminiscent of the Prowler’s crunchy musical cue from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Is it an aural coincidence, or is the animation team at Illumination shouting out their fellow animators over at Sony Pictures Animation? Wonder Bowser Jr. certainly has some Prowler energy going on…
Rosalina destroys Megaleg
Maybe less of an Easter egg and more “drawing from source material,” the giant tripod machine that Rosalina easily dispatches before aura farming is the Megaleg from Super Mario Galaxy. Everything about this scene looks cool, and sometimes that’s enough.
See anything else?
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is coming to movie theaters on April 3, 2026.
