A new TV spot for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie aired during Super Bowl 2026, giving audiences a fresh look at Nintendo and Illumination’s next animated outing for Mario and signaling a full-court marketing push ahead of the film’s early April release.
The brief footage centers on Yoshi, the fan-favorite dinosaur first teased at the end of 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and places him alongside Toad and younger versions of Mario and Luigi during a run-in with a roaring T. rex. The spot positions the sequel as bigger in scale than its predecessor, leaning into the “Galaxy” branding that points to space-set worlds and gravity-bending set pieces drawn from Nintendo’s well-known game entries.
Nintendo has already used recent showcases to roll out key elements of the sequel’s package. In a January 25 corporate release tied to a Nintendo Direct presentation, the company confirmed the film’s title, reiterated its partnership with Universal Pictures, and announced a date shift in the U.S. and several major markets from April 3 to April 1, with Japan set for April 24. That statement also confirmed returning voices Chris Pratt (Mario), Anya Taylor-Joy (Peach), Charlie Day (Luigi), Jack Black (Bowser), Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), and Kevin Michael Richardson (Kamek), with Benny Safdie voicing Bowser Jr. and Brie Larson joining as Rosalina.
Behind the camera, directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic return, working from a script by Matthew Fogel, with Brian Tyler back to compose the score. The first film earned more than $1.3 billion worldwide, a benchmark that helps explain why Universal slotted a high-profile Super Bowl buy for the follow-up.
Fan response has tracked along two familiar lanes: excitement for new character payoffs, and debate about tone and voice casting as the franchise moves into its next phase.
