Super Mario Bros. Movie concept art sheds light on cut ideas and visual influences

The Super Mario Bros. Movie was already bursting at the seams with ideas and Easter eggs, but now even more are coming to light with some newly revealed concept art. Over the past week, artists Travis Ruiz and Megan Rose Ruiz have been sharing some of their concept designs for the movie on Twitter/X. Looking through this art, you can see just how many ideas there were for the look and feel of the film, and how many of those made it to the final product.

First, check out some concepts for Mario and Luigi’s bedroom and the Punch-Out Pizzeria by Travis Ruiz, as well as a panoramic view of what eventually became the “Brooklyn 1-1” scene from the movie. Ruiz also included guides to all the references, such as Mario Tennis, Duck Hunt, Excitebike, and even Captain N!

Megan Rose Ruiz also shared TONS of original concept art for the movie! This includes mushrooms, Rainbow Road, Peach’s Castle, baby Peach, and multiple variations of Toads. It’s fascinating to see exactly what made it into the movie and what didn’t. Lots of these pieces clearly inspired finished scenes, but it would’ve been great to see more, especially those weird Toads!