Super Mario Bros. Fans Are Going Ape Over Donkey Kong In The Movie's New Trailer

Long before Mario started his adventures to rescue Princess Peach in "Super Mario Brothers," the heavyset Italian plumber was busy saving a similar-looking damsel-in-distress in "Donkey Kong," which was an immensely popular arcade game first released way back in 1981. That 8-bit arcade classic – which was later ported onto the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1986 – would go on to spawn two distinct franchises that endure to this day in the annals of Nintendo's storied evolution from the '80s all the way to the Nintendo Switch of today. In the 40+ years since the premiere of the characters, their appearance has also changed, with the latest design on display in the second trailer for the new "Super Mario Brothers" movie.

In the clip, Donkey Kong (voiced by Seth Rogen) can be seen engaging in a competitive battle with the red-clad plumber, which immediately falls in the oversized gorilla's favor as he takes down Mario (Chris Pratt) with comical ease. The zany and energetic primate can also be glimpsed in a lineup of karts that recalls some of the best moments from the "Mario Kart" series of games. Regardless of how big a part Donkey Kong plays in the new movie, fans are already agog over his brief appearance in the film's second promo clip.

In addition to brief statements from the movie's creators and some of its voice cast, Nintendo of America released a second promotional clip for "The Super Mario Brothers Movie," which follows its first teaser revealed back in early October 2022. Donkey Kong appears within the first minute of the new trailer, and the fan reaction was captured by many who simply said the character's name despite his small amount of screen time in the promo compared to other stars of the franchise. On Twitter, @ExpandDong15 simply observed, "DONKEY KONG" in all caps. @lky1ink was a bit more animated in their response by tweeting, "FUNKY KONG LET'S GOOOOOO," followed by a screenshot of the gorilla in his kart wearing a pair of shades.

In the comment sections on the trailer's YouTube page, @mrhowlforever shared, "I absolutely love the design of donkey Kong. Honestly they should keep it for the games. I feel it adds some fun back to the character. Every beat of this trailer was fantastic and honestly I'm liking Chris Pratts performance in this!" Fans should prepare themselves for more of the character beyond his appearance in this film, as Seth Rogen will also voice the character in his very own "Donkey Kong" movie as well. This is honestly a testament to the strong popularity of both Nintendo personalities and their respective fandoms.