The Super Mario Bros. Movie Official Trailer Has Fans Hyped Over The Inclusion Of Rainbow Road

Fans of Nintendo's "Super Mario Bros." franchise have had some decidedly mixed opinions about Illumination's upcoming animated, big-screen take on the topic. Chris Pratt received heavy initial criticism for his voice acting in the first trailer, and fans expressed their dismay that Charles Martinet was not allowed to reprise the role he's been performing for decades. But there was a lot of praise for Jack Black's take on Bowser, and the film's rich, colorful cartoony visual style, which felt like it was transported directly from the video games themselves. 

However, the second trailer, released on November 29, has changed the tune for a few fans. Some viewers have noticed how refreshing it is that Princess Peach's storyline in the film apparently doesn't involve being kidnapped and that she seems to be taking on a strong leadership role. Other fans are happy with the genuine menace in Bowser's bearing. And several of them are really excited about the various references to the game series that are sprinkled throughout the trailer at large. 

When one watches the second trailer, one can spy a whole host of Mario-based references. You can spy many classic Mario villains in the background or in battle with everyone's favorite Italian plumber, from a Bullet Bill to a Cheep Cheep that nearly swallows Mario whole. There's also a very exciting car chase sequence that takes place on what appears to be the Rainbow Road level from "Mario Kart." The scene follows Mario driving a go-kart; he takes a daring jump over the gap in the street, then manages to land ahead of a motley crew of racers. He pumps his fist in triumph and speeds ahead.

Fans are definitely thrilled with both the Rainbow Road and the fact that Mario's riding high again in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."

Twitterbound fans weighing in over Mario's fast-paced escapade were shocked and thrilled to see the Rainbow Road and generally pleased with how Mario looks and acts during the new trailer for "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." And some of them have even been won over by Chris Pratt's voice acting.

"YALL DIDNT HAVE TO GIVE US RAINBOW ROAD AND YET YOU DID?! THE MARIO KART REPRESENTATION?!" said @thebeepthemeep, sprinkling their comment with a series of crying face emojis. They joined fans like @AxolotlSimp, who adored everything they saw in the trailer and had praise for Pratt, specifically the delivery of one line in particular. "And Mario's lil' "Wahoo" on the Rainbow Road, absolutely adorable!" they concluded. That said, not everyone is sold on Pratt as Mario just yet, but thanks to that line delivery, it does seem more fans are open to the idea of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" star voicing the video game plumber.

Other fans couldn't resist making a joke or two about Mario riding eternal, shiny, and chrome. "Mad Max: Rainbow Road," tweeted @rpepper.

As we stated above, the second "Super Mario Bros. Movie" trailer definitely has a lot of callbacks to "Mario" games of eras past. And, as a matter of fact, several level designs familiar to fans of the franchise are notable during the trailer. 

Aside from a gloomy, castle-like interior that resembles the many dungeons that Mario must crawl through to reach Bowser throughout the game series' history, Mario and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) are seen battling it out in what appears to be a precariously-built platform in a coliseum-like arena. The structure closely resembles the kind of level design "Super Smash Bros" prided itself on. Mario is also seen training on a course that resembles levels designed for "Super Mario 3D World." One can also briefly see a desert scene that is reminiscent of World 2 in "Super Mario Bros. 3" and the Desert Hills track in "Super Mario Kart." Fans will have to keep themselves tuned in to find out just what that means for the film's future storyline.