The voice actor who gave life to Mario has officially retired.
According to a tweet from the official Nintendo account, Charles Martinet was the voice of Mario for more than 25 years but will no longer be voicing the iconic video game character.
Martinet’s voice has been featured in popular Mario projects, including Super Mario 64, Super Mario Odyssey, and Super Mario Galaxy, plus many spinoffs since the 1990s.
“Charles is now moving into the brand-new role of Mario Ambassador. With this new transition, he will be stepping back from recording character voices for our games,” Nintendo’s statement reads. “It has been an honor working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years and we want to thank and celebrate him.”
We have a message for fans of the Mushroom Kingdom. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/U1ASicOuTO
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 21, 2023
Fans had already noticed that the voice of Mario sounded a little different in the new Super Mario Bros Wonder game. Nintendo confirmed that Martinet was not voicing Mario in the new project, saying in an email statement, “While Charles is not involved in the game, we’re excited to honor his legacy and contributions, including looking ahead to what he’ll be doing as a Mario Ambassador.”
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Martinet also did not voice the iconic character in the “Super Mario Bros. Movie.” That honor went to Chris Pratt, who fans floated as a possible replacement for Martinet.
Pratt told Variety in 2022 that he “worked really closely with the directors” to create the perfect Mario voice, saying, “[We tried] out a few things and landed on something that I’m really proud of.”
“It’s an animated voiceover narrative,” Pratt told the publication ahead of its release. “It’s not a live-action movie. I’m not gonna be wearing a plumber suit running all over. I’m providing a voice for an animated character, and it is updated and unlike anything you’ve heard in the Mario world before.”
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” defied expectations and smashed records by pulling off the most lucrative opening weekend at the box office for an animated film, a title which was previously held by the Disney sequel “Frozen 2” (2019).
“Super Mario” brought in $377 million in global box office sales and $204.6 million in domestic sales the weekend it opened.