When I was 8 years old, I would wake up on Saturday mornings and play Super Mario Bros. on NES. At that time, video games didn’t let you save your progress in the game so when you died, you got knocked all the way back to level 1. Kids these days don’t know that pain. It’s my equivalent to “I used to walk 5 miles to school in the snow” as a kid growing up in sunny Southern California. I still get a rush of anxiety when I hear the music for the final King Koopa boss level. As I got older, I graduated to Super Mario Bros. 3 and then Mario Kart on N64. I have very fond memories spending hours playing Mario Kart both by myself and with my cousins. I liked racing as Toad because he felt nimble and light. Oh and screw those green turtle shells it’s all about the red ones. Ah the simple pleasures of a child. Little did I know back then that I would one day have my name in the credits of a Super Mario Bros. movie!
I am so very proud to say that I arranged music for Brian Tyler’s score for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and what a phenomenal score it is (if I do say so myself). This movie is hilarious and a genuinely fun time so it is no surprise to me that it went bananas at the box office! The Super Mario Bros. Movie had the largest opening for a movie based on a video game and the largest debut of an animated movie! We’re breaking massive records over here! I couldn’t be happier for directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic who are seriously the coolest, most down-to-earth dudes you’ll ever meet. They went hard on this film in all of the amazing details. You cannot deny their love for all things Mario Bros. after watching the movie; they really cared and it shows.
If you haven’t seen it yet, go! It’s a sweet, wholesome, fun, and visually stunning good time.