When I was 6, all I ever wanted to do was play “The New Super Mario Bros” game on my Wii.  Finally, after years of playing as the plumber brothers against the evil Bowser, Mario and Luigi finally get their very own animated movie. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” released in theaters on April 5 and follows the life of Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) who live in the real world. The two brothers soon find themselves in the Mushroom World, fighting against the immense Bowser (Jack Black), set on taking over every kingdom in this new world.

The original Super Mario Bros video game for NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) came out in 1985. The movie’s plot was fairly similar to the original plot with Mario and his brother, Luigi, traveling throughout the Mushroom Kingdom to save Princess Peach after she was kidnapped by the king of the koopas, Bowser. The movie takes the plot in a different direction with, instead of Peach being kidnapped, Luigi is captured. Mario and Peach have to team up to save Luigi and stop Bowser from conquering every kingdom.

Some of my favorite parts of the movie came from the little details and references that were added. The movie has a reference to the old voice actor from the golden age of Mario games and some more obscure references like the DK rap that plays to introduce Donkey Kong. The culmination of references from every iteration of the characters really made the movie feel tailored to fans of any of the games, from the classic 2D Mario games to spinoffs like “Mario Kart.” The creators put their all into making the movie, which was clearly made for a younger audience, but still gave longtime fans something to enjoy.

For anyone who had fears that Chris Pratt as the titular hero, Mario, would be terrible in every single way, it’s not that bad. While it’s not the classic voice actor, Charles Martinet, in the role, Pratt does a decent job at making the character sound just as compelling as any other iteration thus far. I did have my concerns before watching the movie, as trailers made him sound horrible, but it really wasn’t as horrendous as I had expected.

The movie can be childish at times, but beneath all of that is a solid easter-egg-filled movie with breathtaking animation. It’s easy to look past this movie as something created simply for money or a big box office hit, but it is more. It has heartfelt moments that will get you craving a second movie. If you have any interest at all in the world of the Super Mario Bros., you should check out the movie in theaters.