The Super Mario Bros Movie (2023) movie has made animation history as the biggest video game movie adaptation in box office history. The film has raked in over $377 million and has earned the biggest opening of an animated film.
The film was originally met with disappointment and low expectations from fans due to the casting of Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario and the realization that the beloved video game character would not have his iconic Italian accent. However, the film has defied expectations, even while being poorly reviewed by critics, and has an audience score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Super Mario Bros Movie is also being praised by a certain group of people, but for a completely different reason, claiming the film is as successful as it is because it’s “anti-woke.”
The Walt Disney Company has faced backlash recently over various projects with both their filming projects and their Park announcements, as well as their still-ongoing battle with Florida governor Ron DeSantis that started when Disney refused to support his proposed “Don’t Say Gay Bill” last year. Disney has been slammed for being too woke for these reasons, as well as their increased inclusion of queer characters and characters of color. The Super Mario Bros Movie is produced by Illumination, a branch of Univeral Studios, and is being praised for being “anti-woke”…although there aren’t any actual reasons given as to why the film is considered as such.
So the movie that the far right did an about face on and declared an “anti-woke victory” has a full on drag scene in it.
You can’t make this shit up. pic.twitter.com/y78prG9tiK
— Ashley Lynch
(@ashleylynch) April 14, 2023
However, ironically, the film actually does include a scene that would be considered controversial and “woke,” especially given today’s climate with the queer community and various laws, gender affirming care being denied to transgender people, and drag shows being banned across the country. In one scene in the film, Kamek, who is Bowser’s right-hand man, is seen wearing drag. He’s essentially in a Princess Peach costume, with a full dress, wig, and make up. While the shot is brief, and is most likely a reference to one of the video game variations, it would still be considered drag within the confines of the recent proposed laws across the country, and definitely wouldn’t be considered “anti-woke.”
Films have been showing characters in drag for decades, including children’s films like Lilo and Stitch (2002). Most of the time, the intended audience for the film is too young to grasp the overall context or implications of those scenes, and just find it to be a funny moment in a cool movie. It’s not necessarily “woke” to include scenes like this, but it certainly isn’t “anti-woke” either.
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This content was originally published here.
