The Super Mario Bros. Movie Has An Improvised Toad Song Thanks To Keegan-Michael Key
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie," the latest attempt at adapting the extremely popular video franchise for the big screen, has built a lot of hype since the release of its first teaser trailer. Of course, it's not all good news, as some fans have taken to roasting Pratt's Mario voice. But overall, there has been a lot of positive feedback, especially when it comes to Jack Black's Bowser. While the trailer wasn't long enough to let others shine, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" features an impressive A-list cast.
Perhaps one of the most notable additions to that cast outside of Pratt and Black is Keegan-Michael Key. The renowned comedian will be voicing Toad, a character in the games who often helps Mario on his various wacky adventures. Key's comedic style brought him acclaim with his "Key & Peele" sketch show on Comedy Central. As it turns out, Key is bringing his talents to "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" in more than just a voice acting presence, as he actually improvised a song that will appear in the upcoming animated film.
Keegan-Michael Key improvised Toad's song for The Super Mario Bros. Movie
During an interview with Variety, Keegan-Michael Key revealed that he would get to do a musical number as Toad, and that he was the one who improvised it. "I got to improvise a song in 'Super Mario Bros.,' which was an absolute blast," Key said. "That was just a stick of fun, that whole thing." Key also talked about the experience of trying to find the right voice for his character, which was when he presumably improvised the song. "I was working on the voice with my partner and trying to find the voice through the internal journey of the character. And then with the directors [Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic], we sprinkled some things in, we moved it around," he said.
Adding songs to "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" isn't exactly a surprising development. Recently enough, star Jack Black teased that his own Bowser may also have some musical numbers for the film (per Collider). Still, it's not exactly clear how much of the film will actually be musically-oriented. It could easily just be a few stray songs throughout to better appeal to a younger audience. Either way, fans will simply have to wait until more information is released about the upcoming film.
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" releases in theaters on April 7, 2023.