Photosensitivity Warning: More than the previous film, Galaxy is filled with light designs that may prove triggering for photosensitive individuals; consider taking precautions before starting the film.
In 2023, Illumination, with Nintendo as a partner, released The Super Mario Bros. Movie into theaters; it was the first time that Mario Mario and brother Luigi Mario had been in theaters since 1993. Unlike its predecessor, the Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath-co-directed project would not only follow a more game-inspired path for its narrative, it would also be incredibly well-received for its simple-yet-fun adventure and nostalgic easter eggs. Unsurprisingly, a sequel was greenlit and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie released in the Spring of 2026 to rave general audience reviews and a resounding thud from critics. While some enjoyed its simple adventure quality and nostalgia bait, others found it lacking because it failed to push itself beyond what it had achieved before. Regardless of how one feels about the film itself, it’s now available to own on physical formats and is accompanied by roughly an hour of supplemental materials to allow fans of the film, or of Mario in general, to explore the filmmakers’ intent.
Things in the Mushroom Kingdom are generally back to normal since Princess Peach, Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Donkey Kong (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Keegan-Michael Key, and Seth Rogen, respectively) stopped Bowser (voiced by Jack Black) and his forces from using a Super Star to destroy everything. Mario and Luigi have settled in as extra heroic hands to solve the problems of the land in support of the Toadstool reign, even stumbling across a new friend, a green Yoshi dinosaur (voiced by Donald Glover), who joyfully joins the crew. His addition is well-timed as a new threat arrives in the form of Bowser Jr. (voiced by Benny Safdie) who’s intent on capturing Princess Peach in a bid to enact a terrible plan he and his father concocted years ago, and he already has one piece of the puzzle: Princess Rosalina (voiced by Brie Larson), mother of the Lumas.
The following home release review is based on a 4K UHD Blu-ray retail copy provided by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
As a critic, I’m of the mind that it’s important to consider what the film seeks to do and how well it does it when exploring it. To that end, allow me to preface what follows with an acknowledgement that both of my children loved the film. Both have limited experience with the original incarnations of the Mario Bros. games, but have played several on the Switch (Deluxe, Odyssey, Wonder, Mario Maker 2, Mario Kart, and Super Smash Bros., to name a few), so the various characters that appear with zero explanation (such as Mr. Game & Watch) and the appearance of the sleeping dinosaur were met with incredible shouts of glee, but there was complete silence on the appearance of the Super Scope in Switch colors. Galaxy Movie was successful in the same way as the first film in pulling out a sensation of a joyous ride with each smart reference point, even with the widened scope of reference material, including lesser known gaming peripherals such as Robotic Operating Buddy (R.O.B). If Illumination is making a film for families so that parents can take their kids out to the theater or curl up in relative safety for a movie night, then Galaxy Movie is a success. If Illumination, however, is trying to make a family movie that all ages can enjoy, that’s a tad more complicated.
Like the first outing, Galaxy Movie, also written by Matthew Fogel, bears a simple premise: kidnapped princess requires saving. It’s the benchmark for many Mario games, although it’s been a lovely twist when Peach (Rosalina or Daisey) gets to take part in the adventure themselves, too. The extra layer here is that Peach goes off to rescue Rosalina with only Toad for back-up, the Mario crew only catching up when an attack from Bowser Jr. requires their immediate attention. On the one hand, this smartly allows for Peach and Mario to remain individual characters where one doesn’t define the other (a tricky proposition given the starting point within the games as hero and kidnappee) and get to have their own adventure before convening on the same location in the run-up to the final confrontation. On the other, where the first film was streamlined as a road trip adventure, there’re now three individual storylines to focus on — Peach and Rosalina, Mario and Luigi, and Bowser and Bowser Jr. — requiring that attention be paid to all while also making space for the new locations, new characters, and new easter eggs. It’s a lot of new and, when the afterglow of some nostalgia piece wears off, we become very aware that we’re waiting for something to happen as the new is not balanced well with the progression of the story. Look, these films don’t have to incorporate massive revelations and, as a curated IP from Nintendo, expecting them to do anything bold or creative narratively is a massive reach on the part of any audience member. The games themselves don’t break molds plot-wise, but they do strive to redefine how people play games, whether it’s through changing how people played (Super Mario Bros. 2), items used and the ability to store them (Super Mario Bros. 3), introducing playable supporting characters (Super Mario World), adding multiple playable characters on-screen at once rather than traditional turn-based play (New Super Mario Bros. Wii), or removing timed boards and changing the rules of the board within a controlled system (Super Mario Bros. Wonder) – and this doesn’t even get into the Paper Mario series or Yoshi offshoots. The point is that the narrative was never going to be the thing that hooked audiences, even though it would be great if it was. It was always going to be the adventure itself and whether or not it has any replay value. Unlike 2023’s adventure, Galaxy is only replayable for the reference points and not because of the amusement of the adventure — that’s why it frustrates even when dazzling with its use of mixed media within the animation to tell its story.
Gratefully, the home edition doesn’t account for the critical response and actually offers supplemental materials that fans can explore. (It doesn’t matter to me how I feel about a film, if a film gets a physical edition, I want those who love it to have bonus features.) Galaxy Movie includes seven different featurettes to allow views to take a dive (sometimes deeper than others) into the making of the film, as well as a few of the surprises, through conversations with the U.S. and French Illumination teams, as well as representatives from Nintendo, and, of course, the voice cast. There’s a 15-minute “Next Level: Making The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” that focuses strictly on the making of the film in a wider general way, while the 10-minute “Exploring The Galaxy” focuses on the shift from the Mushroom Kingdom into the adaptation process of the Galaxy game. There is a 22-minute series called “Cast of Characters” in which, through four different featurettes, viewers learn about specific character groups and how the cast approached them. The groups are: Mario and Luigi, Peach and Rosalina, Bowser and Bowser Jr., and Toad and Yoshi. “Galactic Thematics” runs five minutes and feels the most “marketing” of the pieces as its populated by quick sound bites from various members of the production, rather than any kind of exploratory dive. For those who enjoy the music, returning composer Brian Tyler (Ready or Not) gets his own focus in the three-minute “Cosmic Tunes,” in which he discusses how he approached this film versus the 2023 score. Of course, Koji Kondo, longtime composer for the Mario series, offers his own thoughts, as well, in his capacity as Nintendo Score Consultant. Last is the nearly-three-minute “Secrets of The Galaxy,” which touches on the various references and easter eggs throughout the film. Like with most such featurettes, you don’t get a guided tour of everything hidden in plain sight, but a starting off point to discover what you may not have noticed or places you might not have looked.
As this is a 4K UHD edition, it’s at least worth noting a few impressions before wrapping the whole review. According to the press release, the 4K UHD edition is a BD 100 disc, meaning that it can store 100 GB of data. This should, in theory, allow for a film to be at its highest bitrate as the disc has enough space available for the film to fi without much compression of data. Additionally, the film, being animated, shouldn’t suffer from drops in bitrate like a live-action release does whenever high amounts of VFX or digital elements are present. However, despite how good the film looks on 4K UHD (more in a moment), the bitrate is all over the place. It primarily hovers in the 60 – 70 Mbps range, but it frequently drops into the 50s with few rises into the 80s and 90s. This is likely due to the inclusion of all the bonus features on the 4K UHD disc which are, themselves, in 4K UHD quality, thereby requiring more space on the disc which, in turn, reduces the available space for the feature. Since Universal Pictures Home Entertainment opted for a combo release, had the Blu-ray only held the features, the on-disc 4K UHD presentation would have a steadier and likely higher bitrate. That said, compared to the Blu-ray (which was the version watched with my children), the 4K UHD offers a far-improved picture to the point where you can see the scale textures on Yoshi and both Bowsers, the stitching of Luigi’s initial in his cap during his cloud form, and the red dust that adorns Mario and Luigi’s coveralls in the scene after meeting Yoshi. The enhanced detail afforded by the 4K UHD makes everything within the film pop, the work of the animators truly put on display, which is, frankly, one of the best reasons to watch this film: it’s quite beautiful in the detail work.
The biggest crime that Galaxy Movie commits is that it’s fine. It entertains young audiences and delivers nostalgia while setting up a third film that most likely will come once Illumination and Nintendo work out the next idea. Given some of the inclusions here from Star Fox (voiced by Glen Powell) to Mr. Game & Watch and the past inclusion of Donkey Kong, there’s a suggestion of a foundation for a Smash Bros. film, though film producer and Super Mario Bros. creator Shigeru Miyamoto did say in April 2026 that one wasn’t in the works. However, Nintendo also stated, via Nintendo Today back in July 2025, that Peach and Mario are just good friends while this film has a will-they-won’t-they subplot throughout. A Smash Bros. film could be fun because of the different personalities that could clash and then team up, but, frankly, I’d settle for a film that’s more interested in telling a smart and engaging story first, than one so intent on gliding by on what it references. Can Super Mario do more than coast? I think innovation is built in, they just need a script to take advantage of it.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Special Features*:
- Next Level: Making The Super Mario Galaxy Movie – Go behind the scenes of this epic journey across the cosmos as the visionary creators at Nintendo, the acclaimed filmmakers and artists of Illumination, and the extraordinary cast who redefined these iconic characters reveal the artistry behind every meticulously crafted moment. (15:03)
- Cast of Characters – Explore how this impeccable cast masterfully embodied the iconic Mario Bros. characters, honoring their legacy while captivating audiences across generations worldwide. (22:41)
- Exploring The Galaxy – Guided by the filmmakers and cast, audiences embark on a journey through the film’s most iconic settings, revealing the thoughtful layers of nostalgia embedded in each one. (10:29)
- Galactic Thematics – The emotional core of any Super Mario Bros. film lies in its relationships. This piece delves into the bonds between characters, examining the alliances that are tested, the connections that are broken, and those that endure and evolve forever. (5:18)
- Cosmic Tunes – Some sounds are unmistakably Super Mario Bros. Composer Brian Tyler invites audiences inside his creative process, reimagining the franchise’s iconic game music as a powerful cinematic score that drives the action and elevates this epic adventure. (3:33)
- Power-Ups – There is no greater tool in the galaxy than a perfectly timed power-up. Take a closer look at the many power-ups featured in the film, explore how the filmmakers selected which to include, and hear from the cast as they share their personal favorites. (2:22)
- Secrets of The Galaxy – Brimming with cleverly hidden Easter eggs, the film invites fans to return again and again to catch them all. In this feature, the filmmakers and cast offer insider guidance on where to look, what to watch for, and the surprises waiting to be discovered. (2:46)
Available on digital May 19th, 2026.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD June 16th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official Universal Pictures Home Entertainment The Super Mario Galaxy Movie webpage.
Final Score: 3 out of 5.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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