“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” has crash-landed on our planet.
But just days before its release, Universal and Nintendo revealed a new character would join “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” – Fox McCloud, the hero of the “Star Fox” videogame series. And what’s more, Glen Powell, star of “Top Gun: Maverick,” would voice the hotshot pilot. All of this created much excitement and a fair amount of discussion online, but also just as much confusion. How, exactly, is a character from an entirely separate franchise going to make its way to “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” And where do things go next?
Well, lucky for you, we have all the answers. Buckle up. We’re going to give you a crash course in “Star Fox,” Fox McCloud and his involvement in the new “Super Mario Galaxy Movie.” Time for a barrel roll! But before we blast off for the cosmos, we must issue a stern spoiler warning. There’s no turning back!
What is “Star Fox?”
“Star Fox” is a video game series created by designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the same man who created “Super Mario Bros.” and the producer of both of the animated features released by Universal and produced by Illumination. Most of the games in the series are structured as an on-rail shooter, with Fox McCloud leading a group of anthropomorphic starship fighter pilots in a quest to rid the galaxy of evil.
The original game, released in 1993 for the Super Nintendo system, was revolutionary for its time, as only the second Nintendo game to use polygonal graphics, achieved by a highly publicized FX chip embedded in the game cartridge. 1997 saw the release of “Star Fox 64” for the Nintendo 64 system, which many will probably remember as the high point of the franchise (it is also remembered for the Rumble Pack – a peripheral that fit into the Nintendo 64 controller, giving it a lifelike shake).
Since then, there have been a handful of “Star Fox” follow-up games, including a well-regarded remake of the Nintendo 64 game, this time for the Nintendo 3DS. There was also, bafflingly, an adventure game that takes place mostly outside of the cockpit on a dinosaur-filled planet, which actually fits nicely into the “Super Mario Galaxy Movie” framework. (There are lots of dinosaurs.)
Why has there never been a “Star Fox” show or movie?
That is unclear. Apparently, Nintendo was working on a stop-motion animated “Star Fox” series for Netflix, partially inspired by a College Humor sketch that imagined the game as directed by Wes Anderson in the style of “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” which you can watch below. But Nintendo got nervous after a Netflix leak revealed the “Star Fox” project, along with a “Legend of Zelda” project. This was confirmed by Adam Conover, who was working on the “Star Fox” project and spoke about Miyamoto meeting the team at their office. Ah, what could have been.
How is Fox McCloud introduced in “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie?”
The gang is on a crazy mission to save Rosalina (Brie Larson), a princess that Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) and Bowser (Jack Black) have abducted. They’re using her energy to power a giant planet on the other side of space, and they eventually get to a hub world, where all sorts of Nintendo characters are milling around, including Pikmin. (Sorry, that’s an explainer for another time.)
Eventually, Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) run into Fox McCloud, who agrees to take them on their mission. The rest of the gang shows up, including Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day) and Yoshi (Donald Glover), and they all pile into Fox’s iconic ship, the Arwing, and blast off for the next chapter of their adventure.
But how is he there?
Fox explains to Princess Peach and Toad that he was flying with the rest of his squadron when he was sucked into a black hole and spit out into another dimension – specifically, the “Super Mario Bros.” dimension. It should also be noted that this backstory is conveyed via a 2D sequence that borrows heavily from late 1980s and early 1990s anime and is one of the highlights of the entire movie, it’s both hilarious and visually striking. Until he fixes his ship’s engine, he will be unable to return to his universe.
Is that the extent of his involvement in the movie?
No, incredibly, he continues on with the journey and plays a key role in the final mission to shut down the Bowsers’ evil plan, piloting a giant spaceship towards their planet and saving the Mushroom Kingdom.
Where does Fox McCloud end up?
During the movie’s mid-credits scene, he notes that his ship has been fixed and he’s headed back to his world. This is probably very disappointing to anyone who wanted a “Super Smash Bros.” movie. But there will be plenty of time for that. After “Super Mario Galaxy” makes a trillion dollars, everything will be on the table.
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is in theaters now.
