Super Mario Bros. Movie Directors Reveal How Rainbow Road Was Brought to Life

The Super Mario Bros. Movie got its final trailer today and during the Nintendo Direct that was dedicated specifically to the trailer and the film itself, co-directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic offered a bit of insight into how they recreated one of Mario’s most iconic settings: Rainbow Road.

The trailer gave another look at the famous Mario Kart course, and Jelenic acknowledged that, in the games, “Rainbow Road isn’t just beautiful to look at; it’s also one of the least-forgiving courses.”

“As superfans of the Mario universe, we wanted to re-create that danger and a sense of epic scale on the big screen,” Horvath added.

“We also brought in artists who specialize in vehicle design and worked closely with the team at Nintendo to create some new Karts that feel organic to the general kingdom, while still inspired by the iconic game designs,” Jelenic said.

Jelenic would go on to note that they “improved [their] lighting and rendering technology” at Illumination to elevate the wildly anticipated movie as a whole.

In addition to Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, Horvath and Jelenic were joined by cast members Chris Pratt (Mario), Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), Charlie Day (Luigi), Seth Rogen (Donkey Kong), Anya-Taylor Joy (Peach), and Jack Black (Bowser) to talk about the trailer just before it debuted.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie will hit theaters in the U.S. and 60 other markets on April 5, having been previously moved up by two days. For more on the Super Mario Bros. Movie, check out how Horvath defended Pratt’s controversial casting as Mario, as well as our in-depth interview with Miyamoto.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.