We have a message for fans of the Mushroom Kingdom. Please take a look.

Charles Martinet has been the original voice of Mario in Nintendo games for a long time, as far back as Super Mario 64. Charles is now moving into the brand new role of Mario Ambassador. With this transition, he will be stepping back from recording character voices for our games, but he’ll continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario and interacting with you all!

It has been an honour working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years and we want to thank and celebrate him. Please keep an eye out for a special video message from Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles himself, which we will post at a future date

  • Dandroid@dandroid.appEnglish
    37·
    1 year ago

    I’ve met Charles Martinet several times at conventions. The dude is an absolute delight. He is deeply connected with Mario as a character, far beyond what is normal for a voice actor. He knows everything about Mario. Mario has been his life for nearly 30 years. He has absolutely earned the right to retire from Mario if he so chooses.

    One thing that I thought was interesting, apparently he doesn’t have a home. He travels so much for conventions that he just lives out of a suitcase. Everything he owns is in that suitcase. He just goes from hotel to hotel.

    • 4am@lemm.eeEnglish
      16·
      1 year ago

      If that’s true it’s gotta be exhausting. I can’t imagine that kind of grind at his age.

      Then again, they said he’ll continue being a Nintendo ambassador and traveling around, so perhaps that’s not the reason?

      Hoping the video has more detail.

  • ninjan@lemmy.mildgrim.comEnglish
    36·
    1 year ago

    Makes sense that he’s done with the work part of being so intimately linked to a character. He has done so much voice work over the years. But I must say I really love that he’s still going to be Mario but in a much more laid back role as Ambassador, he deserves his retirement and it was kinda expected after the Mario Movie cameo.

  • Logster998@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    362·
    1 year ago

    This makes me worried, Charles they he wanted to voice Mario until he died. I’m hoping the video clears things up.

      • fartsparkles@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        112·
        1 year ago

        Snap, unless he’s copying Charles’s iconic Mario sounds (ya-hoo), he’s entirely forgettable as a voice actor.

      • vlad@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
        98·
        1 year ago

        Granted, the only Mario games I’ve actually played was SMB on the NES and Odyssey, so I don’t have the same attachment to the character as some, but I still don’t get the hate Chris Pratt got for that role. The movie wasn’t anything really special, the character was fine. But people were freaking furious.

        • BartsBigBugBag@lemmy.tfEnglish
          131·
          1 year ago

          Because Pratt isn’t a good voice actor. Really though, there were few standout performances in that entire movie, so he wasn’t alone in that. It’s almost like they picked the cast based on who can only play themselves, not on who would be a good choice. Princess Peach, Luigi, and Bowser were the only real solid performances in my opinion.

        • SquirtleHermit@lemmy.worldEnglish
          8·
          1 year ago

          It had less to do with Pratt and more to do with it being a radical departure from the established voice of a very nostalgic and beloved character. It would basically be the same thing if Pratt was chosen to voice Micky Mouse or Bugs Bunny.

          It’s also compounded by the fact that the Mario fan base, for good reason, loves Charles Martinet. Just see comments here for evidence. So pulling out a generic sounding Hollywood frontman felt like they were focusing on sales over source material. Which is true, but will always upset longtime fans.

    • Nukken@lemmy.worldEnglish
      20·
      1 year ago

      He is 67 now, probably just decided to slide into retirement. Or maybe he’s having a hard time even doing the Mario voice as he ages.