Super Mario Bros. Wonder has shaken up the franchise with its new art style and eclectic gameplay, but the change that affected fans most was the departure of Mario’s voice actor. Since Wonder’s release, more legacy characters were confirmed to have been replaced.
Fans are understandably sad, but this change is ultimately beneficial to the franchise. The news first broke when Charles Martinet, who had voiced Nintendo’s iconic plumber for over 30 years, announced his retirement. It came straight after the explosively successful Mario Movie featured actor Chris Pratt’s controversial performance as Mario.
Nintendo has not commented on the reason for Martinet’s departure, but the Mario Movie influenced Mario Wonder’s development for the better in many ways.
That said, Wonder’s approach to voice acting is a lot more respectful to the legacy of the franchise than the Mario Movie. Like Martinet before, many of the actors are starting their roles as small names in the industry. The new voice of Mario and Luigi, Kevin Afghani, has a resume consisting of online animations and a standout role as Arnold in Genshin Impact.
When it comes to the voices themselves, Afghani has a steep climb ahead of him if he wants to reach the lofty heights of Martinet, as the difference in experience between the two actors is notable. Some fans spotted the voice change months prior to Nintendo’s announcement in the Super Mario Wonder reveal trailer, but most couldn’t tell the difference, which is impressive for such a new actor.
Alongside this, four tweets recently revealed the voices for newcomers Prince Florian, the Flower Kingdom citizens, the Poplins, sideliner Nabbit, and a replacement for the beloved Princess Daisy. Three of the posts credit the Californian-based talent agency Cup of Tea Productions for their new roles, which specializes in providing talent for English localizations of Japanese games like the Fire Emblem and Ace Attorney series.
One of these actors includes the Mario franchise’s first non-binary voice actor who features in Mario Wonder. Giselle Fernandez is voicing the iconic Princess Daisy in the character’s first mainline role. Fernandez previously lent their vocals to Milio from League of Legends and Aloy’s guest appearance in Genshin Impact.
Another relatively unknown actor is taking over, this time from Deanna Mustard, who first voiced the character 20 years ago in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. This has been hard to swallow for fans, as many believe Mustard gave Daisy her unique tomboyish personality among Mario’s princesses. Unfortunately, the distaste for change paired with Mustard’s lack of online presence is making rumors spread in online communities.
It’s sad to see such extreme reactions to the news as the addition of diverse VAs has helped shape the bold new direction that is making Wonder one of the highest-rated games in the franchise. This change also has the potential to enrich the personalities of Mario‘s lesser-known characters.
Nabbit, originally played by Nintendo sound designer Natsuko Yokoyama in New Super Mario Bros. U, has been replaced by Filipino actor Dawn Bennett. She has been a prominent English VA for a plethora of games and anime, including Dragon Ball, Fairy Tail, Overlord, Starfield, Fire Emblem, and Freedom Planet. Bennett’s biggest confirmed role is for Aegis in the upcoming Persona 3 Reload.
While long-time fans may be disappointed that Super Mario Wonder is replacing its talented cast of legacy actors, Wonder’s new direction gives the reins to a new set of diverse voice-acting talent, which will undoubtedly bring fresh ideas to Nintendo’s landmark series. The obscurity and diversity of Wonder’s voice actors show that Nintendo is dedicated to finding the right voices for their characters.
