Newly surfaced storyboards from animator Douglas Lovelace have shed light on scrapped cameos and an alternate wedding sequence from the development of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
The pages were originally hosted on Lovelace's online portfolio; the live page now returns a 404 error, but an archived copy is available through the Wayback Machine.
The materials focus on a wedding sequence in which Bowser attempts to force Princess Peach into marriage.
Lovelace's boards show a number of character cameos that did not make the final cut, including Rawk Hawk from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Whomp King from Super Mario 64.
Additional planned guests listed in the storyboards include Wart, Mouser, and Birdo — characters with long histories across Nintendo franchises.
One storyboarded alternate sequence depicts Peach and Toad staging an argument during the ceremony as a ruse to obtain an Ice Flower.
In the notes, Peach complains that had her subjects not been cowardly, she would not be compelled into the wedding; Toad counters by calling her a 'rotten' Peach.
The sequence continues with Peach using the Ice Flower to freeze Bowser, triggering an extended action beat in which Toad confronts a swarm of Bowser's minions.
Douglas Lovelace is credited as a storyboard animator on the project; the storyboard uploads originally appeared on his professional portfolio before being removed.
The archival copy on the Wayback Machine preserves the images and annotations for public review.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie follows the 2023 theatrical launch of The Super Mario Bros.
Movie, a collaboration between Illumination, Nintendo, and Universal Pictures.
While the theatrical film and its sequel projects have drawn attention from both film audiences and the gaming community, these storyboard revelations offer a rare look into developmental choices and character inclusion decisions made during production.
For Nintendo fans and game developers, the discovery underscores how adaptations of game properties can iterate on source material and also leave behind notable unused elements.
The revealed cameos tie directly to longstanding Nintendo IPs that continue to appear across platforms, including titles available on Nintendo Switch and announcements commonly shared in events such as Nintendo Direct and on the Nintendo eShop.
The pages were originally hosted on Lovelace's online portfolio; the live page now returns a 404 error, but an archived copy is available through the Wayback Machine.
The materials focus on a wedding sequence in which Bowser attempts to force Princess Peach into marriage.
Lovelace's boards show a number of character cameos that did not make the final cut, including Rawk Hawk from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Whomp King from Super Mario 64.
Additional planned guests listed in the storyboards include Wart, Mouser, and Birdo — characters with long histories across Nintendo franchises.
One storyboarded alternate sequence depicts Peach and Toad staging an argument during the ceremony as a ruse to obtain an Ice Flower.
In the notes, Peach complains that had her subjects not been cowardly, she would not be compelled into the wedding; Toad counters by calling her a 'rotten' Peach.
The sequence continues with Peach using the Ice Flower to freeze Bowser, triggering an extended action beat in which Toad confronts a swarm of Bowser's minions.
Douglas Lovelace is credited as a storyboard animator on the project; the storyboard uploads originally appeared on his professional portfolio before being removed.
The archival copy on the Wayback Machine preserves the images and annotations for public review.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie follows the 2023 theatrical launch of The Super Mario Bros.
Movie, a collaboration between Illumination, Nintendo, and Universal Pictures.
While the theatrical film and its sequel projects have drawn attention from both film audiences and the gaming community, these storyboard revelations offer a rare look into developmental choices and character inclusion decisions made during production.
For Nintendo fans and game developers, the discovery underscores how adaptations of game properties can iterate on source material and also leave behind notable unused elements.
The revealed cameos tie directly to longstanding Nintendo IPs that continue to appear across platforms, including titles available on Nintendo Switch and announcements commonly shared in events such as Nintendo Direct and on the Nintendo eShop.