For the past thirty years, Charles Martinet has been the voice of Mario, Luigi and Wario in Nintendo's "Super Mario Bros." games; however, he has now announced that he will be resigning from this role. Nintendo announced on Monday that Martinet will be transitioning into the role of "Mario Ambassador" and will continue to promote the Mario franchise worldwide.
Through a press release, Nintendo honored their longtime collaboration with Charles and initiated a celebratory gesture of thanks. Additionally, the business revealed plans to unveil a commemorative video featuring Martinet alongside the creator of Mario, Miyamoto, at some point in the future.
Alerted to this news by the alteration in Mario and Wario's voices in trailers for the upcoming games "Super Mario Bros Wonder" and "WarioWare: Move It" for the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo fans took notice.Nintendo later confirmed that Martinet would not appear in "Wonder" but expressed excitement about honoring his contributions as a Mario Ambassador.
Martinet has been associated with Nintendo since 1991 when he first started voicing Mario. Martinet's claim to fame as the beloved plumber began in 1996 with "Super Mario 64," the game that birthed Mario's illustrious Italian accent. Over the course of 150+ Nintendo titles he has played the voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario and Waluigi. Martinet's spirited delivery of Mario's signature lines, such as "Let's-a go!," "Mamma mia," and "Wahoo!," has become connected to the character and has left its mark on franchises like "Mario Kart," "Super Mario Galaxy," and "Mario Party."
Martinet made a brief appearance in the recent "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," yet he did not provide the voice for Mario. Chris Pratt assumed the responsibility of voicing Mario in the movie.
Fans of Nintendo and the Mario franchise have expressed mixed reactions to the news of Martinet no longer voicing their favorite characters. Many have praised Martinet for his incredible work as the voice of Mario throughout the years, while others are cautiously optimistic about the future and the new voices that will take on the iconic characters. It remains to be seen who Nintendo will choose to replace Martinet and how fans will respond to the new voices in upcoming games.
As Martinet embarks on his new role as a Mario Ambassador, fans can expect to see him continue to promote the joy and excitement that Mario brings to people worldwide.