When Nintendo and Illumination revealed that actor-musician Donald Glover was stepping into the role of Yoshi for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the consensus was that it was a surprisingly good and unexpected casting choice. While Chris Pratt voicing Mario was initially controversial and Jack Black voicing Bowser felt spot-on, Glover as a cartoon dinosaur felt like a less obvious but inspired fit.
Even Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri had some reservations about Glover as Yoshi, mostly on the actor’s behalf. He did know that he’d really just be saying “Yoshi,” right?
“Donald was somebody I had been wanting to work with for quite a few years, just being a fan of his work,” Meledandri told Polygon. “I had the pleasant surprise, after the first movie, of getting a phone call from Donald Glover telling us how much he loved the movie. And he said, ‘I’d love to come in and have a conversation to see if there’s anything I could do if you guys were making another movie. I would love to be part of it.’
“I shared this idea with Miyamoto-san and then we had the meeting in Los Angeles. [Donald] actually came up with the idea and said, ‘I could do an amazing Yoshi.’ We were initially surprised, but I believe Donald Glover could do anything [and] everything.”
Miyamoto was more taken aback by the suggestion of Glover as Yoshi, who has traditionally been voiced in Super Mario games by Nintendo composer Kazumi Totaka.
“From our side, we were like, ‘Are we sure? Yoshi only says “Yoshi.” [laughs] Is that OK?” Miyamoto said through a translator.
Any doubt was washed away when Glover showed up for his first recording session as the famous dinosaur.
“When it came time for the first recording, [Donald] came in, and he had already been working on his ideas of vocalization and how to respect the Yoshi vocalizations that we know and love from the games, [and] how to push it a bit more,” Meledandri said.
Glover wanted to secure the role of Yoshi immediately after seeing The Super Mario Bros. Movie with his kids back in 2023.
“I went on down to Pasadena with the kiddos and we saw the first one. We were in the front row, I remember, and my kids were having such a good time,” Glover told Polygon in an interview. “I was so blown away by it. Then the end came, and I was like, ‘Yoshi wasn’t in that, and I know people love Yoshi.’ So I immediately contacted [Chris] and was like ‘Yo, what are you guys gonna do with Yoshi? I wanna be Yoshi.’
“[Chris] was very sweet. He was like, ‘I’m glad you liked the movie, but… just so you know, Yoshi’s just gonna say “Yoshi.”‘ And I was like, ‘Great! Please!'”
That is, in fact, true. Beyond his normal grunts, murmurs, and tongue-grabbing sounds, the only word Yoshi says in the film is “Yoshi.” This truly is Glover’s “I am Groot” moment.
“I just love the character. He’s great,” Glover said. “I was honored to play anybody as iconic [as Yoshi] and be a part of this world. There’s very few brands that I’m like, Oh, this is really a part of me, and I was very excited about it.”
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie opens in theaters on April 1.
