Jack Black Tried to Have Bowser's 'Peaches' Song Cut From The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Bowser’s “Peaches” song almost did not make it to The Super Mario Bros. Movie after Jack Black insisted the ballad intermission was too emotional for a family-oriented cartoon.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s installed fan base contributed in no small measure to the movie’s success at the box office, but it also ticked many blockbuster check boxes. It was a family-oriented animated film adapted from a widely familiar IP, and it had a very capable cast who made Mushroom World’s characters larger than life. The film had plenty of memorable moments, but Jack Black’s Bowser stole the show early on with a surprise musical number that was so catchy that it became the wistful earworm to many. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Black revealed that the song was made almost by serendipity.

Bowser Would be a Great Boyfriend…If It Weren’t For Everything About Him

Bowser may be the most prominent villain of the Mario franchise, but If it weren’t for being an evil turtle-dragon monster, he would be quite a catch.

Black said he did not expect that he would be performing a musical number when he was cast in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The concept for the “Peaches” track was also considered almost as an afterthought by directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. “They had this idea late, late in the game, ‘What if Bowser sings a song?'” he recalled. “They were like, ‘We got this little nugget,’ and they sent over this little 20-second song.” The catchy lyrics seemed right up Black’s alley, but the actor initially refused to develop the song, saying “[the movie] is not a musical — you can’t just pop this on me.”

Bowser Swoons with “Peaches” Ballad

Black eventually warmed up to the “Peaches” song and pulled in his producer John Spiker to work on the lyrics. “We fleshed it out and made it more of a song with more lyrics and melody and stuff,” he said. “And I was like, ‘Ooh, this hits, this slaps. I bet you they won’t want to use this because it’s a little too deeply emotional. It stops being a little family cartoon for a second. It felt like it went into some other realm of deep, painful love that [Bowser will] never have — this deep yearning. It’s too real.” The “Peaches” ballad turned out to be Bowser’s standout moment as well as a defining highlight of the film.

A split image of Luigi, Lumalee, and Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

The Most Iconic Lines In The Super Mario Bros. Movie

From Bowser’s villain song to Mario’s catchphrases from the Nintendo games, The Super Mario Bros. Movie gave fans plenty of iconic quotes.

The “Peaches” song became a viral hit, peaking at No.56 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and ranking fourth on YouTube’s top trends of 2023. The Super Mario Bros. Movie also set its own records, beating Frozen for second place as the all-time biggest animated movie with more than $1.36 billion earned at the worldwide box office. The film’s breakout success also gave Nintendo the green light to adapt Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and other IPs in the company’s massive video game library.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now streaming on Netflix.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter