This weekend, Nintendo delighted fans with a surprise Nintendo Direct event, unveiling a fresh trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. The trailer is packed with beloved characters, obscure references, and fantastical visuals, captivating audiences with its fast-paced action and nostalgia.

The presentation, led by Mario’s creator Shigeru Miyamoto, kicks off with an adrenaline-pumping scene featuring Mario and Luigi racing through the desert on motorbikes. This segment, hinted at in an earlier trailer, quickly transitions to a location that will ring familiar to fans of Super Mario Odyssey: the inverted pyramid in the Sand Kingdom. The full trailer can be viewed above.

In the narrative, Mario and Luigi are on a mission to clear a blocked Warp Pipe. Armed with Fire Flowers, they venture into the depths. As the iconic underground theme plays, the brothers discover the source of the blockage, leading to a thrilling revelation: Yoshi. And much to fans’ delight, Yoshi speaks.

Initially, Yoshi appears startled by Mario and Luigi, but it soon becomes evident that he will join their adventure. The trailer offers a glimpse of Yoshi’s vocalizations, complete with his unique way of saying his name and some endearing mutterings.

Fans may recall the hint of Yoshi’s presence from the post-credits scene of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which showcased a green Yoshi egg starting to crack. However, hearing Yoshi’s voice in this new context marks a significant and exciting moment for the franchise.

From there, the trailer launches into a rapid-fire montage of action. Mario and Peach are shown infiltrating a lava-filled environment that looks ripped straight out of a Bowser’s Castle level. In another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, a Toad is swallowed by an enormous Cheep Cheep — only to be rescued by Luigi sporting the classic Frog Suit Power-Up.

Another quick montage introduces Birdo, who is seen angrily firing eggs at Peach. The princess blocks the attack with her parasol, and for a split second, eagle-eyed fans can spot Mouser — a true deep cut from Super Mario Bros. 2 and one of that game’s rodent bosses.

The pairing isn’t accidental. Birdo and Mouser both debuted in Super Mario Bros. 2, which was set in the dream world of Subcon. The sequence raises an intriguing question: Is Peach tackling her own side quest early in the movie while Mario and Luigi explore the Sand Kingdom?

The trailer also offers a first look at Lakitu on the big screen, hurling projectiles at Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi from above.

Things get even stranger in the closing moments. Yoshi is shown clutching a weapon resembling the SNES Super Scope, while Toad holds Baby Luigi and Baby Mario. The group appears to be squaring off against a T-Rex that looks lifted straight from Super Mario Odyssey. Context? Still unclear — but vibes? Immaculate.

According to IGN, the Nintendo Direct wrapped with a brief retrospective on Yoshi’s long history across Nintendo games, followed by a check-in with Illumination boss Chris Meledandri. Meledandri confirmed that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has officially completed animation and is now in post-production.

As work continues on sound and music, themes from the Super Mario Galaxy games are being re-recorded for the film’s soundtrack using a 70-piece orchestra.

Notably, Nintendo declined to reveal who is voicing Yoshi — or announce any new additions to the cast. Rosalina and Bowser Jr. were also absent from this trailer, despite being highlighted in November’s dedicated Nintendo Direct, which confirmed that Rosalina would be voiced by Marvel star Brie Larson and Bowser Jr. by Benny Safdie.

Both Safdie and Larson join the returning cast from the first film: Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek.

Previously, Nintendo teased that the sequel would include characters that “are really deep cuts”, fueling fan speculation that the film’s story could finally address a long-running theory about Peach and Rosalina’s shared origins.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is now set to hit theaters on April 1 — two days earlier than originally announced — aligning its release with international markets.