Brian Tyler joins The Film Scorer Podcast, finishing up our unofficial “month of Tylers”! Brian is fresh off the back of scoring the global smash hit The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and we spend the bulk of our conversation discussing his score and experience. This ranges from Brian’s lifelong fandom of Mario games (as a kid he’d cut out articles about Mario composer Koji Kondo and game designer Shigeru Miyamoto from magazines), the surreal experience of working with Kondo and Miyamoto, and filling the score with homages to the many iconic themes and motifs that fill the Mario universe. On the way he even spends a few minutes talking about his score for the upcoming Fast X, with his face and voice filling with excitement when he discusses his theme for Jason Momoa’s new character.
It’s easy to see why Brian’s score has received so much critical acclaim, with many people calling it their favorite score of the year. It’s a fun, exciting piece with new themes that fit seamlessly into the broader Mario music universe while also utilizing countless prior themes. In fact, Brian told me that he thinks there are around 150 references to Mario themes and motifs in his score, from the famous to the obscure, some of which last no more than a second. On his approach to scoring the film, Brian told me “I kind of thought ‘gee, it would be cool if the movie and its music kind of spoke to what I imagined it to be when I was playing.’ It’s like taking the feeling of excitement and translating it. . . And that’s where that crossover, the baton is handed off from game to cinema.” You can hear how much a fan he is of this world and its music, and it’s nice to know the music was handled with such care.
You can find out more about Brian on his website. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is in theaters, and Brian’s score, as well as many of his other works, is available digitally on all major platforms.
Have a listen to our conversation below or wherever you get your podcasts (including Spotify and Apple Podcasts). Enjoying these interviews? Show the love by subscribing and leaving a rating or review!
About The Super Mario Bros. Movie
“For the first time, the iconic global entertainment brands Illumination and Nintendo join forces to create The Super Mario Bros. Movie, a new, big-screen adventure starring one of pop culture’s most prominent plumbers of the past four decades. Based on the world of Nintendo’s Mario games, the film invites audiences into a vibrant, thrilling new universe unlike any created before in an action-packed cinematic comedy event.
While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers Mario (Chris Pratt; Jurassic World and The LEGO Movie franchises) and brother Luigi (Charlie Day; It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi.
With the assistance of a Mushroom Kingdom resident Toad (Keegan-Michael Key; The Lion King) and some training from the strong-willed ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy; The Queen’s Gambit), Mario taps into his own power.” Courtesy of 2b Entertainment