Although it hasn’t even been released yet, The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) has already received a lot of criticism from critics and fans who are upset with Chris Pratt’s voice. Well, there’s one more log to add to that critical fire because a classic video game composer was not credited for his song that appeared in the film.

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Produced by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Illumination founder Chris Meledandri, The Super Mario Bros Movie is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and written by Matthew Fogel. It stars Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, and Mario’s original voice actor Charles Martinet as Mario and Luigi’s father, Giuseppe.
Because The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a video game adaptation based on arguably the most important franchise in the medium, there are plenty of tidbits that are there for Nintendo fans to enjoy. Unfortunately, one of these great tributes is not given the credit it deserves.
Grant Kirkhope Just Wanted His Name In ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s Credits

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie includes a multitude of tributes and winks to previous Nintendo games. One of the best ones happens when Donkey Kong enters the arena to battle Mario. In true pro wrestling fashion, Kong gets an entrance theme, and it’s the “DK Rap” from Donkey Kong 64 (1999) on the Nintendo 64.
Composed by Grant Kirkhope as a joke during his lunch break, the song was eventually used as a way to introduce the various playable Kongs in the game. It’s the definition of clunky and was maligned when the game was released, but its tongue-in-cheek nature has caused it to become beloved by fans nostalgic for their younger days.
While it’s exciting to see the song used in the film, especially since it’s from a game that wasn’t developed by Nintendo, it’s sad to see one of the song’s creators not receive any credit. Instead, the credits simply say, “From Donkey Kong 64.”
This obviously upset Kirkhope, who initially Tweeted, “Well that’s f*****g depressing,” before following up with, “I was really looking forward to see my name in the credits for the “DK Rap”, but alas as expected it’s not there”
I was really looking forward to see my name in the credits for the DK Rap, but alas as expected it's not there …….. fml
— Grant Kirkhope (@grantkirkhope) April 5, 2023
Many fans were upset by this snub, including one who pointed out that other classic composers like Koji Kondo were credited for their work.
Grant Kirkhope is an immensely talented composer who has contributed to multiple classic Nintendo games, including GoldenEye 007 (1997), Banjo-Kazooie (1998), and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (2017). The least they could have done was put his name in the credits.
Do you think artists should receive credit for their work? Let us know in the comments below.