Keegan-Michael Key improvised a song as Toad in the Super Mario Bros. movie

Toad
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Keegan-Michael Key is showing off his singing talents as Toad in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie.

“I got to improvise a song in ‘Super Mario Bros.,’ which was an absolute blast. That was just a stick of fun, that whole thing," the actor told Variety.

“I was working on the voice with my partner and trying to find the voice through the internal journey of the character. And then with the directors [Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic], we sprinkled some things in, we moved it around," Key continued. "There was something about the timbre. I wanted it higher and higher and higher. And that’s where we ended up, and I’m really happy with where we ended up."

Jack Black, voice of Bowser, previously revealed that he, too, brought his musical abilities to the animated film.

"Bowser has a musical side," Black told the audience at New York City Comic-Con, before joking that he was considering taking The Super Mario Bros. Movie to Broadway. "There's musical aspects."

Key is perhaps best known for his work on Key & Peele, a sketch comedy show that stars both him and Jordan Peele. The duo released several parody music videos as part of the series. The performer is currently starring in Reboot, a new comedy from Hulu that follows the dysfunctional cast of an early 2000s sitcom.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is set to hit theaters on March 31, 2023 in the UK and April 7 in North America, followed by a Japan release on April 28. The film will be available to stream on Peacock in May.

For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming video game movies in 2022 and beyond, or, skip right to the good stuff with our list of movie release dates.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for 12DOVE currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.