Fans Aren't Happy with Princess Peach from the Super Mario Bros. Movie

Super Mario Bros (the movie) got a lot of attention and love as it should. But while there are many fans who love the movie there are also many fans who were left devastated after watching it. And if you'd have to ask why I'd be more than happy to tell you.

The reason is Princess Peach.

Princess Peach

While there's nothing wrong with her on the exterior surface, as her character design was of course spot-on and gorgeous. However, the real heart wrencher here was her personality.

Peach has always had elegant and princess-like mannerisms and gestures. When watching the movie many fans noticed Peach's usual "peachiness" was just barely there.

Now before any of you cut me off in your minds- keep reading.

Yes, Princess Peach has a history of being a damsel in distress. But real fans all know that she is more than that. She can parkour and kick butt when the time presents itself but she is still a refined princess who at times even complains of being sheltered by others a bit too much which she finds "stifling."

Princess Peach is famous for being sweet, gentle, graceful, quietly confident, polite, and "peachy" because at times she is portrayed to seem naive.

Although her lines have changed a lot over the years her personality is consistently feminine, polite, and graceful.

There's nothing wrong with making a character more assertive and independent for the sake of a movie however the problem is fans find her personality in the movie too similar to Princess Daisy's.

Princess Daisy

Daisy, the love interest of Luigi, princess of Sarasaland, has always been known as the tomboy girl boss with a spunky personality. She's competitive, self-assured, and bossy concerning things she wants. She is always quick to ditch her dress for shorts/pants when doing athletic activities and she isn't afraid to be unladylike.

Daisy fans knew the moment they watched the movie that if Super Mario Bros. were to ever get a sequel, Daisy might not be in it. How could she coexist beside the current version of Princess Peach who is so much like her? If not too much? How would the writers write her from then on to differentiate her from Peach? Would they overexaggerate her flaws to create conflict and as a result leave her as that one annoying spoiled princess inferior to Peach? Perhaps the fans' fears are unfounded.

My Thoughts: (spoilers)

Although Princess Peach gave a lot of Daisy vibes at the start of the movie- Flipping Mario over the shoulder and shoving a mushroom in his mouth without apologizing for instance, throughout the rest of the movie Peach...although she was barely her typical self Peach was still passingly... Peach.

Peach is always compared to Daisy, and Peach's long history as a damsel is often dangled over her head in comparison. I think the movie answers the question perfectly as to why Peach is always taken.

The subjects of Peach's Kingdom are weak and she has no one to protect her. Compared to Daisy who is Princess of an empire it'd be a lot more challenging to take her compared to Peach's situation.

Daisy vs Peach, a decade years old war: Who's the fairest of them all?

The problem is fans are sensitive when it comes to protecting characters.

This isn't the first time the people behind the screen have mixed up Princess Peach and Princess Daisy characteristics. In fact fans even believe that most of the female character designs are all based on Peach.

In the past Princess Daisy's character design was constantly changed because of her resemblance to Peach, it doesn't help that her creator was inspired by the 1985 Super Mario version of Peach which probably didn't help, because in 1985 Princess Peach was a redhead.

I found an artist who illustrated Daisy's old classic look to her current one. Their name is Da Dude

As you can see Daisy is still a redhead but with long hair like the original peach, she also has a tan (that isn't in this photo but I'm just saying) most likely due to the warmer climate of Sarasaland. They really tried to make her her own character. In fact in her bio they always stress the fact that she is the opposite of Princess Peach and that she is a tomboy, a princess who doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. It's perhaps because of this that so many fans disliked the movie's current version of Peach, as it doesn't stay true to the character description.

So it's perfectly understandable why Daisy fans would feel threatened the second they see some similarities, but I think it'll be fine. To begin with Princess Peach was an adventuring Princess and I think some fans could have forgotten that. Should there ever be a sequel with Daisy in it, I think she can shine even in Peach's presence as her own separate entity... So long as the writers keep in mind the differences between the two princesses... I only hope that if it comes to that they will not make Daisy an unlikable spoiled brat. I say that but she is the perfect character to start drama with if you exaggerate some of her traits.