While many Nintendo enthusiasts emerged from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie fantasizing about a potential Star Fox cinematic spin-off or a character-packed trilogy closer, one specific sequence refused to leave my mind. I am speaking, of course, about the “suicide roller coaster” designed by Bowser Jr.—an unsettlingly efficient piece of Koopa engineering that defies conventional logic.
The architectural prowess of the Koopa Troop has been a long-standing obsession of mine, ever since the introduction of the impossible airships in Super Mario Bros. 3. For forty years, Bowser’s division of engineers has constructed gravity-defying strongholds filled with adversarial design choices: rotating fire-bars, precarious spike traps, and active lava basins, all while managing a biological defense force of Thwomps and Piranha Plants. However, the coaster located on Planet Bowser represents a paradigm shift. It forced me to reconsider the existential nature of the Dry Bones and the culture of the Koopa army.
To seek clarity on this grim attraction, I spoke with the creative forces behind the characters: Jack Black and Bennie Safdie, the voices of Bowser and Bowser Jr.
Warning: The following contains significant plot spoilers for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
During the film’s final act, as Bowser and his heir reunite within the sprawling industrial fortress of Planet Bowser, the camera pans across a dark amusement park dedicated to the Koopa infantry. The centerpiece is a ride that plunges its willing passengers directly into a lava pit, instantly incinerating their flesh and transforming them into Dry Bones.
By any biological standard, this is a terminal experience. To become “undead,” one must first cross the threshold of death. Yet, the Koopas lining up for this ride appear genuinely ecstatic to undergo the transition. This voluntary metamorphosis brought to mind the Euthanasia Coaster—a theoretical concept by artist Julijonas Urbonas designed to end life with “elegance and euphoria.” Are these Koopas experiencing a state of bliss during the transition, or is their devotion to the Koopa King so absolute that eternal servitude as a sentient skeleton is the highest honor imaginable?
I questioned Safdie and Black—whose character suffers a similar fate as Dry Bowser following a mishap—about the sensory experience of shedding one’s mortal coil. Is the transformation actually… pleasant?
“I imagine it feels like cracking your knuckles on a massive scale,” Safdie suggested. “It’s a total reorientation. It looks terrifying, then—snap—they’re back together and functional.”
Black compared the sensation to a high-intensity chiropractic visit. “It’s like that moment of adjustment where it feels incredible, even if it’s jarring. You think for a split second, ‘Wait, am I paralyzed?’ and then you realize, ‘No, I’ve never felt better.'”
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“Exactly,” Safdie added. “You aren’t dead; you’re just… loosened up.”
However, Black pointed out one significant drawback to the skeletal lifestyle while sampling a Wagyu burger from the Nintendo Museum’s Hatena Burger café. “It’s a nightmare for foodies,” he remarked. “You see a beautiful piece of Wagyu, you take a bite, and it just falls straight through your ribs. It completely ruins the dining experience.”
Ultimately, the tradeoff for becoming an immortal, self-reconstituting warrior in Bowser’s legion is clear: you gain eternal life on the battlefield, but you lose the ability to enjoy a decent meal.
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Source: Polygon
