'Super Mario' Theme Park Opens in Japan

The attraction is part of the existing Universal Studios Japan amusement park in the western city of Osaka. Reuters
The attraction is part of the existing Universal Studios Japan amusement park in the western city of Osaka. Reuters
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'Super Mario' Theme Park Opens in Japan

The attraction is part of the existing Universal Studios Japan amusement park in the western city of Osaka. Reuters
The attraction is part of the existing Universal Studios Japan amusement park in the western city of Osaka. Reuters

Here we go! After months of pandemic delays, Nintendo's first ever theme park, featuring a "Mario Kart" ride in a real-life Bowser's Castle, opened in Japan on Thursday to delighted fans.

The attraction, whose bright, block-like surroundings are straight out of the classic "Super Mario" games, is part of the existing Universal Studios Japan amusement park in the western city of Osaka.

"We perfectly recreated the world of the game.... You'll find life-sized piranha plants and Bowser, and you'll see what it is like to be Mario," said Ayumu Yamamoto, USJ's marketing communication manager.

"It took almost a year longer than we had expected to open this place, and we are really glad," he told reporters at a preview on Wednesday.

The new zone called "Super Nintendo World" had originally been expected to draw big crowds last year ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which was also postponed by the coronavirus.

But its launch was pushed back to February, and then delayed again as Japan's government declared a state of emergency in early 2021 to curb spiking cases.

Music from the popular Mario games plays throughout the park and a smartphone-linked wristband allows visitors to collect virtual coins by punching blocks, just like the Italian plumber.

Augmented reality goggles attached to a plastic red visor are used in the "Mario Kart" ride, one of the park's main draws that promises to bring the racing game to life.

The ride follows a track around the foreboding castle of Mario's enemy Bowser, an evil turtle, but each seat has a steering wheel and players can collect and shoot items at opponents.

The zone also boasts a ride based on the cute green dinosaur Yoshi, a Peach's castle, Mario-themed restaurants and lifesize characters from the Mushroom Kingdom.

Fans told AFP they were thrilled about the much-anticipated opening of the park, which cost more than 60 billion yen ($550 million), according to USJ.

"I've been playing Mario since I was a boy. I didn't expect that I could enter the world of Mario, so I'm very excited," said Hiroki Kono, a 19-year-old university student in Osaka.

- 'Waited for this day' -

Office worker Rei Higashimoto, 25, was also delighted about the launch. "I have an annual pass, so I knew this Mario world was being created, and I have waited from one year ago for this day to come," she said.

Similar areas are planned at Universal Studios parks in Orlando and Hollywood.

The first "Super Mario Bros" game came out in 1985 for Nintendo's NES console.

The platform game, in which Mario runs and jumps past obstacles to collect coins and save Princess Peach from the evil Koopa turtles, was based on the "Mario Bros" arcade game released earlier.

Since then, Mario has appeared in myriad formats including games featuring racing, football and golf.

Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of "Super Mario Bros", took a tour of the park in a promotional video released in December.

"At last, it's complete! It makes a big impression, seeing the park in real life," said Miyamoto, describing himself as Mario's "Dad" as he popped out of a giant green pipe.

"There are smaller activities like the coin block, as well as bigger ones... If you manage to get three keys from various activities, you can take on the final activity -- a battle with Bowser Jr."

"I'm very excited for all of you to experience the park on your own," he added.



Oscar Presenters Will Include Selena Gomez, Oprah Winfrey

An Oscar statue appears at the 91st Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon, Feb. 4, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP, File)
An Oscar statue appears at the 91st Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon, Feb. 4, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP, File)
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Oscar Presenters Will Include Selena Gomez, Oprah Winfrey

An Oscar statue appears at the 91st Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon, Feb. 4, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP, File)
An Oscar statue appears at the 91st Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon, Feb. 4, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP, File)

After devastating wildfires tore through Los Angeles, the 97th Academy Awards are going forward.

Like the Grammys and other awards shows this year, the ceremony will be transformed by the fires and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has pledged to help its members and the broader film community recover.

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s show:

When are the Oscars? The Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The show, to be broadcast live by ABC, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Pacific, The AP reported.

Are the Oscars streaming? For the first time, the Oscars will be streamed live on Hulu. You can also watch via Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV. With authentication from your provider, you can watch on ABC.com and the ABC app.

Who's hosting the Oscars? For the first time, Conan O’Brien is hosting the Academy Awards. O’Brien, the late-night host turned podcaster and occasional movie star, said upon the announcement: “America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars.”

How have the wildfires altered the show? The wildfires that consumed large parts of Los Angeles in early January led some to call for the cancellation of the Academy Awards. The academy twice postponed the announcement of nominations but never pushed the March 2 date of the ceremony. Academy leaders have argued the show must go ahead, for their economic impact on Los Angeles and as a symbol of resilience.

Organizers have vowed this year’s awards will “celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.”

Still, the fires have curtailed much of the usual frothiness of Hollywood's awards season. The film academy canceled its annual nominees luncheon.

For many involved in the Oscars, the fires have been felt acutely. O'Brien's Pacific Palisades home survived but his family has been unable to go back to it. O'Brien's assistant and podcast co-host Sona Movsesian lost her home.

“I know so many people who lost their homes and I’m just, was ridiculously lucky,” O’Brien told The Associated Press. “So we want to make sure that that show reflects what’s happening and that we put a light on the right people in the right way.”

Who's presenting at the Oscars? More stars were added to the presenter lineup Wednesday, including Selena Gomez, Oprah Winfrey, Joe Alwyn, Goldie Hawn, Ben Stiller, Ana de Armas, Sterling K. Brown, Willem Dafoe, Lily-Rose Depp and Connie Nielsen. They'll join the likes of Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, June Squibb and Bowen Yang, as well as last year's acting winners — Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph — on the Oscar stage. Though the academy initially said it would bring back the “fab five” style of presenting the acting awards, with five previous winners per category, organizers have reportedly abandoned those plans for this year’s ceremony. Nick Offerman will also be participating as the Oscars announcer.

Will there be any performances? The academy has announced that, unlike previous years, the original song nominees will not be performed this time. That doesn't mean there won't be music, though. “Wicked,” one of the biggest box-office hits of 2024, could feasibly figure into the Oscar plans. (Its songs weren't eligible for best song since, hailing from the Broadway musical, they aren't original to the movie.)

What's nominated for best picture? The 10 nominees for best picture are: “Anora”; “The Brutalist”; “A Complete Unknown”; “Conclave”; “Dune: Part 2”; “Emilia Pérez”; “I’m Still Here”; “Nickel Boys”; “The Substance”; “Wicked”

How can I watch the Oscar-nominated films? Some of the nominees are still in theaters, but many of this year’s Oscar nominees are streaming on various platforms. The AP has this handy guide to help with Oscar cramming.

Who are the favorites? More than most years, that’s a tricky question, but a front-runner has emerged after “Anora” took the top awards at the Producers Guild and the Directors Guild over the weekend. The best picture race had been seen as unusually wide open, with “Anora,” “Conclave,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown” and “Emilia Pérez” all having legitimate hopes of winning. In the acting categories, Demi Moore (“The Substance”) is favored for best actress, although Mikey Madison's BAFTA win for “Anora” makes it more of a race. Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”) is most likely in best actor, Zoe Saldaña (“Emilia Pérez”) is the supporting actress front-runner and Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”) is the favorite for best supporting actor. None of those awards, however, is considered definite locks.

What's the deal with ‘Emilia Pérez’? Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” a narco-musical about a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirming surgery, comes in with a leading 13 nominations. The film, at one point, seemed like Netflix’s best chance yet to land the streamer its first best picture win. Its star, Karla Sofía Gascón, made history by becoming the first openly trans actor nominated for an Oscar.

But no nominee has had a rockier post-nominations Oscar campaign. After old offensive tweets by Gascón were uncovered, the actress issued an apology. The fallout, though, has badly damaged a movie that was already a divisive contender, and led Netflix to radically refocus its flagging campaign.