The Wizard
| The Wizard | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Director | Todd Holland | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer | David Chisholm | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Starring | Fred Savage Beau Bridges Christian Slater | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Composer | J. Peter Robinson | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country of origin | United States of America | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Original language | English | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Translations | Japanese French German Italian Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Spanish (Latin America) Spanish (Spain) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ratings |
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| Production | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Editor | Tom Finan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Production companies | The Finnegan/Pinchuk Company Pipeline Productions Cinergi Pictures Universal Pictures | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cinematography | Robert Yeoman | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Runtime | 100 minutes | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Budget | $6 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Release date |  December 15, 1989[12] December 15, 1989[12][13] July 5, 1990[12] March 8, 2001[12] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Box office | $14.3 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||
- Parental guidance
- Parental guidance
- General
- Guidance
- Parental guidance
- All ages
- Six years and older
- Nine years and older
- All ages
- Parental guidance
- Parental guidanceThe Wizard is a family film directed by Todd Holland, released byUniversal Studios on December 15, 1989, that stars Luke Edwards, Fred Savage, and Jenny Lewis. The movie featured several cameos and direct references toNintendo-related products, as well as many video games released for theNintendo Entertainment System. The movie has been criticized for its excessive product placement of Nintendo material and for its heavy similarities to the filmRain Man from the previous year, but has nevertheless gained a cult following.
Super Mario references inThe Wizard[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3 is featured as the game played in the final event of the Video Armageddon competition at the end of the film, predating its western release on theNES. As the scene progresses, protagonist Jimmy Woods (Luke Edwards) manages to find theMagic Flute inWorld 1-
Fortress and wins the competition by warping toWorld 4 (which would not actually score extra points in the game itself, implying that the competition had a different scoring system). Additionally, the emcee at the Video Armageddon announces several level names incorrectly (for instance, callingWorld 1-3 "World 2").Super Mario Bros. 2 is mentioned and seen being played occasionally at earlier points in the film. Sound effects fromSuper Mario Bros. can be heard at a few points as well.Mario and aSidestepper are prominently featured in the background of the film's poster artwork (which was later reused as the box art for the VHS and Blu-ray release[14]).
Gallery[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3 being played by the title character ofThe Wizard.
Naming[edit]
The name refers to "wizard", a casual term for someone talented in programming.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | スウィート・ロード[4] Suwīto Rōdo | The Sweet Road | |
| Chinese(Simplified) | 小鬼跷家[15] Xiǎoguǐ Qiāojiā(Mandarin) Síugwái Hīugā(Cantonese) | The Child Runaway | |
| Chinese(Traditional) | 小鬼蹺家[16] Xiǎoguǐ Qiāojiā(Mandarin) Síugwái Hīugā(Cantonese) | The Child Runaway | |
| Finnish | Game Over[6] | - | |
| French(Canadian) | L'Enfant génial[3] | The awesome kid | |
| French(European) | Vidéokid : L'Enfant génial[17] | Videokid: The awesome kid | |
| German | Joy Stick Heroes[7] | - | |
| Hungarian | A varázsló[18] | The wizard | |
| Italian | Il piccolo grande mago dei videogames[19] | The little great videogame wizard | |
| Korean | 전자 오락의 마법사[20] Jeonja Orakyi Mabeopssa | The Electronic Videogame Wizard | |
| Norwegian | The Wizard[8] | - | |
| Portuguese(Brazilian) | O Gênio do Videogame[21] | The Videogame Genius | |
| Russian | Волшебник[22] Volshebnik | The wizard | |
| Serbian | Čarobnjak[23] | The wizard | |
| Spanish(Latin American) | El genio[24] | The genius | |
| Spanish(European) | El pequeño mago[25][26] | The little wizard | original dub |
| El campeón del videojuego[17][27] | The videogame champion | re-dub | |
| Swedish | Gameboy[28] | - |
References[edit]
 | Wikipedia has an article onThe Wizard. |
- ^Retro 1989 The Wizard DVD Protagonizada por: Fred Savage/Beau Bridges/Christian Slater
- ^The Wizard [DVD]
- ^abhttps://repertoire.cinema.mcc.gouv.qc.ca/film/lenfant-genial-27723/
- ^abスウィート・ロード
- ^https://guild-home-video.fandom.com/wiki/The_Wizard
- ^abhttps://videospace.fi/release/game_over_vhs_finnkino
- ^abJoy Stick Heroes
- ^abDownload / Stream: The Wizard. 1989. VHS Big Box. Norwegian subtitles.
- ^The Wizard - El campeón del videojuego
- ^https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/wizard-7
- ^https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/find-a-rating/?search=The+Wizard&age_rating=0&medium=0&decision_date_on_day=&decision_date_on_month=&decision_date_on_year=&decision_date_to_day=&decision_date_to_month=&decision_date_to_year=&production_date=0
- ^abcdThe Wizard (1989) directed by Todd Holland.Letterboxd (English). Retrieved February 9, 2026. (Archived February 9, 2026, 21:30:15 UTC via archive.today[deprecated link].)
- ^The Wizard (1989) - Financial Information.The Numbers (English). Retrieved November 25, 2024. (Archived May 23, 2023, 02:57:34 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Wizard-Blu-ray/30506/
- ^小鬼跷家
- ^電影: 小鬼翹家 The Wizard(1989)
- ^abVidéokid : L'Enfant génial / The Wizard
- ^A varázsló (1989) online teljes film adatlap magyarul
- ^Piccolo Grande Mago Dei Videogames (Il)
- ^'레디 플레이어 원'이 영향 받았을 법한 '전자오락의 마법사'
- ^O Gênio do Videogame
- ^Волшебник (1989)
- ^THE WIZARD / ČAROBNJAK (1989) FILMSKI PLAKAT
- ^https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/el-genio/umc.cmc.5tf68q990bee823pmo87o8u57?l=es
- ^Aquí os dejo una pequeña muestra del primer doblaje y pido que, si tenéis amigos consoleros o jugones que, por un casual, pudieran haber grabado esta película en su emisión de Canal Plus de los 90 y todavía la conserven... sería genial poder recuperar este doblaje completo
- ^[1]
- ^[2]
- ^Gameboy
