Finding Nemo’s enduring legacy just keeps swimming 20 years later, thanks in part to the popularity of <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/ellen-degeneres" rel="">Ellen DeGeneres</a> and her scene-stealing performance as Dory, who immediately became a fan-favorite Disney character when Pixar's fifth movie splashed into theaters.

"This is weird, because it's really hard for me to watch myself whenever I do anything, but this isn't really watching myself. It's just like hearing myself, which is even worse. You know when you hear yourself on tape?" the comedian joked to ET leading up to the movie’s release on May 30, 2003. "It's gonna be torture now that I think about it. What am I thinking?"

Continuing the great tradition of Disney’s animated movie sidekicks -- Jiminy Cricket, Genie, and Timon &amp; Pumbaa, to name a few -- DeGeneres was tapped to voice the goodhearted, yet forgetful to a fault Blue Regal Tang fish in Pixar’s love letter to the ocean two decades ago. "It's positive. It's not violent. It's not negative," DeGeneres explained at the time. "And yet, I appreciate it and adults appreciate it because it's so clever… It really is a movie that every age group can appreciate on different levels."

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The movie’s environment was already an ambitious undertaking for the film's directors (WALL-E’s Andrew Stanton and Coco’s Lee Unkrich) from a technical standpoint. Meanwhile, they also had the difficult task of trying to remain professional as the veteran stand-up comic adlibbed in the recording booth.

"My goal would be to make them laugh and I would go and go and go," the Emmy winner recounted. "I could see that they were trying to stop laughing, because they would be in front of me and then, finally, they would just lose it."

That said, she was all praise when it came to her collaboration with Finding Nemo’s production team. She recalled how the directors would help guide her performance, which sometimes added up to 90 takes of particular lines, with nostalgic descriptions like, "It's almost like you're a kid and when you want a bicycle…"

"I think you have to be a really good director to explain certain lines when you're trying to get inflections, because it really is all voice. I really didn't think about that going in," DeGeneres said. "Your voice is the only thing you have to get emotion across and every single tiny nuance is important."

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After working on the movie for three years -- a standard timeline for big-budget animated features -- DeGeneres emotionally prepared herself to see the final film, remembering how affected she was after watching Pixar’s first movie, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/movies/toy-story" rel="">Toy Story</a>. "I started caring about toys. You believe they're real," she recalled. "It's gonna be weird to see me as a fish and get invested."

While Finding Nemo followed Marlin (Albert Brooks) as he tried to locate his son (Alexander Gould), the movie’s sequel, Finding Dory, focused on Dory’s search for her parents, a story thread planted 13 years earlier in Nemo. Upon the follow-up's <a href="https://www.etonline.com/news/190657_ellen_degeneres_and_portia_de_rossi_show_a_little_pda_at_finding_dory_premiere" rel="">debut in 2016</a>, DeGeneres told ET that the original movie was a beacon of professional hope, as it came after the cancelation of <a href="https://www.etonline.com/features/216195_ellen_degeneres_on_impact_of_the_ellen_coming_out_episode" rel="">her groundbreaking sitcom</a>.&nbsp;

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"I hadn't worked at all," DeGeneres told ET. "People don't realize that, because it took three years to do Finding Nemo. In the time that [The Ellen Show] was canceled, while I was doing nothing, Stanton had heard my voice on TV and how rambling I was and how I never stayed on topic, and he wrote Dory with me in mind."

DeGeneres explained that Dory's motto, "just keep swimming," was a philosophy that she's applied to her own journey. 
 
"By the time Nemo was coming out, I had just gotten [<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-ellen-degeneres-show" rel="">The Ellen DeGeneres Show</a>], but during that time nothing had happened," DeGeneres said. "So 'just keep swimming' certainly applies to me and to a lot of people out there."

<hr />
Finding Nemo and Finding Dory stream on Disney+.

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&nbsp;

Joe Bergren

field_byline

Movies

'Finding Nemo' Turns 20: Ellen DeGeneres on Voicing Dory and Getting Laughs in Recording Booth (Flashback)

It’s been 30 years since Nintendo characters Mario and Luigi first thwomped-booted onto the big screen in 1993’s Super Mario Bros. Following the success of <a href="https://www.etonline.com/movies/the-super-mario-bros-movie" rel="">The Super Mario Bros. Movie</a>, and the <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/chris-pratt" rel="">Chris Pratt</a>-led animated adaptation’s billion-dollar payoff, it’s easy to forget that lower down on the box office leaderboard is Bob Hoskins and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/john-leguizamo" rel="">John Leguizamo</a>’s take on pop culture’s most famous plumbers.&nbsp;

When 31-year-old Leguizamo chatted with ET on the set, the fan discussions, including concerns about the character's voices, clearly echoed its <a href="https://www.etonline.com/media/videos/chris-pratt-and-charlie-day-explain-marios-missing-accent-in-super-mario-bros-movie" rel="">2023 counterpart</a>.&nbsp;“We do a kind of New York, Italian thing,” the actor explained in 1992, demonstrating the dialect for ET’s cameras. “Not too strong. We're not going for that New York talk. 'Let's talk coffee.' We're not doing that. We're doing more like 'Hey, how ya doing? Talk to me.'"

While there was <a href="https://www.etonline.com/chris-pratt-addresses-backlash-over-super-mario-bros-movie-casting-exclusive-202072" rel="">plenty of discourse</a> surrounding Pratt’s casting,&nbsp;Hoskins (who died <a href="https://www.etonline.com/movies/145981_bob_hoskins_british_star_of_who_framed_roger_rabbit_dies" rel="">in 2014</a>) and Leguizamo, as they played on-camera siblings, faced similar skepticism.&nbsp;“I buy into us looking like brothers,” Leguizamo affirmed of the resemblance between him and the Who Framed Roger Rabbit? actor. “We've got the same little beady eyes.”

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When he landed the role, Leguizamo’s biggest connection to the video game canon was via Donkey Kong cabinets, noting that he spent a lot of time hanging out “at the arcades in New York City in Time Square” in his youth. Another fan? Seth Rogen, who voiced the character three decades later and eagerly pointed out that, technically, “Mario is a spin-off of Donkey Kong.”

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Of course, like many early Nintendo fans, the Platonic star didn’t believe the adaptation was worthy of its source material. “I grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, so I was kind of there for every iteration of this,” <a href="https://www.etonline.com/seth-rogen-shares-familys-reaction-to-him-not-wanting-to-have-kids-talks-voicing-donkey-kong-201651" rel="">Rogen recalled</a> to ET. “It was exciting to get to be a part of something that, like, explored this kind of these worlds in a way that actually, like, did them justice cinematically, as opposed to the original, the first [Super Mario Bros.] movie which did not.”

In the 1993 film, the brothers find themselves transported to a gritty, Blade Runner aesthetic-inspired world featuring several familiar characters and motifs from the video game franchise. The bold translation, in stark contrast to the literal translation from Illumination Studio’s computer animators, swung for the fences. But sitting on the North Carolina set, which had previously been the location of a cement factory before turning into King Koopa’s steampunk nightmare, the first big-screen Luigi was optimistic.&nbsp;

“I read a lot of comic books. I admit. I read comics,” Leguizamo said. “And just the world [of Super Mario Bros.] was so incredible. Just the thwomp boots. And the lizard thing. The devolution. The dinosaur theme behind it. The dinosaurification thing behind it. The people who are half-dinosaur and half-human. All that stuff really sold me.”

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Last month, Leguizamo reflected on his experience <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJwcswXAw-E" rel="">with GQ</a>, sharing praise for the movie's directors, Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton. "They gave me an opportunity -- they stuck their neck out to put a Latin guy as as lead, to play Bob Hoskins' brother," he remembered. "That was unheard of at the time. It was so innovative."&nbsp;

"The movie was not received as well as we'd hoped," Leguizamo recalled to the outlet, before acknowledging the adaptation's present-day status as a cult classic. "We all had big hopes for it, but it was the first video game [movie] of the era, of all time. Nobody was prepared for that. It did okay, but then kids fell in love with it and found it on DVD and VHS. A lot of people come up to me and [say] they love it, so, through their eyes, I love it."

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'Super Mario Bros.' Turns 30: John Leguizamo on Bob Hoskins and Italian Accents in 1993 Movie (Flashback)

Before <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/king-charles-iii" rel="">King Charles</a> ascended to the throne of England, he spoke candidly&nbsp;to <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/kenneth-branagh" rel="">Kenneth Branagh</a> about his life as the heir apparent, offering insight as the young actor prepared to direct and star in William Shakespeare's Henry V. The royal connection, however, ran deeper than their nobility lineage, as the 15th-century monarch was also the first to wear Charles' previous title, The Prince of Wales.

Speaking with ET in 1989, Branagh explained the backstory of how then-Prince Charles became an unofficial advisor on the movie adaptation, which brought the play’s oft-quoted sonnets -- including the rallying cry at the Siege of Harfleur ("Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more") and&nbsp;the St. Crispin’s Day speech ("We few, we happy few, we band of brothers") -- to its largest audience yet on the big screen.

"When I think about the royal family, I think [Charles] is a genuine, genuine man," Branagh observed. "What he carries around is an amazing sense of weight and purpose. And melancholy, as well."

He clarified, "Not sadness, particularly. Melancholy. A kind of wisdom that's to do with separation and isolation."

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Ahead of production, Branagh told a friend that he was struggling to tap into a royal's mindset. "I was going on about this one day to a friend of mine, who I wasn't aware knew a friend of Prince Charles," Branagh recalled. "A meeting was set up for me to have a chance to talk about this," adding, "I was just interested in those areas of his experience that I didn't know anything about."

"I talked through those areas of Henry that I was keen to present, and just wanted any comment that he might have," Branagh said. "But, then, his regal isolation was something I wanted to find out about."

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Set in the backdrop of the Hundred Years’ War, the play also emphasizes the battle waging inside Henry, as he shoulders an unsympathetic yet, nevertheless, crushing moral burden of ruling the commonwealth. According to Branagh, who had already portrayed the role on stage in 1985 for the Royal Shakespeare Company, his meeting with Charles confirmed that keeping calm and carrying on amid inner anguish was still part of the royal deal six centuries later.

"I&nbsp;took away this sense of what I sensed Henry was about, which was someone who took their job incredibly seriously, and was not priggish or self-righteous," he laid out. "Someone who was trying to strike this balance between a compassionate way of life, but, nevertheless, being in the public eye."

At one point in Henry V, the king pretends to be a normal soldier on the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, seeking honest opinions from the troops about his leadership. The experience, as it turned out, Charles related to -- albeit with the much lower stakes of being a university student.

"Like Henry V, he explained to me that he had tried going into disguise at one stage in his life when he was at Cambridge, in order to try and have some direct contact with the common man or woman," Branagh said. "Which, as Henry finds, was deeply frustrating because you can't have the conversation you would have if you were being yourself."

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"And if you reveal yourself to be who you are, then they start talking to you in a way that they wouldn't otherwise do because they're intimidating or frightened," he continued. "And just like Henry V, I think that he's had to face the fact that people don't necessarily want to understand or sympathize with how he feels. And I think loneliness is part of the job. That's something that you have to take on board and balance out with all the good that you can do and that he tries to do."

Branagh’s adaptation, which also starred his then-wife <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/emma-thompson" rel="">Emma Thompson</a>, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/judi-dench" rel="">Judi Dench</a>, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/robbie-coltrane" rel="">Robbie Coltrane</a> and 15-year-old <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/christian-bale" rel="">Christian Bale</a>, proved to be an unexpected critical hit. The film also nabbed 27-year-old Branagh his first two Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Director, cementing him as Hollywood’s go-to adapter of literary classics (later came Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein).&nbsp;Branagh revisited Henry V in 2018, delivering the opening monologue at the beginning of His Majesty's 70th birthday gala.

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Back in 1989, Branagh noted that while Charles may not have had "direct political power" at the time, he recognized the "extraordinary amount of influence" the prince "wields very carefully."

"It's a kind of under-the-skin gravitas that I felt. 'Oh, yes. There are people like this,'" Branagh said. "I mean, maybe in America people felt this about somebody like Kennedy, who had one foot in the dirty world of politics, and he had one foot in the larger world -- [and] was inspiring people and seemed genuine."

"There are few political leaders that one can feel that about," he figured. "And I think it's a classic question imposed by Shakespeare in the play about the nature of leadership and heroism. What makes a hero?"

Henry V streams on Prime Video via ScreenPix.&nbsp;

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News

How King Charles Inspired Kenneth Branagh's 'Henry V' Performance in 1989 Shakespeare Adaptation (Flashback)

When <a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/star-trek-the-next-generation" rel="">Star Trek: The Next Generation</a> premiered in 1987, Denise Crosby helped <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/patrick-stewart" rel="">Patrick Stewart</a> and co. launch a new chapter of Gene Roddenberry's universe. But unlike Captain Picard and other OG characters, security chief&nbsp;Lieutenant Tasha Yar didn't survive TNG's inaugural outing -- let alone reunite with the Enterprise crew during <a href="https://www.etonline.com/latest/tv/star-trek-picard" rel="">Star Trek: Picard</a>'s final season.

ET was on the set of "Skin of Evil" in 1988, as Crosby filmed Tasha's now-infamous death scene, following a sit-down between the actress and Roddenberry, who "came together agreeably" while discussing her exit from the series.

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"I am leaving the show. I am taking off. I am hitting earth, sort to speak, to see what else is out there for me," Crosby announced to ET while being interviewed on the Enterprise's hallway set. "It was a tough decision to make."

Speaking with ET in his office, Roddenberry shared, "[Crosby] said she wanted to be released and explained it. She said, 'If it hurts you at all, I'll wait.'"

He added, "After her being such an asset to the show, and such a pleasant person to have around, I just felt we couldn't stand in her way."

"There are nine of us and it's an incredibly large cast to write for," Crosby explained. "And I sympathize with the writers having to try to give us all meaty roles. That just isn't the nature of the show. We don't have three or four storylines going at one time."

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In "Skin of Evil," Tasha, just as she did many times throughout the first season, was part of an away mission to Turkana IV, where a slime-based alien, Armus, kills her unceremoniously. Later, the crew watches a previously recorded holographic message left by Tasha, who reflects on her short time aboard the NCC-1701-D. (In season 3 of Picard, the holo was one of many visual easter eggs in "Surrender," meaning Tasha, however briefly, got to reunite with her TNG family.)

"It's an incredible, incredible episode," Crosby said at the time, weeks ahead of its eventual air date on April 25, 1988. "It's one of the most powerful episodes we've shot this season, and probably will be one of the more powerful ones in the whole series, I would think.”

Roddenberry promised that it's "not a sad, downer script," but rather "it leaves you with tears in your eyes and a sort of smile, too.”&nbsp;

As for becoming the first regular cast member to depart early, Crosby accurately predicted that it would cement her and the character as legends within the canon. "I think that it'll probably elevate me even further… as a kind of cult figure in terms of <a href="https://www.etonline.com/movies/star-trek" rel="">Star Trek</a> history. And that's great," she said. "She's a great character, Tasha Yar. She will be fondly remembered."

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Roddenberry echoed Crosby's mindset, holding a glass half full perspective in the wake of both her decision, as well as the intense uncertainty that initially surrounded the spinoff. "No show I've ever made has lived up to everything I want it to be. It's like lightning has hit twice. We have a marvelous cast. They're truly professional and talented people. And I feel like a man blessed by two families," he said. "I know that sounds impossible and false and everything, but it's exactly the way it is.”

"We've really had a wonderful ensemble, and we've been able to really make something of each role and each character," Crosby added. "And to know that I was in on the ground level with this show is an incredible thing. I am very, very flattered that I could be part of this, and it will always be very special to me."

As for what Crosby said she would miss most about Star Trek? "Probably working with the people. I think it's just been incredible. Working with the people, and being able to really work on the scripts with the writers and directors. And really be a welcome part of the group."

Despite Roddenberry and Crosby's positive outlook on "Skin of Evil," the episode -- and Tasha’s manner of death, in particular -- continues to spark ire among Trekkie generations old and new. Meanwhile, there's a shared acknowledgement that Tasha's exit led to fan-favorite TNG stories, made memorable by on-screen reunions and their creative approaches to get Crosby back on set.

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When presented with the old adage, "You can never go home again," on the TNG set in 1990, Crosby replied, "Never say never. It's a really good story."

The story was "Yesterday's Enterprise," a frequent entry on lists of celebrated Star Trek episodes, plus an elevated spot on TNG's "best of" rankings. In the season 3 episode, the Enterprise crew find themselves in a split-timeline (not to be confused with the Mirror Universe), and one where Tasha Yar was never killed by Armus and is still maintaining her original position atop the ship's bridge.

"I'm having a ball. It's so much fun," Crosby told ET behind the scenes, once again donning a Starfleet uniform. "First of all, my old spacesuit is back on. This thing still fits. That's a great relief. And it's weird. It's like I never left… That was the hardest part for me to leave. The friendships."

While Crosby's return was a surprise for fans, she recalled that amid her season 1 exit, "there was talk of me returning for an episode somewhere down the line if we could figure out a good enough story."

As it turned out, the character's resurgence led to another good story, with this one playing out across "Unification Part 1 &amp; II," and Crosby playing the villainous Sela; the half-human, half-Romulan daughter of Alternate Timeline Tasha. Crosby would return one last time for TNG's series finale ("All Good Things…"), followed by her narrating and producing the popular documentary&nbsp;Trekkies and its sequel.

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When it comes to legacy, Tasha Yar has seen loving shout-outs in the modern Star Trek era -- in addition to multiple references across TNG's seven seasons, especially by Data (Brent Spiner), who never forgot their romantic tryst ("The Naked Now"). As revealed in season 2 of Picard ("Penance"), Tasha was an officer in the Confederation of Earth, as evidenced by a report citing her name in yet another alternate timeline. Then, in a somewhat therapeutic moment for Tasha fans, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/latest/tv/star-trek-lower-decks" rel="">Lower Decks</a>'&nbsp;Cerritos crew prank called Armus ("The Spy Humongous"), who's seemingly doomed to be alone while stranded on the planet where Tasha met her grim fate.&nbsp;

While looking back on her time with the franchise, Crosby revealed to <a href="https://www.startrek.com/article/catching-up-with-denise-crosby-part-1" rel="">StarTrek.com in 2012</a> that she has no regrets about her departure. "I think you have to take your chances. I was really young… I'd been in acting school really dreaming of playing all kinds of different things. Whether it'll happen or not, you don't know, but you've got to give yourself a chance. God forbid you go through your life thinking, 'What if?'"

Amid fans taking to social media with their disappointment that Tasha has yet to be resurrected in the franchise's landscape today -- or, perhaps, Crosby stepping into another role -- there's plenty of <a href="https://www.etonline.com/michelle-yeoh-returning-to-the-star-trek-franchise-with-section-31-film-202894" rel="">current and future Star Trek programming</a> to fan cast another return. As Lieutenant Yar might put it, those hailing frequencies are open -- and loud.&nbsp;

Star Trek: The Next Generation streams on Paramount+.&nbsp;

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'Star Trek': How Gene Roddenberry Reacted to Denise Crosby's 'TNG' Exit in Season 1 (Flashback)

The Enterprise is forlorn, because of the Gorn.&nbsp;

The first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds dug into the U.S.S. 1701 origins, including a very close encounter with one of the franchise’s most infamous foes.&nbsp;

ET exclusively debuts a first look at the deleted scenes from the season 1 Blu-ray set, which hits shelves March 21. In this sneak peek of an expanded sequence that was left on the cutting room floor, the crew’s newly developed bond is put to the test. Captain Pike (<a href="https://www.etonline.com/latest/people/anson-mount" rel="">Anson Mount</a>) and Mr. Spock (<a href="https://www.etonline.com/latest/people/ethan-peck" rel="">Ethan Peck</a>) examine their limited survival options while up against Starfleet’s perennial foe, the Gorn, in episode 9, "All Those Who Wander."&nbsp;

The never-before-seen moment sees La'an (Christina Chong) reminding Pike, "I warned you."&nbsp;The "I told you so"&nbsp;moment follows the revelation that her brother was killed by a Gorn, leaving La’an with severe PTSD and setting her up to be the ship’s resident critic of the reptilian species. By this point, the crew is also down a newly promoted ensign, leading Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) to echo La’an’s feelings and tells Pike that the Gorn "are monsters."

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<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/star-trek-discovery" rel="">Star Trek: Discovery</a> first introduced Mount’s take on the legendary Starfleet captain, establishing that he was shown his tragic fate on Boreth. Of course, he eventually gets a happy ending in the original series era ("The Menagerie.") And just a few episodes later in the show’s first season, Captain Kirk (<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/william-shatner" rel="">William Shatner</a>) faces off against the Gorn ("Arena") mano a mano, years after his brother, Lieutenant Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte), would first encounter them on SNW.

The series has become one of the most highly regarded additions within the second TV renaissance of Gene Roddenberry’s universe. And in the wake of learning that <a href="https://www.etonline.com/star-trek-discovery-to-wrap-up-with-season-5-200172" rel="">DIS is ending after its upcoming fifth season</a>, Trekkies have even more reason to seek out Pike and co.&nbsp;

Looking ahead to its second season, there’s a milestone on the horizon for Star Trek, by way of <a href="https://www.etonline.com/star-trek-reveals-crossover-event-with-lower-decks-and-strange-new-worlds-during-comic-con-187899" rel="">SNW’s crossover with Lower Decks</a>. <a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/star-trek-the-next-generation" rel="">The Next Generation</a>’s Jonathan Frakes directed the unprecedented overlap, which sees two of the animated show's&nbsp;voice actors, Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid, playing live-action versions of their characters, Ensigns Mariner and Beckett.

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SNW’s sophomore season also adds TV sitcom legend Carol Kane to the cast. "She is hilarious,"&nbsp;Chong told ET in September at the Star Trek Day celebration. "She doesn't crack a smile, even if I'm laughing in her face, because she's just so funny. She's hilarious. It’s just the best experience ever."

Celia Rose Gooding, who stepped into the iconic role of Nyota Uhura -- made famous by the late Nichelle Nichols on TOS&nbsp;-- said fans can expect more interactions within the show’s ensemble. They teased to ET, "We'll get to see a lot of co-mingling of our Enterprise crew in a way that we haven't seen before."

<hr />
Season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds arrives on Blu-ray, DVD and limited edition Blu-ray Steelbook on March 21. The second season premieres in 2023&nbsp;on Paramount+.&nbsp;

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'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds': Captain Pike Fends Off the Gorn in Season 1 Deleted Scene (Exclusive)

A place where fans of Mario and Luigi can meet their favorite plumbers? Thanks to Super Nintendo World, it’s no longer a pipe dream.&nbsp;

Universal Studios Hollywood has leveled up, utilizing every theme park trick in the book, plus a few new ones, with an immersive tribute to one of the most enduring pop culture phenomenons. While some park guests won’t be familiar with Koopa Troopa and Bullet Bills, everyone&nbsp;discovers that no sense goes unstimulated in Super Nintendo World.&nbsp;

ET chatted with Jon Corfino, vice president of Universal Creative, who opened up about the park’s joint effort with Nintendo to translate the digital world of the Mushroom Kingdom&nbsp;into real-life gameplay.

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“I can’t say enough about the partnership and the value we place in that partnership, because it’s all about authenticity and making sure that we’re doing it right,” Corfino says of the collaboration, which counted two Nintendo legends in their braintrust, Takashi Tezuka and Shigeru Miyamoto, best known for creating the most iconic characters and games across the franchise’s four-decade history. “This is their brand, so they’ve been really engaged in every step along the way, including very rigorous looks at lighting and audio.”

Super Nintendo World is just as much an auditory experience as a visual one, thanks to the land’s symphony of video game sound effects from "?" blocks and interactive games. Corfino recalls walking speakers around the land with his Nintendo collaborators to ensure&nbsp;the distinctive&nbsp;areas maintain unique&nbsp;soundtracks. “The challenge is you’re talking about a very active land with a lot of different zones and locations that kind of have to be separated,” he explains.

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Naturally, the signature attraction is based on Mario Kart, debuting first&nbsp;as Koopa's Challenge&nbsp;in 2021 at&nbsp;Universal Studios Japan. Its North American counterpart, Bowser’s Challenge, carries over the same medley of real set pieces and augmented reality&nbsp;projection mapping, with guests donning AR goggles as they&nbsp;race&nbsp;through underwater courses and the fan-favorite Rainbow Road. “I’ve ridden this thing 200 times,” Corfino shares. “I’m still going for my best score. I’ve learned something new every time I ride it.”

Located in Bowser’s Castle, the queue is jam-packed with franchise&nbsp;references. Some are novelty throwbacks, while others, like the library of Mario’s arch-nemesis, might provide&nbsp;riders the advantage they need to win&nbsp;and top the leaderboard.

“It gives you insights into how his mind works a little bit and his sense of humor,” Corfino offers. “There’s a lot of Easter eggs in there if you look at the book titles. And if you look at the open books, you get a little peek of what you might see in the ride.”

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This attention to detail doesn’t stop at the elevators, where interior theming ensures the fantasy continues for all guests. Corfino calls&nbsp;inclusivity&nbsp;“a core value” that they refuse to compromise on while building. “We have to be inclusive. Everybody needs to be able to experience our rides and attractions,” he insists.

Of course, the Super Nintendo World experience begins at the iconic green pipe. Once inside, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure style journey from there. “The great part about it, like any game, there are no rules,” Corfino hypes. “We encourage&nbsp;exploration. You can go anywhere you want. There’s no ‘do this first.’ ‘Do this second.’ I could say as many times as you can come here, you can pick a different path and do something different.”

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As <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/brie-larson" rel="">Brie Larson</a> proved on Wednesday at the land's opening ceremony, Super Nintendo World is also a hive of photo ops. “Everywhere you look there’s an Instagrammable moment,” Corfino figures. “There’s so much activity and kinetic motion all over the place. It’s really just about wherever you go.”&nbsp;

The land’s debut comes two months out from another big moment for Nintendo&nbsp;in 2023, the release of <a href="https://www.etonline.com/movies/the-super-mario-bros-movie" rel="">The Super Mario Brothers Movie</a>&nbsp;on April 7. The voice of Mario, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/chris-pratt" rel="">Chris Pratt</a>, was also <a href="https://www.etonline.com/chris-pratt-and-katherine-schwarzenegger-make-rare-red-carpet-appearance-at-super-nintendo-world" rel="">on hand Wednesday to celebrate the opening</a>, and perhaps that&nbsp;Jurassic World actor’s newly minted honor of now having two franchise relationships with attractions in the park&nbsp;(tying with <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/tyrese-gibson" rel="">Tyrese Gibson</a>, who has&nbsp;Transformers: The Ride 3-D and Fast &amp; Furious: Supercharged).

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While Super Nintendo World’s potential for Halloween Horror Nights writes itself (stilt walker&nbsp;Piranha Plants, etc), Corfino plays coy on any incorporation with the spooky season event, but playfully notes, “One can never tell what the future may hold.” This could also be said of the land’s digital-based features, which inherently suggest&nbsp;the land could see any number of upgrades and story additions moving forward.

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“We’re always thinking about hypotheticals in terms of growth,” Corfino teases. “Right now, we’re very pleased with where it is. Also, we’re gonna learn what works. The audiences are coming in and I’m sure we’re gonna learn from reactions.”

He adds, “We have a lot of surprises coming in the future. We have some new things coming down the road in other places. I wouldn’t rule anything out. There’s nothing planned, but we always think about that, especially in this type of gamified experience.”

On that note, let’s-a-go.&nbsp;

<hr />
Super Nintendo World is now open&nbsp;at Universal Studios Hollywood.&nbsp;

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Features

Super Nintendo World: How Universal Studios and Mario's Creators Brought Mushroom Kingdom to Life (Exclusive)

For Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s most beloved episode, "Far Beyond the Stars,"&nbsp;Avery Brooks pulled double duty in more ways than one.

The actor spoke with ET leading up to its premiere 25 years ago, admitting he "was exhausted" after directing and acting in the episode, which saw him play two sides of the same Benjamin Sisko. Brooks said he agreed to the challenge for "many reasons," but figured at the end of the day, "Well, after all, I know about this stuff."

In "Far Beyond the Stars," Sisko, needing an escape while grieving a friend and hearing tragic reports from the ongoing Dominion War, finds respite after dreaming himself out of the 24th century and into Harlem circa 1953. As he discovers, it’s no Risa vacation because Sisko’s alter ego, a science-fiction author named Benny Russell, faces a battle of his own.

"The notion is that [Russell]'s a writer and he wants people to deal with how he sees the world," Brooks explained. "And indeed the world is not particularly ready to see, in the mainstream of it, somebody talking about Brown people being alive in the future."

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"It is at once a fascinating story and part of the reason I sit here," he said.&nbsp;

Another reason? Benny Russell was a chance to "investigate the [lives]"&nbsp;of influential Black authors amid, as he saw it, a lack of discussion on who those people are. Off the cuff, he namechecked Octavia Butler, Samuel R. Delany, Richard Wright, John A. Williams, Phyllis Wheatley,&nbsp;and Sterling A. Brown, clarifying that his impromptu list could go "on and on."

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"This canon of literature is rich in its history and has, in fact, impacted the world in extraordinary ways," Brooks added. "It's a magnificent canon. A magnificent thing created in such a short time."

The episode was written by DS9 showrunner Ira Steven Behr, who Brooks praised for "boldly" and "coldly" taking to the page. As he saw it, Benny Russell’s world is "inextricably connected to racism and prejudice" but "Far Beyond the Stars" isn’t about racism and prejudice.

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"To shoot a piece about that, it's a waste of time. I'd turn it off. Why do you want to watch that? We might as well do some cinéma vérité. We might as well just look at the news and look at how horrible we are to each other in that way. The piece is not about that," Brooks said. "I hope there's something liberating [in] that we investigate people's lives. And we see that [in this case], Benny Russell decided that no matter what you say, in the impersonal and the direct of the thing, I am going to go on. You can't do anything with what's in my mind and what's in my heart. That sooner or later, people will rise. The thought will rise."

Deep Space Nine, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last month, is held by many as the epitome of what fans want from a Star Trek show, offering pointed nods -- big and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/how-star-trek-ds9-was-able-to-meet-up-with-captain-kirk-and-the-original-enterprise-crew-flashback" rel="">small</a> -- to past stories, but also pushing the boundaries of Gene Roddenberry’s initial vision. In 2017, <a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/star-trek-every-tv-show-ranked-worst-to-best.html" rel="">Vulture crowned DS9 as the best Trek</a>, citing how the series "balanced each season with great stand-alone episodes enriched by longform arcs," while "creating one of the most poignant depictions of Black fatherhood that has ever appeared on television."

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Twenty-five years after it debuted, "Far Beyond the Stars" currently gets spoken in the same breath as "The City on the Edge of Forever," "The Measure of a Man" and other hallmark Star Trek episodes. The appreciation is also internal, with <a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/star-trek-strange-new-worlds" rel="">Star Trek: Strange New Worlds</a> tipping its cap in "The Elysian Kingdom," which saw the Enterprise get trapped in a fairytale penned by none other than Benny Russell.

When asked what he hoped fans would take away from "Far Beyond the Stars," Brooks insisted&nbsp;the conclusion, like every week, is up to them.

"The [viewers] complete the thought," he said. "And that's the beauty of it. What they carry away, will be the thing that lives in the world… All we can do then is hope that you will stay long enough to see what the thought was and then complete it in your life."

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, along with every Star Trek series, streams on Paramount+.

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‘Star Trek: DS9’ Star Avery Brooks on Directing ‘Far Beyond the Stars’ and Honoring Black Authors (Flashback)

Star Wars: The Bad Batch ended its first season with the clone veterans&nbsp;facing an uncertain future. Season 2 of the <a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/disney-plus" rel="">Disney+</a> series picks up months after they narrowly&nbsp;escaped the watery grave of their cloning facility, leaving&nbsp;the elite troopers to examine their place in the galaxy post-Order 66. As Hunter points out in the trailer, they're up to the task, because, "You know what makes us different? We make our own choices."

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Dee Bradley Baker, who voices each and every Bad Batch soldier, chatted with ET’s Ash Crossan about what fans can expect from the upcoming 16 episodes, which he’s ready to call “better than season 1.”

“[Season 2] has really interesting side roads that all feel very Star Wars,” Baker teases, adding that the new season's&nbsp;ostensibly standalone adventures and story arcs will connect “into the larger structure of what's playing out with Palpatine's rise.”&nbsp;

As promos revealed, the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) appears in the new season. For now, it’s unclear how the Bad Batch crew will intersect with the galaxy’s newly installed dictator, who’s forced Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, and Tech to embark on an existential journey after the fall of the Republic. “It's fascinating to see Palpatine's iron grip starting to close,” Baker says. “And under that kind of stress, you find out who you are.&nbsp;They are finding out who they are and deciding how they're going to play it.”

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One character who’s certainly at a crossroads is Crosshair. And when asked if choosing a favorite character is comparable to picking a favorite child, Baker confirms,&nbsp;“Yes, it is,” but it looks like the Bad Batch’s baddest pulled ahead in the show’s sophomore outing.

“Last season, I would have said Wrecker, because I just love that he's strong and he's open and fun and he can eat whatever he wants and I can't do that anymore,” Baker says with a laugh. “But this season, I think it might be Crosshair. This journey and what he goes through is really heartbreaking and he's a tough diamond of a character, who I think is made even more clarified and sharper and more revealed in this season. It's a really interesting story arc for who he is and what he's going through.”

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Leading up to the season 1 finale, "Kamino Lost," the Bad Batch discovered Crosshair’s inhibitor chip was long gone ahead of the sharp shooter helping Imperial forces hunt down his former comrades. While his&nbsp;betrayal runs deep, the brothers also witnessed Crosshair's last-minute bullseye that saved the lives of Omega (Michelle Ang) and AZI-3 (Ben Diskin). And Baker’s quick to note -- sans spoilers of course -- that second chances&nbsp;are embedded in the DNA of George Lucas' universe.

“My favorite part is to follow Crosshair's journey and to really deepen that character with the trials that he is subjected to,” Baker offers. “I can't say what will happen with Crosshair, but I will say that Star Wars plays out in a moral universe. There's good and there's bad. There's consequences for the decisions that you make and there's also room for transformation and redemption… That is the optimism that is ultimately at the end of the tunnel for Star Wars.”

Meanwhile, the inaugural season’s final moments were reserved for Mistress Nala Se, who was told “the Empire has big things planned” for her “scientific talents.” After the finale aired in August 2021, online chatter jumped to lightspeed with speculation that Kamino’s former Chief Medical Scientist will become part of the Emperor Palpatine's&nbsp;cloning initiative that was revealed in <a href="https://www.etonline.com/movies/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker" rel="">The Rise of Skywalker</a>.&nbsp;

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Of course, in between Clone Force 99’s mercenary missions, their primary objective is looking after Omega. “[The Bad Batch] is also the heartfelt story of the child growing up [and] the guys trying to be dads and learning to deal with this wildly challenging, improvisational situation that's flying at them,” Baker shares, adding, “It's fun to see [Omega] come online with her status and authority within the group. That starts right out of the gate.”

Following the two-episode season premiere ("Spoils of War" and "Ruins of Wars), trailers for season 2 also tease that fans can anticipate reunions with more friends and foes, including Rex&nbsp;and Commander Cody (both voiced by Baker, as well). As he sees it, The Bad Batch falls in line with <a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-mandalorian" rel="">The Mandalorian</a>, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-book-of-boba-fett" rel="">The Book of Boba Fett</a> and other Star Wars shows with standing&nbsp;invitations for familiar faces, as each series is “still taking chances” with tales&nbsp;“that connect back into this larger canon.”

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While Lucasfilm prepares to expand its storytelling <a href="https://www.etonline.com/jude-law-to-lead-star-wars-skeleton-crew-series-on-disney-plus-184342" rel="">outside of the Skywalker timeline</a>, The Bad Batch continues exploring the pre-A New Hope territory that fans loved in The Clone Wars and Rebels. For anyone who’s yet to peek at the newest lens at this beloved era, Baker doubles down on his praise for the boys’ next chapter in the galaxy far, far away.&nbsp;

“I really think that everybody who's ever seen any Star Wars is going to love these guys and Omega and the whole thing even more," he says. "I'm so impressed and just so in love with how much better it is, which I wouldn't have been able to believe unless I've seen it and I've seen it now and it's incredible.”

<hr />
Season 2 of 'Star Wars: The Bad Batch' debuts new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.&nbsp;

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'Star Wars: The Bad Batch's Dee Bradley Baker on Crosshair's 'Heartbreaking' Journey in Season 2 (Exclusive)

“All my friends have worked with the Muppets. Everybody I know has done a thing with the Muppets and I always felt a little bit left out,” Michael Caine told ET in 1992 on the set of The Muppet Christmas Carol, which celebrated its 30th&nbsp;anniversary this year. “But they only did half-hour television shows and I got to do a two-hour movie, so it's great.” 

While Caine donned the trademark robes and night cap to portray Ebenezer Scrooge, the reimagining of the Charles Dickens classic also featured Kermit as Bob Cratchit, Fozzie as Mr. Fozziewig (modified from Fezziwig), Miss Piggy as Mrs. Cratchit and Gonzo as Dickens, who hilariously narrates the story with Rizzo the Rat. Despite the recognizable names and faces, some voices of the characters would sound a little different to Muppet fans.

Two years prior, at the happiest place on Earth, no less, there was excitement for a new partnership and the creative collaborations that it would surely produce.

“We're just getting into the relationship between my company and Disney. I think it's going very well,” <a href="http://www.etonline.com/news/164578_remembering_jim_henson_25_years_after_his_death" target="_blank">Jim Henson</a> told ET while filming a Muppets TV special at Walt Disney World in the spring of 1990. “We've got a lot of interesting projects to work on, both in the parks and in television and movies. I think it's going to be really nice.” Sadly, it was ET’s final interview with the genius behind such pop culture treasures as The Muppet Show, <a href="http://www.etonline.com/news/179747_labyrinth_30_years_later_with_david_bowie_and_jennifer_connelly" target="_blank">Labyrinth</a>, <a href="http://www.etonline.com/tv/153688_sesame_street_celebrates_45_years_on_the_air" target="_blank">Sesame Street</a>, and countless other productions that were inspired by his talent.

On May 16, 1990, Henson died after a short battle with a rare bacterial infection that caused rapid deterioration of his lungs. He was 53. Before his death, he had been working with Disney on a Muppets 3D attraction for Disney World, Muppets-themed restaurants for the parks and new films featuring <a href="http://www.etonline.com/tv/muppets" target="_blank">the Muppets</a> to be produced by Disney. 

The Walt Disney Company had actually been in negotiations to buy The Jim Henson Company at the time, but Henson’s death put a halt to the negotiations. While they didn’t end up acquiring the company until 14 years later, Disney remained committed to being in business with the Muppets and produced The Muppet Christmas Carol as their first film together. Brian Henson, Jim’s son, helmed the movie that would exhibit his father’s legacy with the authenticity and presence he instilled in the beloved characters, while Steve Whitmire, a veteran Muppeteer, took over as Kermit. 

“The actual puppets are so real, and with such definite character, that, I mean, I treat them as if I'm playing with the Royal Shakespeare Company or something,” said Caine, back on set in 1992.

A generation of children would be surprised to learn that the man they associated only with this role was actually a world-renowned cinema star. Seven years later, Caine won his second Oscar, for The Cider House Rules, which kicked off a long succession of films popular with American audiences. “And I am playing Scrooge kind of differently from the way he's been played before, but very, very seriously. I mean, when he cries, he cries. There are no concessions made to the fact that it's a film for children or I'm with the Muppets.” 

While portraying pop culture’s most well-known curmudgeon, Caine knew it would be vital to the ensemble’s success for him remain the straight man throughout the story. “I'm a sort of rock in the middle that all the Muppets bounce off. They are funny intrinsically, and if I was to try and be funny, it wouldn't be funny. So, the more realistic I am, the funnier it is,” said Caine.

When you act with the Muppets, you’re acting high off the ground. “It's the most difficult film I've ever worked on,” said Caine. In addition to closely monitoring the quick turnover rate of his character’s emotional beats, he had to do it all on elevated platforms that required frequent changes to accommodate his co-stars. “I'm standing up here and the Muppeteers are all down there with a Muppet on their shoulder so they're at the same height as me. And so every time you do a shot, you have to fill in the hole in the floor where they were walking and then build another hole on the other side. So everything takes forever.”

Among the film’s highlights are songs from prolific composer and frequent Muppets collaborator Paul Williams, who co-wrote the famous ballad “Rainbow Connection.” The movie happened to be the first time Caine had ever sung on screen, and he admitted to being nervous upon stepping inside the recording studio. “I looked up through the window of the place where I was and there were like 30 people there, and they all obviously turned up with the idea that I wouldn't be able to sing it,” said Caine, who also presumed that among the crowd were singing teachers and breathing experts hired by the producers. “But I carried it off much to their surprise. And mine, I must admit.”

The movie was followed by two other Muppet movie adventures: Muppet Treasure Island in 1996 and 1999’s Muppets From Space. Before Jason Segel and Amy Adams helped the characters find mainstream and box office success again with The Muppets in 2010, the group’s take on the time-honored tale of redemption through the power of Christmas remained their crown jewel among their post-Jim Henson productions. While a brief dedication was shown in the movie’s opening frames, the best tribute to Henson came from his characters and their embodiment of his humor, personality, and heart -- all of which could still keep a master thespian on his toes.

Caine explained, “I mean, people say: ‘Never make pictures with animals or children.’ They ought to try Muppets. They are the biggest scene stealers of all.”

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