“The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” released on April 5, is the product of unmatched writing, animation and casting. Despite the expectations of failure, writer Matthew Fogel delivered a heartwarming story that is worth the wait.

Ask a parent, or anyone over the age of 50, to name one character from a video game. Was the answer “Mario?” Whether you saved the princess as Jumpman in “Donkey Kong” at the arcade in 1981, picked...