MeTV's AI Upscaling Turns Classic Super Mario Bros. Cartoon Into Visual Disaster

MeTV Brings Back Classic Cartoon With Controversial AI Treatment

The broadcast channel MeTV Toons started airing The Super Mario Bros. Super Show on March 30, timing the release to capitalize on buzz from the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy Movie hitting theaters April 1. However, what should have been a nostalgic trip for fans quickly turned into a source of criticism from fans when viewers noticed the episodes had been processed through AI upscaling1

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. The 1989 Super Mario Bros. cartoon, which originally ran for 65 episodes in a single season, now features a weird and smoothed over appearance that has sparked immediate backlash across social media and animation communities.

Poor Implementation of AI Creates Visual Disasters

The AI-upgraded versions showcase numerous problems that highlight the poor implementation of AI in video restoration. Characters look markedly different from the original animation, with details smoothed over in an off-putting way that removes the charm of the classic cartoon sloppified by the technology2

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. Most egregiously, the AI changed the show's title card to read "The Suele Mario Bros. Super Show," demonstrating the well-known weakness of AI tools in handling text within images. Cartoon fan Matt Hunter shared screenshots in the Cartoon Research Facebook group, stating: "This is why you should never use AI to 'restore' a cartoon." Kotaku reported that the results suggest MeTV may have processed low-quality source material, possibly even YouTube videos, rather than working from original tapes.

Animation Quality Suffers Despite Original Show's Limitations

While The Super Mario Bros. Super Show wasn't known for exceptional animation quality—it was, after all, a cash-grab cartoon from the 1980s with cheap animation and off-model drawings—the AI processing has made it look demonstrably worse. Comparisons between episodes available on YouTube and the versions airing on MeTV Toons reveal how the AI has straight-up changed details and created visual artifacts throughout3

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. The once sharp, crisp original animation now appears lifeless and overly smooth, stripping away the character of the hand-drawn work.

Fan Backlash Highlights Broader AI Concerns

The fan backlash extends beyond mere aesthetic complaints. For many viewers, the distorted original details represent a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes classic media valuable. The show originally featured live-action segments starring professional wrestler Lou Albano as Mario and Danny Wells as Luigi, along with guest stars including Cyndi Lauper, Ernie Hudson, and Magic Johnson. It also transformed into a Legend of Zelda cartoon every Friday, producing the famous "Well, excuse me, Princess!" line. Both Engadget and Kotaku have covered the controversy, with Engadget reaching out to MeTV for comment on what happened during the restoration process. The incident raises questions about whether other classic animated Mario shows, including The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, might receive similar treatment if they begin streaming on the platform.