Now, I just want to make one thing clear. There have been NO announcements on what Nintendo's next movie project will be, or whether there will even BE another movie project.
That said…with The Super Mario Bros. Movie making over a billion dollars (and counting) at the box office, and Nintendo arguably having the best, most recognizable IPs in gaming, I think it's pretty safe to say that we WILL LIKELY get future Nintendo movies. And, if we do, then the next one I want to see (besides a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, of course) is a The Legend of Zelda movie.
Ah, Zelda. Maybe it’s the fact that the latest game, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, is on pretty much every gamer’s mind right now, or that its predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, is my favorite video game of all time. But, I just really, really want to see a Zelda movie after the staggering success of Mario Bros., and here are five things I would really love to see in this hypothetical film. Hey, listen!
I Want It To Be Animated Just Like The Super Mario Bros. Movie
I know this might upset some people, as I’ve heard that many fans who want this have something live-action and epic in mind, akin to The Lord of the Rings movies, but honestly, after watching The Super Mario Bros. Movie and loving it (even if the critics didn’t), I actually kind of think that animation would work best for a Zelda movie.
Let me explain. So, a live-action Zelda, if done right, would cost a fortune. With all manner of beasts, like Lynels and Gleeoks, involved, the CG would have to be really on point to make it all work. I’m not sure if Nintendo wants to invest in something of that grand-scale nature when it's not a video game.
Maybe I’m wrong, but if this is the same Nintendo that I’ve known all my life, then they are going to want everything done right this time after the disastrous original live-action Super Mario Bros. movie (which I now defend), and the best way to get that vision from the games across is through animation, as the games are animated.
That being said, I wouldn’t want Illumination to work on it, since nothing from that company has given me the assurance that they could handle something that isn’t a straight-up comedy. I think they did wonderful work with Mario Bros., which surprised me, but I could really see more of a DreamWorks or a Sony Pictures Animation handling Zelda. But, whichever company makes this hypothetical film, I’d want it to be animated. I think that’s the best course of action going forward for Nintendo-related movies.
I Want The Entire Movie To Take Place In Hyrule
Okay, so this one may seem like a given, especially if Shigeru Miyamoto is as heavily involved with this hypothetical project as he was with Mario Bros., but I want the entire film to take place in Hyrule. Sure, if this movie were pulling from multiple games, like Skyward Sword, or The Wind Waker, then Skyloft and The Great Sea could definitely be included. But, I don’t want any of it to take place in “the real world,” as that’s never been a part of Zelda lore like it has been in Mario. Zelda has always been in mythical landscapes, and I want to keep the movie there…if a Zelda movie ever were to be made, of course.
This next part is for the Zelda nerds, but I also don’t want the story to take place in somewhere like Koholint Island, like in Link’s Awakening, or in Termina, like in Majora’s Mask. I know we all loved the references and Easter eggs found in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but we Zelda fans KNOW that most of these games are only tangentially connected through the timeline(s). Oh, and speaking of timelines...
I Want The Timeline To Be Considered, But Not Rigorously Adhered To
If there is any fanbase that is as rabid as the Zelda community, it’s the Star Wars community. But, unlike the latter's fans, who tend to squabble over whether this or that is Star Wars or “not,” the former's fans are usually more concerned with lore-related stuff when it comes to the timelines.
If you’re not a fan of these games, I’ll explain. The timeline really all centers around the game, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Following that game, there are three possible split timelines based on whether Link was defeated by Ganon in Ocarina of Time (in which, the next game, chronologically speaking, would be the earlier, SNES title, A Link to the Past). And then, two separate timelines regarding Link defeating Ganon, with one scenario being Link defeating Ganon as a child, and the other involving him defeating Ganon as an adult.
Interestingly enough, MOST of the games follow the Hero is Defeated outcome. But, you also have Breath of the Wild, which throws ALL of that for a loop, since it has elements from all three timelines!
All of this is to say that there's a really rich history – just as much, if not more so - than Super Mario Bros. That said, while I would love to see different elements from multiple timelines in this hypothetical movie, I definitely wouldn’t want a film to adhere to any specific timeline, and instead, just be a movie that everybody can enjoy, and not just the hardcore fans.
Key Zelda Tunes From The Entire Franchise Are A Must, Just Like The Mario Movie
Okay, so while I wouldn’t want any specific timeline to be followed, I would want music from every game represented in some way, just like in the Mario movie. One of the best parts of that movie was the music, as it just hit on so many emotional levels since it was so familiar, especially if you’ve been playing Super Mario Bros. since the NES days like I have.
Music is actually a cool way to connect games like the original The Legend of Zelda all the way up to Breath of the Wild. Hell, if this movie comes out, Tears of the Kingdom will have been out for several years, and possibly even the next Zelda entry, so it could include tunes from those as well. The point is, the music is super important, and I want to hear a ton of it in a Zelda movie. Every diehard fan would cosign on this one.
I'd Like Some Humor In It
Lastly – and this may be even more controversial than my ‘make it animated’ request – I think a potential Zelda movie should have some humor in it. Now, when I say this, I am NOT implying that it should be super silly like the old Nintendo cartoon, where Link even had a catchphrase. Not at all. Instead, I would like if the movie could be a little lighthearted at times, as Zelda sometimes tends to get very serious.
For a lot of fans, the franchise is ONLY meant to be taken seriously. But, it's not supposed to be, as Tingle exists. Hetsu exists. I mean, it wasn’t even that long ago that plenty of fans searched all over Hyrule for 900 korok seeds in Breath of the Wild, and what was their reward? Poop. Literally golden poop. So, I’d love to see some of that weird humor in a Zelda movie. It’s a must.
But, those are just the things that I would want to see in a hypothetical The Legend of Zelda movie. What would you like to see? For more news on things Nintendo-adjacent, make sure to swing by here often.
