When it comes to video game adaptations, results can be hit or miss. Gamers have bemoaned the lack of good live-action or animated adaptations of their favorite games. But, luckily, one fan has taken it upon themselves to give a very special franchise another shot at animated glory. The illustrator mashes-up Legend of Zelda with Studio Ghibli, giving fans with something they never knew they needed.
Matt Vince created the elaborate fan-trailer to accompany a series of posters he released last year. Those stunning posters featured characters like Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf in traditional Hayao Miyazaki style. The cartoony images stunned fans with their sprawling scenery and rich colors, so it’s no surprise to see that those gamers are stunned by Matt’s new trailer.
Videos by PopCulture.com
The trailer begins appropriately enough with a shot of The Great Deku Tree, a reoccurring character in Legend of Zelda. From there, footage of a sleepy Hyrulian town can be seen as Matt illustrated locales like a windmill, an empty weapons cache, and one adorable rogue chicken. The trailer then shows off several gorgeous scenery shots before fans see the Temple of Time. A brief shot of the Master Sword then follows before the video shifts to show Link riding his horse Epona across a mountain range.
Clearly, this fan-trailer highlights the open-world appeal of Legend of Zelda. The footage mirrors Matt’s previous poster art as much of his pastel coloring and aesthetic are kept in place. If anything, the stunning trailer further proves how closely intertwined Legend of Zelda and Studio Ghibli are. The iconic creations share many similarities, and now fans are dying to see the studio take on Legend of Zelda.
At the very least, a Studio Ghibli rendition of Legend of Zelda would wipe out the lingering taste of the franchise’s 1980s animated series. Unsurprisingly, Western producers failed to faithfully adapt the video game and produced just 13 episodes of the ill-fated show.
However, several sources at Nintendo have indicated the company is ready to license out their characters once more for big-budget films. Perhaps Studio Ghibli could convince them to hand over Link and Zelda for one amazing feature-length animation?
For now, fans can only dream of what Studio Ghibli could really do to someone like Link. And, next year, fans will be reintroduced to the hero when Nintendo releases their much-anticipated game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The open-world title is one of the developer’s most ambitious projects in recent years, and long-time fans are more hyped than ever to play the gorgeous game.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will hit shelves in 2017.
[H/T] Kotaku
