Summary
Nintendo not only succeeded in adapting its largest property to the big screen, it soared to new heights by makingThe Super Mario Bros. Moviethe highest-grossing film to ever be based on a video game. However,The Legend of Zeldais the company’s next challenge in film adaptation, and it may not be as easy to get right.
The Super Mario Bros. Moviegrossed over a billion dollars at the box office in 2023, and it’s not hard to see why. Nintendo struck the perfect balance between honoring the video game’s expansive history, while making it accessible for a new audience. Their deal with Illumination Entertainment, while not viewed by many as the top pick initially, was an ingenious move, as the studio’s bright and colorful designs matchedMario’sinclination for cheerful, family-friendly fun. The movie did not revolutionize video game adaptations, but then again, it didn’t need to. It wasexactly what the firstMariomovie neededto be. A demonstration that Nintendo could throw its weight behind video game adaptations and stand above the rest. However, executives like Shigeru Miyamoto may soon discover that adaptingThe Legend of Zeldato traditional media isn’t as seamless as it was for other Nintendo franchises.
The upcomingZeldafilm has just been given a release date, and will be distributed theatrically to cinemas on March 26th, 2027. The film is still a while away and, until it makes its debut, a series of obstacles sit between it and another record-breaking outing for Nintendo. Audiences still know very little about the adaptation. So far, its leading creative voice has been found in director Wes Ball, who is well-known forhis work on theMaze Runnerseries, which was released to a mix of positive and middling reviews. Creator of the video game franchise Shigeru Miyamoto has signed on as a major producer. Most importantly, to many fans' surprise, the film won’t be animated like itsMariocounterpart. Instead, opting for a live-action portrayal. This choice of medium may be the beginning of many headaches for Ball, as he tries to adapt one of Nintendo’s most fantastical properties.
Live-Action Adaptations Are Difficult, And The Legend of Zelda Movie Is No Different
It was assumed by many long-time fans of theZeldaseries that any film would followMarioin suit by using the medium of animation to tell the tale.Ever sinceOcarina of Timetransformed the series’graphical make-up into something more three-dimensional, the majority ofZeldatitles have always featured a cartoon-styled world and set of characters. More recently,Breath of the Wildhas opted for an even more stylized cell-shaded design, which was extremely reminiscent of the iconic look of many Studio Ghibli films. So, there was some fervent discussion throughout the online fandom when it was announced thatZeldahad been set for a live-action adventure.
Even thoughMariohas always been considered to be the more wacky and outlandish of the two major Nintendo tentpoles, and thus more suited to animation, that doesn’t exactly makeZeldaa grounded and gritty drama. When viewing the series as a whole,Zeldais an insanely high-concept fantasy story with so many surreal aspects to it. Its simple, outward appearance to general audiences, of a small elf warrior on the quest to save a fairytale princess, hides beneath it an extensive and mind-bending lore.Mario’sstory of a simple Italian plumber trekking through fantastical kingdoms to save a damsel-in-distress bares many similarities to the exploits of the Hylian hero.
The raft of logistical problems that arise when placing aZeldafilm in a live-action environment also needs to be addressed. Outside of its human-looking main cast,Zeldagames feature entirely different physiologicalraces of magical tree folk, fish people, and rocky mountain dwellersthat eat boulders. It features wide-ranging landscapes that dwarf even that ofThe Lordof the Rings,showcasing a range of diverse biomes that has Link wandering into volcanoes, underwater cities, visiting sky islands, and venturing deep into underground caverns. One game actually floods the entire Kingdom of Hyrule. AnyZeldaadaptation has to include dungeons in one form or another, and their complex layout will require sophisticated set builds. That’s not even mentioning that most of Link’s enemies are usually the most bizarre part ofZelda’sdesign. InBreath of the Wildthere are the pig-like Bokoblins, sentient rock formations known as Stone Taluses, or the pig-like monster form of the infamous overarching villain, Ganon. No amount of CGI or surround LED volumes can cover the fact thatZeldafeels unusually out of place in live-action; and if they do manage to, the cost is going to be eye-watering.
The Legend of Zelda Movie Has A Missed Ghibli Opportunity
Even though Studio Ghibli is slowing down, with its productions pretty much entirely reliant on studio founder Hayao Miyazaki coming in or out of retirement, its legacy is still just as popular. One of their most beloved classics,Princess Mononoke,had a re-release this Marchin IMAX theaters, collecting an estimated $4 million in box office returns from 330 theaters.
If any animation studio was going to take on aZeldafilm, Ghibli was always the right fit.Zeldafans have longed to see their favorite video game portrayed in Miyazaki’s style. In fact,Zeldashares a lot of blood withPrincess Mononoke.Both are action-heavy fairtytales about a wandering knight, seeking to save a princess from ancient, mystical evils. Even the live-action adaptations' director acknowledges that a large part ofhis inspiration for the upcoming adaptation is from Miyazaki’s film library, highlighting “the wonder and whimsy” that is often found in Ghibli’s classics.
A Ghibli-style animatedZeldawould also probably be able to address Link’s iconic muteness with more deftness and experience. Mute characters have featured in Ghibli releases before and have been utterly charming, even becoming fan favorites. Examples like Turnip-Head fromHowl’s Moving Castle, or Yakul fromPrincess Mononokespring to mind. Animation just lends more naturally to that visual nonverbalism when expressing a character’s thoughts.
It seems, then, a rather disappointing and missed opportunity that Nintendo decided not to pursue this obvious collaboration.The Legend of Zeldamovie was perhaps more suited to animation, but if Nintendo wants to explore its more dramatic and emotionally complex characters in a darker, slightly grittier setting, then it will also probably be a good fit for live-action tonally. Nintendo must score another major success with this release if it wants to solidify itself as adominating force in video game adaptations for years to come, animated or otherwise.
