A Zelda...Movie?Show?Anime?

[Kylo Ken]

Earlier, I thought to myself, "What will it take to create a good TV representation of The Legend of Zelda?" I played with this thought for a while until I had something else to do, but I'm wondering what you guys think. To help guide you on your thought process of this, I've typed a few questions to keep the train going, if you know what I mean.

What game should it be modelled after?
or Should it be original?
What direction style should it have?
Who would you like to star in it?
Should Link speak?
If a movie, should it be spilt into parts?
Should it be adventure focused, action focused, drama focused, or romance focused?
Should it have a comedic edge, or dark undertones?
Should it even exist at all?

You don't HAVE to follow these guidelines, I just thought I'd help you out a bit. Feel free to post your thoughts.

 

[Link Floyd]

1. I think each season should be a new game, like season one could be SS and so on. They could condense the story so it would fit in about 20-25 episodes. And it should definitely be an anime.

2. Hmmm...Like I said, it should follow the game, but maybe have more character development and possibly include new storylines based on what game it is.

3. Definitely Link, Zelda, Ganon, and some other key characters.

4. Hmmm...maybe only a little. To keep the feel of the game.

5. If it were a movie, I think it would be a good idea to split it up since there's so much to the story.

6. Definitely adventure. That's what Zelda's all about, right? And a lot of action. A lot.

7. Dark undertones. I feel like it would come across as stupid if it's tooooo funny. Like that Zelda cartoon from the 80's. Ha.

8. Yeah, definitely. I'd love to see an anime Zelda, whether it's a full length movie or a show.

 

[TatlTails]

What game should it be modelled after?
or Should it be original?
I'm torn. I like the idea Ari had about a game a season, but I'd also like one big mash-up world with no set boundaries to stick to.

What direction style should it have?
Not sure what you mean, but I think I'd like the focus to be on how Link changes other people with his unselfish courage and kindness, and of course manages to save the world.

Who would you like to star in it?
Link, always, and either his companion-of-the-game/season, or a unique companion that follows him the whole show no matter what other companions he works with.

Should Link speak?
If he does, it should be very, VERY minimal. Like, one-word sentences and brief-as-possible explanations that the companion has to fill in with annoyance. This will be acceptable if they have a very good voice actor that sounds like the person who makes his fight noises. Maybe the guy who plays Austria in Hetalia! His Japanese voice actor played TP Link, so that might work!

If a movie, should it be spilt into parts?
If a movie, it should be a series.

Should it be adventure focused, action focused, drama focused, or romance focused?
Adventure and Friendship. Some action as well. Please minimal romance, and drama should be used sparingly.

Should it have a comedic edge, or dark undertones?
Both, both. Both is good.

Should it even exist at all?
Again, if it is done well. And stays true to the source material at all costs.

 

[AncientPoe]

Personally, if they were to create a cartoon for the Legend of Zelda, I'd like to see it be an original plot. That way they'd be totally unconstrained when it came to things like characters, setting and story. Trying to write within the barriers of those elements while still keeping a story flexible and compelling is quite difficult, and even in so doing we all know that certain critics would decry them for whatever factual elements they happened to stray from, even if they did so in sacrifice to a better narrative. It's also actually extraordinarily difficult to translate something like dungeoneering to cinema, as the act of beating a dungeon (a hallmark of Zelda games) is largely an interactive, player-driven experience. Uniquely in video games, the story and progression are incomplete without the player's input, and translating such elements to something non-interactive like a TV show would be nigh impossible.

As for setting, every new game we get creates a new Hyrule (or a new land entirely), so I see no reason a show couldn't do that as well. It just needs to be vast and interesting, with a lot of attention to detail. It wouldn't even necessarily have to eschew bright colors or 'cuter' character design: anyone who's seen enough Adventure Time knows that cheerful aesthetic and vast detail are not mutually exclusive.

As for Link speaking, I think you have to have this. The reason he's moot in games is because he serves as a sort of blank slate. However, a Link that were to feature in a show would be an established character, with (hopefully) fully fleshed out personality traits, idiosyncrasies, and a functioning character arc. This necessitates speech and characterization. People can't keep harkening back to the old cartoon in order to attack the idea of Link being vocal. That show was a product of its time, and the fact that it exists doesn't prevent another group from doing it well (if anything, having it as an example to learn from improves the chances of a prospective creator). I've already seen a few examples of fan made Zelda cartoons, including one that used professional voice actors commonly heard in american cartoons and anime dubs, and they've done a fine job of voicing our favorite Hero of Hyrule.

 

[onebizarrekai]

I used to complain a lot about how I wanted them to make a Zelda anime. But now that I think about it, it would probably be much better if they didn't make an actual series, and just took the manga and turned them into separate animations, one for each manga. The ones that have two volumes (Ocarina of Time and Four Swords) would still be one episode, and those 'episodes' would just be longer and not split up.

As for a movie or a 'show', I do NOT want them to make anything live-action. That has never gone well. Zelda just works better as an animation.

If you can't tell, I have nothing against Link having a voice. He just needs a GOOD voice. And if we're going to get some sort of show, please make it be a Japanese anime and not a regular cartoon. I mean, everything just seems out of balance if the games and the show come from different places. I don't know... It's just, all of the cartoons nowadays kind of suck and aren't nearly as good as they used to be. If they tried to make a cartoon now, it would look exactly like Adventure Time or something, even though Adventure Time is technically a rip-off of Zelda.

 

[AncientPoe]

I don't think it would have to be of Japanese origin. In fact, I'd actually prefer it wasn't. They tend to do a lot of tropeish things in their animes that I find… irritating. One of the best cartoon series I've (that a LoZ show could take inspiration from) would be The Last Airbender, and that was an American script animated in Korea. But whatever it is, and whoever did it, it would need to be well made with a good frame rate and no BS filler and still pans, not like some cheap-arse Pokémon stuff.

 

[ihateghirahim]

I don't think a movie or show would work. An anime, maybe. A CGI movie brings in fears of poorly made mass-media pandering. I'm afraid popular themes of exploration and gameplay won't transfer well to a story that could be rushed like previous gaming movies.

An anime however will have an audience, at least in the west, more open to stranger ideas. I say that as an anime club member. We get some weird things when we search random anime and people love it. This would allow for people to accept the odd places and races of Hyrule, as they don't fit into traditional Tolkien-style fantasy settings. Anime could allow for a stylized sort of animation that might blend well with some of the artistic games like SS. I'm also curious to see monsters and settings in Anime form. Can you imagine an anime with everything MM has to offer in it? That would a be amazing solely on the visuals. There's a lot of lore in the manga and games to pull from, and I think even some original ideas would work fine. Imagine one based on Termina, or the classic OoT, or they could even make a prototype by adapting the HH manga. All I'm saying is that there's potential, and its the most likely to work.

Also, they could never dub and leave it in obscurity if it sucks. That's a thing too.

 

[AncientPoe]

I'm afraid popular themes of exploration and gameplay won't transfer well to a story that could be rushed like previous gaming movies.

Again, I'd like to say that I dislike the idea of using past failures as examples against something. Just look at comic book movies. For like, 20 years they usually did very poorly, excepting Batman and Superman. Then Spiderman did great in the early 2000's, and since then they've really hit their stride. Now look at them, they are THE premiere blockbusters of every year, even if they're about obscure stuff like Guardians of the Galaxy. I'm just saying that eventually someone is going to get one right, and people will figure out what it was that worked. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say it will be some people who really get the source material. I've seen fan movies made from games that were simply amazing, like the Half Life 2 'movie'. And of all the games out there that I think have the most inherent theme material that would translate very well to a movie or show, I'd have to say Legend of Zelda is one of them (Metroid is the other).

 

[TheRockinStallion]

I would be more in favor of a movie series like that of Harry Potter. The circumstances surrounding this would obviously have to be OK'd by Miyamoto and would most likely mean he is actively involved in the process. The series would, in my opinion, do well to follow a storyline based on not one but most if not all of the games. A few extra elements would have to be concocted to fill in the gaps but that's where Miyamoto would have to either come up with something or give the writers some leeway. This is all assuming he says yes to there even being a screen adaptation. From all I've read, he still wants the story to be interpreted by the gamers and, above all, the portrayal of Link to be left to the imagination. I doubt we'll see it in Miyamoto's lifetime.

But I'll be the first in line if it DOES happen!

 

[Schelm of the Realm]

What game should it be modelled after?
Ocarina of Time

or Should it be original?
As well

What direction style should it have?
A mixture of the Lord of the Rings and Conan movies

Who would you like to star in it?
Mainly unknown actors, partly Japanese ones (and Shoe Bill birds)

Should Link speak?
He shouldnt appear at all. Maybe as a legend the people talk about. But the protagonist should be a whole new character with his own side story. And yes, he should speak. Its a movie.

If a movie, should it be spilt into parts?
It should be a complete story but leave a chance for sequels

Should it be adventure focused, action focused, drama focused, or romance focused?
Pretty much adventure focused

Should it have a comedic edge, or dark undertones?
Both

Should it even exist at all?
Hell yeah

 

[Whimsical]

You must all be forgetting there is already a zelda cartoon...

And it is AWESOME

 

[ITheSuperior]

That Zelda-Ghibli movie MUST happen

 

[Whimsical]

That Zelda-Ghibli movie MUST happen

Oh god, yes. Ghibli has made an adaption of tales of earthsea, so they could with Zelda too.

Although, earthsea sucked. And I have a feeling Nintendo would be way too protective over what ghibli could or couldn't do. So, there's that.

 

[JGloverArtist]

I think a movie would be a good way to go and definitely something original, following or rewriting an existing game script could prove too problematic and something original would most probably be better received, especially not having an existing storyline to be compared with.

 

[Guest-2]

Honestly not an anime like some people said. I hate anime (no offense) I'd rather a movie than a TV show since I don't watch much TV