Breath of the Wild Meets Studio Ghibli in this New Fan-Made Animation
Posted on January 07 2020 by David Nystrom
Anticipation for the release of the Breath of the Wild sequel is building with every passing day it seems. It has the potential to be even bigger than the original, which is why fans’ mouths are watering for any new information. The journey in Breath of the Wild was a huge part of what made that game special to a lot of fans, and this new fan-made animation does a great job capturing a lot of the game’s standout moments.
In a tribute to Nintendo in content and Studio Ghibli in art style, this short video — directed by Lee Jumi and Seon Seungyeon — captures the spirit of Breath of the Wild’s story in all the right ways. Set to the unforgettable Main Theme, we follow Link in his journey to save Hyrule. But we also get glimpses of the past, some shots from Link’s recovered memories and finally his showdown with Calamity Ganon.
Personally, the moments with Zelda were the best. I especially loved the shot from her study, juxtaposed by the memory of Link training in the rain while Zelda talked to him, before being followed up by Link gazing out from the Great Plateau Tower. With the music building at that point, and the memories of those locations engrained in my mind, it hit me just right.
The Studio Ghibli art style, though, should not go down as a footnote in this article. It was phenomenal. It’s a brilliantly unique and iconic type of animation, and certainly goes a long way in translating some of the magical elements that make Zelda what it is. I can’t help but get lost in it when I watch anything that utilizes that style.
What did you think of the video? Did it take you back to the sprawling landscape of Hyrule? Does it rekindle your enthusiasm from the first Breath of the Wild game, and fill you with more excitement for the sequel? Let us know in the comments below, or chat about it over in our Discord!
David is an editor at Zelda Dungeon. He’s the author of the ongoing series, The Era Without A Hero, and his favorite Zelda games are Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, and Skyward Sword. He’s also generally a fan of JRPGs and other major Nintendo titles, such as Smash Bros. and Mario.
