Legend of Zelda Movie

[linkman8]

Aw come on! Anime again? Try American animation for once. Disney could try their hand at making a Zelda movie. The series has enough humor and darkness to fit the bill for your average good Disney movie. (The only ones I'd be iffy about are MM and the FS games since they are very length based.)
Perhaps Pixar could try; Link has been done in 3D and I'm sure Pixar could make it look stylized as well.
Cut American animation some slack.

American animation has failed me. After watching small amounts of such travesties like South Park, Family Guy, and everything on Cartoon Network, it's sadly evident that we are incapable of producing competant work.
Not only that, but Zelda is produced and originated in Japan; giving the rights to American companies so that we could produce another travesty makes no sense. And the problem with Disney / Pixar, is that they're directed towards children, and they never seem to be able to make realistic people. Thematically if you look at Zelda as a whole, it's not really directed towards the same demographic as movies like "Cars". And as far as animation, I have yet to be satisfied with any character model they've come up with. Ambients, great. Special Effects, even better. People? Lacking.

 

[ChargewithSword]

American animation has failed me. After watching small amounts of such travesties like South Park, Family Guy, and everything on Cartoon Network, it's sadly evident that we are incapable of producing competant work.
Not only that, but Zelda is produced and originated in Japan; giving the rights to American companies so that we could produce another travesty makes no sense. And the problem with Disney / Pixar, is that they're directed towards children, and they never seem to be able to make realistic people. Thematically if you look at Zelda as a whole, it's not really directed towards the same demographic as movies like "Cars". And as far as animation, I have yet to be satisfied with any character model they've come up with. Ambients, great. Special Effects, even better. People? Lacking.

My god, have you not seen Up? Wall-e? The Incredibles? You chose Cars of all things as the example for Pixar? You look at the bottom of the barrel instead of looking at the good stuff. Up is something that is beyond kiddy material, Wall-e is beyond kiddie material, Princess and the Frog is beyond kiddy material. As far as I am concerned, American animation is fine.

Even Japan makes garbage; would you like a Zelda anime to be filled with the brim of breast bounce and panty shots? Maybe you could've avoided that back in the 90s (Anime Golden Age for me) but no, I will not see Zelda transformed into so. And the anime that is kiddy is beyond kiddy; the fart jokes are twice as immature as American fart jokes.

Also Zelda is a game series aimed at preteens and up. It's not some sort of series for only 35 year old men to enjoy, infact I'd compare a lot of Zelda to a Disney movie. It is not that hard core. Light is balanced with darkness; look at Majora and Twilight which both had their share of light moments.

American animation is not as horrible as you think if you just looked at it once more, and look at the stuff that is not in the big spotlight. Remember what they did with Avatar: TLA.

 

[Lady_Yuna]

If there were to be a zelda movie. They should make it like the animation that was used for Final Fantasy Advent Children.

 

[Scythe-of-Chaos]

well, a zelda movie would be cool... the feel of realisticness but having animation in a movie thats schtick isn't that. i feel if a zelda movie would be made that it would be around monsters that are huminoid and bosses

 

[ChargewithSword]

Why do people want realism in the art. If you look at most Zelda art, it is far from real. Look at Wind Waker; do you want that to look real? If anything a Zelda game has either twisted artwork, cutesy artwork, or Adventure artwork.

Twilight Princess and Majora both range onto the twisted artwork which would benefit a CGI Zelda movie made by Tim Burton, or Henry Selick. Perhaps they could use puppetry as well if they want to try making it twice as twisted.

Wind Waker, the FS series, and the sequels could easily be done by Pixar's animation unit as they know how to make a good story and have the perfect animators when it comes to stylizing characters.

Disney could pull off the original games such as LOZ, Aol, OOX, La, or ALttp. They art was meant to be seen in a cutesy 2d look that could be done in traditional animation.

These companies and directors have proven themselves as top folk in their fields, from Pixar's beautiful adventure stories of, Up, to Henry Selick's Coraline. Give them a chance people, American animation is not dead.

 

[Ver-go-a-go-go]

If there were to be a zelda movie. They should make it like the animation that was used for Final Fantasy Advent Children.

I could see that working as far as presentation would go. It looks great, and we don't have to worry about <insert fanboy name here> hating on a actor because he doesn't look enough like Link.

But for everything else, it just wouldn't go with the fanbase. I'm fine with it personally, but there's just too many nit-picky people who'll tear it to pieces no matter what.

"Link's right handed, Zelda's breasts aren't that big, they based it off OoT? That plot sucked, Ganondorf doesn't have a beard in OoT, they used english in this movie? English sucks Japanese is way better because I can't make **** out of it, the art style is too dark, the art style is too light, Epona isn't that type of horse, he's a pig not some sort of unidentifiable monster, this didn't come from Japan therefor it fails because the Japanese do everything better than America I should just move there now,....... LINK TALKS!? THE WORLD IS GOING TO EXPLODE111111111111

*cries in a corner because Link's voice just completely severed the close intimate bond I had with him as a player, and his voice didn't sound like I imagined it would*

I just don't want to have to listen to all of it.

 

[Zeruda]

Eh, I do think Pixar might be able to do something with it eye-candy-wise, but I wouldn't want them to lay on hand on the franchise. I like the idea of a Zelda movie being like FF: Advent Children, though. It's very easy to create the perfect characters. No matter how pretty or handsome an actor you can hire, they will never ever EVER be as beautiful as the characters. They might be beautiful, but humans can only be so pretty.

One neat thing about FF: AC's style is that it was 3D anime. They weren't realistic at all, and the fact that Zelda's official art (and models in the long run) are anime-styled only makes me think it'd really fit Zelda more than western animation. Don't get me wrong- I loved Up and Coraline and Avatar: TLA, but the styles just don't reflect the styles Zelda sticks with. Even the more cartoony TWW/PH/ST style still leans more towards Japanese-styled animation than wester-styled animation. Because of this, I think something like what FF: AC ended up looking like would be the best way to go should a Zelda movie ever be created.

But that only covers appearances. There's still the issue of trying to fit voice actors to various characters and bringing out their personalities. An even bigger issue would be giving Link a personality as he has been an avatar of the player. What one person's Link might be like may be very different from another's, so there's a very big problem there. Additionally, the timeline for Zelda is twisted and mangled and has more holes than swiss cheese, so it'd be almost impossible to make a movie based on any of the more recent titles without having to come up with their own version of Zelda's historical events. Of course, this would only end up enraging a good majority of fans. The easiest thing would be to make on based on one of the classic games, but that only makes the issue of giving characters personality more of a hassle.

See, if Nintendo could pull off something like Square Enix did, then it wouldn't be a problem. The directors and character designers and producers of the Final Fantasy games actually worked on the movie!!! This is the only way I could ever see a Zelda movie working out, but that seems so unlikely. Shiggy is soooo busy with everything, and Aonuma is so obsessed with surpassing OoT... neither of them really have the time to devote to such a project. If they did, though, I could really see a Zelda movie working. They are very picky about voice actors, cinemetogrophy, music, everything! They want it to flow together perfectly, and I don't think that would happen if such a project landed in the lap of a third party.

 

[MrMosley]

I really don't think that a Zelda movie in CG would be all that great. More importantly, I doubt it would get a theater release. It would likely go straight to DVD, not make much money, and based on that, I highly doubt Nintendo would do it (or approve of it to be done).

For those who seen the fan-made Hero of Time video, that pretty much sucked. Now, it was cool to see some fans (and I use that word loosely, based on the attitudes of those involved) make a Zelda film... but it was no good. However, you can't make the assumption that a live-action film would not be successful based on that. It was very, very amature. If a Zelda movie were to be made, it would almost have to be live-action with some CG involved. Also, I know a lot of the fans of the games would probably be pumped at the idea of such a film, but it is undeniable that they wouldn't complain. Look at the Resident Evil movies. Many fans of the game hate those films because they do not follow the game strictly. In reality, following the game's plot would not work in the movie world. You have to have a story that you can continue on if you are planning to make sequels. The first RE movie was set to prequel the first game, so it really didn't do anything to mess up the game's continuation, regardless of the fact that it was non-canon to the game's storyline. The second film tried to take parts from RE3 and combine then with the first movie's plot, which means they had to change A LOT. Fans of the games got mad. However, being a fan of the games myself, I happen to like the movies for what they are and believe the second to be my favorite thus far.

With that said, the only way I believe they could rightfully do a Zelda movie is to do it big... Like live-action with Avatar-grade CG. That way, it would likely get a theater release.. More than just the regular fan base would know about it because come on, who didn't play Ocarina of Time? And a ton of people played A Link to the Past back in the SNES days. So, I think it would do good. Just don't expect it to follow any particular storylines strictly, or you will be disappointed.

Oh, and about that April Fools movie joke. That film was only good because it was looked moderately real and Zelda fans got pumped about it. In reality, if that had been made into a movie, it would have sucked. The Triforce looked like it was carved out of melted butter, which was a dead giveaway that it wasn't legit.

 

[linkman8]

My god, have you not seen Up? Wall-e? The Incredibles? You chose Cars of all things as the example for Pixar? You look at the bottom of the barrel instead of looking at the good stuff. Up is something that is beyond kiddy material, Wall-e is beyond kiddie material, Princess and the Frog is beyond kiddy material. As far as I am concerned, American animation is fine.

Even Japan makes garbage; would you like a Zelda anime to be filled with the brim of breast bounce and panty shots? Maybe you could've avoided that back in the 90s (Anime Golden Age for me) but no, I will not see Zelda transformed into so. And the anime that is kiddy is beyond kiddy; the fart jokes are twice as immature as American fart jokes.

Also Zelda is a game series aimed at preteens and up. It's not some sort of series for only 35 year old men to enjoy, infact I'd compare a lot of Zelda to a Disney movie. It is not that hard core. Light is balanced with darkness; look at Majora and Twilight which both had their share of light moments.

American animation is not as horrible as you think if you just looked at it once more, and look at the stuff that is not in the big spotlight. Remember what they did with Avatar: TLA.

I'll admit, you havea a point with movies like the Incredibles, because that had a darker undertone to it, but I have seen Wall-E, and even if that has a social message to it, it was still directed at a younger audience. Up, I unfortunately did not see.
And I'll agree they do get a little gratuitous about panty shots and boob-bouncing in anime, but that's only some shows. As far as fart jokes, I have no clue what you're talking about. I have watched over 50 different anime shows, and I have never seen even one.
But that's besides the point.

I think we've actually begun to compare two incomparable things. CGI and animation. Comparing anime to Pixar kind of foolish. We'd be better off comparing Final Fantasy Advent Children to Pixar, CGI-wise. But again that's besides the point. And actually believe it or not, Avatar: TLA had heavy chinese influence. The only thing truly American about it were the voice overs.

Japan isn't stupid. They know what the subject material is, and the demographic at which it is being portrayed. That being said, should a Zelda movie be made in Japan in anime form, I can guarantee you they wouldn't go as far as ruining its good name with fan service. They only do that with certain shows that have been cleared to contain such content. Zelda would be along the lines of something a bit more serious, and they know that.

 

[ChargewithSword]

I'll admit, you havea a point with movies like the Incredibles, because that had a darker undertone to it, but I have seen Wall-E, and even if that has a social message to it, it was still directed at a younger audience. Up, I unfortunately did not see.
And I'll agree they do get a little gratuitous about panty shots and boob-bouncing in anime, but that's only some shows. As far as fart jokes, I have no clue what you're talking about. I have watched over 50 different anime shows, and I have never seen even one.
But that's besides the point.

I think we've actually begun to compare two incomparable things. CGI and animation. Comparing anime to Pixar kind of foolish. We'd be better off comparing Final Fantasy Advent Children to Pixar, CGI-wise. But again that's besides the point. And actually believe it or not, Avatar: TLA had heavy chinese influence. The only thing truly American about it were the voice overs.

Japan isn't stupid. They know what the subject material is, and the demographic at which it is being portrayed. That being said, should a Zelda movie be made in Japan in anime form, I can guarantee you they wouldn't go as far as ruining its good name with fan service. They only do that with certain shows that have been cleared to contain such content. Zelda would be along the lines of something a bit more serious, and they know that.

And so is America. It is possible to keep to the spirit of a game if American movie makers worked hard on it. The Silent Hill movies for starters, though the lines were cheesy, you could tell that the director knew what he was trying to do by keeping the spirit of the game.

Do not doubt what hiring a good director can do. This bias should not exist, but it does. I would like american animation for Zelda as it takes both Japanese and European influence. There is nothing particular Japanese though in the main series though aside from a few cliches present in Shonen. I'd actually compare Zelda to a grimm fairy tale if possible (just lighter).

(As for Avatar, I knew that. I just wanted to show you that Americans do know what they are doing which you do not seem to believe.)

Edit: I have been a little on edge and have not been showing a balanced view. Of course anime can easily interpret the feeling of a Zelda game and I truly believe that if sent to the right person it can be done very well. You'd have to send it to the right company (Toei is the shonen company so I'd say them.) The thing I'm trying to argue is that you shouldn't bias against one animation style just because it happens to be your favorite one out there. Every animation style could interpret the black and white story of Zelda easily it only depends on the director's choice.

 

[linkman8]

You're absolutely right. And we shouldn't generalize on such things. It really does depend on the director. I'm sure some American directors out there could do it better than a Japanese one, and vice versa. I still can't see it happening though, to be honest.
Nothing like a good debate, though. You're an intelligent individual and we value having you at our forums.

 

[ChargewithSword]

You're absolutely right. And we shouldn't generalize on such things. It really does depend on the director. I'm sure some American directors out there could do it better than a Japanese one, and vice versa. I still can't see it happening though, to be honest.
Nothing like a good debate, though. You're an intelligent individual and we value having you at our forums.

At least you understand where I am coming from. Both sides have their ups and downs and that could change sometime. American animation could one day dominate the market while live action does the same for the Japanese. I value this debate as well and I am sorry I lost my temper for a while there.

 

[Master Kokiri 9]

Well, I guess it's time for me to join the debate.

Live action doesn't seem compatible with the Zelda series, except in the case of TP (which admittedly doesn't even completely do a photo realism thing). It would be too difficult to find actors who not only share a physical appearance but also a matching voice would be incredibly hard, if not impossible.

As for the art style (if they use animation), really there's a lot of different ways it could be done depending on which game is used as source material. Disney could easily do the art style for OoT/MM and the classic games before OoT very well and very fittingly.

Pixar could just as easily do the art if the source was one of the Cel Shaded Zelda games such as Wind Waker. After all, just look at Up and The Incredibles. There's no doubt in my mind that they could do the art for a Toon Zelda Movie just as easily as Disney could handle one of the more classic titles such as ALttP.

Another good idea for the art style is what was used in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. That would be perfect for a TP, OoT, or MM movie, don't you think? Just look at Cloud from the movie. I don't know about you, but I think that would flow very well with the style of OoT/MM/TP.

As for voice acting, well it probably wouldn't be incredibly hard to find a person who could do a decent Zelda voice or something.

And another thing to consider is Link's speech habits. While I am all for the idea of Link talking, it would probably hinder the success of the movie because many Zelda fans, to my knowledge, hate the idea of Link speaking just as much as Zelda.

Another thing to consider is Nintendo's involvement with the thing. Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma already have their hands full trying to deliver the things they want to deliver at E3 this year with Zelda Wii, but if they were involved in a similar way to their involvement with the Capcom Games, then it would be even better. Koji Kondo would be able to fully orchestrate the music so that they know it'll fit the moments perfectly as well as the feeling and Eiji and Shigeru would both take on directing/writing roles. And so on and so forth, blah blah blah.

Honestly, if those elements all came together, then I could definately see it becoming one of the highest rated video game movies of all time.

Unfortunately, as said before, Nintendo is busy with the development of Zelda Wii and chances are, they don't want to take the risk of the Zelda Movie becoming just as horrible as the Super Mario Bros Movie and heck, if they poured enough money into it, they may very well become a repeat of Atari (for those of you who don't know, Atari is an old video game company from back in the days when Sega and Nintendo were rivals and they poured a lot of money into an ET game, which turned out to be a major flop and pretty much killed Atari), and I'm pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say that we don't want that to happen to Nintendo (if any current gen gaming company deserves it, it's Microsoft).

 

[Lady_Yuna]

I could see that working as far as presentation would go. It looks great, and we don't have to worry about <insert fanboy="" name="" here=""> hating on a actor because he doesn't look enough like Link.

But for everything else, it just wouldn't go with the fanbase. I'm fine with it personally, but there's just too many nit-picky people who'll tear it to pieces no matter what.

"Link's right handed, Zelda's breasts aren't that big, they based it off OoT? That plot sucked, Ganondorf doesn't have a beard in OoT, they used english in this movie? English sucks Japanese is way better because I can't make **** out of it, the art style is too dark, the art style is too light, Epona isn't that type of horse, he's a pig not some sort of unidentifiable monster, this didn't come from Japan therefor it fails because the Japanese do everything better than America I should just move there now,....... LINK TALKS!? THE WORLD IS GOING TO EXPLODE111111111111

*cries in a corner because Link's voice just completely severed the close intimate bond I had with him as a player, and his voice didn't sound like I imagined it would*

I just don't want to have to listen to all of it.

Oof I forgot about that. Gosh fans are so picky these days. Well, if it were to be animated then I would like for it to still follow the style of Advent children. I don't know about Pixar or whomever... I guess they would be okay too.

Anyway, if nintendo decided to put in real actors...I don't know what I would think of it. When IGN released that April Fools trailer, I was really excited until I saw link 8(. If the movie was real though and they replaced the actor for link and maybe even zelda then I would have watched it for sure. Who knows what might happen? Maybe nintendo might give it a shot. Look at square enix....they released spirits within and advent children which turned out to be a success for the final fantasy fans. Hopefully they'll release another movie for XIII.. (*prays* c'mon SE you know you want to make a movie for this game.)</insert>

 

[theothernavi]

Zelda movie???? Dear God, no! I'm going to Feing-Shui my room now..