After the resounding success of ‘Super Mario', Nintendo is about to take a new major step. The Japanese firm is unveiling its new project, a film adaptation of ‘Zelda'. Yes, you read that right! The undisputed icon of video games is on its way to the big screen, and the expectation is already at its peak.
Illumination Studios: From “Minions” to “Zelda
Illumination, the studio behind the ‘Super Mario Bros.' movie, has decided to take on a new challenge: adapting ‘The Legend of Zelda' game into an animated film. This studio, known for having produced successful franchises such as ‘Despicable Me' and the next adaptation of ‘Super Mario Bros.', is embarking on an ambitious project that could well mark the history of animation.
If the film sees the light of day, it will be the very first film adaptation of the ‘Zelda' franchise. At a time when everything from ‘Fallout' to ‘Mass Effect' to ‘Tetris' is being adapted to film or television, the time is right for a ‘Zelda' movie.
“Zelda”: An inevitable journey to the big screen
The ‘Zelda' franchise has been on an upward trajectory since the release of ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' in 2017, considered by many to be the best game ever made, including in Japan. With such popularity, the move to the big screen was inevitable.
Surprisingly, the franchise, which has been a massive success since the first game launched in Japan in 1986 and in North America the following year, has yet to be adapted for the big screen. Since its inception, ‘Zelda' has spawned 19 games, with a 20th planned soon.
A first attempt at adaptation… in animated series
If this will be the first ‘Zelda' movie, remember that the franchise has already been adapted as an animated series in 1989. Unfortunately, this series, which was based on the events of the first game, failed to captivate the audience and stopped after only 13 episodes.
The dubbing question: Who will lend his voice to Link?
The movie ‘Super Mario Bros.', also produced by Illumination, faced criticism for the choice of Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario. It is possible that the movie ‘Zelda' will face a similar problem for the choice of the voice of Link, the hero in the
‘sword. In the games, Link speaks, but the players never hear his voice, which makes it easier for them to identify with the character. This was one of the points of criticism of the 1989 animated series, where the hero had a voice, which created a disconnect with fans.
But a solution may have already been suggested by an unexpected source. Actor Gaten Matarazzo, best known for his role as Dustin in ‘Stranger Things', has expressed his desire to see a ‘Zelda' movie in which the world would be “vocally silent”. In his vision, it would be the visuals and music of the film that would carry the story.
What direction for ‘Zelda'?
It's still too early to know exactly what concept Illumination will adopt for the ‘Zelda' movie. A movie where none of the characters speak seems a bit too bold for the studio behind ‘Despicable Me' and ‘Like Beasts'. However, given the difficulty of adapting such a universe to the big screen, who knows? Maybe they'll take Matarazzo's advice.
In any case, one thing is certain: the announcement of a film adaptation of ‘Zelda' is news that is already causing a stir in the film and video game industry. Stay tuned for more information on this exciting project!
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