Nintendo got burned, hard, in the early ’90s. We all remember Super Mario Bros., but Nintendo continues to view that as a warning that nobody wants movies based on their properties. And maybe they’re right, but it’s hard not to see this Zelda animation test and get a little wistful.
The image above comes from a minute and a half animation test done by Adam Holmes. It was a pitch from Imagi Studios to make, as you may have guessed, a CGI Zelda movie. And, for test footage, it looks pretty good:
“Zelda” teaser from Adam3D on Vimeo.
OK, so Imagi doesn’t exactly have the greatest track record, with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and Astro Boy under their belt. And you’ve got to wonder how they’d deal with Link, who is classically silent in the games and doesn’t say much in official materials anyway.
But still, it’d be nice to see Nintendo loosen up and try again. After all, there have been, what, five dozen Pokemon movies, and they’ve all done well. And it beats the ongoing jokes about a live-action film starring Orlando Bloom. Come on, Nintendo. Do it for the fans?