VIDEO: Here's a clip of The Legend of Zelda CGI movie that could have been
Nintendo have some gaming properties just crying out to be made into a movie, and alongside the Metroid series, The Legend of Zelda is chief among them. However, after being burnt by the mess that was 1993’s Super Mario Bros., the company have been understandably reluctant to push their wares onto the silver screen.
That hasn’t stopped studios from chomping at the bit to get access to the properties though, as this newly uncovered proof-of-concept pitch reel shows. From Imagi Studios, the team behind the CG-animated TMNT movie, comes this 2007 pitch for Zelda movie, shown to Nintendo in the hope of securing the license for a full theatrical release.
The clip shows Zelda and Link battling against some lizard-like foes in a barren landscape, Link firing off arrows while Zelda protects a box that seems to contain the TriForce.
After seeing many a fan-made Zelda tribute movie, Imagi Studio’s effort is easily the most polished – there’s obviously a great amount of skill that the animation team has here. However, in terms of art-style, it just feels off. There’s a generic darkness to the characters, with expressions and faces lacking the quirkiness familiar to fans of the gaming series. Though we’d still love to see a Zelda movie, we’re quite thankful that this wasn’t the one to make it to cinemas.
Watch the full clip embedded above.
