Zelda is coming to the cinema: “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” makers are planning “The Legend of Zelda” movie

• “The Legend of Zelda” should make the leap from the console to the big screen.
• Universal and Illumination would thus expand their own Nintendo universe after “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”.
• But does Zelda also work as a Mario-style animated film?

Although the characters from Nintendo’s video game universe have been known and loved for decades, they have rarely made it onto the big screen. One of the reasons for this is that the live-action “Super Mario Bros.” from 1993 failed spectacularly. Only 30 years later did they dare to start over.

With a new, family-friendly concept, The Super Mario Bros. Movie hit the mark. Animation studio Illumination, best known for the Minions-themed movies, brought the candy-colored Mushroom Kingdom to the big screen, producing the highest-grossing film of 2023 to date.

Of course, a sequel is already planned, although the current writers’ strike is putting some obstacles in the way of the project. In any case, Universal has recognized the potential of Nintendo films and, according to Jeff Sneider, now wants to devote itself to the next big franchise: “The Legend of Zelda”!

Of course, the timing couldn’t be better, as the new game “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” for the Nintendo Switch was only released in May 2023, so interest in the world of Zelda is at a high. Shortly after the start of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”, there was speculation about a cinematic Nintendo universe, but a potential Zelda movie was viewed with skepticism.

Zelda and Mario are (too) different

Many Zelda fans doubt that Illumination can convincingly implement the world of Zelda. The Mario success says little, because the Zelda universe is bigger and more serious than the world of Mario, the animation style of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” just wouldn’t fit Zelda.

In addition, the Zelda games have long been considered unfilmable, since the main character Link and various other characters do not speak. A film would have to deviate from this tried-and-tested concept or rely on facial expressions and music, which, however, would be more likely to be attributed to Studio Ghibli and not Illumination.

With luck, Universal and Illumination know that not all Nintendo are the same and that they have to deal with the template and the wishes of the fans anew with every film. It will certainly be at least three years before a Zelda film actually hits the cinemas.