Highlights
- The Legend of Zelda movie fans expect a mix of Lord of the Rings epic fantasy and Studio Ghibli whimsical charm in the upcoming adaptation.
- Zelda games take inspiration from LOTR’s serious themes and Ghibli’s wonder, reflecting in game environments and storytelling.
- Director hints at a Ghibli-like approach for the film, aiming for Miyazaki’s sense of wonder and whimsy in the adaptation.
The upcoming Legend of Zelda movie has fans abuzz with speculation, as the Zelda series itself is incredibly beloved and many are wondering how it will translate to the big screen. Some are speculating about who will be cast in the lead roles, some are wondering which game elements will be brought into the film version, and others are wondering what tone and style this movie is going to be modeled after.
Since not much is known about the film so far, a lot of this is simply guesswork, but recent comments from the director of the Legend of Zelda live-action adaptation have fans speculating about the potential style of the movie once again. The Zelda games take inspiration from multiple sources across fantasy media, and so it makes sense that those influences would be present in the film version of the Zelda story. But what exactly are these influences, and should the movie be leaning more towards one than another?
What Do We Know About The Legend of Zelda Movie So Far?
According to the small amount of information that has been released by Nintendo so far, The Legend of Zelda screen adaptation will be a live-action movie, directed by Wes Ball (who helmed The Maze Runner series and the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) and produced by Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto. Sony is the distributor of the movie, and Nintendo is also working with producer Avi Arad and screenwriter Derek Connolly.
Director Wes Ball has also given some hints about the potential style that the movie might be going for. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ball said that though Zelda is a fantasy adventure, he doesn’t picture his film being a giant epic like Lord of the Rings, and would rather take inspiration from Studio Ghibli instead. Ball stated,
I’ve always said, I would love to see a live-action Miyazaki. That wonder and whimsy that he brings to things, I would love to see something like that.
Ball also mentioned that they’re in the early stages of developing a script right now, so the movie release will still likely be a long way off. However, with this hint towards what direction the creative team wants to take the visual style and storytelling in, it has a lot of fans wondering which style would suit the Zelda universe more: Lord of the Rings epic high fantasy, or a more whimsical, Ghibli-like approach?
Is The Legend of Zelda More Like LOTR or Ghibli?
When fans compare The Legend of Zelda to other popular media, they tend to gravitate towards Lord of the Rings and Ghibli, as Zelda‘s combination of magic and fantasy is similar to both. While these aren’t the only two fantasy or fantasy-adjacent pieces of media that exist, they are some of the most popular, especially among the types of people who are fans of Zelda, as they tend to also enjoy these other stories. There’s a good reason for this comparison too, as it is well-known that The Legend of Zelda directly takes inspiration from both LOTR and Ghibli.
The Zelda Games Were Influenced by LOTR…
As with most things in the fantasy genre that came out after The Lord of the Rings was published, The Legend of Zelda games were inspired by Tolkien’s Middle-earth. While creator Shigeru Miyamoto mainly took inspiration from his own childhood adventures as well as Arthurian legend with the first Zelda game, later entries in the series – particularly once the games started becoming 3D – began to use a lot of the tropes found in LOTR.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess takes a lot of inspiration from the Lord of the Rings films, as they were somewhat new releases when the game was in development. Nintendo wanted to create a more realistic-looking Zelda game, and create a fantasy epic that was much more in the style of Lord of the Rings, with darker and more grounded fantasy elements rather than the more bright and colorful palette they had been known for in the past. While most pieces of fantasy media take their tropes from Tolkien’s work, Twilight Princess was the one Zelda game that was officially confirmed to be directly inspired by the LOTR films.
…But The Animation Style Reminds Many of Studio Ghibli
While Twilight Princess is more reminiscent of darker, more serious fantasy, the animation style of other Zelda games makes a lot of fans think of Studio Ghibli movies. While Ghibli movies can be dark, they’re most known for their sense of wonder and whimsy, which comes into play more in Zelda games like The Wind Waker or Skyward Sword. However, it wasn’t until more recently that Nintendo would take more direct inspiration from Ghibli in the Zelda games.
The two most recent entries in the Zelda canon – Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom – are heavily inspired by the environments of Studio Ghibli, particularly the world of Princess Mononoke. Not only are there stylistic similarities between these stories, in terms of art style, but there are a lot of thematic similarities as well. Breath of the Wild introduced Zelda fans to a new Hyrule, one that was in ruins and slowly being overtaken by the natural world.
This reflects the emphasis that Princess Mononoke and Studio Ghibli as a whole put on the natural world. The Lord of the Mountain on Mount Satori in Breath of the Wild appears to be a direct reference to the Forest Spirit from Princess Mononoke, both in concept and design. It’s clear that Ghibli was a huge influence for these newest Zelda games, which is important as they have been incredibly popular and introduced a whole new audience to the franchise.
The Legend of Zelda Movie Should Combine Elements of LOTR and Ghibli Films
When it comes to the question of which franchise Nintendo should be pulling from in terms of inspiration when it comes to making the live-action Legend of Zelda movie, the answer is…both. Since both The Lord of the Rings and Studio Ghibli have been so influential in shaping the style and format of the Zelda series, it makes sense to really combine those elements to make the most of the film.
Depending on which game the movie wants to adapt or take inspiration from, if any, the influence of either LOTR or Ghibli will be felt more strongly. If they’re basing the style off of that of Breath of the Wild, then the film will likely feel more Ghibli-adjacent. However, if they’re modeling the story off of that of the older games in the series, it will probably feel more like LOTR. While the director seems to want to take the film more in the Ghibli direction, that’s hard to achieve in a live-action film, as so much of Ghibli’s charm comes from the animation.
This doesn’t mean they can’t still take elements from Ghibli films and fit them in, because they absolutely can, but that Lord of the Rings inspiration is going to be really important when it comes to adapting the games. If they can find a way to tell an epic fantasy story in the vein of LOTR while still retaining that Ghibli style and environmental messaging that made Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom stand out so much from previous games, they may actually be able to pull off a successful Legend of Zelda adaptation.
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