Tag: The Legend of Zelda

Not too long ago, there was a rumor circulating that Illumination and Nintendo were already setting their eyes on the next franchise to adapt. While most assumed we’d be seeing more from Super Mario Bros., the rumor hinted that Nintendo might be hoping to also work with the animation company to adapt one of their other iconic franchises, The Legend of Zelda.

Studio head Chris Meledandri got a chance to denounce the rumors in an interview with The Wrap and offers some insight into why he believes the rumor made the rounds. Mostly his close ties with Nintendo and the success of working on The Super Mario Bros. Movie that people naturally make the assumption that they’d jump into any project they might want to animate.

I don’t know where that came from. I mean I can understand how people would surmise all sorts of things because obviously, we’ve had a great experience working together. My relationship with Nintendo now includes being on their board of directors, so I understand how people can surmise these things. But in terms of the specifics, that was just something that I’ve been hearing lots of reports. This is just about what’s next between Nintendo and Illumination.

Chris Meledandri

There was some concern that the rumor ended up true. Illumination’s animation style meshed quite well with a character like Mario, whose variety of projects offers them to establish their own take on the character while staying true to the source material. The Legend of Zelda simply wouldn’t mesh well with the way they tackle their projects, even if they’d go with a take inspired by the character’s more chibi designs from the earliest days.

Source: The Wrap

Nintendo might be quite happy with what Illumination and Universal Studios managed to accomplish with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It was a nostalgia-filled romp through the Mushroom Kingdom that brought together the many stories and elements from the franchise’s history. Going by online videos of kids singing Peaches from Jack Black, it definitely was a hit for a new generation as well and it wouldn’t be surprising if they are mapping out a sequel.

Yet, a new rumor from The Hot Mic might be hinting at them focusing on another project moving forward. Nintendo might be set to once again tackle another one of their iconic franchises with Illumination and it’s none other than their other biggest franchise, The Legend of Zelda. For now, it’s still a rumor but it wouldn’t be too surprising if they are interested in sticking to an animated form and it’s still in a deal closing phase.

It would be a shame if they are going to restrict themselves to just doing Illumination-style projects, especially with a franchise that has a more clearly defined storyline and high-fantasy concept to work off of. The Legend of Zelda would work quite well in live-action and it would be great to have Nintendo expand its ventures beyond just a single partner that only allows them to put out a restricted amount of projects.

Plus, if they just stick to Illumination’s style of animation, it would not allow other franchisees to stand out from each other. Metroid would be an amazing science-fiction franchise but they might lean a bit too much into the usual comedy style one sees with Minions, The Secret Lifes of Pets, and more. Of course, it only is a rumor for now but we’ll have to see if they make an announcement at some point in the future.

Source: YouTube