National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING

AUTHENTIC

CROWN CERTIFIED

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MOVIEThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker TV Commercial

SCENELink Sailing the Seas

FILM FORMAT35mm

YEAR2003

CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000003199

FILM NOTES

Nintendo released The Wind Waker in 2003 as the flagship Zelda title for the GameCube, its cel-shaded art style marking a striking departure from the series' earlier aesthetic. The accompanying television commercial introduced American audiences to this new vision, selling a generation of players on an adventure built around exploration of a vast, scattered ocean. As promotional ephemera from Nintendo's marketing push, the ad occupies a notable place in the console's history, capturing the moment the publisher staked its claim on a bold reinterpretation of its most storied franchise.

This cell preserves a scene of Link sailing the seas, accompanied by the King of Red Lions, the talking boat who serves as his guide and companion throughout the quest. Their pairing defines the game's central conceit, voyage and discovery across an archipelago world, and collectors prize imagery of the two together as shorthand for the title's identity. As a frame drawn from broadcast advertising rather than the game itself, it documents how Nintendo chose to introduce this partnership to the public, making it a record of marketing history as much as of the adventure it promoted.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm release print of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker TV commercial (2003).

Gauge: 35mm, with four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds three full frames.
Perforations: Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle holes cleanly punched, with no tears or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack: Dolby Digital data blocks sit between the perforations on one edge, with analog optical tracks beside the picture; the other edge shows no sound data.
Edge print: Green letters reading backwards ("A G S") run along the upper edge; no other manufacturer text or key numbers are legible.
Base & colour: Pale blue-cyan base tint with a neutral dye image; no fading or red shift is seen at this size.
Projection history: Ragged white and dark streaks run along the sound-track area; no scratches, cue marks or splices are seen across the picture frames.
Picture: Positive colour image, three consecutive frames of one shot; an on-screen G8+ rating tag fits an Australian TV commercial for the film on record.
Era check: Dolby Digital blocks plus an optical track on a safety-base print fit a 2003-era release print, so the film on record is plausible.

Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.

This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.

Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.

CROWN SERIAL 000070974

Original Film Capture As received

The film strip as photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation

Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size