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 Descending

FILM FORMAT35mm

YEAR2003

CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000003204

FILM NOTES

Nintendo's The Wind Waker arrived in 2003 as a bold departure for the Zelda series, trading the realism of Ocarina of Time for a cel-shaded art style that divided early audiences before winning lasting acclaim. Released on the GameCube, it was supported by a television advertising push meant to introduce a new generation of players to Link's seafaring adventure across the Great Sea. The commercial reel this cell comes from represents Nintendo's effort to market the game's distinct visual identity to a broad audience, making these promotional frames a scarce byproduct of a marketing campaign rather than the game itself.

This cell, Link Descending, preserves a single moment from that promotional reel featuring Link, the perennial hero of the Zelda franchise. Commercial cells like this are prized by collectors precisely because they exist outside the main feature, surviving only in limited promotional prints rather than home releases. The act of descending suggests a moment of movement within the advertisement's pacing, a beat chosen to represent Link's journey for television audiences. For collectors of Nintendo ephemera, this piece stands as a tangible artifact of the character's early 2000s marketing presence.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

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

Gauge: Perforation layout reads as 35mm, with four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds three frames, with the right-hand frame's lower edge slightly cropped.
Perforations: Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or damaged perforations visible.
Soundtrack: A variable-area optical track of two parallel white waveform lines runs between the picture and the lower perforations; no Dolby Digital blocks, DTS timecode or SDDS tracks are visible.
Edge print: Only the numerals '9' and '6' in green appear along the upper edge; no manufacturer text, 'SAFETY FILM' wording or key code is readable.
Base & colour: The base looks light blue and clear, and the picture dye looks neutral to slightly cool, with no obvious warm or red shift.
Projection history: No scratches, splices or cue marks are visible at this size; the image looks clean apart from a dark reflection on the middle and right frames.
Picture: Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-static shot, with on-screen game interface elements consistent with a Wind Waker commercial.
Era check: A two-track variable-area optical soundtrack on a 35mm positive print is consistent with a 2003 release print, though the missing digital tracks and edge print limit what can be confirmed.

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 000070979

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