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 Fighting a Darknut

FILM FORMAT35mm

YEAR2003

CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000003211

FILM NOTES

Nintendo released The Wind Waker in 2003 as the latest entry in its flagship Zelda franchise, bringing a cel-shaded art style to the series for the first time on the GameCube. The accompanying television commercial was part of Nintendo's broader push to market the console generation's visual ambitions to a wide audience, pairing gameplay footage with promotional flair to draw attention in a crowded market. As one of the more stylistically bold Zelda releases, Wind Waker has since become a touchstone for collectors interested in Nintendo's early 2000s advertising and the game's enduring fanbase.

This cell preserves a strip from that commercial showing Link, the series' perennial hero, engaged against a Darknut, one of the more formidable recurring enemies in Zelda lore. Combat encounters like this were often chosen for promotional reels because they demonstrate the game's action and swordplay to prospective buyers. A television commercial cell such as this one offers a physical artifact from Nintendo's marketing apparatus, distinct from in-game or cutscene material, appealing to collectors who value the intersection of film history and video game promotion.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

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

Gauge: 35mm layout with four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds three frames, each framed in a flat widescreen-style window.
Perforations: Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with rounded-rectangle holes of consistent shape along the whole strip.
Soundtrack: Two parallel variable-area optical tracks run beside the picture, and Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations.
Edge print: Green numerals read '4', '0', '2' along the upper edge, otherwise no manufacturer text or 'SAFETY FILM' wording is legible in this capture.
Base & colour: Light blue-tinted base, with a neutral-to-slightly-warm dye image in the frames and no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history: No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size; the frames look clean and unmarked.
Picture: Positive image, three consecutive frames from a single shot, and the on-screen G8+ animated violence rating tag and game interface are consistent with a Wind Waker commercial.
Era check: Optical tracks plus Dolby Digital blocks on a clear tinted base are consistent with a 2003-era 35mm release print, and the Australian G8+ tag fits a commercial of that date.

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 000070986

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