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

SCENECloaked Aryll Close-Up

FILM FORMAT35mm

YEAR2003

CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000003223

FILM NOTES

Released in 2003 by Nintendo to herald The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker on the GameCube, this television commercial marked a bold promotional push for a game that broke from series convention with its cel-shaded art direction. The advertising campaign was tasked with introducing audiences to a stylized, painterly take on Hyrule, and surviving 35mm commercial reels from this era are scarce, as broadcast promotional film was rarely preserved once its media run ended. For collectors of Nintendo's print and film history, these fragments capture a transitional moment when the company used cinema-grade formats to market a console title to a wide audience.

This cell centers on Aryll, Link's younger sister in The Wind Waker, shown here cloaked. Aryll is a key figure in the game's opening narrative, and her presence in promotional material ties directly to the story's inciting event, her abduction, which sets Link's voyage in motion. A close-up in a commercial reel signals a moment chosen to draw viewers toward character and narrative stakes rather than gameplay mechanics. For collectors, this cell represents an early, rare glimpse of how Nintendo introduced Aryll to the public ahead of the game's release.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

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

Gauge: 35mm: four perforations span each frame along both edges; the strip holds about two full frames plus a partial third at the left.
Perforations: Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes; no torn or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack: A Dolby Digital data block pattern sits in the gaps between the lower perforations, with two variable-area optical tracks running just inside them along the same edge.
Edge print: Not visible in this capture
Base & colour: Clear base with a slight cool blue tint at the edges; the dye image shows purple and blue tones, with no obvious fading seen.
Projection history: Small flecks and scratches at the left frame edge and along the picture area, consistent with a print that has been projected; no splices or cue marks seen.
Picture: Positive image; the frames appear to run on from one another as a single shot, and nothing in the picture contradicts the film on record.
Era check: Dolby Digital blocks between perforations plus twin optical tracks suit a 2003 35mm release print, so the soundtrack format is consistent with the film on record.

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 000070998

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