MOVIEThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker TV Commercial
SCENECloaked Aryll in Hyrule
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2003
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000003226
FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
Nintendo unveiled The Wind Waker to American audiences in 2003 through a television campaign built to soften the shock of its cel shaded redesign for a franchise long associated with a more realistic Hyrule. The commercial served as a bridge between skeptical longtime players and the game's eventual acclaim, using motion footage rather than static art to show the new style in action. These spots are now remembered as part of the marketing history of a title that has since become one of the most beloved entries in the Zelda series, and surviving 35mm material from that campaign is scarce.
This cell preserves a moment featuring Aryll, Link's younger sister, shown here in a cloaked guise within Hyrule itself. Aryll's presence anchors the emotional stakes of the story, her kidnapping being the event that sets the adventure in motion, and her appearance cloaked suggests a passage tied to disguise or hidden identity within the broader Hyrule setting. Collectors value this piece as a rare trailer era artifact connecting a key supporting character to the game's underlying mythology, offering a tangible link to how the commercial framed the larger world awaiting players.
Authentication Findings8 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 frames, the first and third only partly in view.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, with cleanly punched rounded-rectangle holes and no torn or damaged perforations seen.
Soundtrack
Two white variable-area optical tracks run between the picture and the lower perforations; Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower perforations, with no DTS line or SDDS tracks.
Edge print
Green numerals along the upper edge, quoted as read: 8 9 9 4 0 2 (the digits appear reversed on the strip); no 'SAFETY FILM' text legible.
Base & colour
Clear base with a pale cool blue tint at the margins; the dye image looks dark with violet and blue tones, with no obvious fading.
Projection history
Small specks and hairline marks show in the picture area and the upper margin, with no splices or cue marks seen in this capture.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames repeat the same composition, reading as consecutive frames of one shot; a dark, cool-toned look is not contradicted by the film on record.
Era check
Optical tracks plus Dolby Digital data blocks on a 35mm print are consistent with a 2003 release print, as the Wind Waker commercial would have been.
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 000071001
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
