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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000003233 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker TV Commercial
SCENEThe Legend of Zelda/Nintendo GameCube - Logo Card
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2003
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000003233

FILM NOTES

Nintendo released The Wind Waker in 2003 as the latest chapter in The Legend of Zelda series, bringing a cel-shaded art style to the GameCube that departed sharply from the realism of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. The shift proved divisive at announcement but the game went on to be recognized as one of the console's defining titles. Television advertising of the era played a real role in shaping public perception of Nintendo's output, and this commercial would have aired during a period when the company was working to position the GameCube as a serious contender in a crowded market alongside Sony and Microsoft.

This cell preserves a logo card, the kind of closing or opening frame used to anchor a commercial to its brand identity. Pairing The Legend of Zelda with the Nintendo GameCube mark reflects how advertising of this period tied specific titles directly to console loyalty. For collectors, logo cards hold value as the clearest link between a piece of film and its commercial context, offering a tangible artifact from the marketing campaign surrounding one of the GameCube's most celebrated releases.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

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

Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames, each showing the same product-box card.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle shape, cleanly punched with no tears or missing holes visible.
Soundtrack
Two white variable-area optical tracks run along the lower edge; no Dolby Digital blocks between the perforations, no DTS timecode, no SDDS seen.
Edge print
Green letters reading "A G S" appear along the upper edge, partly cut off at the strip's end; no key numbers or other codes visible.
Base & colour
Clear base shows a light blue-cyan tint at the edges; the dye image looks stable and neutral, with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible on the three frames.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one held end-card, and its Zelda Wind Waker GameCube pack and "Stocks are limited" text fit the film on record.
Era check
The twin optical tracks on a 35mm positive print are consistent with a 2003 cinema commercial release print, and nothing seen conflicts with that period.
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 000071008
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