Would anyone prefer an Animated Zelda series over a Live-Action one?

[themistermanguy]

Recently, Netflix just picked up a Live-Action Legend of Zelda series. The thought of Zelda going towards a narrative driven medium like TV is exciting. But Live-Action? I'm not sure. With a world as imaginative and timeless as Hyrule, I think a Cartoon would do it much better justice. It doesn't have to be anything like the 80s cartoon, as that was made at a time when animation was in a creatively bankrupt era. A sort of Over the Garden Wall type mini series on Cartoon Network or Disney XD could work. Still, we'll have to see what this thing looks like first, before making any judgements.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

Yes, I'd prefer an animated Zelda series over a live-action one, purely because it's just easier to bend the world and its narrative to your creative will. Not to mention, it'll avoid the inevitable fan-bitching when an actor they don't like is picked to play Link or Zelda.

I mean, I know MovieBob said there was already precedent for a Zelda live-action series, what with the renewed interest in fantasy over Game of Thrones, but even so, Zelda still struck me as a level more wacky. It's a video game, after all, with a great legacy behind it and a considerable following.

 

[CommanderZx2]

I don't think the live action series is going to work, especially as it will require Link to speak. On the other hand they could do something an animated series and team link up with some sidekicks who do the speaking for him. Heck they could even work jokes into his inability to speak.

 

[babinro]

That was pretty much my response in the announcement thread of this show:

Growing up I've always wanted to see a Final Fantasy cartoon series where every season emulated the stories told by the game. For example, the first episode of the season on FF3 would be end when they escape from Narshe. The second episode could end with Figaro Castle Sinking into the sand escaping from Kefka, etc.

I bring this up because a Legend of Zelda in the same format would be pretty cool in my opinion. Not live action but animated...and the animation styles could changed based on season. So the Majora's Mask season would be a much darker tone and grittier adult art style while the Wind Waker season would reflect the ultra clean and crisp colours of that world.

I honestly don't know how a live action Zelda tv show could made into anything compelling for adults though. The article mentiones a lighter Game of Thrones feel but I don't know how to take that. I guess we'd have story lines focuses on key Gorons, Humans, Aquatic guys (Zorra's I think?) struggling to unite internally and with each other to face an evil horde led by Ganon? Seems....odd.

I'll totally watch it out of curiosity if nothing else!

The games sell you on a world of fantasy and otherworldly magic and wonder. Not only does it seem absurdly expensive to properly illustrate these worlds in live action but doing so in cheap cgi wouldn't give the content justice.

This feels like it was meant to be animated simply by virtue of the world. That and much of the comedy infused into this franchise comes from exaggerated facial reactions.

I can picture a live action MOVIE telling a simple Zelda-esque hero story but as a tv show it truly feels like animated is the right way to go.

 

[Lilani]

I dunno, I remember being pretty hyped and seeing a lot of people pretty hyped by that one April Fool's trailer IGN made several years ago.


I think at this point I would prefer a live-action one, if only because it would force them to go down a different path and tell a different story. I think with an animated one, the temptation would be far too great to simply take one of the Zelda stories and put it on screen verbatim, which would be a huge mistake. The best video franchises to hit film are the ones which have striven to tell new stories while following only certain motifs of the games they're based on. The switch to live action would force them to take the liberties they need to in order to make something which can stand on its own.

As much as "staying true to the original" is important, so is making a story which feels right in the medium in which it's being told. Video games are more different from film than people like to think, and trying to tell a story in a TV show which was well-told in a game would feel awkward to outsiders and disappointing to fans. Liberties will need to be taken to make it to work, and while purists won't be happy, I hope the writers are brave enough to do it. It will most likely be very different from any Zelda game which has come out, but that isn't a bad thing. A TV show does not diminish what the games are, and the only thing the Zelda series deserves less than a TV show which is radically different from its source material is a TV series that sucks because the creators were trying to suck up to fanboys.

 

[RJ 17]

Personally I think it would work better as episodic animated adventures. I'm just worried that they're going to *groan* go Grim/Dark with it...and that'd just be ridiculous.

 

[Fox12]

Yes, I'd prefer an animated Zelda series over a live-action one, purely because it's just easier to bend the world and its narrative to your creative will. Not to mention, it'll avoid the inevitable fan-bitching when an actor they don't like is picked to play Link or Zelda.

I mean, I know MovieBob said there was already precedent for a Zelda live-action series, what with the renewed interest in fantasy over Game of Thrones, but even so, Zelda still struck me as a level more wacky. It's a video game, after all, with a great legacy behind it and a considerable following.

I don't know why people keep comparing Zelda to GoT, other then the fact that Thrones is "in" right now. I can't imagine two series more different, but if Netflix has that mindset then I'm a little worried. I'm also hesitant to see the awful CGI gorons that we're likely to end up with. This isn't a blockbuster, after all, and I doubt they'll have Fuck You money to work with.

An animated series fixes most of this. Zelda's rather robust following would be completely fine with the more natural adaptation, it could be more stylized like the games, the fantasy elements wouldn't stand out so much when compared to the main characters, it would be more suited toward a child's attention, and parents who don't know about Zelda would probably be fines with watching it with their children. A live action version could work, in theory, but there's a much greater margin of error, and the series is more likely to descend into camp. I would strongly prefer an animated version.

A live action Metroid would probably work better, especially if they rely on practical effects. It could capture that old school sci-fi horror aesthetic that Metroid was originally based on.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Snip

Well this could be what an animated version be like
(It was some demo pliot made by a animated company to try to convince Nintendo to make an animated series but fail.)

OT- Honestly at this point, it's hard to say since I am thinking of both pro and con on animated and live action, mainly if the live action will be film on location or via a green screen.

 

[William Ossiss]

In an animated, or preferably an anime, production, Link not speaking would be easier.
In a live action, Link not speaking would be way harder.

I guess what I'm saying is: if Link speaks in either format, I'm out. I will board the nope-train to nope-ville.

I would definitely prefer the anime version over either live action, or animated.

Edit: For the love of all nerd-dom. They had better not incorporate massive amounts of shaky cam during the action scenes. Or that thing where they do 15 billion cuts.

 

[Andy Shandy]

If it provides more gifs like this, I don't see why not

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I don't think a Zelda TV show is a good idea at all, live action or animated. Zelda exists primarily because of 80s/90s nostalgia. Plot was never its strong point, and truly, neither was the repetitive game-play. Entire episodes detailing all the plot holes with the Triforces or of Link cutting grass going 'Hiya!' won't make for thrilling television.
And the fanbase is so divided on Link and romance, no matter what shoehorned romance they throw into it(Zelda, Malon, Midna, etc...) 2/3rds of the fans will be up in arms with #NotMyLink.

Disaster I say! Nothing but disaster!

 

[StriderShinryu]

I think a live action Zelda could work better than most Nintendo properties. That said, I think it would require a bigger FX budget than a TV series is likely to have. Just look at GoT. It already has a much bigger budget (and has a much bigger profile) than anything the Zelda series is likely to get and yet it's CG is already dodgy in places.

I'm not really sure an animated Zelda would instantly be better than a live action version, but I definitely see it as being much easier to get right.

 

[Hero of Lime]

Animated for sure. For the obvious reason, you can recreate all the different monsters and races without having to make new interpretations of them. I can imagine a live-action series making Gorons look more like big, muscular humans, or something lame like that. Plus, with Zelda's many different artsyles, if the series is live-action, then they are stuck with one, which will look just like every other medieval/fantasy show or movie.

You can do so much more with animation for a fantastical setting. If this show ends up happening, I hope they reconsider on the live-action route. I think it would win over both fans, and newcomers better.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I don't think the live action series is going to work, especially as it will require Link to speak.

I don't think that there is an inherent problem with Link speaking. There's already been indications in some of the games that he does speak, but they often pass over these sections and/or cut out the dialogue so we never hear (well read) him speak. The reason for this might come down to avoiding Link's personality going against how the player plays with him, but since there's no interactivity in a non-video game format, they really won't run into that problem. As a result, having him speak for a TV series or movie shouldn't be too much of a problem. Well, it shouldn't be too much of a problem if he's actually written well.

Anyways, I don't really care if it is live action or animated. Hyrule has never really come across to me as a completely foreign place. It's an imaginative fantasy land for sure, but it doesn't consistently go out of its way to be something you couldn't easily imagine being part of our own world (minus some of the commonly scene creatures). Because of this, I don't really have a problem with it going live action, considering I don't think that it will ruin too much of the imagination behind the world, and it isn't like an animated series could never completely screw things up itself.

 

[Spider RedNight]

I'm just paranoid that they're gonna make it "dark and edgy" if it's live action. I can see it easier working as a decent anime, maybe even like a comedy where weird Hyrulian shit happens and everyone's like "wat"

Also with animation you can get away with a lot more without making monsters look like poorly rendered CGI and the like; the main character can be of more ambiguous age and it's more acceptable for Link to not talk if it's animated; I can't really imagine a mute main character go through a live action scenario well, for some reason.

 

[loa]

I don't think zelda could be zelda as anything but a game.
Either one would be like pokemon at best, reshaping some of its superficial elements into something that actually has very little to do with the actual games.
Actually since it's live action, it'll be more like that mortal kombat series.

 

[Worgen]

If it was animated like this.

Although in general I prefer animation to live action.

 

[aozgolo]

My main concern is that it have an ongoing narrative and not be some episodic drivel that relies on "Ganon's dastardly plot of the moment" kind of thing. I'm fairly confident this won't be the case given Netflix's previous work, but you never can tell with these sorts of things.

I get why people don't want it dark and edgy, but at the same time I hope they don't avoid taking risks with their narrative to try and keep it "kid friendly"