This fan-made Ghibli-style Zelda animation is wonderful

The prospect of a Zelda movie is something that has always filled me with a mix of enthusiasm and dread. The unofficial 2009 film The Legend of Zelda: The Hero of Time was terrible and haunts my mind whenever talk of a live-action adaptation resurfaces. I'd much prefer an animated Zelda movie, and it appears that one has just been made – by a fan.

Rwanlink says they have made a Legend of Zelda Studio Ghibli mashup using Unreal Engine 5, and from the glimpse offered in a brief trailer, I'm very intrigued and looking forward to seeing more (see our guide to the best Nintendo Switch Black Friday deals if you want to get in some Zelda gaming action).

Rwanlink has shared a trailer of a Legend of Zelda animation on YouTube. It sees Link imagined in a charming Studio Ghibli-like aesthetic. The full video will be called Castle Town and appears to actually blend the worlds of Zelda with the world of Studio Ghibli, even including Ghibli characters.

Rwanlink has shared Zelda videos created in Unreal Engine before, with several of them going viral. But the level of detail in this latest video is something else.

Rwanlink says they created over 30 characters in Unreal Engine 5. There's an incredible amount of detail that should appeal both to Zelda fans and to fans of Studio Ghibli films like new release The Boy and the Heron. It certainly looks better than the imaginary Netflix series proposed by those viral AI-generated Zelda movie posters we saw last year.

Rwanlink says the full video will launch 21 November. In the meantime, check out what we think of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in our pick of the best Nintendo Switch games and see the best Switch prices below.