If there’s one good thing about the infamous live-action Super Mario Bros. movie, it’s that its unpopularity probably spared us an equally atrocious mid ’90s Hollywood take on The Legend of Zelda. However, Nintendo’s subsequent avoidance of feature film adaptations meant that the Zelda franchise has never gotten its due on the big screen. But perhaps it was never meant for live-action at all.

Via Kotaku, an artist named Matt Vince has posted a video on YouTube that re-envisions The Legend of Zelda as an animated film in the style of Studio Ghibli – one of the most beloved Anime studios in Japan. Since this is a fan creation, it isn’t as polished as a real Studio Ghibli film, nor does it feature many of Zelda‘s colorful cast members. Zelda herself isn’t seen at all, and we only catch a glimpse of Link riding a horse in the distance.

However, the short does have some breathtakingly beautiful shots of Hyrule’s countryside that make us wish that this project could become a reality. In retrospect, Zelda and Studio Ghibli seems like a great match for the material. It’s never going to happen now, but we can enjoy a pleasant daydream about what could have been.

If this looks familiar to you, it may be because we covered Vince’s work last year when he released a series of Ghibli-inspired Legend of Zelda posters.  The Zelda trailer is the first video that has been posted on Vince’s YouTube channel, and we’ll definitely be on the look out for more from him in the future!

What did you think of this Studio Ghibli inspired Zelda video? Raise the Master Sword and share your thoughts below!

Image: Matt Vince