10 Best Movies To Watch While Waiting For The Legend Of Zelda Film

Published Sep 20, 2026, 10:15 AM EDT

Karlis has been obsessing over television and movie news since he first learned how to read. He has worked in tech, as a musician, and in journalism with a well-rounded knowledge base of pop-culture throughout the eras. He claims that he has memorized the entire Internet Movie Database, and to date no one has been able to refute this.
Holding a Bachelor's Degree in Religion and Culture from Wilfrid Laurier University, Karlis loves to examine the intersections of popular science-fiction and culture. His latest novel MASS. is available now on Amazon and examines a world where obesity has become a federal crime.

The Legend of Zelda movie releases on April 30, 2027, and these ten other films are perfect to watch in the meantime. With the title of The Legend of Zelda recently unveiled, the film, which adapts the video game series, looks to be an ideal fantasy experience full of familiar characters locked in the eternal struggle of good against evil.

While little has been shown aside from the first look at Zelda, the film already looks tremendous. Reveals of Bo Bragason as Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link look drawn directly from the game The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild. The larger cast, including Uli Latukefu as Ganondorf, has only added to excitement for the project.

Now is a big time for the franchise, as The Legend of Zelda is celebrating its 40th anniversary. This recently culminated in the reveal of a brand new remake video game in this year's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Across many different video games, Zelda has become one of the most iconic video game series ever, with many entries to enjoy.

Still, beyond enjoying the games of the series, one can explore features of the upcoming film through these movies. Whether sharing tonal similarities, similar plots, or featuring some of the same creatives behind the scenes, there are several fantastic films that absolutely must be watched before The Legend of Zelda releases early next year.

Princess Mononoke

The wonderful Studio Ghibli film Princess Mononoke was actually an influence on Zelda during the 1990s, specifically during the development of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Many similar visuals and ideas popped up between both projects, making the film almost feel like a Zelda adaptation in retrospect.

The animated film is gorgeous and tells the story of Prince Ashitaka, who fights to save his village. There is deep magic, incredible lore, and a thrilling relationship with a girl raised by giant wolves.

There are so many similarities in feel and tone that many elements of the movie could neatly fit into one of the various Zelda games. If Zelda ever receives an animated movie, it should look an awful lot like Princess Mononoke.

Labyrinth

Labyrinth tells the story of Sarah, a 16-year-old girl who must journey through the Goblin King's winding mazes to rescue her brother. The titular labyrinths in the film are thrilling and unusual, and share some similarities with the dungeons and temples seen in the Zelda games.

Such dungeon crawling is an important part of the Zelda franchise, and is sure to be a component in the upcoming film. Labyrinth sets a great example for how that kind of storytelling can be told with its incredible world and unusual fantasy lore.

With mazes, puzzles, and brilliant visuals, Labyrinth is an excellent way to prepare for the upcoming Zelda feature.

The NeverEnding Story

The NeverEnding Story, based on the novel by Michael Ende, is a fantastic film for all ages. The movie follows a young boy named Bastian who is pulled into a fantastic and magical world called Fantasia, which is plagued by a terrifying fantasy monster known as The Nothing.

The art of the film is brilliant, using a great deal of puppetry and practical effects to craft its wonderful creatures. Packed full of imagination, the movie's scope feels enormous and lived-in, just like the best of the Zelda video games.

Telling a fantasy story that will resonate with the young and old alike, The Neverending Story's tales of Bastian, Falkor, and Atreyu are a must-watch before Zelda's release next year.

The Sword In The Stone

Story details of the upcoming The Legend of Zelda have not been revealed. However, like most of the games, it will likely center around a fated hero who must take up a sword and defeat a terrible threat. Examining themes of destiny and power, the film, like the games before it, already seems to be drawn heavily from European folklore.

This makes Disney's The Sword in the Stone so important to see in advance. This animated version of the classic myth is thrilling, colorful, and a great deal of fun, chronicling Arthur's slow rise to power in the kingdom of Camelot.

Genuinely entertaining, and featuring some fantastic visuals, The Sword in the Stone remains one of Disney's most underrated Silver Age animated gems.

Super Mario Bros. (1993)

The 1993 live-action adaptation of Super Maro Bros. is not for everyone. The film has been almost universally panned and features a very unusual take on the iconic characters. The Mushroom Kingdom is gross, the Koopas are changed from turtles into people evolved from dinosaurs, and Luigi doesn't even sport a mustache.

Still, this film is so important to Nintendo's history. As their first major live-action adaptation, the film shied away from much of the game's iconography to instead fit into the same box as movies like Demolition Man. This was a significant failure, commercially and critically, and it scared Nintendo off movies for years.

Despite this, Super Mario Bros. is such a unique curiosity that it still begs to be seen. A truly unique adventure with interesting twists on familiar lore and a great central performance by Bob Hoskins, there are many elements to recommend in the film.

Fortunately, after the success of the more faithful Illumination animated movie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Nintendo has been trying films out once again. Zelda is their next big test, as a live-action feature, and the studio will need to do everything they can to differentiate it from this strange and wonderful film.

The Adam Project

The idea of a character and his younger self both playing a role in an adventure story applies to both The Adam Project and the popular Zelda game, Ocarina of Time. And while the atmospheres of this movie and Zelda are far different, there is an interesting feature that ties them together.

T. S. Nowlin is writing the new Zelda movie, and previously contributed to the script of this hit streaming film. He also worked with Zelda's director previously on The Maze Runner films.

Providing a sense of the likely tone of Zelda, The Adam Project is an essential watch. In addition, it is just a downright satisfying and entertaining film with great appeal for all ages.

Legend

Ridley Scott is a fantastic director, and his 1980s fantasy classic was a major influence on the original Zelda games. Packed with exciting mythical elements, the film features a young hero, a princess in crisis, and a terrifying dark lord.

On its own, Legend is a fantastic, albeit familiar, fantasy story. However, within the darker context of 1980s fantasy films, the movie feels like a refreshing and entertaining adventure that makes the most of its strong cast, including Tom Cruise and the late Tim Curry.

A standard hero's journey, Legend is still an important entry in the larger canon of fantasy films. With great performances, imagination, and visuals, it served as an important precursor for the very idea of Zelda and Hyrule.

The Lord Of The Rings

Almost every work of contemporary fantasy owes something to J.R.R. Tolkien's masterful novels, and Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films have been almost as influential in the decades since they were produced. There has already been much said about the trilogy's wonderfully realized world of Hobbits and Elves.

However, the size of the production also has something in common with Zelda. The prospect of adapting Tolkien's works in live action was daunting, and required one of the largest-scale productions ever in order to create an entirely new world.

Zelda is following this example, and is filling its Hyrule with colorful creatures against beautiful natural scenery. With a great many on-location shoots, also largely filmed in New Zealand, the visual vocabulary of Nintendo's next big film looks largely influenced by this essential fantasy classic.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

A fantastic movie in dire need of a sequel, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is one of the most entertaining and accessible fantasy films ever made. Telling a fun heist story with a great cast of wonderful characters, the film is as humorous as it is thrilling.

Most importantly, it creates an enormous and recognizable world built from the Dungeons & Dragons lore. Similar to how Zelda will fill its version of Hyrule with original creatures like Zoras and Gorons, Honor Among Thieves featured Owlbears, Gelatinous Cubes, and many other familiar icons from the popular roleplaying game.

More Dungeons & Dragons stories are sure to be made, although this is likely the only adventure for Edgin Darvis and his companions that will be produced. As it is, it remains one of the best fantasy films ever made.

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

Director Wes Ball crafted something new, exciting, compelling, and full of incredible majesty when he made Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Following the fantastic trilogy of films that told Caesar's story, Kingdom took the new world dominated by apes centuries into the future.

The film is colorful and lush, and the cultures that are seen in its story feel rooted in fantasy, even though the film takes place in the far future. Most importantly, however, Ball's fantastic work on the film was what got him hired to direct the upcoming Zelda film.

Kingdom gives audiences the best taste yet for the sensibilities that will be brought to the new The Legend of Zelda. Considering the sharp visuals and the great, smartly built characters of this excellent Apes chapter, it looks like Nintendo's next big franchise is in good hands.

• 

  Benjamin Evan Ainsworth

  Link

• 

  Bo Bragason

  Princess Zelda

• 

  Ganondorf

• 

  Impa