It’s finally here, Polygon readers: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomthe long-awaited sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildis out and available to play.
We’ll be playing the game, writing guides, and generally having fun in Hyrule. But what if you want the fun to extend beyond the game?
Below we have put together a list of movies that have similarities with tears of the kingdom or the Zelda franchise as a whole. Maybe they have a similar main story or character. Maybe they have a similar visual aesthetic. Maybe the vibes are right, or there’s a crucial detail they share.
Enjoy these movies like the Zelda games, whether you watch them on a break from tears of the kingdom or put them in the background while you continue to explore the vast game world.
Castle in THE sky
Photo: Studio Ghibli
What it is: Studio Ghibli’s first animated production follows a boy named Pazu who, after saving a young girl named Sheeta from falling from the sky with a magical amulet, embarks on a quest to protect the amulet from potential Sheeta kidnappers and search for a city mythical floating in the clouds.
Why it’s like Zelda: Besides being one of the most obvious inspirations for Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildthe art style of (especially in the design of the Guardians, which looks like a mashup of a Robot Trooper Laputien And Jomon carvings), and the narrative similarities, it has a floating castle in the sky that resembles Hyrule Castle in one of the first trailers for tears of the kingdom. —Toussaint Egan
Where to watch it: Castle in THE sky is available to stream on HBO Maxor for rental or digital purchase on Amazon, AppleTV, google playand Vudu.
Princess Mononoke
Photo: Studio Ghibli
What it is: About a decade later Castle in THE skyMiyazaki and Studio Ghibli made this masterpiece following a young prince seeking to bring harmony between humans, gods, and a young woman raised by wolves.
Why it’s like Zelda: Besides the aesthetic similarities between Ghibli’s style and the Zelda games, Mononoke features a hero far too young for that kind of responsibility who sets out to protect the earth and its living creatures in a world descending into chaos. Additionally, the film’s protagonist, Prince Ashitaka, has a cursed right arm that strongly looks like Link’s arm in tears of the kingdom. —Pete Volk
Where to watch it: Princess Mononoke is available to stream on HBO Maxor for rental or digital purchase on Amazon, AppleTV, google playand Vudu.
Labyrinth
Picture: Sony Home Entertainment
What it is: Jim Henson’s dark fantasy wonders about a teenage girl who must travel to the center of a large maze to rescue her baby brother from Goblin King David Bowie. The film was nominated for a Hugo Award, as well as a BAFTA for visual effects.
Why it’s like Zelda: Labyrinth is another film about a youngster who embarks on a perilous journey to protect someone he loves and hope for a better world. —VP
Where to watch it: Labyrinth is available to watch for free with ads on tube and Pluto TV, or for digital rental or purchase on Amazon, AppleTV, google playand Vudu.
Free Solo
Image: National Geographic
What it is: An Oscar-winning documentary about famed solo free climber (climbing without ropes or other protective gear) Alex Honnold, documenting his attempt to solo free climb the 3,000-foot-tall El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite.
Why it’s like Zelda: Link loves to climb!!! And he does it without a cord. —PV
Where to watch it: Free Solo is available to stream on Disney+or for rental or digital purchase on Amazon And google play.
Berserk
Image: Studio 4°C/Crunchyroll
What it is: Kentaro Miura’s dark fantasy masterpiece (which has been adapted into three separate anime) follows the story of Guts, a lone mercenary swordsman who fights in a dark medieval world to avenge his fallen comrades who have been sacrificed by his former commander and friend, Griffith. Be warned: it’s also very brutal and graphic.
Why it’s like Zelda: Remember that the Blood Moon Eclipse that periodically occurs in breath of the wild, the one that revives all nearby enemies you’ve killed (aside from bosses)? Well imagine if this eclipse Also transported you to a hellish dimension where you are flayed alive by a brood of demons who feast on your flesh, all so your ex-best friend can fulfill his dreams. Berserk unfolds as the darkest possible reimagining of Link’s history you could think of. And it’s great. -YOU
Where to watch it: Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Commemorative Edition (2022), a version of Golden Age Arc trilogy of films made into a television series, is available to stream on Crunchyroll or for digital purchase on Amazon. The animated series Berserk (2016) is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Black Angel
Image: Roger Christian/20th Century Fox
What it is: A medieval knight returns from battle in the Crusades to find his family gone and the land stricken with a mysterious disease. After crossing paths with a mysterious young girl, the knight makes it his mission to free her from the clutches of her captor: an otherworldly knight known as “Black Angel.”
Why it’s like Zelda: Shot in Scotland, the setting of Black Angel is as strange as it is beautiful. The knight’s quest to save the maidens is as epic and personal as Link’s quest to save Zelda and save Hyrule from Ganondorf’s machinations. -YOU
Where to watch it: Black Angel is available to stream on YouTube. It is also available for digital purchase on Amazon And google play.
The sword in the stone
Picture: Walt Disney Animation Studios
What it is: This animated adaptation of the legend of King Arthur follows a young orphan who draws a magic sword from a stone and, with the help of a whimsical wizard named Merlin, trains to become the rightful king of England.
Why it’s like Zelda: Come on, the movie is literally about a child destined by fate to draw a magic sword from a stone and unite a fractured kingdom. It doesn’t get much more archetypal than that, let alone more Zelda-like. -YOU
Where to watch it: The sword in the stone is available to stream on Disney+or for rental or digital purchase on Amazon, AppleTV, google playAnd Vudu.
