Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins

Released in April 2016, The Battle Begins is an original net animation created to serve as a prologue to the Wii U video game Star Fox Zero. Produced by Production I.G and Wit Studio, the short film was intended to reintroduce audiences to the Star Fox universe and showcase the cinematic potential of the franchise's updated visual aesthetic, which drew heavy inspiration from the original 1993 Super Nintendo game.

The project was a collaborative effort involving Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo's internal team working alongside the animation studios to ensure the characters remained faithful to their roots while adopting a more modern, high-fidelity look. Critics and fans noted that while the animation quality was high and praised the return of the original voice cast, the short was viewed primarily as a promotional tie-in meant to build narrative momentum for the game launch rather than as a standalone artistic achievement.