Capcom’s cute anime ad for Resident Evil 4 remake evokes Studio Ghibli

Resident Evil 4, the current-gen remake of Capcom’s 2005 survival-horror action game of the same name, is scheduled to arrive this Friday.

The highly anticipated revamp of one of the most influential titles of the 2000s isn’t exactly the type of game that really You are requiredThis is an enormous marketing effort to make potential audiences pay more attention. Still, that doesn’t mean Capcom isn’t willing to have a little fun while promoting it, as we see in this hilarious (and gory) ad for the game that nods to one of the most iconic Japanese children’s shows of the 1970s.

The ad, which was released on Sunday, recounts the first moments of the movie. Resident Evil 4, albeit now portrayed as an episode of “Resident Evil Masterpiece Theater.” The title of the ad, as well as the cutesy animation style, are an overt reference to World Masterpiece Theater, a series of children’s anime produced by Japanese anime studio Nippon Animation, which originally aired from 1969 to 1997.

The series adapted several notable works of children’s literature into anime, many of which featured the work of animators like future Studio Ghibli co-founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, as well as Mobile Suit Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. Arguably the two most iconic anime to come out of the World Masterpiece Theater series are 1974’s Heidi, The Girl from the Alps (directed by Takahata) and 1975’s Dog of FlandersTakahata & Miyazaki worked together on this latter, which is specifically referenced in the beginning minutes of this new document Resident Evil 4 ad.

It’s a fun and quirky way of not only promoting one of the biggest video game releases of thIt is year, but also paying homage to a beloved work of Japanese animation with its own storied legacy. Just don’t expect the game itself to be as cutesy; this is still Resident Evil 4 we’re talking about after all.

Resident Evil 4The Xbox Series X is set to be available on March 24, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (Windows PC), and Xbox Series X (Xbox Series X).