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Resident Evil 4 Remake Game Anime Ad Parodies World Masterpiece Theater (Updated)

The marketing for the remake of CAPCOM's Resident Evil 4 game is leaning heavily into nostalgia with a new anime ad produced by Nippon Animation, creators of the iconic World Masterpiece Theater. The minute-long ad evokes the animation style and titling sense ("Resident Evil 4 Anime PV Resident Evil Masterpiece Theater - 'Leon and the Mysterious Village' EP 1") of a World Masterpiece Theater anime.

CAPCOM Asia began streaming the ad on Monday. According to the press release, the story is set six years after the events at Racoon City, much like the Resident Evil 4 game. Leon goes looking for Ashley in a remote European village, but is soon attacked by the crazed villagers. Toshiyuki Morikawa and Akari Kitō voice Leon and Ashley, respectively.

The World Masterpiece Theater omnibus of works covered classics like Anne of Green Gables, Dog of Flanders, Rascal the Raccoon, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Swiss Family Robinson, and Daddy Long-Legs. Series were made as early as the 1960s and continued until the most recent Before Green Gables in 2009. During that time, both Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata worked for the franchise before founding Studio Ghibli together in 1985.

CAPCOM released the Resident Evil 4 game for GameCube and later for PlayStation 2 in 2005. The remake will release for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on March 24. CAPCOM teases that the game will have a "reimagined storyline," and a new graphical art style based on the company's proprietary RE engine.

Update (3/22): CAPCOM Asia began streaming the second episode on Wednesday:

[Via Kotaku]