Fight the power, Aonuma!
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD almost faced internal pushback because it was believed internally that people did not like "that Link."
Eiji Aonuma stated in a recent interview that when he began trying to move forward with Wind Waker HD, there was "a lot of pushback," because it was believed that fans of the series didn't like the young, cel-shaded version of Link. After speaking with U.S. counterparts, that idea was put to rest.
Additionally, Aonuma said that Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword were also tested for high definition remakes. However, the results of testing those games in HD "weren't really surprising," and Wind Waker stood out as the title that benefited most from the HD treatment.