With the arrival ofNintendo’s SwitchcomesThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the latestZeldagame in a franchise that spans more than 30 years.Early reviewspraise its difficulty, open-world nature, survival aesthetic, and focus on exploration. I only wish I could say the same for the 1989 animated series. That 20th century mess is better left on the trash heap of history, and the best way to move beyond it is to bringThe Legend of Zeldainto the 21st century with a bold new animated series.
Despite 30 years of beloved video games that have evolved with each of Nintendo’s successive video game systems, the one-and-only 1989 animated series remains a blight on an otherwise impressive record. This disaster, and similar ill-fated animated/live-action adaptations of Nintendo’s intellectual properties, left a foul taste in the IP-owners' mouths, essentially locking out any additional adaptations outside of the video game realm. That’s a crying shame.Zeldais one of the most adventurous and imaginative stories ever created, and it’s tailor-made for an animated series.
The Legend of Zeldais much more than a highly successful video game franchise for Nintendo; it’s a mythology in and of itself, complete with iconic heroes, imposing villains, and a rich, varied world that continues to shift and change with every iteration. Providing the framework for all of these amazing mythological creations is one of the more convoluted chronologies you’ll find out there in video game land. But it’s this variety of storytelling, springing from a root chronology (and three separate timelines that split off from it) that makesThe Legend of Zeldaa nearly limitless source of inspiration for an animated series. Doing that successfully is no easy feat, but because of the wealth of games and mythology available, modern animation technology that’s never been better, and the on-demand access of streaming content, this is the perfect time for a newZeldaseries. Let’s get into it.
Mythology & Timelines
The Legend of Zeldaexists in a world that experiences cycles of war and peace, penury and prosperity, and darkness and light. That’s pretty standard fare. But relatively few video games go so far as to establish a creation mythology for the world as we know it.Zeldais one of those rare gems. (A huge “Thank you!” to theZelda wiki’s timeline pagefor helping me wrangle this monster.)
In the beginningBack in 2011, Nintendo of Japan released the official chronology ofThe Legend of Zeldain a 276-page tome titled “The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia.” This tome got a 424-page companion just this year titled “The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts” that includes looks at the franchise’s newest installment. I highly recommend seeking out both books for an in-depth look atThe Legend of Zelda, but I’ll attempt to do the vast mythology justice with a brief recap. Here’s howThe Legend of Zeldaunfolds:
The world known as Hyrule was formed by three Golden Goddesses: Din, representing power and creating the very lay of the land; Nayru, representing wisdom and bringing order out of chaos; and Farore, representing courage and creating all life that would uphold and be governed by Nayru’s law. With their labors complete, they left Hyrule for the heavens, leaving behind a symbol of their power: the Triforce, a relic of ultimate power that would grant whoever mastered it their heart’s desire. The three Goddesses trusted the deity Hylia to protect it, but the evil machinations of the Demon King Demise would challenge her ability to guard it. Enter the legendary hero, a mortal destined to prevent the Triforce from falling into the hands of those who would use it to subjugate others. These three archetypes and their various iterations over the years (Zelda, Ganon, and Link, etc.) were destined to repeat an endless cycle of strife and peace in the struggle to master the Triforce and govern Hyrule.
Without going into Hylia’s creation of The Sky, or The Era of Chaos, or the Sacred Realm, this basic three-part structure should suffice to understand the core conflict in each game. Whatdoesbear some extra explanation, however, is how the franchise starts with one core timeline (Skyward Sword,Minish Cap,Four Swords, andOcarina of Time) and splits into three–count ‘em,three–distinct timelines. It’s in the fallout from the ending ofOcarina of Timewhere things get crazy.
In the “Fallen Hero” timeline, Link was defeated by Ganondorf, who was able to master the Triforce before being sealed away in the Sacred Realm. (This timeline includes the gamesA Link to the Past,Oracle of Seasons&Ages,Link’s Awakening,A Link Between Worlds,Tri Force Heroes,The Legend of Zelda,andThe Adventure of Link.)
In the “Child Link” timeline, after having successfully defeated Ganon, Link traveled back to when he was a child to warn Princess Zelda and the King of Hyrule of the evil wizard’s intentions. (This timeline includesMajora’s Mask,Twilight Princess, andFour Swords Adventures.)
The final “Adult Link” timeline picks up after the older Link defeats Ganon, followed by Princess Zelda attempting to rebuild the kingdom of Hyrule. (This timeline includesWind Waker,Phantom HourglassandSpirit Tracks.) This bonkers track also sees Hyrule completely submerged beneath a vast sea before eventually drying out years (and games) later, and it’s whereBreath of the Wildlikely falls into place.
So why make mention ofZelda’s mythology when talking about the need for a new animated series? To drive home the point that there isso muchstory to this property that could quite easily be mined for a meaningful and entertaining series that would hopefully erase the memory of the previous animated debacle from the history books. Let’s briefly revisit that mess.
The Series That Must Not Be Named
In 1989, only two NESZeldagames had been released, so the folks over at DIC Entertainment, Viacom Enterprises, and Nintendo of America, Inc. can be somewhat forgiven for not knowing how extensive and beloved the mythology would become. (If you’re eventhinkingthe words, “Well excuuuuuuse me, Princess!” right now, you’re on the right track.) However, the 13-episode series held only the loosest of connections to the games, doing a broad-strokes good guys vs bad guys approach to the story. It was an episodic rinse-and-repeat that saw Ganon or his minions attempting to steal the Triforce of Wisdom to combine with his own Triforce of Power to achieve ultimate power. Things were made even stranger thanks to Link’s whiny voice, his tendency to believe his “heroic” actions should be rewarded with a kiss from Princess Zelda, and a swapping of rubies for rupees; let’s just say it was a half-baked effort and leave it at that.
The oversight here should be glaring. Where is the adventure, the dungeon-crawling, the mystery, and the puzzle-solving? Where’s the lore, the interaction with various townsfolk, forest creatures, and sentient species scattered all across Hyrule? Where’s the exploration of Link’s mysterious history and his legendary connections to Zelda and Ganon?The Legend of Zeldais prime territory for a serious adaptation of existing mythology, but it’s also flexible enough for original stories that pay homage to its legacy while being able to drop plenty of references for die-hardZeldafans. What’s theonlyplace for a new take on the series? Netflix, of course.
A Netflix Revival?
A little while back, our ownAllison Keenewaxed poetic about what aZeldamovie could look like ifStudio Ghiblihappened to make it, thanks to some inspiring fan art. A few months before that, Netflix was rumored to bedeveloping a live-actionZeldaseries. While both of those ideas are certainly wonderful flights of fancy, they’re the wrong approach right now.
For games that require hours of exploration, sword-fighting and hook-shotting–not to mention Poe-catching, horse-riding, and magic-casting–a standalone movie just isn’t going to doZeldajustice. A series is where it’s at, just not a live-action one. The production quality alone would have to be off the charts, which means substantial production budgets as well. (The closest things we’ve seen to this are HBO’sGame of Thronesand MTV’sThe Shannara Chronicles.) How does one rectify both of those negatives while still pulling off a worthwhile adaptation? An animated series, of course.
Look at Netflix’s fantastic animated adaptations that exist already:Dragons: Race to the Edge,Voltron Legendary Defender, andTrollhunters, just to name a few. These are fine examples of a movie adaptation that found purchase as an animated series, a reboot of a beloved 80s property, and a wonderfully adapted take onGuillermo del Toro’s original story. And that’s just the cream of the crop; there are myriad anime series, adaptations, and original animated series available on Netflix for a wide range of ages and tastes. Even an animatedCastlevaniaseries is on the way! It’s just the perfect place for something like a new animatedThe Legend of Zelda.
Concerning the style of animation, I’d personally like to see something more traditionally animated, similar to the style ofVoltronthan, say, the computer-generated 3D models ofDragonsorTrollhunters.Animation with a hand-drawn feeling just seems right for the classicZeldamythology, though I can see the benefits of both versions.
As for what the series should be about, I’m equally torn. Seeing a direct adaptation of any of the many video games might be a nice nostalgia boost and would certainly be a great way to connect to the existing franchise in a concrete way, but it’s relatively boring to watch someone else’s interpretation of an interactive video game, one which viewers might have already played countless times or many years previously. An original tale, on the other hand, gives viewers something new while also offering up plenty of connective tissue to theZeldamythology, but could easily miss the mark in terms of storytelling or, again, that fickle beast known as nostalgia. I think I’d prefer to see an original tale with the core elementsZeldafans have come to know and love. Heck, they might not even have to cast a voice actor for Link sincehe rarely, if ever, speaks!
Modern audiences are smarter viewers than ever, and the TV landscape has reflected that maturity. Shows with complex plots involving deep dives into fantasy lore, or heady sci-fi concepts dealing with time travel or artificial intelligence are becoming the norm rather than the exception.Zeldacan be as twisty as it gets, but the modern era of Peak TV has rolled out the carpet for a worthwhile adaptation. I, for one, would welcome it!
That’s just my take on a newThe Legend of Zeldaseries, but I’m sure you have your own thoughts and ideas. Be sure to share them in the comments below!
