Could a Movie Fit Into the Timeline?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has become one of the most financially successful animated films in history, leading fans to speculate about the potential for more Nintendo properties to hit the big screen. While the Italian plumber brothers provide a vessel for wacky adventures and colorful landscapes, Nintendo’s other major property, The Legend of Zelda, approaches things a bit differently. The Legend of Zelda is a bona fide fantasy world with a storied history that takes itself more seriously, justifying its numerous installments with a gargantuan timeline spanning thousands upon thousands of years.
While the timeline has been a hotly-contested concept among Zelda’s fandom, it generally bridges the gaps between the numerous adventures each game contains. The latest games in the series, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, solved the issue of timeline placement by simply being stapled onto the very end of it. However, if reports of a Zelda movie in development are to be believed, could this film fall somewhere on the timeline as well? Will it be outright ignored in the grand scheme of things, or could it have a place in Zelda canon?
In a vacuum, each and every Zelda game can be considered somewhat self-contained. However, the Zelda timeline was established to provide some continuity between them. According to Nintendo, the Zelda chronology begins with Skyward Sword and remains linear up until Ocarina of Time, where the timeline splits into three separate continuities. The three timelines eventually merge into the most recent Zelda games, which take place at an unspecified time in the future.
Nintendo has been willing to let other studios take a crack at their standout properties in the past, leading to poor results. However, the success of the Super Mario Bros. movie may have appeased those who were hesitant towards projects not developed in-house. Would it be a stretch to suggest they’d be willing to do the same for a feature-length Zelda film?
Compared to the simplicity of the Mario story, the story of Zelda is minimal, serving more as a means to get the audience from point A to B while maximizing the amount of fun to be had. However, some of Zelda’s games are notable for having the most harrowing storytelling in Nintendo’s library, with Majora’s Mask, in particular, tugging on more than a few heartstrings. A film adaptation would be a terrific way of breathing more life into these classic games, ripping iconic moments from our memories and placing them on the big screen.
It’s possible that a separate timeline may be developed exclusively for future films or that the film will exist outside of Zelda canon. Still, given the tremendous reception from the Mario movie, it’s unlikely that we won’t be seeing multiple visits to the land of Hyrule. If all the mainline games can somehow make it in, a grandiose movie made with Nintendo’s blessing may have a sure shot of making it in. However, it’s important to note that this newfound success is uncharted territory for Nintendo, and future attitudes towards a Zelda film franchise will be heavily swayed by their financial returns.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now one of the most financially successful animated films in existence. Naturally, that means we have to see every single other Nintendo property hit the big screen in the coming years. But whereas our Italian plumber brothers act as a vessel for wacky adventures and colorful landscapes, Nintendo’s other major property, The Legend of Zeldaapproaches things a bit differently. A bona fide fantasy world with a storied history, The Legend of Zelda takes itself a smidgen more seriously, justifying its numerous installments with a gargantuan timeline spanning thousands upon thousands of years.
While the timeline has been a hotly-contested concept in Zelda’s fandom, it still manages to generally bridge the gaps between the numerous adventures each game contains. The latest games in the series, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdomsolved the issue of timeline placement by simply being stapled onto the very end of it. But, if a report that a Zelda movie is in development is to be believed, could this film fall somewhere on the timeline as well? Will it be outright ignored in the grand scheme of things, or could it have a place in Zelda canon?
What Is the Zelda Timeline?
In a vacuum, each and every Zelda game can be considered to be somewhat self-contained. There are always a few constants: a hero, Link, sets out to save the land of Hyrule; Ganon, a force of evil, threatens to destroy Hyrule; and Zelda, part of the Royal Family of Hyrule, lends aid to Link in any way she can.
Every game takes a different approach to these constants, whether via gameplay alterations or thematic changes. Riding Cap and, to a lesser extent, Wind Waker are Zelda games with a much more vibrant, lighthearted approach. Conversely, Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess take things in a darker direction both stylistically and thematically.
But because each of these games seemingly exists within a world of its own, the Zelda timeline was established to provide some continuity between them. According to Nintendo, the Zelda chronology begins with Skyward Sword and remains linear up until Ocarina of Timewherein the timeline splits into three separate continuities.
Due to the usage of time travel in Ocarina of Timethese three continuities split based on whether Link is defeated by Ganon, if Link remains a child after defeating Ganon, or if Link remains an adult after defeating Ganon. The three timelines eventually merge into the most recent Zelda games, which take place at an unspecified time in the future.
Could a Movie Fit in the Timeline?
At a point, Nintendo was willing to part ways with their standout properties and let other studios take a crack at them. Unfortunately, the end results were infamously terrible. Granting someone else creative control of their famous franchises often led to poor review scores and modern-day mockery that still endures to this day. Although, we did get an unintentionally hilarious depiction of the Hero of Hyrule in a short-lived 80s cartoon.
But who knows? Things always change. There’s no doubt that the resounding success of the Super Mario Movie appeased those who were hesitant towards projects not developed in-house. We’ve seen Nintendo gradually branch out with officially-sanctioned spin-offs primarily developed by third parties, like Hyrule Warriors and Cadence of Hyrule. Would it be a stretch to suggest they’d be willing to do the same for a feature-length Zelda film?
Granted, the Super Mario Bros. movie was as successful as it was due to its simplicity. An Italian plumber tries to rescue a princess, eats some mushrooms and stomps on others, fights a giant turtle, and so on. Compared to Zeldathe story is minimal, serving more as a means to get the audience from point A to B while maximizing the amount of fun to be had. But some of Zelda‘s games are notable for having the most harrowing storytelling in Nintendo’s library, with Majora‘s Mask, in particular, tugging on more than a few heartstrings. Can you name a Mario game that tasks you with saving a town stuck in a perpetual doomsday event?
Grim stakes don’t necessarily equate to box-office success. Instead of emotional storytelling, what we may see in its place is something more akin to the first few games of the Zelda franchise. As in, we may see an indirect adaptation of them. The limitations of the console that the original games were released on couldn’t facilitate the type of storytelling later games would be associated with. Limited text and the player’s imagination often took over as a replacement. A film adaptation would be a terrific way of breathing more life into these classic games, ripping iconic moments from our memories and placing them on the big screen.
Because of this, we may see some more intriguing timeline shenanigans if the film is officially incorporated into it. It’s possible that a separate timeline may be developed exclusively for future films. Alternatively, we may have yet another branching timeline depending on when the film takes place. It’s just as possible that the film will exist outside of Zelda canon. Still, given the tremendous reception from the Mario movie, it’s unlikely that we won’t be seeing multiple visits to the land of Hyrule.
Could a Zelda movie fit in the overall timeline of the series? Absolutely. If all the mainline games can somehow make it in, a grandiose movie made with Nintendo’s blessing may have a sure shot of making it in. However, it’s important to note that this newfound success is uncharted territory for Nintendo. Future attitudes towards a Zelda film franchise will be heavily swayed by their financial returns. Should it underperform, we may see the whole thing swept under the rug like previous failed endeavors.
