The Legend of Zelda (TV Series)

From Zelda Wiki, the Zelda encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This article is about the television program. For information on the series, see The Legend of Zelda (Series). For information on the first game in the series, see The Legend of Zelda.
Non-Canon Information

The Legend of Zelda is an animated series loosely based on The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link. Produced by DIC Entertainment and distributed by Viacom Enterprises, the show aired from September 8 to December 1, 1989 with 13 episodes in total.

General Information

Episodes of The Legend of Zelda were screened weekly on Fridays as part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.[1] Most episodes revolve around Ganon or his minions trying to obtain the Triforce of Wisdom and conquer Hyrule while Link, accompanied by Princess Zelda and sometimes Spryte, work together to foil Ganon's plans while also attempting to obtain the Triforce of Power. Each episode runs for approximately 15 minutes.[2]

The animated series was not considered a success and was canceled after 13 episodes along with The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Later on, compressed versions of the episodes were shown along with another Nintendo-based cartoon which was also produced by DIC Entertainment: Captain N: The Game Master.[3]

Plot Elements

The cartoon's explanation for how Link is able to store so many items in his pockets

Unlike the video games, where Zelda is typically captured by the story's villain and in need of rescue, the animated series portrays the princess in more of a protagonist role, often fighting alongside Link with weapons such as the bow or the boomerang.

One of the show's running jokes is Link's repeated attempts at trying to get Zelda to kiss him for saving her life. Most of the time, the princess rejects the young hero; however, even when she agrees to indulge him,[4][5][6] it never occurs: they are interrupted by monsters, Spryte or any number of unfortunate circumstances such as something making Zelda so mad she no longer wants to kiss Link. This often resulted in Link using his infamous catchphrase: "Well, excuuuuuse me, princess!", which would later be regarded as a "beloved inside joke of many gamers."[7]

Being loosely based on the first two Zelda games, the animated series borrows many elements from the games. The most noticeable ones are the sound effects when Link shoots Sword Beams (here called "Zaps") from his sword or when he retrieves an item from his pouch, which are taken directly from the game.[8] The songs are also inspired by the Overworld and Underworld music, but they are orchestrated for the show. Although the show seems to mostly reference the original The Legend of Zelda, the series also takes some aspects from The Adventure of Link, such as the Lowder Ganon rides or the Moby seen in "Cold Spells".

While the games never truly explain how Link can carry so many items in his pockets, the cartoons interpret this by magically shrinking the items when they are placed in pouches, allowing the young hero to return the item back to its normal size whenever he retrieves it from his pocket.

Link almost never uses his sword to slash at enemies, preferring to use Sword Beams. This was likely done to tone down the violence in the series. Likewise, the Evil Jar is an original contribution to the Zelda mythos. It serves both to explain why enemies respawn after Link kills them, and to soften the violence in the series. Only magical monsters are sent to the Evil Jar when they die, and Link's sword beams cannot kill humans.

Development

The Legend of Zelda cartoon was conceived by Andy Heyward as part of Super Mario Bros. Power Hour, a planned hour-long animated block that would have additionally included animated adaptations of California Games, Castlevania, Double Dragon, Metroid and Super Mario Bros.. The block, along with the majority of the planned adaptations, would ultimately be scrapped, with only Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda receiving adaptations.[9]

Link's catchphrase was inspired by a catchphrase from comedian Steve Martin, and the same catchphrase, along with his relationship with Zelda was modeled after the relationship between Madolyn Hayes and David Addison Jr. in Moonlighting.[10][11]

Eve Forward, one of the writers of the cartoon, took inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons campaigns she played when writing the show, one example being the Mirror created by Ganon in "Doppelganger", which was inspired by a cursed mirror in Dungeons & Dragons.[12]

VHS and DVD Re-releases

The Shout! Factory DVD release

In the early 1990s, the series was released on VHS with two episodes per tape, but only four volumes were released in total. Although the animated series had been released in DVD before by Allumination FilmWorks in the early 2000s, it did not include all of the episodes. On October 18, 2005, however, Shout! Factory and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the complete Zelda animated series. It was made of three DVDs which contained bonus content such as interactive games. One of them is the Trivia Game that consists of several multiple-choice questions about the show and the Zelda game series.[13] The other, called the Match Game, gives the viewer about five seconds to "look at twelve pictures and then [are] asked detailed questions about them."[14] The bonus features also had content that demonstrated "easy-to-draw representations of the Legend of Zelda characters."[15]

Voice Cast

Episodes

# Title Original airdate Production #
1 "The Ringer" September 8, 1989 101
2 "Cold Spells" September 15, 1989 103
3 "The White Knight" September 22, 1989 102
4 "Kiss'n Tell" September 29, 1989 104
5 "Sing for the Unicorn" October 6, 1989 105
6 "That Sinking Feeling" October 13, 1989 106
7 "Doppelganger" October 20, 1989 107
8 "Underworld Connections" October 27, 1989 108
9 "Stinging a Stinger" November 3, 1989 109
10 "A Hitch in the Works" November 10, 1989 111
11 "Fairies in the Spring" November 17, 1989 112
12 "The Missing Link" November 24, 1989 113
13 "The Moblins are Revolting" December 1, 1989 110

Show Opening

Load video
YouTube

The opening of the show goes as follows:

(Zelda theme music plays, as the scene opens up in Link's room. The Triforce of Wisdom is resting on a pedestal. The door opens, and Link and Zelda come into the room)
  • Zelda: This is the Triforce of Wisdom, Link. (Scene changes to Ganon's throne room) The evil wizard Ganon has the Triforce of Power. (Ganon laughs maniacally, as he sends his minions to Hyrule Castle) Whoever gets both Triforces will rule this land forever! You must help me, Link!
  • Link: Hey, for you Zelda, anything!
(A short sequence occurs in which Link battles a few Moblins. The scene changes to Link and Zelda riding on horseback,heading towards Ganon's Castle. Moblins come charging out at them, and they jump into the river under the drawbridge. Link lands on some rocks, but Zelda lands in the water, soaking wet)
  • Zelda: (Sarcastically) Nice job, hero!
  • Link: Hey, ex-CUSE me, Princess!

Listings

Characters

Enemies

Items

Objects

Reception

IGN.com comments that "younger viewers will probably feel bored and a bit put-off by the cheesy storylines and bad dialogue" of the series.[16] The website also critiques the show for the repetitiveness of the plot,[17] but comments on how the sound effects add "quaintness" to the cartoon.[7] As for the DVD release, complaints were mostly about the overall quality, further saying that the colors were "a bit too bright" in some parts and how a character's hair changes from "frame to frame."[18][19] IGN also cites how the DVD release felt rushed due to the episodes always starting with the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! animated segment.[20]

Trivia

  • The appearance of Spryte as Link's fairy companion predates Navi's appearance by almost ten years.
  • The running time of all thirteen episodes combined is approximately 255 minutes.
  • According to the back of a VHS distributed by Tempo Video, Link and Zelda are both 15 years old in the show.[21]
  • The Triforce of Courage does not appear nor was mentioned in the series. The reason for that is most likely because the Triforce only had two pieces in the original game.
  • A set of promotional production art slides found from the estate sale of a former DiC employee in 2019 suggest that a continuation of the cartoon titled The Adventures of Link was planned, but ultimately scrapped.[22]
  • Bob Forward, the editor and one of the writers for the show, said that he hadn't played the game but was given a VHS recording of a playthrough by Tanya Roberts, one of the Charlie's Angels actresses.[23]

Nomenclature

TMC Forest Minish Artwork.png Names in Other Regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite.png
Language Name Meaning
France FrenchEU Princesse Zelda Princess Zelda
Germany German The Legend of Zelda
Italy Italian Un regno incantato per Zelda An enchanted kingdom for Zelda
Brazil PortugueseBR A Lenda de Zelda The Legend of Zelda

Gallery

  • The show's logo

    The show's logo

  • Disc one of the Shout! Factory DVD release

    Disc one of the Shout! Factory DVD release

  • Disc two of the Shout! Factory DVD release

    Disc two of the Shout! Factory DVD release

  • Disc three of the Shout! Factory DVD release

    Disc three of the Shout! Factory DVD release

See Also

References

  1. ↑ "The Zelda series screened once a week as part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show. Four days a week, they would screen Mario cartoons, but once a week it was a Zelda cartoon." — Zelda: The Animated Series , TheSacredRealm.net.
  2. ↑ "Most of the episodes follow a common plotline: Ganon wants the Triforce and devises numerous schemes to obtain it. He holds the Triforce of Power, and the Triforce of Wisdom is guarded by Link, who lives in the castle. Whoever holds both Triforces will rule the land of Hyrule. Each episode lasted approximately 15 minutes." — Zelda: The Animated Series , TheSacredRealm.net.
  3. ↑ "The cartoon was not regarded as a success, and after one 13-episode series it was dropped. Later on, cut down versions of the episodes were repeated with another Nintendo-based cartoon, Captain N the Gamemaster." — Zelda: The Animated Series , TheSacredRealm.net.
  4. ↑ "I'm glad too. And thanks for rescuing me. You still want a kiss?" — Princess Zelda (The Legend of Zelda TV Series, Episode 4)
  5. ↑ "Mmm...shut up and kiss me!" — Princess Zelda (The Legend of Zelda TV Series, Episode 6)
  6. ↑ "We did it! Kiss me!" — Princess Zelda (The Legend of Zelda TV Series, Episode 9)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "On the other hand, The Legend of Zelda animated series does have its camp merits. Link's awkward plea, "Well excuuuuuse me, Princess," which later made its way into the infamous CD-i Zelda games, is a beloved inside joke of many gamers. The sound effects incorporated into the show also add some quaintness to the show." — The Legend of Zelda: The Complete Animated Series , IGN.com.
  8. ↑ "The music is awesome, much of it inspired by the Overworld and Underworld music from the first Zelda game. Sound effects taken directly from this game are also common, such as when Link defeats enemies or uses items." — Zelda: The Animated Series , TheSacredRealm.net.
  9. ↑ "The project originated as a concept by Andy Heyward as Super Mario Bros. Power Hour, a one hour-long animation block that would have featured series based on a number of intellectual properties. Concept art was produced for adaptations of Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Castlevania, Double Dragon, and California Games. With the exception of Mario and Zelda, none of these additional adaptations were ultimately produced." — Reed Shelly, ‘Excuuuuse me, Princess!’: An oral history of The Legend of Zelda cartoon, Polygon, published January 11, 2023, retrieved January 21, 2023
  10. ↑ "Robby London [DiC executive] wanted to have some signature lines, and Moonlighting had just come out, or was very popular. Robby London came up with the idea of the line, “Excuuuuse me, Princess,” which is inspired by the Moonlighting relationship and a snarky line from a Steve Martin routine." — Bob Forward, ‘Excuuuuse me, Princess!’: An oral history of The Legend of Zelda cartoon, Polygon, published January 11, 2023, retrieved January 21, 2023
  11. ↑ "It was a fun show to write for because of the tension between Link and the princess. We modeled it after Moonlighting. We tried to capture that, and I think we did. Maybe over the top a little bit, but that’s what we were shooting for." — Phil Harnage, ‘Excuuuuse me, Princess!’: An oral history of The Legend of Zelda cartoon, Polygon, published January 11, 2023, retrieved January 21, 2023
  12. ↑ "I did play Dungeons & Dragons though, at the time, and some of that feel made it into the show. [The seventh episode] “Doppelganger” was based on a cursed mirror in D&D. Well, the monsters in Zelda were all based on things from the Nintendo game; same with the weapons, like Link’s boomerang. But in D&D of course you’re always fighting monsters and imagining how cool your character looks doing it, so a lot of the various swashbuckling stuff I liked to put in was based on things that had happened in our D&D games. I always thought of Link as more of a rogue than a fighter." — Eve Forward, ‘Excuuuuse me, Princess!’: An oral history of The Legend of Zelda cartoon, Polygon, published January 11, 2023, retrieved January 21, 2023
  13. ↑ "The Legend of Zelda Trivia Game is a fun diversion. There are a series of multiple-choice questions (with one answer obviously wrong) about the show and the game series. Although none of the questions are hard, fanatics of the series probably won't mind proving to themselves that they know their stuff." — The Legend of Zelda: The Complete Animated Series , IGN.com.
  14. ↑ "The Match Game on the other hand is way too difficult. You're given about five seconds to look at twelve pictures and then asked detailed questions about them." — The Legend of Zelda: The Complete Animated Series , IGN.com.
  15. ↑ "Finally, there is some DVD-ROM content that features easy-to-draw representations of the Legend of Zelda characters." — The Legend of Zelda: The Complete Animated Series , IGN.com.
  16. ↑ "This set is probably only valuable to video game fans and people who grew up with the show. Younger viewers will probably feel bored and a bit put-off by the cheesy storylines and bad dialogue." — The Legend of Zelda: The Complete Animated Series , IGN.com.
  17. ↑ "The show's plot isn't its strong point, usually following a very repetitive structure of action sandwiched between comical set-up scenes.http://dvd.ign.com/articles/655/655002p2.html" — The Legend of Zelda: The Complete Animated Series , IGN.com.
  18. ↑ "During my time with DVD I have seen some fantastic transfers and clean up of material from years ago, unfortunately this is not an example of that. The video here is barely even VHS quality and is riddled with flaws. There is a ton of grain in many scenes as well as some cross coloration and even a washed out looking image. Outdoor and indoor environments are covered with a severe amount of speck and dirt in the picture. Many times there are also soft edges and everything has a slightly blurred appearance." — Legend of Zelda: Complete Animated Series , DVDTalk.com.
  19. ↑ "The first thing you'll notice about this set is its extreme artifact problem. Specks and spots pop up constantly and everywhere. Especially notable in the out-door scenes in which the darker artifacts contrast with the lighter backgrounds, the artifacts really age this show. Colors are also a bit of a problem, looking a bit too bright." — The Legend of Zelda: The Complete Animated Series , IGN.com.
  20. ↑ "One annoying aspect of this DVD set is that, regardless of whether or not you choose to watch the Legend of Zelda episodes with or without the Mario Brothers live-action segments, the show still always starts with the Super Mario Brothers Super Show animated beginning." — The Legend of Zelda: The Complete Animated Series , IGN.com.
  21. ↑ "This animated fantasy-adventure (with a good deal of humour) stars Link - a fifteen-year-old adventurer, and Zelda - a princess of the same age." (The Legend of Zelda (Tempo Video))
  22. ↑ "Is this never before seen concept art for an Adventures of Link cartoon?" — @hour_mario on Twitter, June 13, 2019 (Archive)
  23. ↑ "I don’t know if anyone cares about this, but the playthrough VHS tape that they supplied me with I guess had been played by one of the new Charlie’s Angels. I think it was Tanya Roberts. I guess she was a gamer when she was younger." -- Bob Forward, 2023.‘Excuuuuse me, Princess!’: An oral history of The Legend of Zelda cartoon
Episodes from The Legend of Zelda TV series
Episode 1: "The Ringer" · Episode 2: "Cold Spells" · Episode 3: "The White Knight" · Episode 4: "Kiss 'N Tell"
Episode 5: "Sing for the Unicorn" · Episode 6: "That Sinking Feeling" · Episode 7: "Doppelganger" · Episode 8: "Underworld Connections" · Episode 9: "Stinging a Stinger"
Episode 10: "A Hitch in the Works" · Episode 11: "Fairies in the Spring" · Episode 12: "The Missing Link" · Episode 13: "The Moblins are Revolting"
Retrieved from "https://zeldawiki.wiki/w/index.php?title=The_Legend_of_Zelda_(TV_Series)&oldid=1112891"