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| 3 | %% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thank you! |
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| 6 | ->'''Mallory:''' What year do you think this is?!\ |
| 7 | '''Archer:''' I... Yeah. Exactly. Good question. |
| 8 | -->-- ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' |
| 9 | |
| 10 | An Ambiguous Time Period is where the series takes place at a certain time in the past or future and in [[LikeRealityUnlessNoted the same universe as ours, except for the story elements added by the author]], but doesn't state anything specific. This is either because the time period is completely unmentioned, or because it's mentioned but elements of the story or WordOfGod state that the fiction uses [[AlternateCalendar a different calendar than ours]]. If dates ''are'' given, they tend to be kept as vague as possible, hence the ubiquity of non-specific years such as [[YearX 199X and 20XX]] in fictional settings. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Sometimes AnachronismStew will unintentionally [[PurelyAestheticEra (and sometimes intentionally)]] confuse viewers into wondering when the work takes place. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | When the ambiguous time period is [[TwentyMinutesIntoThePast obviously not long ago]], it's an example of PresentDayPast. Could also be an unofficial form of a RetroUniverse. This trope is the temporal version of WhereTheHellIsSpringfield Contrast PeriodPiece and UnintentionalPeriodPiece. See also LikeRealityUnlessNoted. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | ---- |
| 17 | !!Examples: |
| 18 | |
| 19 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 20 | |
| 21 | [[folder:Anime and Manga]] |
| 22 | * It's not made clear when most of the ''Anime/AngelBeats'' cast died. It's implied that you don't have to all be from the same time period in order to be together, nor do you have to be a school kid to appear in Heaven (you automatically just de-age into your younger form). [[spoiler:Kanade]] received [[spoiler:Otonashi's heart]] after he died but it's unknown how long she lasted with it. If she died decades later, the anime could take place TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture. On the flip side, Ayato's school uniform (a gakuran and a hat) is outdated by 21st century standards. This implies that he either died decades earlier or that he was an adult when he died. |
| 23 | * ''Anime/Belle2021'': The anime does not give an exact time period beyond basic TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture though it cannot be earlier than the 2020s judging by the tech needed for the U simulation. |
| 24 | * ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'' has this with AnachronismStew and ComicBookTime. Japan never qualified into World Cup was a plot point up until World Youth arc. The next arc, Road to 2002, starts with stating that World Youth was set in the year of "19xx" and it's stated that this arc is set between 1998 and 2002 to the point that they show the France national team becoming the winner of 1998 World Cup, that Japan qualified into World Cup for the first time in 1998, that several characters stating the next World Cup in 2002 will be set in Japan and South Korea, and that Tsubasa and his friends aimed to be Japan representatives in the 2002 World Cup. |
| 25 | * ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'': PlayedForLaughs in a ChristmasEpisode gift exchange series of sketches. Whether or not it's supposed to be set in the medieval time period of the story or the modern day is unclear (Delgal is gifted a copy of ''VideoGame/RingFitAdventure'' by Thistle, but most of the other gifts are mundane objects like liquor, a quill pen, or a whetstone), although only Kabru seems to notice. |
| 26 | -->''"If there's Christmas, where are we and what time period are we in? Is there still a dungeon?"'' |
| 27 | -->''"So Tokyu Hands or Loft are things that exist in this era...?"''[[note]]Both Tokyu Hands and Loft are Japanese department store chains.[[/note]] |
| 28 | * In ''Manga/FrierenBeyondJourneysEnd'', the series takes place in what appears to be the usual fantastical medieval times, however, upon close inspection the fashion some characters wear, specifically side characters who aren't dressed as obviously gaudy as the main ones, are clearly from somewhere around the early 20th century, with coats, suits, shirts, pants straight out of the industrial revolution but without any technology from our times, with magic being the analogue to high-tech but society in general function as if it were medieval times, with the architecture and city politics being clear analogues to it. |
| 29 | * ''Anime/GoldenKamuy'': Satoru Noda stated that he left the exact dates of the story open to debate, though it begins in 1907 with the Russo-Japanese war. |
| 30 | * ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' takes place in the future, but thanks to their excessive use of AlternateCalendar ([[AlternateContinuity several, in fact]]) how far in the future is impossible to pinpoint. We do get a few clues, however: |
| 31 | ** In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0080WarInThePocket'' it's mentioned January 14th, U.C. 0080 falls on a Monday, while ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ'' mentions 0088 is a leap year. Apparently somebody once did the math based on this and found 2047 to be the earliest possible date for the changeover (technically, the earliest date would be 2019. The 2047 start date much touted in {{Fanon}} is based on some sourcebooks that give 2045 as the last AD date mentioned but don't specify when exactly the switch happened. Creator/{{Sunrise}} has since declared all timelines that mention the AD era non-canon, though, so now it's anybody's guess). |
| 32 | ** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Wing]]'' seems to take place in the mid- to late 23rd century, based off of two pieces of information: the novelization of the series mentions that the circus where Trowa Barton hides out is about to celebrate its 600th anniversary, and the circus' logo (seen in artbooks) has "Since 1667" written on it. |
| 33 | * ''Manga/HeavensDesignTeam'' seem to exist in a setting completely out of time, as the designs for long-extinct animals sometimes come up after modern animals that still exists today. |
| 34 | * ''Anime/HelloSandybell'': With the innovation in technology and vehicles, you'd imagine the anime takes place in The80s, which was the time of it's release. However, the Shearers use rotary phones.[[note]]And before you tie that down to poverty, keep in mind they're the wealthiest named characters in the entire show[[/note]] |
| 35 | * ''Manga/HeavensDesignTeam'' seems to exist in a setting completely out of time, as the designs for long-extinct animals sometimes come up after modern animals that still exists today. |
| 36 | * ''Manga/IsTheOrderARabbit'': Although it uses a lot of current technology (and ostensibly takes place in Japan), the series also heavily invokes pre/inter-war Europe, especially during the city arc. Aoyama-sensei, who is in her mid-20s, apparently had wet nurses, a practice that largely died out in the west once baby formula was invented, and the Royal Cats Hotel's maid costumes look like something out of the Edwardian era. |
| 37 | * ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven'' seems to take place some time in the present to its release. However, in the follow-up, ''Inazuma Eleven GO'' (which takes place 10 years later), the technology is still how it would be in 2008. This is especially jarring whenever you see a character use a cell phone, the show's cast using cell phones actually being the theme of one of the show's endings. And they're all using flip phones you'd expect to find in 2005. |
| 38 | * A number of Creator/JunjiIto's works are fairly timeless, with anything that would specifically date them usually being absent. ''Manga/{{Uzumaki}}'', for example, doesn't have anything dating it to any point more specific than "sometime after the 1950s", and many of his one-shots are similarly hard to date. ''Manga/{{Remina}}'' is set in the future year "20XX", but given its deliberately {{Zeerust}} aesthetic (complete with flying cars!), it's hard to tell when it's supposed to be. |
| 39 | * ''{{Manga/Kagurabachi}}'': Automobiles in this setting seem to be much older than modern times, with cars straight out of the 40s and 50s while there's an operational steam train, the same can be said for the buildings, which vary between 50s western and classic Japanese architecture. Meanwhile, characters dress and speak as if they're speaking from the time the manga got released (albeit still not everyone, since some background characters wear traditional Japanese clothing when out on the street). |
| 40 | * ''Anime/KazeNoShojoEmily'': The original novel the anime is based on (''Literature/EmilyOfNewMoon'' by Creator/LMMontgomery) was set in the 1920s, but the anime series is more ambiguous about it, lacking the Victorian aesthetic. |
| 41 | * ''Anime/KillLaKill'' is a li'l ambiguous about when the show takes place. While the show does barrow aesthetics of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, the flashbacks implies that the show takes place in an AU version of 2013-2014: Ragyo's hair and clothing style is consistent with the 1990s. |
| 42 | * ''Anime/KikisDeliveryService'': At the beginning of the movie, one of Kiki's friends mentions discos, so it would seem the movie takes place in the 1970s or later, but most of the technology we see looks like it's from the 1950s or earlier. The Disney dub omits this reference, but adds in very 1990s techno music during the scene with Madame's granddaughter, muddying things even further. Also not helping are the dresses Kiki's friends from her hometown wear, which wouldn't look out of place in the Victorian era. |
| 43 | * ''Manga/{{Lady}}'': Supposedly taking place in the 1920's, the manga has things such as push-button phones (when candlestick phones would be the norm) and characters dressing in more contemporary fashion. |
| 44 | * ''Manga/KonohanaKitan'': At first the series appears to take place in a version of the Edo period where most people are Little Bit Beastly, but then increasingly modern-looking clothing begin to pop up on ordinary humans. Eventually it's made clear that everything happens in the present day, but not entirely within our world. |
| 45 | * It's hard to pin when ''Anime/MichikoAndHatchin'' takes place. There are vehicles from the 1970s, TV broadcasts with an '80s and '90s style, and every building and infrastructure looks run-down. That said, the show takes place in an undeveloped third-world country, so it makes sense that many of the cars and buildings are outdated. |
| 46 | * ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': It's hard to tell when exactly the story takes place, other than it being in the future. Though the level of technological advancement shown seems to place the setting TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, it's been stated that most scientific research has slowed down in order to focus more on the study of Quirks, meaning that the actual year could be centuries ahead of ours. The implication given by the One For All Quirk is that the manga takes place in the ninth generation after Quirks came into existence, but even that gives a rather vague idea of time. |
| 47 | * ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': You'd think the series takes place in the past with its traditional Japanese aesthetics, use of animals in labour and rural setting. With some episodes featuring stoves and electricity, you'd guess again that it takes somewhere around the 1800s-1900s period. Then, you'll also occasionally see a television and a laptop in the background and reconsider... |
| 48 | * ''Anime/NiNoKuni'': Regarding the setting of the Ni No Kuni world. [[spoiler:The movie begins showing an old man heavily implied to be [[VideoGame/NiNoKuni Oliver]]. In the other world, Yu and Haru arrive in a kingdom called [[VideoGame/NiNoKuniIIRevenantKingdom Evermore]]. It is ambiguous how much time passed between the events of the games, and the movie, especially since the second game implied several hundred years passed since the first one.]] [[WMG/NiNoKuni WMG]] suggests it's NarniaTime. |
| 49 | * ''Manga/InTheHeartOfKunoichiTsubaki'': Unlike its two [[Manga/TeasingMasterTakagiSan sister]] [[Manga/WhenWillAyumuMakeHisMove series]], which both establish themselves in the modern-day, ''In The Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki'' does not hint at nor give any indication as to when the series takes place. The characters' style of dress could place them in the Edo or Meiji periods, but their speech and behavior could place them in the Taisho period or even modern-day. |
| 50 | * ''Manga/RecordOfRagnarok'': Human ''history'' is stated to lasted ''7 million years'' in the work by present day. The start of the "Old Stone Age" was dated to be around 2.5 million years ago[[note]]With anatomically correct humans only coming into existence 300,000 years ago[[/note]] at most while the Bronze Age was around 5000 years ago, in which the latter is defined as "early human history." The closest to the figure stated would be the formation of the ''homo sapien'' genus itself, which took place around 6-7 million years ago. Either this, or the story takes place in an unspecified far future. |
| 51 | * ''Anime/RingingBell'': The story's time period is unknown, but implied to take place somewhere in the America Midwest (possibly somewhere in Minnesota, Tennessee, or Maine) during the early 20th century. Since Yanase prefers his works to remain timeless, the story and other adaptations never reveal what year the story takes place. |
| 52 | * ''Manga/SleepyPrincessInTheDemonCastle'' seems to take place in a medieval StandardJapaneseFantasySetting, with a Hero going on a quest to rescue the captive Princess from the EvilOverlord. However, as the manga progresses, it becomes clear that there are a ''lot'' of modern elements to the setting, despite the prevailing medieval aesthetic; television, video games, amusement parks, {{Idol Singer}}s, high-tech sleep pods, and other non-medieval things (or {{Magitek}} versions thereof) show up regularly. The series tends to alternate between leaning on the HighFantasy elements and the more modern SliceOfLife aspects depending on RuleOfFunny. |
| 53 | * [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 Professor Gerald's diary]] in ''Anime/SonicX'' is signed "20XX". The diary is around 50 years old. |
| 54 | * ''Literature/SundayWithoutGod'': While the world does appear similar to the real world, it's hard to say when this series takes place. Most of the fashions are fairly contemporary, but with a fantastical flair, so that makes it harder to pin down the exact era. For technology, characters use varying styles of guns and rifles, cars are still around even if they don't look to be very common, and an electronic scoreboard is shown in a flashback. However, no computers, televisions, or cellphones are shown (in fact, Julie has to use a payphone in one episode). |
| 55 | * ''Manga/TokugawaNoSaru'' is a a manga about a traditional Japanese swordsman. Going by aesthetics alone, you would guess it either takes place in the 1800s or after the turn of the 20th century. |
| 56 | * ''Anime/WhenMarnieWasThere'': The women at Marnie's parent's fancy party are in fashions ranging from the 1920s to the early 1960s, making it vague as to when it takes place. Unless it's only Marnie or Anna's imagination of the party. It possibly takes place around the time when the film was released, you can see cordless telephones and a widescreen television. |
| 57 | * ''Manga/TheWitchAndTheBeast'': On one hand, the Global Holy Church resembles a high-tech magical society with floating medieval castles. On the other hand, we have Orlencia which is straight up Gothic Victorian London that still use horse and carriages as a mode of transport. However, generally speaking, fans seem to point that the overall world is set somewhere between the 1910s to the 1920s given the prevalent use of Art Deco and some Art Nouveau designs. |
| 58 | * ''Manga/WitchEnforcer'': Witches brought about immense technologic advancement to humans. While the setting looks like Gaslamp Fantasy, things like broadcast television were already invented, so the timeline for the series is really anyone's guess. |
| 59 | [[/folder]] |
| 60 | |
| 61 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 62 | * ''ComicBook/FourKidsWalkIntoABank'': The year is never stated, but the technology resembles that of the 1980s or 1990s. |
| 63 | * The time period of ''ComicBook/TheBabysittersClub'' comics are set in is unclear, in contrast to the explicitly [[ComicBookTime 1980s-1990s]] [[Literature/TheBabysittersClub source]]. The fashion is timeless, but the technology level is pre-mid 2000s and children are given more freedom than they usually are in the 2000s and afterwards. The plot of the series relies on it being set pre-2000s because most people wouldn't let 12 year olds babysit afterwards. Dated references from the original books, such as the insult that one of the parents doesn't know what ''Rainbow Brite'' (a 80s cartoon) is, are kept. |
| 64 | * The setting of ''ComicBook/DaisyKutter'' is meant to evoke the Old West, or at least a SteamPunk/ CattlePunk version of it, but anachronistic technologies like radio sets, personal telephones, autonomous androids, [[spoiler:a steam-powered MiniMecha]] and holograms intermingle with more period-appropriate set pieces like steam powered trains, saloons, horse barns, a "cat house," and one-on-one ShowdownAtHighNoon gun battles. Said radio set even provides an AnachronisticSoundtrack in the form of a Brazilian Jazz station that plays "Girl from Ipanema" -- a song the wasn't written until 1962. |
| 65 | * In ''ComicBook/SubMarinerTheDepths'', we know this version of Namor is living in The '50s, we just don't know when in the 50s. With the mention of Edmund Hillary's yeti footprint photograph in 1952, the extent of our knowledge is that it is post-1952 that this version of Namor is living in. |
| 66 | [[/folder]] |
| 67 | |
| 68 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 69 | * ''ComicStrip/{{Crabgrass}}'' was originally set in the 1980's, but the exact time period was deliberately made more vague as time went on. The comic's official description on [=GoComics=] only states that it is set in "an ambiguous time before cellphones and the internet." |
| 70 | * ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' tries to avoid pop-culture humor in favor of animal or science jokes and generic satire, with the human characters dressing as if it's some point between the 1930s and the '60s. Adding to the confusion are the "historical" strips set in the Stone Age, medieval times, the Old West or whatever, which are sometimes described in the present tense and sometimes in the (implied) past tense. |
| 71 | [[/folder]] |
| 72 | |
| 73 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 74 | * ''Fanfic/FlyMeToTheMoon'' is ambiguously dated between 2000 and 2018 due to the past being implied as the 1950s. |
| 75 | * The ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' fanfic ''Fanfic/TheJoyousOne'': |
| 76 | -->'''A/N:''' I'd like to remind you that this is a pastiche of (mostly) fake early 1800s/late 1800s/1900-1925ish |
| 77 | * ''Fanfic/DontHazeMe'' : ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' ended in 2008, but the fanfic takes place during Kim's college years and mentions Netflix. While Netflix's streaming services did exist in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the story could also take place contemporary to when it was written. |
| 78 | * ''Fanfic/LoveWorthWaitingFor'' combines three films from vastly different time periods: ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'' (206 BC–220 AD), ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' (1840s), and [[spoiler:''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'']] (1900-1919). This makes it impossible to tell the time period. To make it more confusing, Mulan refers to [[spoiler:Captain Hook's crew]] as "vikings." |
| 79 | * ''Fanfic/MeetingOfMinds'': While it's not outright stated when the fic takes place, context clues imply it's the mid-2000s and that the events of both works involved in the crossover (''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' and ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'') occur later than they do in canon. The Yeerks having minimal knowledge of Cybertronians suggests the latter species hasn't been active on Earth for very long, which doesn't check out with the canon timeframes of either work due to the Decepticons becoming public knowledge years before the first Yeerks arrived on the planet. There's also the matter of Rumble referencing ''Series/HannahMontana'', which first aired in 2006; per both canons, this would've happened years after the Yeerks were defeated and while the Decepticons were off-planet for an extended amount of time. |
| 80 | * The flashbacks to 60 years ago in the oneshot ''Fanfic/VeritasDolor'' feature Nat King Cole's version of "When I Fall In Love" from 1956. |
| 81 | [[/folder]] |
| 82 | |
| 83 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 84 | * ''Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon'': |
| 85 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'': Most of the fashions and technology suggest an 18th century setting, but the film is littered with anachronisms, from Ariel's 1980s hairdo to her sparkly gown at the end, to her poofy Princess Diana-esque wedding dress. Also, Chef Louis seems to have walked out of a 1930s slapstick comedy. |
| 86 | ** ''Franchise/TheLionKing'' gives no indication of what time the story takes place. There are references that hint it is set in present day and the ''WesternAnimation/TimonAndPumbaa'' cartoon series confirms this (though that show is very dubiously canon). On the other hand, since we never see any humans, it's still plausible to depict the setting as taking place in very ancient or even prehistoric times. Possibly the only clue we have is the appearance of Mount Kilimanjaro, which has more snow than it has lately (due to climate change), meaning it's not set in ''quite'' the present day. |
| 87 | ** A lot of the Disney films have this; being fairy tales, they're just set "a long time ago." WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty actually does say "This is the fourteenth century" (though [[HollywoodCostuming the fashion doesn't match]]) and newer films tend to aim for more historical accuracy (for example ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' is set in the 1840s, albeit with some AnachronismStew here and there), but most of the rest don't even have that. |
| 88 | * The Australian animated film ''WesternAnimation/Epic1984'' is set on the distant past, as it begins with an "In the beginning..." and it features monsters and a dinosaur, alongside present day Australian Aborigines and mammals. It also features TheGreatFlood which the narrator on the original version implies it to be ''the'' Biblical Flood. |
| 89 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Frankenweenie}}'': At first glance, the setting seems to be somewhere between The50s and The60s. You can tell it from the look of the cars, clothes, or domestic electrical. Additionally, Mrs. Frankenstein is a {{housewife}}, there is (save for Toshiaki and Nassor) a MonochromeCasting as the segregation was still in effect, there are no cell phones (but there are phone booths), people film in Super 8... It makes sense if you consider that Victor is an AuthorAvatar for Creator/TimBurton, who was a kid in The60s. And yet, Pluto's demotion from from its previous planet status is evoked, something that happened in 2006. Also, Bob suggests to use a computer simulation rather than being used as a guinea pig for the scientific experience of Toshiaki, while the Franchise/{{Barbie}} doll Weird Girl is seen playing with has a contemporary look. |
| 90 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' is like this, but with prehistoric life. The main characters are an ''Apatosaurus'', a ''Triceratops'', a ''Saurolophus'', a ''Pteranodon'', and a ''Stegosaurus'', with a ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' as the villain. Given the widely different times all of these species lived in [[note]]''Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops,'' and ''Saurolophus'' are all from the Maastrichtian stage of the Cretaceous, while ''Apatosaurus'' and ''Stegosaurus'' are from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic. ''Pteranodon'' is from the Campanian stage of the Cretaceous.[[/note]], what time period the movie is set in is anyone's guess. The sequels make it even more ambiguous. |
| 91 | * The ''Franchise/{{Madagascar}}'' franchise doesn't make it especially clear when it's set, as it features a somewhat retro aesthetic but the dates visible in the films' {{Freeze Frame Bonus}}es alternate between implying the franchise takes place in either the 80s or the present day. Given that realistic animal ages are used, there can't be ''that'' much time between movies. |
| 92 | * ''Animation/MavkaTheForestSong'': The village feels very much like rural Ukraine from the 19th century, the guns of BigBad Kylina's two brutish henchmen feel likewise, there's a 1900s car, and then there are things like the Kylina's assistant's very modern [[TheDandy dandy]], fashion-oriented flamboyance (with an English name in 1980s-like typo on the back of his coat), chainsaws and a big wood-cutting machine on tracks. |
| 93 | * As an [[AffectionateParody affectionate]] [[GenreThrowback throwback]] to the zombie and supernatural horror films of the 1970s, ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'' appears very retro, with all the [=TVs=], most of the cars, many of the houses, and the [[StylisticSuck cheesy old horror movies]] that Norman watches looking very 70s, however there's a number of very modern touches that seem to clash with this: |
| 94 | ** The kids still go to the library rather than the internet to look up info on the witch's curse, but all of them have flip phones, Selma has a laptop, the [=TVs=] and movies we see in a store window look very modern, and all the parents at the school play ([[FunnyBackgroundEvent as in literally all of them]]) have 90s-2000s era video camcorders. |
| 95 | ** There's also a number of socially progressive attributes to Blythe Hollow that would have been very unlikely in the 70s, like the town's only apparent cop being a black woman and homosexuality being publicly accepted enough for [[spoiler:Mitch]] to casually mention [[StraightGay his boyfriend]] to someone he doesn't know that well. |
| 96 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePeanutsMovie'' is deliberately vague about when it is taking place, aiming for both nostalgia and sense of timelessness that could (with a few exceptions) pass for any era between the 1940s and today. Among the older elements are Snoopy still using a typewriter (rare since the 1990s at the very latest), Linus still referring to UsefulNotes/WorldWarI as "The Great War", [[TheWestern Westerns still being popular]] (''Series/TheLoneRanger'' is evoked), and interest in [[UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace the 1960s space program]]. Accompanying those are more modern or contemporary tropes, such as [[IKnowKarate karate]] and 21st-century dance pop [[LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn (which may or may not be perceptible to the characters)]]. |
| 97 | * Creator/{{Pixar}}: |
| 98 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' seems to take place in 1960s, but they have computers that function similarly to what we have today. Even the one seen in Bob's office, despite its retro design, would be out of place for that time period. There's also VHS players, which didn't come out until late 70s. Further complicating things, the comics have cell phones and Internet, in line with late Noughties' technology (Violet has her own laptop, for instance) and [[WesternAnimation/Incredibles2 the sequel]] having a villain named "Screenslaver". Not to mention that in both films, the technology utilized by the villains ''far'' exceeds anything we have today in everything from robotics to matter-manipulation. Creator/BradBird stated that the time period is based more on what people in the '50s and '60s thought the future would be like, so the setting being an AlternateHistory may justify this. |
| 99 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'': Considering the technology and vehicles, it would be easy to assume that the story is set in the 1950s-60s; however Gusteau's will is dated to 2004. This does corroborate with Ego's quick childhood flashback, as this was not how the world looked like, clothing and decorating-wise, in the 1910s-20s. |
| 100 | %% Following entry has been commented out for the time being due to being a duplicate: * ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'': Once again the setting seems to be somewhere between The50s and The60s due to vehicles and clothes look, the cell phones absence, or the black and white TV sets. Until DNA tests, in use for paternity tests since The90s, are mentionned. |
| 101 | ** 2019's ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'' takes place nine years after an indeterminate point between the [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory2 second]] and [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory3 third]] films. It's not clarified if ComicBookTime is in place or not. Everything looks fairly timeless and there's nothing more modern than a car GPS. |
| 102 | * Intended to be the case in ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' -- the town of Burgess in the "present-day" was specifically based off towns from the 80s/90s to give it that timeless feel, and there isn't much in the way of technology like smartphones. |
| 103 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'': It's a bit iffy when the action takes place. At Brooklyn, people are seen at arcade machines and playing classic Creator/{{Nintendo}} games, both of which were prominent in the 80s, yet Luigi has a cell phone that looks a bit too... modern to fit in that time period. The film's prop artists at least seem to think that it takes place in the modern day, [[https://preview.redd.it/x6ytb7ur7m4b1.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=f94fd455fcbfb5274dadd441e8a406a16f74518d as the pipes on the Bros' van are dated to 2021]]; if this is the case, the retro Easter eggs can be chalked up to isolated cases of people appreciating old media. |
| 104 | * The exact time ([[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield and place]]) in which WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit have their adventures has never been clarified. What we see of the duo's house and surrounding city suggests a roughly late 50s-early 1960s British setting. For example, the truck that Wendolene Ramsbottom drives in ''A Close Shave'' strongly resembles a 1951 Guy Otter lorry, but Wallace's beloved [[TrademarkFavoriteFood Wensleydale Cheese]] was producing very little cheese in the 1950s and struggled financially throughout much of the latter half of the 20th century[[note]]In fact, the company nearly went bankrupt in the 1990s until [[TheRedStapler it received a massive boost in publicity]] from being mentioned in ''Wallace and Gromit''[[/note]]. There are also no computers, except that some of the technology appears far too advanced for the 1950s (albeit with a distinctly old-fashioned DieselPunk aesthetic). One could simply chalk this up to Wallace (and a few others, like Wendolene Ramsbottom's late father) simply being a cracking good inventor, but there are other small touches that suggest such things are more commonplace and not always attributable to Wallace's invention, like the sophisticated LaserHallway in ''The Wrong Trousers'', the moon robot in ''A Grand Day Out''. The overall setting appears to be something of a minor RetroUniverse, but the WorldLimitedToThePlot and the absence of [[MinimalistCast any other humans]] until ''A Close Shave'' doesn't make things any more clear. |
| 105 | * ''Anime/WhenMarnieWasThere'' lacks much modern technology, everyone has "timeless" but modern day attire, and is based off a book from the 1960s. It could easily take place in the 1990s, 2000s, or 2010s. Marnie makes it even more confusing as her clothes and [[OutdatedName name]] are old-fashioned, though it's justified [[spoiler:as she's DeadAllAlong and from the mid-20th century]]. An easily missed scene shows a character with a smartphone, implying the movie takes place in the 2010s. |
| 106 | [[/folder]] |
| 107 | |
| 108 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 109 | * ''Film/BabylonAD'' takes place sometime in the near future, but it's never exactly stated what year it is or even what decade. Rough estimates based on bits of information present in the film, such as the age of the Soviet submarine, place it roughly somewhere in the early 2030s. |
| 110 | * ''Film/BatmanFilmSeries'': Reporters use very old fashioned cameras and a lot of the film's elements seem to be from The40s, and yet Batman himself has very modern technology; far better than anything that existed when the movie was made! The closest the franchise comes to explicitly addressing this is in [[Film/Batman1989 the 1989 original]], when a character is shown reading a newspaper from 1947 -- but the scene is also set in a newspaper office, where archived newspapers are certainly not uncommon. The costume designers for the Burton/Schumacher films even [[WordOfGod admitted]] that, as least as far as the costumes are concerned, the second film, ''Film/BatmanReturns'', is set in an alternate 1947 with modern/futuristic technology. |
| 111 | * ''Film/ThisBeautifulFantastic'', released in 2016, apparently takes place in present-day London, but all the technology is pre-digital and the costumes look vaguely period. |
| 112 | * The Creator/RoaldDahl book ''Literature/TheBFG'' was released and set in the 1980s, as shown by [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethII the Queen]] being fairly young and brown-haired then. In [[Film/TheBFG the film]] by Creator/StevenSpielberg, the cars seen are rather old-fashioned but the Queen is much older and looks like her 1990s' self thanks to the grey curls. Adding to the date clouding is a scene where she calls "Nancy" on the phone and asks if "UsefulNotes/{{Ronald|Reagan}}" is there. |
| 113 | * ''Film/{{Brazil}}'' is set "Somewhere In The Twentieth Century" -- whilst genre convention would normally dictate a dystopia of this type was set in the future, it's also very {{Zeerust}}y and could just as easily be a twisted version of the then present-day world. It's left deliberately ambiguous, and in a way the precise setting isn't meant to be that important. |
| 114 | * ''Film/DodgeballATrueUnderdogStory'': WordOfGod has it that the movie was supposed to take place in the early 1990s, but a number of thing (including Peter renting ''Film/MonaLisaSmile'' on DVD, as well as the existence of digital cable) would suggest [[PresentDayPast it's just in the present day]]; it looks as if it could have been set in the present day. |
| 115 | * It is hard to pinpoint exactly when ''Film/FinalGirl'' is supposed to be set. The cars and the dresses the women wear all point out to [[The50s the late 1950s]] and [[The60s the early 1960s]], but the television in William and Veronica’s motel room is in color with a digital display and the guns they use are far more modern than that. |
| 116 | * The 1993 film adaptation of ''Film/TheFugitive'' plays with this, and not just because it's an updating of [[Series/TheFugitive a 1960s TV series]]. The movie does a very good job of not [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece tying the story to any particular time period]], partly because the early 1990s (the filming date of ''The Fugitive'' and ostensibly its time period) was a fairly conservative era with very few particularly glaring fads or peculiarities and partly because a few subtle retro touches are slipped in, such as a Polish immigrant who can barely speak English and TheDragon of the evil plot being made up to look like a grotesque FilmNoir villain. The most specific technology the movie ever calls attention to is computers -- specifically, [=PCs=] with MS/DOS screens and dot-matrix printers, apparently putting the action sometime between 1980 and 1995. |
| 117 | * ''Film/AGirlWalksHomeAloneAtNight'': Each character seems to exemplify a different time period in their clothing and demeanor -- The Girl, in her striped shirt, short hair, and love of records, seems '60s; Arash loves his '50s clothes and car; Atti looks like she walked out of the 1930s, etc. The actual set looks modern, with oil drills and powerplants in the background. |
| 118 | * ''Film/Halloween2007'': The early scenes take place 17 years before the rest of the film, but they don't necessarily depict 1990. The fashions, cars, etc. are actually mostly (but not totally) '70s-influenced. However, the present-day scenes mix in some '90s technology such as cell phones with (then) contemporary fashion and cars. |
| 119 | * ''Franchise/HarryPotter'': The London scenes of the [[Film/{{HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone}} earlier]] [[Film/{{HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets}} Harry Potter]] [[Film/{{HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban}} films]] are mostly set in areas of old buildings, so time period can be hard for an average moviegoer to determine, the main clues of then-modern times being the cars shown. A brief appearance of the now-demolished Southwark Towers, however, narrows down the possibilities to between 1976 and 2008. Averted by the books, which explicitly take place between 1991 and 1998. |
| 120 | * ''Film/ItFollows'' appears to take place in a world that is a strange blend of various decades between the 1950s and 2010s. The [=TVs=] are '70s at least, and play old black-and-white '50s features too often for it to be any sort of marathon or simple showing of classic movies. The cars are largely '60s designs. Our heroine visits a very retro movie theater with a live pianist. One of the main characters reads a book on a strange contraption roughly resembling a Kindle in the shape of a flip-mirror. Only one person is shown to have a cell phone. Not to mention the strange lack of black people in Detroit. |
| 121 | * Most of the time, ''The New Adventures of Literature/PippiLongstocking'' seems to be set around the 1940s (when the first books were written). However, the characters are shocked when a local man "invents" a flying machine and Pippi's sailing adventures with her father seem to be out of the 17th century. |
| 122 | * ''Film/{{Noah}}'' is set at some time in the remote past [[AfterTheEnd (barring the possibility that what we're seeing is a post-apocalyptic wasteland, of course)]], but we're not told exactly when. The only compelling clue ''Literature/TheBible'' offers is that it's definitely taking place before the reign of King David (circa 1000 B.C.); beyond that things get ''very'' vague. And given the characters' tribal/hunter-gatherer lifestyle and the fact that agriculture barely exists, it's obviously happening before 3000 B.C. Finally, one animal seen fleetingly in the film appears to be some bizarre prehistoric creature, suggesting that the action is taking place ''at least'' several thousand years before the rise of human civilization. So this could be sometime during the late Paleolithic Era, perhaps a few centuries or so before the Western Hemisphere was settled, resulting in a date of, say, 14,000 B.C. (Of course, Jewish tradition -- where the story of Noah originated -- directly contradicts all of this by holding that the universe was created no earlier than 6,004 years ago.) Making things even more confusing is the level of technology that exists among the other sinful humans -- a brief montage at the beginning shows what appear to be ''skyscrapers'', but ones constructed primarily of wooden scaffolding and stone (something that has ''never'' existed at any period in human history), while Tubalcain's followers have metal armor and weapons, suggesting a medieval level of technology, but in very modern styles, with helmets that resemble SWAT team gear or welder's masks, and carry rocket-launcher like weapons that fire the glowing combustible rocks we see used as fuel and fire sources throughout the movie. |
| 123 | * In ''Film/Penelope2006'', not only do cell/mobile phones and the internet apparently not exist, it's questionable whether ''answering machines'' even exist given the fact that several characters are shown surrounded by tons of phones. Notably, said phones are all corded, and Penelope has no trouble finding pay phones to use. Something of a plot point is made of Penelope's dowry, a practice no longer in play in modern-day America (at least officially, though there might still be some cases of a form of NobilityMarriesMoney quietly happening). The clothing, however, is distinctly 1990s/2000s, credit card use is apparently common, and things such as shatterproof glass exist. |
| 124 | * ''Film/TheRiver1951'' has a very ambiguous setting. It is set in India, apparently during UsefulNotes/TheRaj -- the protagonists are the Britons that run a jute factory, and their families -- but other than that there's little hint of just when the setting is supposed to be. New American arrival to India Captain John lost his leg in "the war", but there's no hint as to ''which'' war. Protagonist Harriet is a tween girl, and the film is narrated by an older Harriet, which may hint to a post-World War I setting (the film was released in 1951), but that's it. (The source novel was set in the 1920s.) |
| 125 | * ''Film/{{Roh}}'': The story seems to take place in some pre-modern (possibly pre-industrial) era, but the sheer isolation of the characters deep in the forest, along with them wearing traditional Malaysian clothes that could be worn in any time period, makes it hard to pin down when ''exactly''. |
| 126 | * ''Film/TheRoom2003'': The dressing of the main set is nondescript and not specific to a certain period. Johnny specifically avoids mentioning what film he, Lisa, and Denny are going to see. The only thing that ties it to a specific period is the cassette recorder Johnny uses to record telephone calls but given that he is shown taking it out from a cupboard, it could simply have been put in storage. |
| 127 | * ''Film/TheRoyalTenenbaums'': Until the final scene has the date on [[spoiler:Royal's tombstone]] being listed as "2001", the movie otherwise seemed to be set somewhere between 1976 and 1984. |
| 128 | * ''Film/Se7en'' could have taken place any time between the 1970s and the movie's 1995 release. Somerset uses a typewriter to type his case notes: this can be justified by the fact that he's about to retire and there isn't any point in or enough time to teach him to use a computer. [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece Index cards are still used to identify books in a library and their borrowers]]. The library watchmen listen to classical music. |
| 129 | * ''Film/ShakesTheClown'': The city of Palookaville appears to be stuck at some blurry point between the 1940s and 1960s, with certain characters in suits and fedoras and clowns still hosting children's TV shows -- if not for references to Music/{{Madonna}} and the Watergate scandal, and cocaine being a recreational drug. |
| 130 | * ''Film/StrangeBehavior'': There is a vaguely retro, 1950s-eque look to the film, but also some modern touches that suggest a present-day or near-future setting. |
| 131 | * ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'' is set at least 18 months after the ''Enterprise'' returned from her five year mission, but beyond that, the timeline is somewhat ambiguous. It's generally assumed that Captain Kirk's five year mission as seen on the original [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries live-action]] and [[WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries animated series]] ran from 2265-70, but we don't know if the ''Enterprise'' returned home immediately thereafter, and whether she sat a while before the refit could commence in earnest. Originally, semi-official sources like the ''Star Trek Encyclopedia'' and ''Chronology'' placed it in 2271, ''i.e.'', assuming pretty immediate return and refit, but more recently, the timeline has been a bit more generous, either stating 2272-73 or just generically "the early 2270s." |
| 132 | * ''Film/UnderworldRiseOfTheLycans'': The film appears to be set in the Late Middle Ages, due to the abundance of knights in full plate and crossbows; however, the vampire nobles dress in attire that looks very much modern. It doesn't help that we have no idea what country all this takes place in. |
| 133 | * ''Film/{{Winterskin}}'': It's never stated when the movie's supposed to be set. The architecture, dress, and Agnes' rifle seem to suggest it's colonial America. However, Billy states that he and his father repair snowmobiles for a living [[spoiler:and Billy finds the guts of a radio in Agnes' house]]. |
| 134 | * ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'': |
| 135 | ** The film could take place in 1899 (when its [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz source material]] was written) just as easily as it could in 1939 (at least in Oz, where the Emerald City's technology is state-of-the art by 1930s standards and the skirts on the women are shorter than the 1890s would have allowed). The simple costumes, rural setting, and old technology (including a horse-drawn carriage) are all pretty vague. Miss Gulch's outfit in particular evokes more of a turn-of-the-century appearance. Of course, it helps that the state of Kansas (except for Wichita and Kansas City, of course) is even in the 21st century [[NothingExcitingEverHappensHere a fairly sleepy place where things tend to stay the same]]. |
| 136 | ** One of Dorothy’s songs uses the phrase "thumbing for a hitch," and she makes a thumbs-up gesture as she’s singing -- a reference to something that first arose in the 1930s. But this could be shrugged off as a minor {{anachronism|Stew}}, if one supposes the story's setting to be the turn of the 20th century. |
| 137 | [[/folder]] |
| 138 | |
| 139 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 140 | * ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'': It's hard to pinpoint exactly when the stories featuring the family are taking place. The action never leaves Bear Country, which features very few technologies aside from (early-to-mid-century) cars [[note]] Grizzly Gramps drives what looks like a 1940s pickup [[/note]] and (pre-1950s) telephones. Shopping malls and color television appear to be fairly new, suggesting an approximate date of 1970; however, one book shows what looks suspiciously like a Rubik's Cube, which was invented around 1980. |
| 141 | * ''Literature/TheBlueLagoon'', written in 1907 by Creator/HenryDeVereStacpoole, intentionally presents an ambiguous time period. This ambiguity serves several purposes: to appeal to a wider audience by avoiding specific historical markers, to create a timeless story focusing on universal themes and characters' experiences, to provide an escapist and fantastical atmosphere, and to allow for symbolism and allegory. While the exact reasons for the ambiguous time period are speculative, these factors contribute to the novel's enduring appeal and exploration of deeper meanings. |
| 142 | * ''Literature/TheCalfOfTheNovemberCloud'' was published in 1977, but it is unclear when it exactly happens. The story is set in Kenya and involves a Masai young boy, but nobody seems to have heard of firearms or met any European or Middle-Eastern settlers, so it must take sometime before the 1840s, at the latest. |
| 143 | * It would be easy to assume that ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' takes place in the early 20th Century (around the time of the author's childhood) because of the Bucket family's absurdly exaggerated poverty and Charlie's father's horrible factory job, except that Mike Teavee is considered a SpoiledBrat because he's addicted to television. ''Literature/CharlieAndTheGreatGlassElevator'' confuses the issue even more with all its science fiction elements while being an ImmediateSequel. |
| 144 | * ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'': The stories take place sometime between 20,000 B.C. and 9500 B.C. Or as his short story "The Phoenix on the Sword" puts it, "Between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas." |
| 145 | * ''Literature/{{Crictor}}'' was first published in 1958, but takes place during an unspecified time period. The style of dress favored by Madame Bodot and all the background characters (long dresses with high collars, sailor suits for the children, and everyone wearing a hat while outdoors) resembles the 1900s-1910s. The copious use of gas lamps throughout the story also indicates the late 1800s or early 1900s. Early automobiles and a toy pickup truck appear in the story, and Crictor climbs a utility pole to rescue a kite for a pair of children (though whether the utility pole holds telegraph wires or electrical wires is another question). Crictor also helps a pack of boy scouts learn to tie knots, though scouting didn't begin in France until 1911. |
| 146 | * ''Literature/DiamondBrothers'' series became this, due to the series {{schedule slip}}ping a lot. The first book ''Literature/TheFalconsMalteser'' was released in 1986, so one would think that the series would continue to take place during the 1980s, but then as the books were slowly released, they began to suffer from TimeMarchesOn once the fourth book was released the 2000s. Then when the recent book was released in 2007, one of the brothers had turned an age. It's an '80s/'90s/New Millennium mishmash. |
| 147 | * ''Literature/{{Evolution}}'': It's not stated exactly when "A Long Shadow" (the first chapter in the Descendants section) takes place. The characters can only speculate that it must have been more than a millennium since civilization ended and they were put into cryostasis. |
| 148 | * The ''Literature/HardaHorda'' anthology has three different examples across its stories: |
| 149 | ** ''Rail Station Attendant'': It's the near future. How far into it? Maybe 50 years. Maybe 150. It doesn't really matter for the story itself. |
| 150 | ** ''Dear Mr. M.'': The action takes place somewhere in the tail end of the 19th century[[note]]O. mentions reading Tennyson's "newest poem" when she was 16, while he died in 1892, and the plot takes place when she's 23[[/note]], and [[FramingDevice the letter itself is written]] somewhere later, probably after [=WW1=], given a "modern" societal upheaval is mentioned. |
| 151 | ** ''Fiery Tail'': We don't even know when the main character was born, but it's vaguely implied to be in the near future. From that moment on, even more, unspecified time has passed, but given that Earth went through [[ColonyDrop being hit by a swarm of asteroids]], a new ice age as a result of that and then recovered fully from it, there is a good chance thousands, if not millions, of years have passed, while human survivors were stored on [[SleeperShip Space]] [[TheArk Arks]] for the duration. |
| 152 | * ''Literature/HumanResources2018'' when not set in the far future, takes place in some vague time period with bunny-ear TV sets, cheap motels, and no cell phones. |
| 153 | * It's never mentioned when ''Literature/LandOfOz'' takes place. The [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz first book]] came out in 1900 and the [[Literature/DorothyAndTheWizardInOz fourth book]] appears to involve the 1906 San Francisco earthquake (although it is never specified in the text what the year was or if it was that earthquake in particular). The 1925 book ''The Lost King Of Oz'' implies the series began in the [[TwentyMinutesIntoThePast late 1800s]] (and that several years have passed since it began). When Dorothy is accidentally sent back to America, the anti-aging spell from Oz stops working and Dorothy turns middle aged. |
| 154 | * ''Literature/TheQuantumThief'': Based on the hints, the story seems to take place approximately 300-400 years to the future, but time has become almost irrelevant in a world where most human beings have been uploaded into immortal computer systems that can alter their subjective sense of time by increasing or decreasing processing cycles. The oldest Sobornost Gogols that work in the Deep Time are believed to be at least tens of thousands of subjective years old. |
| 155 | * Creator/DavidDrake's series ''Literature/{{RCN}}'' and ''Literature/TheCitizenSeries'' both take place roughly a thousand years after Earth was half-destroyed (by ColonyDrop in ''RCN'', by biological warfare in ''Citizen''). Beyond that, there's so much SchizoTech in both settings that the time period relative to the reader is vague at best. |
| 156 | * ''Franchise/{{Riordanverse}}'': The books do not mention birth years for most of the characters. This is deliberate; according to author Creator/RickRiordan, the Riordanverse is set in a loosely-defined "present day" that isn't tied to real time and only advances as the action in the books advances. This means that although ''[[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians The Lightning Thief]]'' was published in 2005, that's not necessarily when the story takes place, and it does not put Percy Jackson's birthday on August 18, 1992, given he is 12 years old during the events of that book. |
| 157 | * ''Literature/TheScorpioRaces'': The time period is never mentioned. WordOfGod has said that she knows when it is set, and the location of the island it's set on, but she will not say. |
| 158 | * It's hard to nail down exactly what period ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' is set in, as [[InsistentTerminology "advanced"]] computers lie alongside telegrams and early mid-19th century automobiles and fashions, as well as practically medieval outlooks on child labour, medicine and the law. The only WordOfGod statement about when it is set is "The Year of the Rat". |
| 159 | * ''Literature/ShadesOfGrey:'' The last known date when the Previous (that is, modern humans) existed is 2296, which was revealed by a reciept for cheese of all things. The Citizens of The Collective aren't even sure what day of the week it is compared to the Previous; as the series begins, it is the year 0496 by their calendar. In the second book, [[spoiler:a character manages to calculate that the year in Chromatica is 2803, using their knowledge of comets.]] |
| 160 | * The ''Literature/ShadyHollow'' series by Juneau Black is published as "Vintage Crime", but it's difficult to tell exactly what vintage. Being set in a small town in what is implied to be Upstate New York (in a WorldOfFunnyAnimals) makes it even harder. Most of the time it seems to be vaguely at the end of TheGildedAge, with a wealthy sawmill owner modeled after the Astor, Rockefeller, and Vanderbilt families, and cars don't decisively appear (ambiguously "a wagon" does but most people walk or fly with wings), as well as etiquette schools. One character is a holdover from TheWildWest. But [=1950s=] style diner uniforms appear, [[EternalSexualFreedom modern romantic mores]], and offhand references to modern books complicate it. |
| 161 | * ''Literature/{{Stray}}'' was published in 1987 but takes place in a time period where milk bottles are still left at doors. |
| 162 | * The ''Literature/ATaleOf'' series mixes together several films that are in completely different time periods, making it impossible to pin down the time period of the books. |
| 163 | * ''Literature/TreasureIsland'': The year is given as "17--" and the mentioning of King George not clarifying which King George it is, the setting could theoretically be anywhere from 1714 to 1799. Some textual evidence does allow us to narrow it down further, however - the suggestion that England is at war with France would imply a range of 1740-63. Bow Street Runners are mentioned, dating it to after 1749. Stevenson's treasure map includes a date of 1754, and Flint has been dead at least three years, so it must be after 1757. And since they visit a friendly port in Spanish America, it's presumably before Spain entered the Seven Years' War in 1762, so it most likely takes place in the last years of the 1750s or the first two years of the '60s. (The Disney version sets it in 1765, incidentally.) |
| 164 | * ''Literature/VattasWar'' and ''Literature/VattasPeace'' by Creator/ElizabethMoon take place ''sometime'' far in the future. It's indicated in ''Cold Welcome'' that [[EarthThatWas nobody knows much about where Earth is]] or how long ago their area of space began being settled (aside from Slotter Key's date of settlement being about 300 years ago): Ky Vatta's shipwreck survivors encounter technology and wildlife that were ''probably'' left behind by Earth-origin {{terraform}}ers, but the tech is so ancient that nobody has much of an idea how it works. |
| 165 | * ''Literature/WarriorCats'' appears to take place in the present day. However, nobody knows how long in the "past" the background lore goes back -- WordOfGod has [[FlipFlopOfGod flip-flopped]] on whether the Clans have been in the forest for fifty years or thirty, both of which are considered to be too short by fans considering all the leaders and generation gaps we know about. When you go all the way back -- before the Clans were formed, before the Tribe was formed, back when their ancestors lived by the lake -- there seems to be modern construction equipment; it describes yellow vehicles. Most people accept the series as taking place slightly in the future because of this, but it's not clear exactly when. |
| 166 | [[/folder]] |
| 167 | |
| 168 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 169 | * ''Series/ChillingAdventuresOfSabrina'' has modern attitudes mixed with technology, cars, and fashions of The60s. The characters reference '50s movies as being old, and some have cell phones; however, TV's are still '60s models, and Sabrina's aunts still use rotary phones. |
| 170 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'': The U.N.I.T. stories take place sometime in the 70s, or maybe the 80s. Not even The Doctor or U.N.I.T. themselves know for sure. |
| 171 | * ''Series/TheGoodPlace'', in Season 2, after [[spoiler:''many'' years spent rebooting[[note]]to the tune of three hundred or so years, if Michael's graphs are to be believed[[/note]]]], celestial beings still make reference to pop culture of the late 2010s. We find out in Season 3 that time works a lot differently in the afterlife. |
| 172 | * ''Series/{{Gotham}}'''s version of its title city has tons of anachronisms going on; the many retro touches include 1950s (and in some cases older!) music still being popular, mild disapproval (from other gangsters) of a woman wielding great power in the underworld, and Oswald Cobblepot's AmbiguouslyJewish immigrant mother. Gotham City seems to have progressed faster on social issues than the real world and slower on others -- as mentioned before, women holding positions of authority is somewhat looked down on, but homosexuality is rarely worth commenting on, even by the gangsters. Cell phones seem to phase in and out of existence as well, with Bruce and Selina scouring downtown Gotham for a phone booth in a Season 1 episode. The intent seems to be that Bruce Wayne is Batman in the present day, therefore this is "the past", but making it clear ''when'' in the past would tie down how long it's going to take Bruce to become Batman. [[note]]Most sources agree that Bruce's parents were murdered when he was eight years old, it took him 16 years or so to evolve into Batman, and whenever we read or watch a story about him he has been Batman for about 10 years. So a date sometime in the late '80s would sound about right... except Bruce is twelve when his parents die in ''this'' continuity, and some of the period-specific things shown on ''Gotham'' were pretty old-fashioned even then.[[/note]] |
| 173 | * ''Series/Legion2017'' has '60s/'70s fashions and aesthetics, as well as dialogue implying it takes place in that period, but this is contrasted with modern and at times futuristic technology. |
| 174 | * ''Series/PryorsPlace'' falls victim to this: the basic format of the show is Richard Pryor reminiscing about various childhood experiences, however his stories show his childhood friends in obviously 80s attire, not to mention such things as break dancing and arcades exist. It could all be justified, however, in that his stories are fictionalized versions of his life. |
| 175 | * ''Series/PushingDaisies'' more than likely takes place in the present but has a lot of homes with older television sets and Parisian-style phones, along with very few references to the internet. |
| 176 | * On ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'', an adaptation of ComicBook/ArchieComics, there are laptops, but old style cars are commonplace. A local gang are referred to as "greasers", and Jughead dresses in an emo style rooted in The90s. The football uniforms look largely dated, but the students use modern slang, and attitudes towards sexuality and race are modern as well. The dialogue even explicitly states that the timeline takes place in the present day. The Season 2 premiere featured the Riverdale General Hospital, with doctors and nurses wearing 1950s-style uniforms. Really, it's a healthy mix of The50s and the 2010s. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d when the drive-in is torn down because the times have changed. |
| 177 | * ''Series/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'', which, like the above ''Series/PushingDaisies'', had Creator/BarrySonnenfeld as one of its directors and producers, is this in spades. But some references to online auctions are used as a joke (in particular, in the first episode when Count Olaf is referring to a defective hourglass). |
| 178 | * ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': In the early episodes, the writers deliberately avoided mentioning the exact time period the show takes place relative to the present day, but by the time of episodes like "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E22SpaceSeed Space Seed]]" (which involved a group of HumanPopsicle superhuman exiles from 1996) it's established the show takes place in the mid-23rd century. |
| 179 | [[/folder]] |
| 180 | |
| 181 | [[folder:Mythology and Religion]] |
| 182 | * ''Literature/TheBible'': |
| 183 | ** Most stories in the Old Testament are set during the reign of unnamed kings and pharaohs. The first Israelite king whose reign can be dated using extra-Biblical sources is Ahab, the eighth king of Israel; he is mentioned in the Kurkh Monoliths as leading the Israelite army during the Battle of Qarqar (853 BCE), part of the Assyrian campaign in the Levant. |
| 184 | ** Averted by ''Literature/TheFourGospels'', which are explicitly set during the reign of Emperor Tiberius of Rome (14-37 AD). |
| 185 | [[/folder]] |
| 186 | |
| 187 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 188 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Monopoly}}'' would obviously have to be taking place sometime before about 1890, when monopolies were declared illegal. However, the drawings on the board and the cards are 1930s style, and one of the playing pieces is a sporty roadster. |
| 189 | * In ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' the year is always 214 since Friend Computer likes the number. This means that the players have no idea how long Alpha Complex has been a hellhole. |
| 190 | [[/folder]] |
| 191 | |
| 192 | [[folder:Theater]] |
| 193 | * ''Theatre/DukeBluebeardsCastle'' intentionally has no specified time or place in the notes, letting directors interpret it however and whenever they wish. |
| 194 | * ''Theatre/{{Hadestown}}'''s opening lines have Hermes say "Once upon a time, there was a railroad line / Don't ask where, brother, don't ask when." It's overall implied to be set in the United States during TheGreatDepression, but it's intentionally kept vague and laden with anachronisms as befitting a myth like this. |
| 195 | * The OpeningNarration of ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors'' says it set "On the twenty-third day in the month of September, in an early year of a decade not too long before our own." [[Film/LittleShopOfHorrors The movie]] says the same in its OpeningScroll but a radio report later mentions President Kennedy, meaning it must be set between 1961 and '63. |
| 196 | * ''Theatre/TheMerryWivesOfWindsor'': Since Falstaff and his friends are from the ''Theatre/HenryIV'' plays, ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' must logically take place in the same time period. However, there's nothing in the actual plot or setting to indicate that it's set any time other than Shakespeare's own days. |
| 197 | * ''[[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow The Rocky Horror Show]]'' left the time period unspecified, but the movie has Brad and Janet listening to Richard Nixon's resignation on the radio which would set it in 1974. A lot of the aesthetic of the world outside the castle, and Brad and Janet themselves, seems to be very 1950s. However, the original ending of the movie features a movie theater showing ''Film/JasonAndTheArgonauts'', firmly dating it to 1963. |
| 198 | [[/folder]] |
| 199 | |
| 200 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 201 | * ''Franchise/AceAttorney'': |
| 202 | ** Narrowly averted in the mainline games. While it's made abundantly clear that the series is set NextSundayAD to justify the odd legal system, there is only one explicit mention of what year an event takes place. [[ThatOneCase The DL-6 Incident]] happened on December 28, 2001, fifteen years to the day before the end of the fourth case in [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney the first game]]. All other events in the series are dated relative to this event. |
| 203 | ** Also narrowly averted in ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney''. Although the year is never explicitly addressed, the inclusion of the HistoricalDomainCharacter Natsume Soseki as a character with a given age means that the first game is set in 1899-1900. (Apparently an alternate version, though, as there's a new building going up that didn't in real life and people are talking about things besides the centennial and UsefulNotes/TheSecondBoerWar.) |
| 204 | * ''VideoGame/Blood1997'' has an overall tone and feel that's meant to be reminiscent of the early 1900s, with a rustic atmosphere in the environments and rather old-looking weapons (the main automatic weapon is a tommy gun, drum mag and all), with later material claiming it takes place in 1928. However, technology from much later in the century regularly creeps its way in: one of Caleb's main tools is a Zippo lighter (1932), which he uses with one weapon to create an AerosolFlamethrower (entered wide use in the 40s), his shotgun is based on a model from the 70s, the napalm launcher is entirely made-up but based on a technology that wouldn't become widely available until the 40s, and so on. And that's not even getting into [[ShoutOut the constant pop culture references to horror movies]], most of which are well inside of the decade the game was made. |
| 205 | * The ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' series has a habit of time skipping by years every new game, but never specified when the original game took place. However, this is averted with ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'', a direct sequel to ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'', which specifically dates the game in 1998 (the same year ''Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped'' released). [[spoiler:The same game plays it straighter with the year for the Bermugula's Orbit world being dated as "???", though the amount of memorabilia found in Oxide's ship implies that it's set sometime after ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacing''.]] |
| 206 | * ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' is pretty unclear about what year the games take place in, due to a mix of NextSundayAD[=/=]TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, the story's general lack of scope or reference to real-world issues [[spoiler:outside of [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the Tragedy]]]], and the fact that despite having a clear timeline of events, no end year is given with each individual installment. Thankfully, this is partially averted when one counts the class numbers for each batch of Ultimates over ever year (the newest batch [[spoiler:before everything going to shit]] being Class 78), which at the very least puts Hope's Peak Academy's founding within the 1940s, [[spoiler:[[UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan which probably goes out of its way]] to explain the human experimentation and sheer corruption/inequality of the school]]. |
| 207 | * ''VideoGame/DeathLoop'' has a visual style most reminiscent of the 1960s. That said it, contains technology like desktop [=PCs=] called "minicoms," with a functional bullet board system that would be more at home in the early 1990s. Which is not to mention the retrofuturist tech put on display in certain parts of the game, like the semi-intelligent computer, 2BIT. [[spoiler:WordOfGod says it NeverWasThisUniverse and is instead a later time period in the world of ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}''.]] |
| 208 | * The ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series in general refuses to give an exact calendar, not even a fictional one, in any shape or form. The events in each game happen in a vaguely described "modern times" with the presence of technology and fashion that could be from anywhere in the eighties to the 2000s and beyond, most evident in ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry2 2]]'', ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening 3]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 5]]'' with its initial urban settings before Dante and friends traverse the more demonic locations. The lack of cellphones in the series is the greatest barrier in any attempt to assume when the series could take place, since cellphones rapidly change over time more so than most other tech, thus seeing a model on-screen would greatly help any assumption. The indication of days and dates passing in ''5'' was the first time the series ever had something close to a calendar being taken into consideration. It's difficult to read exactly when the series takes place; the models of the cars and Dante's rotary phone imply that it must be the 50s or 60s, but then Dante's boombox (right next to a jukebox, mind you) means that it must be at least the late 60s, then Nero shows up in ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry4 4]]'' with some very modernized-looking cordless headphones and it really becomes impossible to determine the time period. |
| 209 | * ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon2'' places the game in "19XX". |
| 210 | * It's natural to assume that ''VideoGame/FarCry2'' takes place in the same year it was released (2008), and no specific date is ever given, however you never see any technology that wasn't around in the 1980s or 1990s (one character, a Western journalist, even uses cassette tape recorders and a black-and-white film camera). The ending also implies the game is a flashback that takes place at some point prior to the present day. A character in ''VideoGame/FarCry4'' (which takes place in 2014) is heavily implied to be one of the villains from ''Far Cry 2'' who has undergone a HeelFaceTurn; he looks at least a couple decades older than the character in ''Far Cry 2'' did. Given that the game is loosely based on the Sierra Leone civil war of the 1990s, this timeframe makes sense. |
| 211 | * ''Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys'': |
| 212 | ** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4'' unambiguously takes place in The80s, before the events of [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys the first game]], but beyond that, it's unclear as to just ''what'' year it takes place in. At first, it would appear to be 1987 due to the teasers prior to the game's release featuring the number, toys of the Toy animatronics from [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2 the second game]] (which happens in '87) appearing, and the entire game [[spoiler:building up to what looks like the Bite of '87]]. However, an EasterEgg reveals a TV advert/program that has a copyright date of 1983 -- this, along with Fredbear having a restaurant open (when by 1987 it had been closed for years) seemingly suggests it happens on that year instead. Then the Halloween update added Nightmare BB (whom Scott considered canon unlike the other new animatronics), who looks like his Toy bretheren, seemingly putting it in 1987... only for ''Sister Location'' [[spoiler:to have an EasterEgg involving the rooms from ''4'' appearing by typing "1983" on a keypad in the Private Room]]. |
| 213 | ** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'' takes place after Freddy Fazbear's Pizza closed down, but due to its numerous iterations, it's hard to say which one specifically it refers to. The presence of high tech animatronics and even an A.I. guiding the player, as well as a voiceover from [[spoiler:who is implied to be the GreaterScopeVillain]] suggests it happens in between the first and third games (thus the mid/late 1990s to [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture the early 2020s]]), though the exact year is still unclear. |
| 214 | * ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto2'' is set in an impossible time with contradictory hints or statements. The introductory video was filmed in late 90s New York City and looks nothing like the game. The game itself is set in "Anywhere City" where several factions vying for control of the criminal underground, the largest being a company called [[JapanTakesOverTheWorld Zaibatsu Pharmaceuticals]]. The city is generally has a Cyberpunk UsedFuture look to it, and the cars are designed with a retro-futuristic look ranging from 30s- to 70s-style vehicles, and including styles from America, Europe, and even Soviet Europe (exclusive to TheMafiya). More specific clues are: |
| 215 | ** The leader of the Russian Mafiya is a former Red Army Soldier, implying it takes place within a lifetime of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. |
| 216 | ** Promotional material for the game lists it as "3 weeks into the future", and a promotional website also references police records from 2013. |
| 217 | ** A DJ on the radio mentions the new millennium is coming, which would put it just before 2000 or just before 3000. |
| 218 | * ''VisualNovel/KokoroNoDokiDokiSenpai'' makes no mention of its time period, although based on the backgrounds and characters' clothes it can reasonably be assumed to take place sometime in modern-day Japan. Its sequel, ''VisualNovel/KokoroBakaMonogatari'', downplays this trope by explicitly taking place during 201X. Furthermore, one of the characters wears a [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump MAGA]] [[ItMakesSenseInContext hat]] at one point, which narrows the time period to between 2016-2019. |
| 219 | * ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' avoids specifying dates at which chapters occur (although the timeframes are much clearer). Logs in the ScienceFiction chapter even go so far as to hide dates with X's (although the "copyright" text in the ''Captain Square'' minigame makes it clear it takes place no earlier than 22nd century). |
| 220 | * Nigel from ''VideoGame/TheLostCrown'' never does get a straight answer when he asks what year is it in Saxton, a region filled with anachronisms due to its numerous hauntings. |
| 221 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Mother}}'' trilogy indulges in this quite a bit: |
| 222 | ** ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' was originally set in 1988, but starting from the 1990 English localization and carrying into all later releases, this is changed to an ambiguous point in The80s. However, since the game doesn't include anything that'd particularly date it specifically to the ''late'' 80s in the first place, it feels closer to 1980 or 1981 than to 1988, aiding the ambiguity in later releases. |
| 223 | ** ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'' is set in "[[The90s 199X]]", and goes out of its way to avoid any particular trends from the decade in order to feel just as applicable to 1999 as to 1990. Consequently, the game includes not only elements that would feel contemporaneous to audiences in the game's initial release year of 1994, but also elements indicative of the post-80s cultural hangover that marked the early 90s and even aspects that were phased out by the 19''70''s, such as rotary phones and elementary school-age girls in bows and dresses. |
| 224 | ** ''VideoGame/Mother3'' takes things a notch further by outright ''refusing'' to give any particular indicators of a range of years, simply being set an ambiguously long point of time after ''[=EarthBound=]'', though [[spoiler:the modernized Tazmily and New Pork City]] borrow considerable elements from ''[=EarthBound's=]'' "199X'' setting as well as a few more additions indicative of the pre-smartphone 2000s, including cell phones with extendable antennae. |
| 225 | * ''VideoGame/NewLegends'' is set allegedly in the UsefulNotes/MingDynasty, but there are firearms and helicopters being used in the game, as well as enemies resembling GasMaskMooks (gasmasks being invented in the early 20th century) and the main villain using a KillSat as his trump card. Whether the game takes place in an alternate, {{Steampunk}} version of the real world or it's actually set in the future is never explained. |
| 226 | * ''VideoGame/PaperChase'': The intro text for the BASIC version describes the time period as "the not so unreal future. (It might even be today)." |
| 227 | * ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' likes to do this a lot. If you ignore the steampunk/dieselpunk design which implies it to take place in an alternate universe, it can be assumed that the games take place during the 1960s-70s given the color TV sets and style of the series. |
| 228 | * The kids at Whispering Rock Summer Camp in ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' talk and act like relatively modern-day kids, but they make references to media and cultural phenomenon from all over the place. The fact that they're all psychic and can, therefore, see things in the future and past, only serves to make it ''more'' ambiguous. And if you thought the surprisingly-detailed timeline of Whispering Rock's history you can read in the parking lot will help you, trust us, [[WritersCannotDoMath it won't]]. According to an official "Friendster" parody website, the game takes place in the early 2000s, but it's unknown how accurate that is to the final game. |
| 229 | * It's never mentioned when ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' takes place. Is it set in the 1990s, [[ComicBookTime contemporary]] times, TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, or the far future? The characters dress and live in a modern day-esque setting, all while fighting powerful robots and handling very futuristic inventions, and the flashbacks to 50 years ago (in both ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' and ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'') have a mid-1900s aesthetic (what with the monochrome photographs and the overall fashion). Yet, even 50 years ago they had futuristic advanced technology and science, such as genetic engineering and space colonies, far beyond early 21st century standards. |
| 230 | * ''VideoGame/Strikers1945'' is specifically set in 1945 (the first game anyway). The planes/tanks resemble those from the UsefulNotes/WorldWarII era, but they all have futuristic weapons, and the bosses are giant transforming war machines. |
| 231 | * As a possible reference to ''[=EarthBound=]'', ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' takes place in 201X. [[spoiler:Or rather, the opening scene takes place then; the actual events of the game take place later -- implied to be much later. Yet the human world looks more or less in the current day, and technology sometimes seems to be a bit outdated, like the designs of the cellphones and computers.]] Though this may be justified, considering most of the technology seems to have been pieced together from things Alphys found at the dump. |
| 232 | * ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': |
| 233 | ** It's unclear how far in the future from our present day ''Warframe'' is set, but it's equally unclear how much time has passed between the end of the Orokin empire and the New War and Warframe's 'Present' day. At one point in the closed beta, the Lotus said that the Tenno had been asleep for 'centuries' but currently she says 'for generations'. Not helping matters are the fact that the Sentients are machines who have a form of GeneticMemory that means that experiences aren't lost over generations and the fact that there are ''living Orokin in the Origin system'' in the form of the Entrati family and [[spoiler:Ballas]]. The most common estimate among the playerbase is that the Orokin empire fell about 2,000 years prior to the game starting, given how [[spoiler:most people think that the ''Earth's moon'' is a myth.]] |
| 234 | ** The only time the game averts this is when it's talking about a particular point in the past: [[spoiler:Albrecht Entrati sent himself back in time to 1999 in an attempt to escape the Indifference, and if the teasers for that expansion are any indication, brought back some Orokin technology along with him]]. |
| 235 | * The [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Famicom]] in Madotsuki's room suggests that ''VideoGame/YumeNikki'' could take place as far back as The80s (though one of the {{dream land}}s is a clear {{homage}} to ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', which was released in Japan in 1989), but it could otherwise be set anywhere between then and the TurnOfTheMillennium (when the game was made). [[AmbiguousSituation Just one of the many ambiguous details this setting has to offer.]] |
| 236 | * ''VideoGame/ZanZarahTheHiddenPortal'': It's hard to tell when exactly the game takes place. On one hand, Amy's house interior and the urban landscape in the windows look almost Edwardian; on the other, her house has a television and she herself runs around with a Walkman on her waist. |
| 237 | [[/folder]] |
| 238 | |
| 239 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 240 | * ''Webcomic/AliceAndTheNightmare'' is rather ambiguous about its period. On one hand, the fashion is Victorian and there are carriages used; on the other, there are also mini-fridges, plasma screens and Tron-like suits. The closest we get to a clue is Alice and Edith both reading Lewis Carroll's book. |
| 241 | * WordOfGod states that the calendar saying that the year is [[http://www.avasdemon.com/pages.php?page=0015 3031]] in ''Webcomic/AvasDemon'' is not the BCE/CE calendar we're familiar with. |
| 242 | * ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' is set in the year "20XX" according to WordOfGod. It's also explicitly an alternate universe, but the fact that several of the characters work in a video rental store means that it's some time before the rise of streaming services drove such stores out of business. |
| 243 | * ''Webcomic/LittleNuns'' features basically no post-1900 technology except for an old-fashioned camera, a vaguely 1970-era van, and a motor scooter. |
| 244 | * ''Webcomic/JoeVsElanSchool'' is said to take place over three years in the mid-to-late 1990s, but it's very unclear what the exact years themselves are. At the beginning of the story, Joe tells another student about Music/{{Eminem}}; late in the story Joe is forced to put up signs for Jay Cirri's gubernatorial campaign. However, Eminem's first major hit wasn't until 1999 when ''Music/TheSlimShadyLP'' was released, and the real-life "Cirri's" last run for Maine governor was in 1998, though he lost the Democratic primary in June. May be {{justified|Trope}} due to the author [[RomanAClef fudging finer details to help conceal his true identity]]. |
| 245 | * ''Webcomic/TheManorsPrize'': The comic is in black-and-white and the manor's home theater involves an old-style projector. Cars are older in style, also, but there is no explicit information given on what time period the story takes place in. |
| 246 | * It isn't really clear at what time ''Webcomic/{{minus}}'' takes place. Background characters often dress like people in the 1890s, but none of the main characters do, and people's attitudes don't seem to be any different from the modern day. It is implied that mid-20th century technology, including automobiles, exists, and city skylines are dominated by modern-looking skyscrapers, but we never see cell phones or even computers. Finally, when one character is sent to the past, she is stuck in what is very clearly Victorian times, yet is able to live long enough to [[TheSlowPath return to the present]], albeit as an old woman. WordOfGod says the comic was designed as a throwback to the old [[TheEdwardianEra early 1900s]] newspaper strips, and so the setting could be anywhere between then and the late 2000s, when the comic was made. |
| 247 | [[/folder]] |
| 248 | |
| 249 | [[folder:Web Videos]] |
| 250 | * ''WebVideo/CrossedLines'': It's not really clear when the series is supposed to be set. On the one hand, Mr. Traverse is shown to have a smart phone in Episode 4, and Episode 4 has his company building an electric locomotive with a computer A.I. that's able to hack into the railway's control box. On the other hand, Ramona states that we went to the moon only ten years prior. |
| 251 | [[/folder]] |
| 252 | |
| 253 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 254 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': The titular world is in a parallel universe from Earth, but its present-day technology of the world is overall consistent with 1600s-1700s Earth, with inventions like telescopes and violins being commonplace, but no use of electricity or combustion engines at all. In the distant past [[spoiler:Amphibia was far more advanced because they used magic to steal technology from other worlds]]. No one uses firearms, but that's justified by [[FantasyGunControl this being a kids' show]]. |
| 255 | * A RunningGag in ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' is the AnachronismStew, which is lampshaded often. "No Good Deed" shows a gravestone that states the series takes place in the [[The20thCentury 1900s]], but flowers cover up the last two digits. WordOfGod has stated that it is a mix between 1960s decor, 1970s cars, and early 1980s computers alongside modern cell phones, the Internet and morals. |
| 256 | * The flashbacks in the ''[[WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble Avengers: Black Panther's Quest]]'' episode "Yemandi". Yemandi herself has an Age of Sail look, complete with tricorn hat, but Thor is still a young man and has yet to claim Mjolnir, which should put at some point between prehistory and the Viking Age. The rest of the episode doesn't offer much in the way of clues -- it's set in rural Scotland with no buildings except an ancient castle and a combat ring, and the only other characters are a fighter in bearskins and Morgan le Fey (which sets it during or after the [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Arthurian Era]]). |
| 257 | * ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' could either be in the 2010s or the current decade but it's not really clear which. We do see some kind of current technology but one of the earlier eps had a minor character using a flip-phone. The only thing we concretely know is that Bob and Linda got married in 1998 and that [[spoiler: Bob's mom, Lily]] died about "30-somethin' years ago". Other than that, the show seems to be running on ComicBookTime. |
| 258 | * Given the choice of vehicles, ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'' is presumably set during World War I. The appearances and mentions of a phone that can operate sans landline and surfing movies (not to mention Dick Dastardly's ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'' car the Mean Machine) makes the timeline a variable. Sister show ''WesternAnimation/ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop'' is more settled on its setting of Mack Sennett silent comedies. |
| 259 | * ''Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse'': |
| 260 | ** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' has technology and aesthetics from a wide range of era and the few dates shown [[SeriesContinuityError contradict each other]]. In the Grey Ghost episode, there is a ''People'' magazine cover with him on it that dates the episode in late 1992 and "Joker's Favor" shows a still valid driver's license dated to 1991. But if the dates in Thomas Wayne's yearbook are to be believed, the series' "present day" is in the late 1940s. |
| 261 | ** The SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' is set either 40 or 50 years after the end of ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]''. Evidently, nobody involved with either show can agree on this. |
| 262 | * ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' was created with this in mind so it can appeal to a varying amount of age groups. The series could take place in [[TurnOfTheMillennium The Noughties]] just as easily as it could take place in The70s. Small references here and there, especially in later seasons, heavily imply that it takes place in the 2000s, though. The fact that it crossed over with ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' further imply it takes place in the 2000s. |
| 263 | * ''WesternAnimation/JorelsBrother'': The original premise of the show was to take place in the 1980s, right after the InUniverse equivalent of the UsefulNotes/BrazilianMilitaryRegime which, in real life, happened from 1964 to 1985. The main character's father lived through this event as an young adult and appears to be in his 40s in the show's present day, and most technology seen through the first season belongs to the 80s and 90s, with computers and smartphones not being seen at all, although a character briefly mentions the internet in one episode. In the second season, modern smartphones and primitive computers start to appear, although technology and other things from multiple different time periods also start appearing simultaneously - although more modern references are seen more frequently such as characters dabbing and using modern slang, and the year 1987 mentioned as being distant on the past. On-screen dates for episodes vary wildly each time they're shown; different episodes have set the year as 1983, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1994, 2010, 2015, and [[YearX 201∞]]. |
| 264 | * Creator/HannaBarbera's series of ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleRascals'' is supposedly set in the late 1930s, but they have [[PresentDayPast microcomputers, commercial television and push-button traffic controls]]. |
| 265 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'' has a look that blends [[{{Zeerust}} retro-futurism]] inspired by The50s with [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture technology similar to the 2000s]]. In the episode [[Recap/MyLifeAsATeenageRobotS1E8 "I Was a Preschool Dropout"]], Jenny tells Brad she was only born five years ago (from their time) and Brad then begins to list a number of events that all happened at that time. One of these was "Super Bowl 100". Given that 2002, the year the series and episode were made, was also the year of the 36th Super Bowl, and in-series five years had passed since "Super Bowl 100", this would make the show take place in 2071. Add 64 to 36 to get Super Bowl 100, which makes the year 2066 (2002 + 64), plus five years since Super Bowl 100 makes it 2071. |
| 266 | * ''WesternAnimation/OnyxEquinox'' takes place somewhere in Mesoamerican history, deliberately unspecified. It does show the remnants of the Olmecs and Classical Mayan temples, but also major Maya cities co-existing with the Aztec empire. |
| 267 | * When ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'' finally has a WholeEpisodeFlashback to our world, we don't see any modern technology; also, Wirt owns a tape recorder and a tape of "3 Non-Blondes," referencing [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4_Non_Blondes a band]] most popular in the 1990s. WordOfGod says that the aesthetic was meant to be anywhere from the 1970s to 1990s. The Unknown, for that matter, is an AnachronismStew, featuring Americana from the Puritan days to the early 1900s. {{Justified|Trope}}, however, in being an AnotherDimension ([[spoiler:and possibly the afterlife]]). |
| 268 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' could easily be mistaken for perpetually taking place in the early 1990s -- especially since the successor series, ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'', takes place ten years later and was created after the TurnOfTheMillennium -- but later episodes imply the late 1990s due to the Internet playing a large role in the second movie's plot and mentioning later dates. |
| 269 | * ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': Both Jack's home time period and the BadFuture he's sent to at the start of the series are pretty ambiguous. In his original time, Jack was apparently a contemporary of numerous different, conflicting cultures -- for example, he trained in Ancient Egypt with the original Egyptian polytheist gods apparently still being worshipped while also being trained by Robin Hood, who lived many, many centuries after Ancient Egypt stopped practicing that religion. Then when he goes to the future, there's advanced technology and robots everywhere but many times Jack comes across villages which are essentially medieval with no modern trappings whatsoever. And the tribal village in "Jack vs. the Ninja" makes ''those'' look modern by comparison. |
| 270 | * ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiRabbitTheUsagiChronicles'' is set a thousand years after ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'', but it doesn't ''feel'' like the 27th century, being a sort of {{Magitek}} {{Cyberpunk}} setting where the Shogunate still exists, and Edo has become Neo-Edo, possibly without ever being Tokyo. |
| 271 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' achieves this largely by virtue of being a {{Long Runner|s}} where the characters are NotAllowedToGrowUp -- the earlier seasons in particular had deliberate elements of RetroUniverse, but the show has been on so long and is such a venerable property that the established continuity often doesn't fit with the generally present-day setting. So, for example, flashbacks to Marge and Homer's high school days are still set in The70s (except for one widely disliked episode that had them as college students in The90s and another episode set in the 2000s), but flashbacks with Bart and Lisa as little kids are generally set in the PresentDayPast -- although earlier episodes established their birth years as 1980 and 1984 respectively ("present day" Bart and Lisa are ten and eight, so that gap doesn't make sense either). It's probably best not to think too hard about it. This gets lampshaded in an episode where Homer's first kiss is revealed to have happened when he was Bart's age. It may have been in The60s, The70s, or even The50s, as he puts it. |
| 272 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpiritRidingFree'': The setting, like that of the first movie, seems to be the mid-1800s, given the buildings and architecture, but the regular wardrobe of the three main leads looks very 21st century. |
| 273 | * ''WesternAnimation/SummerCampIsland'' takes place mostly on a camp so technology is limited. From the amount that's seen, the cartoon seems to take place in the 1990s or early-to-mid 2000s. |
| 274 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' seems to take place in the early-to-mid 1900s, given the old phones, no technology, and Queen Elizabeth appearing as a middle-aged woman and Prince William as a little boy. Despite that, some of the buildings look like they could be from the early 2000s. This is averted in ''Literature/TheRailwaySeries'', which is explicitly set during the time of their publication, with [[RippedFromTheHeadlines real-world events at the time of their writing]] directly [[RealLifeWritesThePlot influencing the stories.]] |
| 275 | [[/folder]] |
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