Once upon a time, there was a young boy who lived in a lush, green forest together with many other children and their fairy companions. The forest was protected by an ancient, wise tree who knew that the boy was destined for something great. It sounds like something out of a fairy tale, doesn’t it? If it wasn’t the beginning to one of the greatest video games in history, I would almost believe that it was a classic children’s story.
When I was a child, there was a book I liked in particular. It was about a duckling that made its way to the skies to check on the sun to see why it wouldn’t shine anymore. The story was great, but what I loved the most about the book were the watercolor illustrations. When I look at this picture by E.M. Engel, whose nickname is Ellie, I am reminded of that book because it looks as if it could’ve been painted with watercolors too. If Ocarina of Time was based on a children’s book, I would’ve loved for it to be illustrated by her.
Perhaps it’s a bit of a reach, but to me, Ellie’s picture has some Tove Jansson qualities to it. Jansson was an artist and writer who illustrated and wrote popular books for children about creatures called the Moomins. Ellie’s illustration of Link and Navi looks friendly with the rounded leaves shaped like green grapes, and I adore the added redness on Link’s cheeks, knees, and elbows. It has pretty much everything I would want for a children’s book: watercolor texture, interesting shapes, and a hero.
So, if we play with the idea that Ocarina of Time was a fairy tale, how might it be told? Perhaps something along these lines: “Sitting high up on a sturdy tree branch, the young hero Link was sure to be heard across the forest as he played on the ocarina given by his friend, Saria. Now, it was his turn to get Navi’s attention by shouting ‘Hey, listen!'”
