Whistleplayer

***Whistleplayer*** is an 1983 Canadian animated fantasy film directed by Victor Yearts and written by Yearts and Oren Wright, who also participated as the film's producer.

## Plot

In a land where little life exists and is covered in dead trees and smog, there lays a tall stone tower. There are two beings inhabiting the tower. A tall, robe wearing, hunchbacked humanoid creature called the Draai and a young woman called Alyona. Alyona is stuck at the top of the tower, unable to call for help due to being cursed with the inability to speak. The only way she can call for help is with he use of a magic flute, whose melodies can travel far distances.

We are then brought to an elven village, where we are brought into the home of a particular elf by the name of Dimitri, he is seen trying to slice fruit with a homemade sword in the air. He attempts to do the stunt, but fails. Disappointed in failing the stunt, Dimitri is called to dinner by his mother.

During dinner, him and his mother talk about Dimitri's future and what he plans to do with his life.

Later that day, Dimitri heads off to a lake and starts stone skipping, during it, Dimitri begins to hear Alyona's melodies. Believing the melodies are coming from the opposite side of the lake, he calls out for the player, but no response. He calls a little more, but still no response, curious but disappointed, he returns back home.

The next day during dinner again, Dimitri tells his mother about the whistle melodies he heard, his mother shows some interest, recalling how she once heard melodies of an instrument by the lake Dimitri heard the whistle at as a child. Later that night, Dimitri is seen crafting a sword, planning to explore the local forest for the melodies.

In the morning, he starts to explore the forests, telling his family that he doesn't know when he'll be back.

While exploring the forests, the melodies come back to Dimitri, who starts to follow the sound through the forests, but as he explores the area, it begins to rain, and the sounds of the rain start to drown out the melodies. Now lost in the forest, he explores on and on for shelter as the rain grows harsher.

He eventually finds a small bar, one that goes by the name of "The Cocoa Bean". He enters it, and is greeted to the site of many people of many ages, drinking cocoa beverages on tables made from cocoa tree wood with small cocoa trees on the cocoa tables. Silence immediately enters the bar, all looking at Dimitri. He walks to the bartender and asks for soup, then coffee and then even some tea, but they don't have any. The bar only sells the best quality chocolate beverages.

The bartender then asks what brings Dimitri to the bar, and he explains the melodies of the whistle, and the bartender expresses surprise, thinking that the melodies came from a nearby cabin. Then, someone expresses interest and calls Dimitri to talk at the table they're at, this someone is a new character, Fio, a bipedal deer who works at the bar, bringing in supplies.

Dimitri sits at the table, and Fio tells Dimitri about the legend of the Draai, a creature that preys on young women for their life force, before he can tell any more of the Draai's origins, a person in the bar starts choking and convulsing on their beverage, more so like an allergic reaction then general choking, they then suddenly die on the spot. The bartender then immediately grabs a tub of cocoa and rips the label off, the cocoa that the man died from was actually a tub of coffee.

Everyone in the bar then sets their eyes on Fio, with complete looks of disgust, Fio only looks a little surprised. Dimitri and Fio slowly exit the bar, and they seem to have exited scott free. But then without hesitation, everyone in the bar bursts out and chase the two with pitchforks, they eventually lose the mob, and Fio guides Dimitri to what he calls his "mansion".

They get there, and turns out it's just a large cabin. The two enter the cabin and are greeted by Faleno, a bipedal moth. As it grows darker, Fio brings Dimitri to a guest room he set up years ago, which he never expected to use, but upon opening, we see that it has since been infested with large leeches. After that, Fio makes Dimitri sleep on his couch.

The next day, Dimitri sets out to go exploring for Alyona, Fio shows interest in coming with him to find Alyona, and thus joins him.

Back to exploring the forests, Dimitri and Fio hear the melodies again and attempt to follow them, but during it, the two run back into the rioters from The Cocoa Bean and are once again chased by them, they run into a cave and manage to lose them, but they are now lost in the cave, they look for a way out, while exploring the cave, they see cave drawings of the Draai and also see figures of woman, probably past victims of the Draai, without knowing it, they're getting close to the charred land the Draai resides in.

They find an opening out of the cave, and are greeted to the charred landscape. They see the tower in the background, and run towards it. They are now at the tower, there is a moment of tension before opening the door, but they eventually grow the courage to enter the tower.

They are immediately greeted by the Draai, still in hibernation. It senses the two, it slowly opens it's eyes, facing them. Dimitri asks where the whistleplayer is, but the Draai doesn't respond. Dimitri, now a little flustered, unsheathes a sword he had been carrying with him and charges towards the Draai, after a brief scuffle with the Draai, Dimitri is violently forced back by the Draai's powers.

Fio then charges towards the Draai, but is suddenly stopped, he can't move, he looks down, he is being turned to stone. Dimitri slowly gets up after being forced away by the Draai, and picks up his sword, the Draai is busy turning Fio to stone. With a weak spot sighted, Dimitri gathers the strength to charge his sword into the Draai.

He succeeds. The Draai has been defeated. Dimitri now takes the time to rush up the stairs of the tower, looking for the whistleplayer. He gets to the top and discovers Alyona, who has been listening to the battle down under. They share a hug, and all of a sudden, Alyona is now able to speak, the Draai's influence is gone from Alyona.

They run back down to the bottom of the tower and see Fio, who is back to normal, they get ready to leave, until they see the Draai, whose face is starting to crack like glass. The Draai eventually explodes, to reveal a glowing young man. This is the Draai's original form. The three look in awe at the Draai, who simply thanks Dimitri for many years of torment, he then fades away. Shortly after, the souls of the women the Draai took start rising from the tower, which is also starting to collapse.

The three run out of the tower, and they watch it fall to the ground. The charred land starts to turn into a land flourishing with life.

The land is now restored.