Silver Eyes

***Sliver Eyes*** (also known in France as ***The Left Hand of Darkness***) is a 1990 animated, science fantasy, comedy drama directed by Eugene Birklieg and distributed by True Skies Animation. It is the seventh animated film in the True Skies/Skylight Animated Features Canon and the second animated film of True Skies' Golden Age. The film is based on the science fiction novel The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Guin and the science fantasy novella The Expectations of An Unprdictable Guest: How Did I Manage To Show My Face Without Even Fearing For The Worst by Scottish-Irish author Horace MacDawes, (which was the main source of inspiration) and uses some ideas from Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extraterrestrial and Close Encounters of a Third Kind. The film tells the story of a young boy Joshua Fitzmarshall, becoming known as Segreant Tomorrow after temporarily joining the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. To protect an alien refugee from the evil Lord Pilate Deathbrew, who intends to take her as a war bride through forced marriage. After taking her personal rage on Earth's inhabitants, Indigo becomes a good friend of Joshua Fitzmarshall, as she transitions from a grief stricken, defeatist into a protector of Earth and overcomes her past trauma.

The film's animation screenplay was written by Joshua Armgardt, with story written by Doris Sheldon, Janice Bircher, Irene Cooper, Robert Earl Stone and Whitey Ryan. Directed by Eugene Birklieg, Thomasina Michaels and produced by Orton Newby. The film was composed by Jerry Goldsmith with lyrics written by Andrew Slath. Slath also wrote lyrics to songs from previous films preceding Silver Eyes.

Silver Eyes was released on November 16, 1990. The film was a significant commercial and critical success, earning over $250 million domestically and over $400 million in box office earnings worldwide. *Silver Eyes* was also nominated for several awards and won three awards. Famously, Silver Eyes was the first animated film and only Science Fantasy film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture and the first animated film to win an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and an award for best music.

This was also the penultimate True Skies Animated film to feature voice acting regular Robert Reed (The Brady Bunch) and Rebecca Schaffer's only animated film role to date. This also marks Chol-Jae Sujin's debut in an animated role.

Controversially, there was also a conflict to provide the voice talent for Lord Pilate Deathbrew who was originally to be voiced by Terrance Stamp until his decision to quit mid-production, and was replaced by Jonathan Freeman who was hired to redo the voice talent. Interestingly, *Silver Eyes* was also the first animated film to feature an openly gay main character, the effort that received both praise from the LGBT community to symbolize hope at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and criticism from conservative and religious groups, because of the film's anti-homophobia message. The inclusion of an openly animated character was an idea long held by Faroese-Canadian animator, storyboard artist and True Skies' co-founder Joshua Armgardt, when he was a former Disney employee back in the mid 1970's. The film was originally supposed to feature a romantic relationship involving the film's two main characters, but this was rejected by Armgardt at the request of Michael Murfaw who wanted the animated film to attract a large LGBT audience both young and old.

## Silver Eyes

### Based On

The Expectations of An Unpredictable Guest: How Did I Actually Manage To Show My Face Without Even Fearing For The Worst by

Horace MacDawes

The Left Hand of Darkness

by

Ursula K. Le Guin

The Forgotten Door

by

Alexander Key

### Country

CanadaUnited States

Great Britain

## Overview

The plot concerns a young boy named Joshua Fitzmarshall, who accidentally discovers a blue skinned alien, with relflective eyes, 'falls' to Earth from a crystal ball from a distant planet. Accustomed as she is to his utopian, pacifistic, vegetarian, and money-free world, Josh’s bewildered attempts to connect with the petty grievances of Earthlings serve as foil to the reader; and while there is some action and suspense, the main tension of the story comes from the sympathetic family that shelters Josh being forced to confront their own complacency towards the injustices of their world while trying to make Joan understand that this is just how life is — but of course, for Josh and his world, it isn't. Josh learns that she has evaded capture and has to protect her and the planet Earth.

## Plot

Set in the year of 1967, during the Canadian Confederation Centenary. A young boy named Joshua Fitzmarshall discovers a crystal ball has landed on Earth. He and his dad are on a road trip to northern Alberta. Joshua collects the orb to take it with him. But he trips over a rock, causing it to shatter. She is released from her orb

## Voice Casting

* Rongo Foster as Joshua Fitzmarshall (Sergeant Tomorrow) born as Tenak is the main character of the story and a younger brother of Captain Talis. He was born just three days before his homeworld of Tenabond was destroyed by Mortis Shwi while his older brother was saved from execution by a small band of rebels that fled the planet before its destruction. He is a pacifistic twelve year old boy, trying to prevent Earth‘s destruction following the latter caused by a civil war.
* Rachel Breccia as Amelia Foster
* Angelina Brixton as Indigo Lapis Ultramarine "Silver Eyes" (The titular character who was initially antagonistic until Joshua Fitzmarshall [before becoming Sergeant Tomorrow] intervenes as she reforms to become the titular secondary protagonist for the rest of the film)
* Rebecca Schaeffer as Eve Owler (Note: This was Rebecca Shaeffer's last film role to date and the only animated role of her career to date. Rebecca Schaeffer was murdered on July 18, 1989 by a stalker named "Robert John Bardo", before the film was released. Nicole Sullivan provided the remaining dialogue)
* Heidi Small as Mangosteen
* Cathy Cavadini as Santan Snakefruit
* Amy Irving as Queen Trillium
* Liza Minelli as Ciku Waterapple
* Robert Reed as Professor Falcon
* Rebecca DeMornay as Guava Soursop
* Jon Lovitz as Absolon IX-8871
* Don Ferguson as Blaise Snapkeeper (Ferguson also voices the deuteragonist Reverend Stoneheath who gives Indigo sanctuary at Edmonton's St Joseph's Basilica, from the evil Lord Pilate Deathbrew).
* Christopher Lloyd as Tetragrammatron the Collective Wizard
* Mark Wys as General Drux
* Jackie Mason as Meshe
* Sam Neill as King Argaven XV
* Kevin Kline as Captain Talis (An older brother
* Hugo Weaving as Colonel Stardust (a.k.a, Genly Ai, a human who was raised by Mavriva, after he was rescued from an alien abduction by Faxe and Bluederry in the Australian desert)
* Jonathan Freeman as Lord Pilate Deathbrew Shwi (The film's main antagonist, originally to be voiced by Terrance Stamp. But dropped out due to casting conflicts)
* George C. Scott as Firesblow
* Ralph Fiennes as Mortis Shwi (The film’s true antagonist)
* Cynthia Cranz as Tibe (Tibe is the pilot of a ship that transported Deathbrew, the imprisoned Ultramarine and Mersen
* Christopher Sabat as Mersen (Mersen is a an Orgota Commensal and Karhidish spy. He was sent to Earth to capture Ultramarine)
* Dave Broadfoot as Galen
* Chol-Jae Sujin as Paradise
* Mark Dodson as Pugnant Reppa

## Differences between the book and the film

* Joshua Fitzmarshall was not present in the Ursula K LeGuin novel The Left Hand of Darkness. Or The Forgotten Door.
* In The Left Hand of Darkness, there two main antagonists Sarf and Tibe. Sarf is a bureau of the Orgota government meant to control the flow of information in and out of Orgoreyn (10.72). Ai meets a few members of Sarf, such as Gaum, but otherwise the bureau stays hidden in the shadows for the entire story.
* The portal named the “Forgotten Door” is replaced by a magical orb that was used to keep Ultramarine trapped.

Tibe is Karhide's prime minister. He uses radio communication to spread his overly patriotic message, gearing Karhide up for war with Orgoreyn.

Both perform as Ai's antagonists in the novel. Ai's mission is to bring the Gethen into the Ekumen. To do that, he must establish communication first. Sarf's job is to limit communication or shut it down completely to keep power for certain Orogreyn Commensals. Tibe uses communication to promote his own interests and not the interests of others.

This puts the goals of each in direct conflict with Ai. And that, friends, is the definition of an antagonist. In the film. Both antagonists are incorporated into a single character. Tibe plays a major antagonistic role as well, but her goals is to capture Joshua the Human and Ultramarine the Gethen with the help of Deathbrew and Mersen. Tibe has a more different character definition than in the original sources. Tibe reforms towards the end of the film after being captured by Eve Owler, while Mersen reforms after being defeated by Colonel Stardust after he has return to Earth 27 years after his capture at a young age.

* Indigo Lapis Ultramarine replaces Genly Ai as the main protagonist. She was made to look feminine instead of masculine.
* The film’s main antagonist Pilates Deathbrew serves as an equivalent to the book’s villain Tibe. However his female sidekick is named Tibe instead.

## Sequels and spinoffs

The success of the film led to the development of a franchise that comprises several sequels, spinoffs and other merchandise. Additionally, the characters from the film have appeared in the 1996 to 2002 television series, Skylight Theater which inspired Disney's House of Mouse which contains a similar premise and their appearances in the Kingdom Hearts spinoff games.

## Trivia

* It is the first animated film to take place around Canada Day. This is also the first animated film to show characters celebrating Canada Day in a realistic way.
* The movie, Silver Eyes became the source of inspirations of many animated shows released during the late 2000's and 2010's. Shows like The Regular Show, Adventure Time, Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, Phineas and Ferb, We Bare Bears and BoJack Horseman. Silver Eyes also inspired the movie Little Young Guardian which came out two years later.
* This is the last animated film role assigned by Robert Reed two years before his death.
* This was also the last animated film that was completed before the death of Joshua Armgardt of AIDS related complications.
* The original 1987 storyline treatment was supposed to feature a romantic relationship between Joshua Armgardt and a teenaged Indigo Ultramarine Lapis. But Joshua Armgardt turned down that idea due to fears of losing a younger audience demographic.
* This is the first non-adult animated film to take on LGBT themes. However, there was no actual same-sex kiss scene until 1992's Little Young Guardian. Unusual for an family-oriented, animated film at the time. The discussion of LGBT themes and homosexuality was a taboo subject for an animated film at the time. However, former Disney animator Michael Murfaw was not afraid of tackling LGBT themes in a positive light, especially in the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's. In the midst of the HIV/AIDS crisis at the time. Michael Murfaw specifically requested that film to have LGBT themes in order to fulfill Joshua Armgardt's lifelong dream of having an openly gay child character in ananimated film. This was done to fulfill Armgardt's last wish of allowing that film be made, in order to teach children and families that there is nothing wrong with being gay.
* Joshua Fitzmarshall's childhood was based on animator and True Skies co-founder Joshua Armgardt's childhood. Fitzmarshall became the first openly gay animated child character in a children's animated film. Fitzmarshall received universal acclaim from GLAAD and other pro-LGBT groups while being panned by religious and conservative groups.
* This is True Skies first animated film to discuss religious themes openly.
* *Silver Eyes* and *Darejani* are the only animated films of True Skies Golden Era which Joshua Armgardt was alive to see fully finished and released theatrically, Armgardt died during the production of *Universal Peacekeeper, Little Young Guardian* and *The Khan of Betelgeuse,* even though Armgardt lived to see the completion of *Universal Peacekeeper.* But he died four months shy of *Universal Peacekeeper's* release after a brief battle with AIDS.
* Robert Earl Stone supervised the production of the famous picnic bubble sequence. It took roughly 257 drawings to complete the sequence, while the raindrops was drawn 1302 times in the same sequence.
* According to the original 1986 draft for the movie, Lord Pilate Deathbrew was going to be named Demagogue. Interestingly in the same draft, the original villain was supposed to have been killed off to make for Lord Tetragrammatron, who was originally supposed to be the main villain.
* Originally, Lord Pilate Deathbrew was supposed to have been mauled to death by cougars. For censorship reasons, it was considered too frightening to younger audiences. However, the deleted sequence is retained in Michael Murfaw's original cut of the film. This sequence was later used at the end of Disney's The Lion King which Scar shared a similar fate.
* The defeat of Lord Pilate Deathbrew occurred twice in the movie, making him the first True Skies/Skylighter villain to have been defeated more than twice in a single movie. He was dragged underneath the Pacific Ocean by Indigo using chains of water, after attempting to kill Joshua Fitzmarshall; This technique was also employed by Lapis while fused by Jasper to form Malachite in an attempt to defuse in the animated show *Steven Universe*. For Deathbrew, he was chained by water by Indigo unyielding he was swept by a wave and drowned underneath the Pacific Ocean. Miraculously having survived as seen in the sequel Tommorow's Empire.
* This is the first animated feature released by Skylighter Feature Animated Productions; then known as True Skies to feature characters singing O'Canada. Which is the national anthem of Canada as well as another anthem being sung "The Maple Leaf Forever".
* The song Hearts Do Cry was written by Morris Hawkbridge; and it was sung by Mariah Carry and Timmy T. Featuring Leonard Cohen. Hearts Do Cry paid tribute to the late Rebecca Schaeffer who died of a homicide before being replaced by Nichole Sullivan later into the film’s development.
* Royal Canadian Air Farce actor Don Ferguson filled in for the voice talent as Blaise Snapkeeper after David Ogden Stiers dropped out of the voice acting audition. Because he had to work for the voice talent as Cogsworth in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
* Don’s voice work in Silver Eyes was considered to be the most serious character he’s done work on, during his career.
* Dave Broadfoot’s name in the ending credits was spelled as David Broadfoot.