| NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Long John Silver from the 2016 animated film, Robinson Crusoe. The mainstream version can be found here: Long John Silver. |
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Long John Silver is the secondary antagonist of the 2016 3D animated Belgian adventure comedy film, Robinson Crusoe (known in the United States as The Wild Life). He is the leader of a band of cutthroat pirates.
He was voiced by Dennis O'Connor in the English-dubbed version.
Personality[]
Long John Silver starts off as charming, kind, generous, debonair, polite, and helpful, but like all pirates, he is very intimidating, threatening, violent, cruel, mean, aggressive, stubborn, selfish, careless, remorseless, arrogant, ruthless, somewhat merciless, and temperamental. As captain of his crew, he will not hesitate to threaten to kill anyone like Crusoe who disobeys him or otherwise. He doesn't take kindly to being mimicked by Tuesday trying to trick his crew into ceasing fire on Crusoe.
Biography[]
One night, while sailing aboard his own pirate ship, Long John Silver is resting in his cabin after a few drinks until he is awakened by his bosun who informs him about a signal fire off the starboard side on a small, uncharted island despite a temporary violent wake. Through his telescope, Silver notices a house on fire and an unconscious young man hanging for life and supposedly being attacked by "wild beasts". So, Silver orders his band of cutthroat pirates to "rescue" the stranger by firing cannons to drive the "wild beasts" away and bring him and anything of possibly great value on the island back onboard, unaware that the "beasts" are actually the latter's own animal friends.
In the morning, Silver is introduced to a grateful Robinson Crusoe before one of the latter's animal friends, Tuesday (formerly Mac) the scarlet macaw joins up with them. At first, Silver and his bosun try to do away with Tuesday until Crusoe reassures them that he's with him. Amused yet impressed by the bird's ability to speak and imitate people, Silver spares him then asks Crusoe to tell him if there is anything of great value found on the island, but to no avail. Then, Silver and his men are treated to a fictitious version of Crusoe's story of how he ended up and survived during the past few months on the island including his last battle with a couple of ratters led by Mal and May while Tuesday recounts what really happened to a pair of mice, Rufus and Cecil after Crusoe puts him outside for privacy.
After Crusoe finishes his story, Silver is amused by his fantastical yarn before ordering his men to set sail and allows Crusoe and his bird to bunk down below. However, when Crusoe states how happy he will be to return and see England again after so long, Silver and his men laugh at the very idea of it under fear of the gallows as Silver reveals that he intends to recruit Crusoe as one of his own against the latter's own free will. Despite Crusoe's pleas and protests, Silver has his men take Crusoe on deck to carry his weight under threat of death by walking the plank or worse.
Later, after Crusoe barely escapes from the pirate ship with his life even without Tuesday's help, Silver comes out on deck to find Tuesday mimicking him to trick his men into ceasing fire on Crusoe escaping on a makeshift raft. Angered, annoyed, and insulted, Silver barely manages to catch Tuesday by the tail, leaving him in frustration with a single tail feather instead. When one of his men informs him of Crusoe's escape and asks if they should send some men after him, Silver simply denies it and allows Crusoe to leave alive and in one piece despite one of his men wanting to blow the latter to smithereens with a cannon shot, thinking that Crusoe probably hasn't got a chance of surviving the remainder of his life on that long, forgotten island, whether the "wild beasts" devour him first or not.
Eventually, Silver and his men discover what's left of the ratters including Mal and May eating inside his cabin and decide to adopt them as their new pets/ratters next to the one they already have instead whereas Crusoe happily returns and reunites with the rest of his animal friends on the island including the mice, Rufus and Cecil from the pirate ship rescued by Tuesday from the ratters earlier and proceed to repair their home together.
Quotes[]
| “ | Silver: Fire a broad side! Drive those bloody beasts off! Bosun: Aye, aye, Captain. Silver: Then go and bring back whoever he is. But bosun,... make sure they leave nothing behind of any value. Bosun: Will do, Captain. |
„ |
| ~ Long John Silver ordering his bosun to "rescue" and bring back Robinson Crusoe. |
| “ | Now, tell me more about this island of your'n. Is there anything of,... shall we say,... value on it? | „ |
| ~ Silver asking Crusoe about his island. |
| “ | That is the most fantastical yarn I've heard in all me life! | „ |
| ~ Silver after listening to Crusoe's own fictitious version of his story of how ended up and survived during the past few months on the island including his last battle with the ratters. |
| “ | Silver: You're with us now. Once a pirate, always a pirate. Have you got a problem with that? Crusoe: But Captain, if I might... Silver: Enough talk! Off with ya! And I'll be expectin' ya to carry your weight, lad. Or you'll be walkin' the plank, ye will. Or worse. |
„ |
| ~ Silver threatening Crusoe. |
| “ | Blasted bird! | „ |
| ~ Silver realizing he's being mimicked by Tuesday after tricking his crew into ceasing fire on Crusoe. |
| “ | Pirate: Shall we send some men after him? Silver: Nay. Let him go. Pirate: Oh, Captain. Can't we fire a cannon shot? Blow him to smithereens! Silver: Why waste a good cannonball? Let him spend the rest of his life on that long, forgotten island. That is, if the wild beasts don't devour him first. Bosun: Aye, aye, Captain. |
„ |
| ~ Silver's last words. |
Trivia[]
- Although his name is never mentioned in the movie, he is credited as Long John Silver in the end credits.
- Despite his name, he is hardly the same character from the novel, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.