History WesternAnimation / Skywhales

* AlienBlood: The Sky Whales have blue blood, and that presumably goes to the tribal aliens as well.

* AlienSky: Two moons can be seen in the planet's night sky.
* BambooTechnology: The alien tribe seem pretty primitive but they've invented flying machines that use pedal power.

* BizarreAlienReproduction: One interpretation of the ending is that [[spoiler:there's nothing supernatural going on, and instead the aliens' humanoid forms are actually "larval" or juvenile forms for the Skywhales]].

* FloatingContinent: The aliens live on a floating island on a gas giant.

* HumanoidAliens: The unnamed hunters have human builds but alien heads.
* ImAHumanitarian: [[spoiler:Since the skywhales are transformed (or perhaps matured) versions of the alien people, the latter are effectively cannibals when they kill and eat them.]] What makes it all the more strange and unsettling is that [[spoiler:it's implied that at least some of the villagers ''know this'']].

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: [[spoiler:Is the transformation into a Skywhale a karmic punishment or part of the aliens' life cycle?]]

* MonochromaticEyes: The eyes of the tribe members [[spoiler: who are going to become new skywhales]] turn black along with their skin turning white.

* OhCrap: The protagonist's wife and son have this reaction when [[spoiler: he turns white, which signals the start of his transformation.]]
* PinkMeansFeminine: The hunter's wife wears pink clothes, probably to clue the viewer into her role.
%%* SpaceWhale: The titular skywhales.

* TwistEnding: [[spoiler:The Skywhales and the aliens who hunt them are one and the same]].
* TheUnintelligible: The aliens communicate in an odd, hooting language but none of it is ever translated for the viewer.
* WhamShot: That moment we finally see what happens to the aliens who are afflicted with the unusual MonochromaticEyes condition changes ''everything'' about the predator-prey relationship between the aliens and the skywhales.

It was shown in cinemas in the United Kingdom in 1984, playing before the film ''Film/NineteenEightyFour''. It can be found on ''British Animation Collection Volume 1'' DVD along with a number of other animated shorts.

* GiantFlyer: The titular Skywhales--they certainly live up to their name.

* ImAHumanitarian: [[spoiler:Since the skywhales are transformed (or perhaps matured) versions of the alien people, the latter are effectively cannibals in how they kill and eat them.]] What makes it all the more strange and unsettling is that [[spoiler:it's implied that at least some of the villagers ''know this''.]]

* NoAntagonist: It's just hunter and hunted. See WhiteAndGreyMorality.

* SpaceWhale: The titular skywhales.

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* DownerEnding: Could be interpereted as this. It's certainly not a happy ending by any means.

* MonochromaticEyes: The eyes of the tribe members [[spoiler: who are going to become new skywales]] turn black along with their skin turning white.

* BizarreAlienBiology: One interpretation of the ending is that [[spoiler:there's nothing supernatural going on, and instead the aliens' humanoid forms are actually "larval" or juvenile forms for the Skywhales]].

* ImAHumanitarian: [[spoiler:Since the skywhales are transformed versions of the alien people, the latter are effectively cannibals in how they kill and eat them.]]

''Skywhales'' is a 1983 animated short film created by Derek Hayes and Phil Austin. The short is a window into the daily lives of a society of alien creatures who live in the atmosphere of a gas giant. It follows one particular alien as he heads out to help hunt the titular skywhales, which are a source of food for his people. One significant tribal custom introduced early on is the appearance of a subset of the population with dead white skin color and dark black eyes; encountering them causes the people to shield their eyes and let them pass. The reason for this becomes clear in the end...

* [[spoiler: BittersweetEnding: Either has one of these or a DownerEnding, most likely depending how bad you feel about the skywhale getting killed early on.]]
* [[spoiler: DownerEnding: Could be interpereted as this. It's certainly not a happy ending by any means.]]

* [[spoiler: KarmicTransformation: The protagonist kills a skywhale for its meat and in the end is transformed into one himself.]]

'''''Skywhales''''' is a 1983 animated short film created by Derek Hayes and Phil Austin. The short is a window into the daily lives of a society of alien creatures who live in the atmosphere of a gas giant. It follows one particular alien as he heads out to help hunt the titular skywhales, which are a source of food for his people. One significant tribal custom introduced early on is the appearance of a subset of the population with dead white skin color and dark black eyes; encountering them causes the people to shield their eyes and let them pass. The reason for this becomes clear in the end...

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: The tribe just want to have enough to eat and the skywhales are just animals driven by instinct.

* OhCrap: The protagonist's wife and son have this recation when [[spoiler: he turns white, which signals the start of his transformation.]]

* TheUnintelligible: The aliens communicate in an odd, hooting language but none of it is ever translated for the viewer.

* OhCrap: The protagonist's wife and son have this recation when [[spoiler: he turns white which signals the start of his transformation.]]

'''''Skywales''''' is a 1983 animated short film created by Derek Hayes and Phil Austin. The short is a window into the daily lives of a society of alien creatures who live in the atmosphere of a gas giant. It follows one particular alien as he heads out to help hunt the titular skywhales, which are a source of food for his people. One significant tribal custom introduced early on is the appearance of a subset of the population with dead white skin color and dark black eyes; encountering them causes the people to shield their eyes and let them pass. The reason for this becomes clear in the end...