The Scarlet Quill is a 1992 Canadian-Australian live-action/animated fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Thompson.
Summary
Anna, a 21-year-old girl who spends her time reading and writing as opposed to making friends at school, falls asleep at her desk one night and wakes up to find a snowy owl handing her the Scarlet Quill, a magic pen that will open secret passageways if she solves riddles with the given object. Using her closet door, she travels into a castle where a variety of creatures are being held captive by living representations of dark magic. Solving each riddle and opening each doorway to another creature, she gathers the four additional artifacts needed to defeat the Grey Knight, who is slowly taking over the peaceful land of Prosperia.
Voice Cast:
- Paige O'Hara as Anna
- Randy Savage as Janus
- Jim Carrey as Sphinx
- Matthew Broderick as Prince Andrew
- Robby Benson as Brutus
- Tone Loc as The Grey Knight
Production
The animation was produced by Nelvana. The film cost $20 million in total, with the costs of the live-action segments and animation produced in-house and subcontracted to TMS Entertainment.
Music
The film's score was, unusually for a non-American production, written and performed by James Horner, and singer Paige O'Hara performed the film's theme song The Power of Dreams. The soundtrack was released on CD and cassette by Michael Shires Records the same day as the film's premiere.
