The Swan Princess
Tags: psychedelic, fantasy

Plot synopsis:
King William (Dakin Matthews), widowed father of newborn Princess Odette, and Queen Uberta (Sandy Duncan), widowed mother of young Prince Derek, decide to betroth their children in the hopes of uniting their kingdoms. Rothbart (Jack Palance) is an evil sorcerer who wishes to take William's kingdom for himself, by mastering a type of dark magic known as The Forbidden Arts. But before he can make his move, he is attacked by William's men. Although banished from the kingdom, Rothbart vows to get his revenge.
William and Uberta have Odette and Derek meet every summer, hoping they'll fall in love. As children, this fails miserably, but when the years pass and the two reach adulthood, they do fall in love. Derek (Howard McGillin) declares that the wedding preparations begins, but when he expresses his wish to marry Odette (Michelle Nicastro) only for her beauty, she rejects him. Odette and William leave, but they are ambushed by Rothbart, who transforms into a "Great Animal", kidnaps Odette, and fatally injures William. Upon being tipped off by the arrival of King William's captain, Derek arrives on the scene, where William tells him with his dying breath that they were attacked by a "Great Animal", and that Odette is "gone". Believing that Odette is dead, Uberta encourages her son to find another princess. But Derek is determined to find Odette, believing that she can still be alive. He and his best friend Bromley (Joel McKinnon Miller) practice hunting every day in preparation for facing the Great Animal.
Elsewhere, Rothbart is keeping Odette at his castle lair at Swan Lake. He has cast a powerful spell that turns Odette into a swan during the day, and she is able to temporarily turn human at night if she is on the lake under moonlight. Every night Rothbart asks Odette to marry him so he can rule William's kingdom, but she refuses. During her captivity, she befriends a turtle named Speed (Steven Wright), a French frog named Jean-Bob (John Cleese), who dreams of being human, and an Irish puffin (Steve Vinovich).
Puffin and Odette, in her swan form, fly together to find Derek. By chance they stumble upon Derek in the woods, for he is searching for the Great Animal. Derek mistakes Odette for the Great Animal, (Derek having deduced that the creature is a shapeshifter), and tries to kill her. The ensuing chase leads Derek to Swan Lake, where he witnesses Odette's change from swan to human when the moon rises. The two share a loving reunion, and Odette tells Derek that the spell can only be broken by a vow of everlasting love. Derek invites Odette to his mother's ball the following night, hoping to declare to the world of his love for her. Derek leaves just as Rothbart arrives. The enchanter has heard the whole conversation and imprisons Odette as a swan in the castle dungeon, along with Bromley, whom he had found in the woods. Furthermore, because there is a new moon on the night of the ball, Odette remains a swan that night.
Fearing that Derek's vow would ruin his plans, Rothbart sends Bridget, his hag sidekick, to the ball disguised as Odette. Odette's friends manage to free her from the dungeon and she flies to Uberta's castle, but she is unable to warn Derek in time. Derek makes the vow of everlasting love to the wrong girl. Rothbart enters and shows Derek the fake Odette's true form, Bridget. Upon realizing his mistake, Derek races after Odette back to Swan Lake, where Odette transforms back into a princess. Odette dies in Derek's arms, but not before telling him that she loves him. A furious Derek confronts Rothbart, ordering him to revive Odette. Rothbart transforms into the Great Animal. A battle ensues with Rothbart overpowering Derek. Odette's animal friends return Derek's bow to him, and Bromley, who has escaped the dungeon, provides Derek with a single arrow. Derek catches and fires the arrow into the Great Animal's heart, destroying him.
Derek confesses to Odette that he loves her for her kindness and courage, and Odette returns to life; the spell on her is broken. The two are married and they moved into Rothbart's former castle, and they lived happily ever after.

Review: Compared to previous attempts by competing studios to break Disney's stranglehold on the animated film market, The Swan Princess really is a good movie.
The songs, though not particularly memorable and vaguely cheesy in the manner of much older animated flicks, did not bring the movie to a grinding halt and actually managed to, in general, help it along.
The titular lead, Princess Odette, is a flat failure as a heroine--she never *does* anything except lead her one true love, Prince Derrick, to her--and even then, she only does that because her animal friends, Puffin, Speed the turtle, and Jean-Bob the frog, cook up the plan for her.Derrick is much more likeable, and though throughout most of the movie he is a flaming idiot, he is a likeable and sympathetic flaming idiot--and he does learn.
His mistakes are, as a rule, human and understandable, and in the end it is he who saves the day and finally learns the movie's apparent lesson--that beauty is not all there is in matters of love or anything else.The development of their relationship is refreshing--rather than falling in love at first sight, they start out hating each other with a passion, and it takes them years--spanned capably over the course of one amusing if sugary song--to realize that they do love each other.
This movie tells the timeless tale of two lovers who are drawn apart by one shallow prince who eventually learns that there is more to love than looks and beauty.
I'd always enjoyed it before, so I decided to watch it again - for the most part, it still holds up.Of course, it's a children's tale, so some slack must be given; it's not going to be as well-rounded (entertainment-wise) as a movie like "Toy Story," but it does contain its fair share of adult-oriented jokes along with silly physical humor that will amuse children.The story is pretty basic - a lovely princess is destined to marry a prince, but an evil sorcerer (voiced by the diabolical Jack Palance) has other plans and kills the princess' father, locks the daughter away and casts a spell on her so that she turns into a swan at night.It's predictable, but it's got a great vocal cast, and the animation is pretty good.
After Disney released "The Lion King" which has been met with critical praise and became a success at the box office for the company, Disney animator Richard Rich (known for directing "The Fox and the Hound" and "The Black Cauldron") teams up with New Line Cinema to make their very first animated feature, "The Swan Princess", based on the Swan Lake ballet.It tells the story about two kids named Derek & Odette who started to hate each other for about a long time until one day, as young adults, they finally realize that they do love each other, but Derek ruins the wedding by saying "What else is there?" and they will never see each other again.
As Derek tries to find Odette by learning from his mistake, Odette and her animal friends Jean-Bob, a frog, Speed, a turtle, and Puffin, a bird attempts to bring her back to Derek.I first saw this film when I was a child and it has been stuck with me ever since even as a young adult (I'm turning 19 soon, by the way).
The battle between Derek and Rothbart is the best highlight of the movie because it represents some of the past-Disney films with a style and tone to it.Overall, The Swan Princess isn't a masterpiece, but it's by no means a cult classic that has been stuck with me since my childhood.
Also its not the typical old animated films where the guy and girl fall in love straight away since they kinda dislike each other when they were young.
Tons of funny characters - Jean Bob the frog, Puffin and Speed who are Odette's animal friends are hilarious as well as Prince Derek's adviser and his friend.
I have the VHS for this which is 16 years old and I always watch it whenever there is nothing on TV.The film is about a beautiful princess named Odette who falls in love with a handsome prince named Derek whom she met as a kid and the two of them don't get along at first but as they are brought together every summer they fall in love with each other.Of course when Odette gets older an evil warlock wants her from himself and when she refuses to marry him as he is taking over her kingdom every time the moon goes she is magically transformed into a swan and when the moon comes back the next day she is turned back into a human again.Although its kinda silly in a way and a bit old-fashioned but I like this film for a very long time as it was fun,cute,romantic and sweet.
The characters were colorful,the plot was nice and cheerful,the ending was nice.If you like transformation movies like Beauty & the Beast,Brother Bear,The Little Mermaid then check it out.8/10.
The voice cast is highly commendable- Jack Palance came alive in a positively booming way with the character of Lord Rothbart, who is a great villain and John Clesse is sidesplittingly funny as Jean Bob. There are some really funny lines "You should write a book...How to offend women in 5 syllables or less."(Jean Bob and Rodgers get the best of them) Can I also say, that this is one of the few animations that makes excellent use of the evil-sorcerer-back-for-revenge formula?
The animation is actually not as bad as most people say, a bit deflated at times, but very nice mostly with some pretty colours and the songs are sweet and memorable especially Far Longer Than Forever.
This is My Idea is a long song but also catchy and is a good look at how Derek and Odette went to hating each other to loving.
Prince Derek and Princess Odette are forced to spend their summers together by their widowed parents hoping for them to fall in love.
I can't pretend it's a masterpiece, but I just love it.Our main characters, Derek and Odette, are set to spent every summer together from their childhood up to their young adulthood and that is not easy, because they despise each other!
It was spot on.But Derek is really bad at expressing his feelings to Odette, and Derek must then prove his love for her while the villainous Rothbart has abducted her and tries to force her to marry him to get to the throne without using more destructive methods.
Quite original actually, a villain despicably trying legal methods.Therefore he turns her into a swan and asks her every night to marry him if she wants to become fully human again, but she only wants her true love, Derek.
But Odette stands up to him and with her wonderful animal friends try to escape his grip when he is not around.And with that conflict set up we get all sorts of things you'd expect from this kind of fairy tale.I think I like it so much, because it is so down to the basics of what I know as a fairy tale with princess and princesses, magic and of course a happy ending where good triumphs over evil.
And the end is perfect, gets me every time!The Swan Princess is an enjoyable fairy tale mostly for kids with good songs, colourful animation, entertaining characters and a creepy villain.
Ten years later, he directed "The Swan Princess" even after Disney tried to convince him to stop production as they were planning to release a version of their own, but when he wouldn't scrap his, they scrapped theirs, and in 1994, Disney had it's biggest box office gross ever with the Lion King, The Swan Princess brought in about 9 Million in the US (Disney re-releasing The Lion King at the same time was a little dirty on Disney's part- but it may have saved a lot of parents from having to sit through a bland Disney Wannabe)The Animation is the films best asset, Brightly colored, smooth, no gimmicks or massive special effects.
True, the Prince's response isn't exactly, well good doesn't begin to cover it, the Princess is being hypocritical.The story isn't the worst, but has a few plot holes, one of which would make the ending completely unnecessary, but would leave out the generic fairy tale battle between the prince and a large creature.The only other saving grace are Odette's Animal friends - Speed the Turtle, Jean Bob the Frog (John Cleese with a cheesy French Accent), and Puffin- the Puffin(?).
Jean bob's ongoing attempts to get a kiss form Odette to break his spell (he believes he is actually a Prince that was turned into a frog) are actually interesting- too bad the rest of the movie isn't.The saddest thing about the whole movie is it's blatant ripping off of a Disney Score.
The only decent piece of Music is the love song "Far Longer Than Forever" sung by Prince Derrick and Odette (whose singing voice is also that of Anastasia's, Kiara in Disney's Lion King II, and Princess Jasmine in the 2nd and 3rd Aladdin Films) but even it doesn't compare to anything from the Disney Songbook- the Title of the song itself has a cheeseboard romance sound to it.
This one would've been much better as a straight to video release, and compared to some of Disney's Straight to Video flicks does help it look slightly better, but only slightlyOverall, kids will enjoy it, the Animation is Beautiful and Lush, but Parents may want to leave the room.My recommendation, pop in Beauty and the Beast or the Little Mermaid- Head strong Princesses, people under magic spells that change their appearance, great music that you don't mind getting stuck in your head, Well Developed Stories, Well Developed Characters..
Odette wants to know what Derek likes about her besides her beauty and he can't think of anything.
This movie came out when I was two, and no matter how much time passes nor how many times I rewatch it throughout the years, I still love The Swan Princess.
Yes!The animation is not as great as Disney, but it isn't hard to overlook because the film is good overall.
You've got wings, baby -- use them!Derek isn't the smartest person in the movie, but you gotta love him for his drive and his self-awareness, knowing he was an idiot who said the wrong thing.
This is one of those films that should've been part of Disney as a good help and part of the Walt Disney Animation Cannon.I believed that Odette can be part of the Official Disney Princesses since she had a great role in the film.
The Swan Princess (1994) Richard Rich's most watched and most popular animation family film ever made!.
*sigh* There really isn't a story here, because most of the sequences feel like padding, particularly the scene where the royal orchestra dresses up as animals and let Prince Derek shoot arrows at them.
That ballet is more recently recognizable as the subject of "Black Swan" (which I haven't seen).Anyway, the movie's nothing particularly special.Michelle Nicastro, who provided the voice of Odette, was an opera singer (she died of cancer last year).
The film involves a vengeful wizard who curses a princess to exist as a swan by day until her prince declares his undying love, which is the blandest story line I've ever heard of.
Recently, I had been trying to recall the song unsuccessfully, and when I found it on Netflix, I jumped in for old time's sake and because I wanted to hear the song.Watching it 12 years later resulted in disappointment regarding the plot line, character development, animation, voice acting and lyrics.
And like I said: this might seem strange to you guys, but I put her on a list I have made of my favorite movie princesses either animated or live action.
Of course when I was younger I loved anything animated, so the real question is "Will I still like this when I'm older?" Well it had been a long time since I watched it but I did end up remembering it and wanted to see it again.
Seems like the only animated songs that I still like come from the Disney movies, don't know why.
The beginning song was very lively, a lot of fun, and then went into a very cute love scene...I was gushing like a little girl.
The story is basically about a princess called Odette who is kidnapped by an evil sorcerer, Lord Rothbart who puts a spell on her that turns her into a swan and the only way the spell can be broken is if Prince Derek declares his love for Odette.Jack Palance plays Rothbart as a pantomime villain.I like the love story between Odette and Derek especially when they start of not liking one another.It has some very funny scenes and lines.
Another is Jean-Bob, a frog voiced by John Cleese who is convinced he is a prince and that if he kisses Odette he will become one.The songs are very memorable and catchy, I especially liked the songs "Practice, practice, practice," "No fear," and "This is my idea." The animation is just amazing, the movement is so realistic and the scene at the end is awesome as it is at night, you can see the shadows of the water, the moon sparkling and the swans flying by.This film has it all- romance, humour, magic, action, brilliant animation and a moral story where good triumphs over evil..
It's still better than most Disney movies that I've seen (but then again, that's just my personal opinion).I agree with those who say that the sidekicks are the best; but Derek's sidekicks are just as amusing as Odette's.
OK, she finds Derek and gets him to come to the lake, but she couldn't have even done that without Puffin, Speed and Jean-Bob. No offense, but when Derek said, "What else is there?" He was kind of on to something.And contrary to what most people say, I loved all the music- even "No More Mr. Nice Guy." My favorite song is "This is My Idea," simply because it's funny, and I don't mind it getting stuck in my head (which it tends to do a lot).I just think that there's something in the Swan Princess for every age (though keep in mind that I can only attest to 15).
The story is the beautiful princess, Odette, is kidnapped by a powerful sorcerer (a plot we have seen dozens of other times), but here is the twist.
Derek is the prince of another kingdom who blows the two kingdoms chances of being allies when he says the wrong words to their princess, but he is still in deep love for her and is looking for the creature known as the "Great Animal", who kills Odette's father.
While Derek is searching for the identity of the Great Animal, Odette, as a swan, meets three characters definitely meant for small children.
You have Jean Bob, the frog who thinks he is a prince, Speed, a turtle that sounds and feels way too close to Winnie the Pooh's Eeyore, and General Puffin, a puffin bird.After the opening song "This is my Idea" which was the closest the movie got to being anywhere as good as Disney's orchestra, the movie seems to fall apart.
The whole "princess being kidnapped, and prince rushing to save her" sounds like a dozen of Disney's movies, and the characters in the Swan Princess aren't any different.
Honestly, The Swan Princess is a movie that feels far too much like a would-be Disney clone and has too many clichés for me to actually recommend it..
Contains Spoilers This film may have its flaws - only two good songs (Far Longer Than Forever, No Fear), a few not so interesting sequences but whenever Jean-bob, Puffin & Speed are on I love every minute.
The Swan Princess is a lively and entertaining animated film for children and the occasional teenager (like me)..
"Swan Princess" is one of those films that you kept on your movie shelf from when you were six, rediscover it when you're 16, and find new things to love about it.
In this case though it really is just like a cheap cartoon which in turn makes me feel like I'm watching something aimed solely at little children rather than an animated movie for all ages (such as Disney movies or indeed Anastasia, which I feel I'm starting to gush about).The songs are awful.
In the end Rothbart in the form of the Great Creature is defeated by Derek firing the one arrow through his heart, the swan curse of Odette is lifted, and the couple finally embrace their true love for each other, marry, unite the kingdom and the two families and they all live happily ever after.
Derek and Odette may not be the most memorable protagonists in a animated feature, but are likable and engaging enough and portrays at least more personality than the Disney Princes and Princesses from Walt's films (pre-90's).
Even the minor characters as Queen Uberta, the conductor Lord Rogers and Prince Derek's friend, Bromley, are quite likable.The animation may not live up to Disney standards, but it's still nice-looking.
Otherwise, if there should be any complains about "The Swan Princess", it would be that the film lacks overall the depth that the Disney movies usually have.
So if you want to see a enjoyable non Disney-cartoon, "Swan Princess" is definitely worth a watch..
It has been years since the last time I've watched this movie and I could still name almost every character and their story.
The animation is quite good, the songs are decent, and the characters likable (though Odette is not given much to do).