What if Don Bluth stayed at Disney?/The Swan Princess

***The Swan Princess*** is a 1994 American animated musical fantasy film loosely based on the ballet *Swan Lake*. Featuring the voice talents of Michelle Nicastro, Howard McGillin, Jack Palance, John Cleese, Steven Wright, Sandy Duncan, and Steve Vinovich, the film is directed by Don Bluth and Richard Rich, with a music score by Lex de Azevedo. The film is produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, Amblin Entertainment and Rich Animation Studios (uncredited) for Walt Disney Pictures and released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, being the 49th Disney animated feature film and the 16th animated film produced during the period known as the Disney Renaissance. It was released theatrically on November 18, 1994, and grossed $289 million against a $21 million budget, becoming a box office success. The film has spawned two direct-to-video sequels, *The Swan Princess II: Escape from Castle Mountain* (1996) and *The Swan Princess III: The Mystery of the Enchanted Treasure* (1998); a computer-animated television series, *The Swan Princess: Royal Family Tales*; a 3D re-release in 2010; and a live-action adaptation in 2022 directed by Bill Condon.

The theme song "Far Longer than Forever" is performed by Regina Belle and Jeffrey Osborne. The song was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1995 for Best Original Song.

## Plot

King William and his friend Queen Uberta both have a child; Uberta has a son named Derek and William has a daughter named Odette. At the celebration of Odette's birth, the two make a plan to have them meet and spend every summer together in hopes that they fall in love and marry so that they can unite their two kingdoms forever. Meanwhile, King William's chancellor, sorcerer Sir Rothbart, plans to take King William's kingdom for himself by mastering a type of dark magic known as The Forbidden Arts. However, William discoveries his plans and Rothbart is arrested. Despite calls for his death, King William spares Rothbart's life and banishes him forever. Before leaving, Rothbart swears revenge on King William, that he'll get his powers back and claim everything William has as his own.

William and Uberta put their plan into action. Unfortunately, this fails as Derek and Odette hate each other as children, but when they reach adulthood, they do fall in love. However, Derek can't think of anything besides Odette's beauty that he loves her for, causing her to reject him, and she and her father leave disappointed. On their journey home, they are ambushed by Rothbart, who got his powers back and transforms into a "Great Animal", kidnapping Odette and fatally injuring William. Derek arrives on the scene and the dying William tells him about the Great Animal ("It's not what it seems"), and that Odette is gone. After searching and finding no sign of Odette, the entire kingdom assumes that she is dead. Uberta tries to encourage her son to find another bride, but Derek is determined to find Odette, believing that she is still alive somewhere.

Derek and his best friend Bromley practice hunting every day in preparation to face the Great Animal, with help from Uberta's valet, Lord Rogers. Elsewhere, Rothbart is keeping Odette captive at the mysterious Swan Lake. After she refuses to marry him, he has cast a powerful spell that turns Odette into a swan during the day, while she can temporarily return to her true form at night if she stands on the lake when the moonlight touches it. During her captivity, she befriends a turtle named Speed, a French frog named Jean-Bob, who claims to be a prince, and an Irish puffin named Lieutenant Puffin.

Puffin and Odette (in her swan form) fly together to find Derek. By chance, they stumble upon Derek in the woods as he is searching for the Great Animal. Derek mistakes Odette for the Great Animal (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 reverting to a human when the moon rises. The two share a loving reunion, and Odette tells Derek that to break the spell, he must make a vow of everlasting love and "prove it to the world". Derek invites Odette to the ball at the castle the following night, hoping to declare to the world of his love for her. After Derek leaves however, Rothbart arrives, having heard the whole conversation, and tells Odette that she will never make it to the ball, for there will be "no moon" on that night. To make matters worse, Rothbart transforms his cheerful hag sidekick, Bridget, into a doppelgänger Odette, so as to fool Derek to make his vow to the wrong woman, which will kill the real Odette. On the night of the ball, Rothbart imprisons Odette (in swan form) in the dungeon of his castle, along with Bromley, whom he had found in the woods the other night, while the disguised Bridget arrives at the ball and dances with Derek, who is unaware of her true identity.

Meanwhile, Puffin, Speed, and Jean-Bob manage to free Odette from the dungeon through a duel with two hungry alligators and she flies to the castle to warn Derek, but is too late; Derek has made the vow to the wrong woman. Just then, Rothbart bursts in, gloatingly revealing to Derek the fake Odette's true form. Realizing his mistake, Derek follows Odette back to Swan Lake, where she finally transforms back into her human form one last time. As he holds Odette in his arms, she tells Derek that she loves him before finally dying. A heartbroken and furious Derek confronts Rothbart, demanding that he undo the spell, and Rothbart promises to do so, but only if Derek defeats him. Rothbart transforms into the Great Animal, and a battle ensues in which he overpowers Derek. However, Odette's animal friends retrieve Derek's bow, and Bromley, who has also escaped the dungeon, provides Derek with a single arrow, which Derek shoots into Rothbart's heart, killing him.

Afterwards, Derek tearfully confesses his love to Odette, realizing that it's the person Odette has become he loves about her, and she comes back to life; the spell on her is broken. Derek and Odette get married and they, along with Rogers, Bromley, Uberta, King William's servants, and the animals move into Rothbart's former castle. Meanwhile, Bridget redeems herself and falls in love with Uberta's lackey, Sir Chamberlain, Puffin becomes the general of an army of swans, Odette kisses Jean-Bob who goes into convulsions but does not turn into a prince, and Odette and Derek live happily ever after.

## Voice cast

* Michelle Nicastro as Princess Odette
	+ Liz Callaway as Princess Odette (singing voice)
	+ Adrian Zahiri as Young Princess Odette (voice)
* Howard McGillin as Prince Derek
	+ Adam Wylie as Young Prince Derek
* John Cleese as Jean-Bob
	+ David Zippel as Jean-Bob (singing voice)
* Steven Wright as Speed
	+ Jonathan Hadary as Speed (singing voice)
* Steve Vinovich as Lieutenant/General Puffin
* Jack Palance as Sir Rothbart
	+ Lex de Azevedo as Sir Rothbart (singing voice)
* Sandy Duncan as Queen Uberta
* James Arrington as Sir Chamberlain
	+ Davis Gaines as Sir Chamberlain (singing voice)
* Dakin Matthews as King William
* Mark Harelik as Lord Rogers
* Joel McKinnon Miller as Bromley
* Bess Hopper as Bridget
* Brian Nissen as the Narrator