Review - The Swan Princess (1994)

       Hey guys, Chuck here. And, today, we're taking a look at an animated musical fairy tale that WASN'T made by Disney. I am, of course, talking about the 1994 Richard Rich animated film The Swan Princess, which is inspired by the classic tale of Swan Lake. The movie features the vocal talents of Michelle Nicastro, Howard McGillin, John Cleese, Jack Palance, Sandy Duncan, and Steven Wright. 

       The movie introduces us to King William, a kind-hearted and elderly King who is saddened by the fact that he has no child to inherit his kingdom. But, the day finally arrives when he is blessed with a child: a daughter that William named Odette. Many come from far and wide to see the new Princess. But, off in the shadows is an evil sorcerer named Rothbart, who was hoping to take William's throne, but is now forced to tap into an ancient and evil force known as the Forbidden Arts to take William's kingdom by force. However, Rothbart is thwarted, and banished from the kingdom by William, but he vows revenge. 

       The next number of years see William and Odette traveling to a neighboring kingdom ruled by Queen Uberta, who has a son named Prince Derek. And, yes, the two parents attempt to play matchmaker to their children in the hopes of uniting their kingdoms, but it goes about as well as you might think. Odette and Derek at about the way children at that age, especially boys and girls, act towards each other. It's only when they reach adulthood when the romance finally blooms between them, and Derek is ready to marry Odette. However, Odette calls off the wedding, as it seems that Derek only loves her for her physical beauty and nothing else. Oops. 

       On their way home, William and Odette are attacked by Rothbart, who has transformed into a massive winged beast called the "Great Animal," kills William, and abducts Odette. Word gets back to Derek about the attack, and he hurries to William's caravan, where the dying King tells Derek that the "Great Animal" is "not what it seems." At the mysterious Swan Lake, which is a beautiful lake with a slightly ruined castle beside it, Rothbart and his aide Bridget have turned Odette into a swan, and have used a spell that can turn her back to a human only when she is on the lake and the moonlight is shining on it. But, to ensure she can't merely escape, the spell is set so that she turns back into a swan when the moonlight leaves the lake. 

       Derek, meanwhile, is undeterred in his hope that Odette is still out there, and we see him practice his archery skills so that he can use his skills to find Odette. Odette, meanwhile, has befriended a trio of animals: a frog named Jean-Bob, a turtle named Speed, and a puffin named Lt. Puffin. And, it turns out that the spell cast over Odette can be broken by a vow of everlasting love. And, it's here where we see Odette also holding out hope for her and Derek to reunite and truly share their love. 

        Eventually, Derek and his sidekick Bromley make their way into the forest, and almost attack both Odette and Lt. Puffin. But, with sheer luck, the two are able to lead Derek to the lake, and with the moonlight reflected on it, Odette is able to retake human form. And, it's during this brief reunion that Odette tells Derek about the spell, and how to break it, but warns him that she's being watched on a nightly basis. Derek makes a plan to make his vow of love the next night at a royal ball Uberta is holding in the hope of getting him to move on. 

      Rothbart, meanwhile, overhears this and alters his plans. At first, his plan was to get Odette to agree to marry him in order to get a legitimate claim on her father's throne. Now, he plans to turn Bridget into a copy of Odette in order to trick Derek into making his vow to the wrong woman, and thus the real Odette will die, apparently. And, to ensure she can't warm Derek of the villain's plan, Rothbart locks Odette in a flooded tower along with Bromley, and it's up to Jean-Bob, Speed,  and Lt. Puffin to aid in her escape. 

      Now, the royal ball sequence is actually pretty good. It thoroughly showcases the art style that Richard Rich and his animation team, many of whom had worked with him during his tenure at Disney, as being really good. Yes, it's pretty clearly Disney-like in its overall look, but I could say the same for James Lopez's animated short Hullabaloo, and I like that short quite a bit for the mere fact that it resembles the classic Disney hand-drawn style I loved as a kid. By the way, definitely check out Hullabaloo on YouTube, it's actually pretty cool. Anyway, Odette tries to get inside, but Derek makes his vow to the fake Odette (Bridget), and Rothbart's plan is set. Realizing his mistake, Derek rushes to the lake, where Odette has retaken human form and is slowly dying. Rothbart then shows up, and turns into the "Great Animal," and is defeated when Derek pierces him with an arrow. Derek holds Odette in his arms, truly makes his vow of love for the person she's become, and the spell is broken as Odette returns to life. Derek and Odette marry, and the two go on to live a happy life.

      So, what do I think of The Swan Princess? Well, it's a pretty good movie. The animation, in spite of clearly being Disney-like in art style, is still very stunning. The story is very simple, and gives us a very unique kind of fairy tale story. The songs by Lex de Azevedo and David Zippel, the latter of whom would go on to write the song lyrics for Disney's Mulan, were nice, with the song "Far Longer than Forever" probably being the breakout song of the movie. And, the vocal talent was a ton of fun. Hearing industry greats like John Cleese as Jean-Bob, Sandy Duncan as Queen Uberta, Jack Palance as Rothbart, and Steven Wright as Speed, alongside both Michelle Nicastro as Odette (with Liz Callaway providing Odette's singing voice) and Howard McGillin as Derek, were great. All in all,. Richard Rich made a genuinely delightful animated musical fairy tale that, of not for the fact that it was independently produced, could have been a pretty good contender to match Disney's success. 

     But, then, why did an animated movie that, for all intents and purposes should have made a decent proft, become a box office bomb? Well, it mainly is due to the fact that Disney decided to re-release The Lion King, which had been the mega hit of the summer of 1994, in theaters around the same time in November of '94 that The Swan Princess was hitting theaters. Yikes. But, where the film struggled at the box office, it more than made up the difference in home video sales. Yeah, like many animated family films in the '90s that weren't made by Disney, The Swan Princess was able to find its audience in the home video market, which is why director Richard Rich was able to continue the story in a whole series of direct-to-video sequels. 

       So, all in all, The Swan Princess is definitively one of those movies I consider an underrated gem of '90s animation. If you haven't seen it yet, definitely give it a watch, and enjoy a beautifully animated tale that is truly a timeless wonder. 

      Anyway guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys in the next review.