The Swan Princess (1994)

A power hungry sorcerer transforms a princess into a swan by day in this tale of everlasting love.

Director:

Richard Rich

Writers:

Richard Rich (story), Brian Nissen (story)

Stars:

Jack Palance, Howard McGillin, Michelle Nicastro

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Palance	...	Lord Rothbart (voice)
Howard McGillin	...	Adult Prince Derek (voice)
Michelle Nicastro	...	Adult Princess Odette (voice)
Liz Callaway	...	Princess Odette (singing voice)
John Cleese	...	Jean-Bob (voice)
Steven Wright	...	Speed (voice)
Steve Vinovich	...	Puffin (voice)
Mark Harelik	...	Lord Rogers (voice)
James Arrington	...	Chamberlain (voice)
Davis Gaines	...	Chamberlain (singing voice)
Joel McKinnon Miller	...	Bromley (voice)
Dakin Matthews	...	King William (voice)
Sandy Duncan	...	Queen Uberta (voice)
Brian Nissen	...	Narrator (voice)
Adam Wylie	...	Young Prince Derek (voice)

Storyline

As children, Prince Derek and Princess Odette are forced to spend their summers together by their widowed parents, who hope that the two will eventually fall in love and marry, so their two kingdoms will be united. As children and adolescents, Derek and Odette can't stand each other, but as young adults they begin to see each other in a different light and fall in love with each other. But one night things take a bad turn when Derek unintentionally offends Odette, who then refuses to marry him if he can't prove that he loves her for who she is and not just her beauty. Odette and her father are then attacked by Lord Rothbart, a vengeful sorcerer who was cast out of William's kingdom when he plotted against the king. In the form of a beast, Rothbart mortally wounds William, and kidnaps Odette then places her under a spell. Now it is up to Derek to rescue Odette by showing his undying love. But will he be in time?

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Plot Keywords:

princess | sorcerer | prince | king | vow | 

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Taglines:

The Magic Begins November 1994

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 November 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

La princesa encantada

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$9,771,658

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nest Family Entertainment, Rich Animation Studios

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bobcat Goldthwait were considered for the role of Chamberlain.

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Goofs

When Derek and the fake Odette are dancing together during the ball, he puts the necklace over her hair. In the next shot, it is magically under her hair. Neither of them adjusted it, so it should have still been over.

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Quotes

Odette: [Odette is dying] Derek I-I feel so weak. I think I'm.
Prince Derek: No. You'll live, Odette! The vow I made was for you!

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Connections

Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #18.1 (1997)

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Soundtracks

Far Longer Than Forever
(End Title Version)
Music by Lex de Azevedo
Lyrics by David Zippel
Performed by Regina Belle and Jeffrey Osborne
Produced and Arranged by Robbie Buchanan
Regina Belle appears courtesy of Columbia Records

User Reviews

A cult classic that has been stuck with me since my childhood

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. Meanwhile, an evil sorcerer named Rothbart captures Odette and turns her into a swan that would only turn her back into a human as the moon rises. 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). It still holds up, but there are two problems that I do have with this classic. The animation is beautiful and colorful, but is a bit deflated some of the time. Derek is a bland character, but is a somewhat sympathetic character since he learned that to love a woman is to prove his love for her.

Flaws aside, everything else still holds up. The story is very original and sticks closely to the ballet without any ballet dances which works for me. The characters are charming and likable; Odette is a beautiful and feisty character and I liked her hair as well. The side characters including Bromley, Rogers (whose line "How To Offend Women In 5 Syllables Or Less made me laugh) and Uberta, who never fails to steal every scene in the movie. The animal sidekicks including Jean-Bob, Speed, and Puffin are excellent. The villain Rothbart, voiced by the late Jack Palace, is great and his motives, although over-the-top, are very amusing. The songs, on the whole, are pleasant and memorable to listen to especially "Far Longer Than Forever". Even the ending is satisfying. 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. It may have received a mixed reception when it was first released, but I'm recommending this to those who love Disney and Non-Disney films.