The Wild Swans is another fairy tale from my favorite writer, Hans Christian Andersen. The story has been adapted four times on stage and in films. But I love this version of the story in this lesser-known anime film from 1977; I am a huge anime fan like my twin sister. At first, I'd never seen this movie, but after I watched it online, I loved it. The film combines both Andersen's and the Grimm Brothers' versions of the story. Instead of eleven brothers, it was narrowed down to six, like in the Grimms' version. And in the middle of the story (with the nettles) and the ending are strictly Andersen's; I do prefer Andersen's version.
The film begins with the king hunting in the forest. But suddenly he lost his way in the spooky woods, until an old woman (who was really a witch and the main villain of the film) came by and offered to help if the king would marry her daughter Greta; my educated guess is that her voice actress is Billie Lou Watt. After they returned to the castle, the king left Greta to tell his seven children (six sons and a daughter named Elisa) about their new mother. The children lived in a house in the woods because their late mother thought it would be safe, and only the good queen's magic spool of yarn knows where the house is. Of course, Greta did not like this at all, and she became jealous. In the dead of the night, Greta searched for the magic spool of yarn, and she did because there were some leaves sticking out of the yarn as proof this was the magic spool of yarn.
The next morning, she took the yarn, and the yarn bounced all the way to the house where the royal children lived. She finally reached the house and greeted the children. But little do they know what evil trickery is afoot for them, because when the six young princes went outside to greet the queen, she flung six magic, white cloths on them, and they were turned into swans. But not Elisa; she was saved by her brothers, who attacked the evil witch queen while she escaped. While searching for her swan and brothers, Elisa rested under a tree and cried. But her magic tears encouraged her not to give up hope. So she continued to search for them until finally she found all six brothers, and what a happy reunion they had. But Elisa can only see her brothers at night, when the enchantment breaks. And when spring comes, they'll have to migrate to a colder climate. Before leaving, they tell Elisa that she alone could break the spell. She would have to collect nettle and spin it into thread with which to make six shirts, one for each of her brothers, for six years. During this time, she would have to remain silent, for if she were to speak a single word or make the slightest sound, they would all die. So Elisa worked on the six nettle shirts throughout the years. Until one autumn, when the fifth shirt was finished, a young king's hunting party found her, and the king beckoned Elisa to come with him to his kingdom and bring her basket of nettles and shirts with her. That's all I could tell you, folks; you will have to see the film for yourself to see how it ends.
Overall, I loved every minute of this film, and it is a must-see for anime fans everywhere. You know, I think Elisa and also Rosa, from another anime fairy tale film, Puss in Boots, fit the part of being non-Disney princesses, don't you? As I said before, this might seem strange to you guys, but I put on a list I have made of my favorite movie princesses, animated or live action, including these three ladies. So overall, this is another great film from Toei Animation.
