| The Swan Princess | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Rich |
| Screenplay by | Brian Nissen |
| Story by |
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| Based on | Swan Lake byPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Lex de Azevedo |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $21 million[2] |
| Box office | $9.8 million[3] |
The Swan Princess is a 1994 American animatedmusicalfantasy film[1] based on the balletSwan Lake. FeaturingMichelle Nicastro,Howard McGillin,Jack Palance,John Cleese,Steven Wright,Sandy Duncan, andSteve Vinovich, the film is directed by formerDisney animation directorRichard Rich and scored byLex de Azevedo. The film was distributed byNew Line Cinema in the United States and byColumbia TriStar Film Distributors International outside the US. It was released theatrically on November 18, 1994, and grossed $9.8 million against a $21 million budget, becoming abox-office bomb, mostly due to struggling competition with the release ofThe Lion King (1994). The film later became popular through home video releases and has since been followed by a series ofdirect-to-video sequels starting in 1997.[4][5]
The theme song "Far Longer than Forever" is performed byRegina Belle andJeffrey Osborne. The song was nominated for aGolden Globe in 1995 forBest Original Song.[6]
King William and his friend Queen Uberta both have a child; Uberta has a son named Derek and William has a daughter named Odette. The two want their children to marry when they grow up so they can unite their two kingdoms forever. However, sorcerer Rothbart plans to take King William's kingdom for himself. William discovers his plans and Rothbart is banished. He swears revenge.
Derek and Odette hate each other as children but when they reach adulthood, they do fall in love. However, when Derek can't think of anything he loves Odette for besides her beauty, she rejects him, disappointed. On her way home, she and her father are ambushed by Rothbart, who transforms into a "Great Animal", kidnapping Odette and fatally injuring William. The dying William tells Derek about the Great Animal and Odette. The kingdom assumes that she is dead, but Derek is determined to find her.
Rothbart is keeping Odette captive at Swan Lake. To make her unable to leave, he casts a powerful spell that turns Odette into aswan during the day. She can temporarily return to her true form at night if she stands on the lake when the moonlight touches it. Rothbart's goal is to marry Odette so he can rule the kingdom. During her captivity, she befriends aturtle named Speed, a Frenchfrog named Jean-Bob, and an Irishpuffin namedLieutenant Puffin.
In the woods, Derek mistakes Odette for the Great Animal and tries to kill her. The ensuing chase leads him to Swan Lake, where he witnesses her reverting to a human. Odette tells Derek that to break the spell, he must make a vow of everlasting love. He invites her to the ball, hoping to declare to the world his love. Rothbart transforms his hag sidekick, Bridget, into adoppelgänger Odette to fool Derek into making his vow to the wrong woman, which will kill the real Odette. On the night of the ball, he imprisons Odette and Derek's friend Bromley.
Odette's animal friends free her and she flies to the castle to warn Derek, but she is too late; Derek has made the vow. Realizing his mistake, Derek follows Odette back to Swan Lake, where she dies in his arms. A heartbroken Derek battles Rothbart and with the help of Bromley and Odette's animal friends, kills him.
Derek confesses his love to Odette, realizing that it's the person Odette has become that he loves about her, and she comes back to life; the spell on her is broken by his love. Derek and Odette get married and they, along with his mother, Rogers, Bromley, King William's servants, and the animals move into Rothbart's castle.
The chorus consists ofCatte Adams, Stephen W. Amerson,Beth Andersen, Susan Boyd,Amick Byram, Randy Crenshaw, Michael Dees,Jim Haas, Debbie Hall, Angie Jaree, Bob Joyce, Jon Joyce, Kerry Katz, Tampa M. Lann, Rick Logan, Susan McBride, Bobbie Page,Sally Stevens, Susan Stevens-Logan, Gary Stockdale,Carmen Twillie, andOren Waters
Having previously directedThe Fox and the Hound (1981) andThe Black Cauldron (1985) atWalt Disney Feature Animation in Burbank, California, Richard Rich was slated to co-directOliver & Company (1988) until he was fired by Disney feature animation presidentPeter Schneider.[7] Following his departure from Disney, he subsequently formed his own studio, Rich Animation Studios with about 26 employees, in which most of his key employees came fromDisney, including the company's marketing chief, Matt Mazer.[8] Subsequently, Jared F. Brown from Living Scriptures, Inc. tapped Rich into producing half-hour animated videos based on the audio cassette readings of theBook of Mormon.[9]
Inspired by the success ofDon Bluth's animated films as well as Disney'searly-1990s animation renaissance, Rich decided to adapt the German folk tale version ofSwan Lake. During production, the script went through twelve drafts over the course of two years. Rich would later attempt to sell his script to several Hollywood studios but to no success.[10] Later, Brown struck on the idea of merging Rich Animation Studios, Family Entertainment Network, and Cassette Duplicators Inc., acassette-duplicating operation inWest Valley City, Utah, into one production holding company calledNest Entertainment.[9]
The film was created by hand painting cels, a tedious technique which caused Rich and his crew to take over four years to produce the final product.[11][12] Most of the cel painting was done atHanho Heung-Up in Seoul, South Korea. Overall, 275 animators and artists worked throughout the film's production.[10]
David Zippel was approached by Richard Rich to write the lyrics to songs forThe Swan Princess,[13] while the songs and score were composed byLex de Azevedo.
The theme song "Far Longer than Forever" was written by de Azevedo and Zippel. In the film, the song was performed byvocalistsLiz Callaway (as the singing voice of Princess Odette) andHoward McGillin (as the speaking and singing voice of Prince Derek). In the closing credits, a pop/R&B rendition of the song was performed by recording artistsRegina Belle andJeffrey Osborne. In the 1997 sequelThe Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain, Michelle Nicastro sings a reprise of the song.[14]
Caryn James ofThe New York Times noted the "melody of 'Far Longer Than Forever' ... echoes the first five notes of 'Beauty and the Beast'."[15] Animation historianJerry Beck wrote in his bookThe Animated Movie Guide that the song had a theme of faith.[16] The pop single was jointly released bySony Wonder andSony 550 Music.[17]MusicHound Soundtracks: The Essential Album Guide to Film, Television and Stage Music called the "seemingly mandatory big ballad" "extremely annoying" due to "strik[ing] a totally different artistic note" in the context of the film's musical landscape.[18] The 1995 edition ofThe Motion Picture Guide felt the "love theme" was deserving of the Golden Globe.[19] John Hartl ofThe Seattle Times deemed the song "insistent", noting that audiences may "quickly get their fill" of the tune.[20]
"Far Longer than Forever" was nominated for aGolden Globe in 1995 forBest Original Song.[21]
WhenThe Swan Princess was nearing completion,New Line Cinema purchased the distribution rights in the United States, andColumbia TriStar Film Distributors International obtained the foreign distribution rights.[10]
Pillsbury partnered withTurner Home Entertainment for a marketing campaign to promote the film's home video release.[22][23][24]
Turner Home Entertainment first releasedThe Swan Princess on VHS and LaserDisc in the Turner Family Showcase collection on August 3, 1995, and sold over 2.5 million units.[4] Outside the United States,Columbia TriStar Home Video released it on VHS. On March 30, 2004, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released the film for the first time on DVD, in Special Edition. The Special Edition DVD contains a few extras, including trailers, a read-along feature, a sing-along feature, and games. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment later re-released the Special Edition DVD on August 18, 2009. It was also released as a double-feature DVD with its sequelThe Swan Princess 3: The Mystery of the Enchanted Kingdom. A Blu-ray version of the film was released on October 29, 2019, for its 25th anniversary.[25]
During its opening weekend,The Swan Princess opened in tenth place at the box office, earning $2.4 million.[26] It eventually grossed $9.8 million against a $21 million budget, becoming abox office bomb, mostly due to struggling competition with several other family films and a re-release ofThe Lion King.[27][2]
Disney's reissuing ofThe Lion King just as this film was being released was seen as "sabotage" byVariety.[28]
The Swan Princess received favorable reviews.[27]Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, writing "Despite the comparatively limited resources at his disposal, Richard Rich shows that he understands the recent Disney animated renaissance and can create some of the same magic. The movie isn't in the same league as Disney's big four, and it doesn't have the same crossover appeal to adults, but as family entertainment, it's bright and cheerful, and it has its moments."[29] Similarly, Hal Hinson ofThe Washington Post said it was a better film thanThe Lion King, praising its "fluid, unhurried pace" and "lush, original sense of color", though deeming the score "[not] terribly distinctive".[30] Caryn James ofThe New York Times noted the film's similarities toBeauty and the Beast (1991), writing it was "not quite as good or fresh, but it's delicious all the same, bound to amuse children and entertain their trapped parents, too."[15]
Brian Lowry ofVariety stated the film was "technically impressive but rather flat and languid storywise".[28]James Berardinelli ofReelViews gave the film2+1⁄2 stars of 4, writing that "much ofThe Swan Princess is trite and uninspired", though added "nevertheless, despite its problems,The Swan Princess is actually one of the better non-Disney animated productions to come along in a while".[11]Gene Siskel ofThe Chicago Tribune gave the film two out of four stars, writing the film is a "casually drawn tale of a boring prince and princess tormented by a dull sorcerer. The songs are weak, and no relationship is developed between the principals."[31] OnRotten Tomatoes,The Swan Princess has an approval rating of 50% based on 12 reviews and an average score of 5.4/10.[32]
