The Swan Princess (1994)
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A princess cursed to become a swan must find true love to break a sorcerer's spell.
The story
King William and Queen Uberta wish for their children, Odette and Derek, to marry and unite their kingdoms. However, an evil sorcerer named Rothbart seeks to seize the kingdom for himself. After Rothbart's powers are briefly destroyed, he returns with renewed strength, kidnaps Odette, and mortally wounds King William. Odette is held captive at Swan Lake under a spell that transforms her into a swan during the day. While Derek searches for her, Odette befriends several animals. The two eventually meet again, and Derek must find a way to break the curse and rescue her from Rothbart's grasp.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
King William and Queen Uberta want their children, Odette and Derek, to marry to unite their kingdoms. The evil sorcerer Rothbart, seeking the kingdom, is initially defeated but returns, kidnaps Odette, and mortally wounds King William. Odette is cursed at Swan Lake to become a swan by day and a human by night. She befriends Speed the turtle, Jean-Bob the frog, and Lieutenant Puffin. Derek, searching for her, mistakes her for a monster and tries to kill her before realizing her identity. Odette tells Derek he must vow everlasting love to break the spell. Rothbart creates a doppelgänger of Odette to trick Derek into making the vow to the wrong woman, which would kill the real Odette. At a ball, Derek makes the vow to the doppelgänger. Puffin, Speed, and Jean-Bob free Odette, who warns Derek. Derek follows her to the lake where she dies in his arms. Derek battles and kills Rothbart. He then confesses his love for the person Odette has become, reviving her and breaking the spell. They marry and move into Rothbart's castle with their friends and animals.
- First release year
- 1994
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Richard Rich
- Writers
- Brian Nissen · screenplay; Richard Rich · story; Brian Nissen · story
- Cast and characters
- Jack Palance; Howard McGillin; Michelle Nicastro; John Cleese; Steven Wright; Steve Vinovich; Mark Harelik; James Arrington; Joel McKinnon Miller; Dakin Matthews; Sandy Duncan
- Genres
- animated; musical; romance; fantasy; comedy
- Themes
- Faith; True Love; Sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- Bright; Cheerful; Lush
- Premise and plot tags
- Animated; Fantasy; Musical; Romance; Fairy Tale
- Source material / true-story basis
- The 1877 ballet Swan Lake by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
- Franchise connections
- The Swan Princess
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 46% · review count: 13; Metacritic · score: 70 · scale: 100 · review count: 15
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe · Best Original Song · 1995 · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was created by hand painting cels.; The script went through twelve drafts over the course of two years.; The film was produced by 275 animators and artists.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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