THE SWAN PRINCESS

1994, Nest Entertainment

Animation

Rating: G

Approx. 90 mins.

THE STORY:

In this retelling of the classic Swan Lake ballet, Princess Odette (Michelle Nicastro) is turned into a swan by the evil enchanter, Rothbart (Jack Palance). Having been banished from the kingdom by King William (Dakin Matthews), Rothbart vows revenge. He exacts it by kidnapping Princess Odette and casting a spell that transforms her into a swan by day. Every night he asks her to marry him, thereby gaining her freedom and giving him the kingdom. 

Odette steadfastly refuses as she has vowed to marry none other than her true love, Prince Derek (Howard McGillin). The two have been intended for each other since childhood and, fortunately, have fallen in love. So, when his love disappears, the prince becomes obsessed with rescuing her from the Great Animal that is said to have taken her.

After some perilous adventures, the 2 lovers are reunited, the spell is broken and the couple live happily ever after.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  none

VIOLENCE:

• King William and Rothbart are killed
• Danger and threat that could be frightening for younger kids

TEACHING POINTS:

• Nothing that I would have to pry out of it for the sake of having a teaching point 

THE UPSHOT:

It's not Disney, but it ought to be. Visually, thematically, musically, stylistically it falls completely in line with the princess movies. This means that it is absolutely not my thing, but the 5 year-old in the room loved it.

John Cleese and Steven Wright get the few funny lines, and are made good use of. Beyond that, I can't really find much to like about the film. If I were rating this purely based on my impressions, it would get a 2; but as a source of entertainment for ki-- let's face it, girls-- I have to give it a... 

3.5/5