Far Longer Than Forever | A Love Letter to The Swan Princess
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2024
- #theswanprincess #odette #disneyprincess
This video is dedicated to my buddy Kevin at @WordsoftheWitches
If anyone wants to support me on Ko-Fi:
ko-fi.com/bett...
Thirty years ago, the best non-Disney princess film got released...
If y'all want to keep up with me on the old socials...
@bobbyiceman
Jellyfish in Space by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 79 | คู่เอก "ก้องชัย vs อาเมียร์"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WfPSA1A0NHc/mqdefault.jpg)
My grandpa worked on the Swan Princess, amongst other pieces. My childhood was surrounded by merchandise, copious amounts of obscure animation VHS’, and full theatrical posters on the walls. He was the only father figure I had as a kid, and losing him was my first brush with grief in my childhood. On my wedding day, I had Odette’s locket pinned to my wedding bouquet with a picture of him inside.
Thank you for taking the time to produce this love letter.
Thank you to your grandfather for helping produce such a beloved movie, and thank you for your lovely comment :)
What a beautiful story. I hope you don’t find it rude, but would you be willing to sell a theatrical poster or something of this sort that you mentioned? Swan Princess was my childhood and that would mean so much to me.
Thank you sharing this piece of his beautiful memory💕
What a beautiful story. May your grandfather’s memory be a blessing.
The Swan Princess trilogy is my favourite animated trilogy of all time. I particularly love how Derek and Odette’s marriage is not perfect. It’s something they need to work at, but their love always brings them back together ❤️
Yes! Exactly. I always appreciated that aspect. It's still very rare to have stories with romance show the couple actually building a life together
I agree 100 percent
F GG g Iy
All 3 movies were fantastic. Especially the Queen's melt downs
This could be a false memory but I seem to remember a bit in the second movie where Odette says to Derek "I remember why I married you - you're so good at saying you were wrong," and when I was a kid I was like "that's a dumb reason to marry someone" and my mum said "It's actually a pretty good start!"
I guess they were dealing with slightly more complex relationships than I'd seen represented in kids movies up to that point.
The ''As constant as a star''. No other prince delivered that classical princeliness with vocals.
Yes!
Appropiate, considering he played phantom of the Opera for the longest time on Broadway (1999 to 2009)
I will not take the quest for Camelot slander 😂😂😂
Agreed! Its pretty flawed but I think it holds up, like I feel like all you need to do is examine the writing around Garrett just to get a glimpse of some of the genius in the film. Like how when he first meets Kaylee he doesn't even bother to turn around to face her while talking to her, and the gradually moves to turning towards her but staring straight ahead, to finally putting in the effort to tilt his face towards her direction. Its a very subtle way of showing his developing relationship with her, and the fact this only works with him being blind makes it an extra nice touch. (Also I love the moment where Kaylee is standing right in front of him oogling him and how cute he is, and he literally has NO idea, he's literally blind to it and its so funny and cute idk)
Also to give Kaylee some love, she was clearly written for the army brat girlies, I found her very relatable as kid as someone who loves my dad a lot. I also appreciate the fact that she wasn't an inherent badass. She wanted to leave to train to be a knight, she has zero knowledge on how to fight or anything like that, no one has taught her those things, all she can do is daydream. I feel like a lot of people give her shit for being weak when I don't think that that is her fault. Also the fact that she has a nervous habit of talking too much, its fairly realistic and is a great tool for setting up the initial tension with Garrett since he has to depend on hearing more than she does.
Also one more gush for the road, but if you slow down the first fight scene in movie, which happens SO fast, you can tell how purposeful the fight choreography is, and the way it shows how Kaylee's father died. He's the only one who suffers a fatal blow, getting bashed on the side of the head with a mace, while everyone else is able to block or parry him, or just get a head butt. The fact that they don't realize immediately how badly he got hurt is also fairly realistic, again given how quickly the fight happened.
@himbotits A couple of other points:
1. Ruber really is just "THE VILLAIN", and he OWNS IT. He's unhinged, he does the robot at one point, his magic potion that creates the metal soldiers was just "bought from some witches" - he really is just "the bad guy", and boy, does he make it work. "I was in the neighbourhood, and I thought I'd invade"; it's almost as if they let tumblr write Ghengis Khan fanfiction.
2. When Kaylee sees Ruber standing in her house with her family held prisoner, the first thing she does is try to kill him with a mace. Even the mass-produced girlboss characters of today aren't THAT brazen.
I loved it as a kid. One of the best. I rewatched it as an adult though. I rewatched The Prince of Egypt and The Land Before Time around the same time. Quest for Camelot doesn't quite have an all ages appeal that the others pulled off for me. Still, I give it credit for the strong impression it gave me as a kid and as someone who loves medieval fantasy with adventurous yet warm female characters. And a blind loner forest guy who knows nature by feel is also just as awesome and classic.
Agreed!
I watched it awhile ago on TH-cam, it was _really_ good!! Really sweet, really wholesome and fun. I loved Kaylee and Garrett's romance and the way they defeat Ruber. The only thing I didn't like so much was the two-headed dragon character (especially his introductory song;the animation for that thing was just _whack),_ but even then, that's _really_ just more of a nitpick for me than anything else :P.
it is so deeply validating to see so many fellow swan princess lovers in the comments- i’m in my mid 20s and my swan princess blanket is my most prized possession
Ooh very cool :D
Oh, yes! I'm here for it.
23yo here. Hands down my favourite movie of all time. Im sure most little girls went through the princess stage and this films take was other worldly, even in the early/mid 2000s
Swan princess gave me a princess with personality, snark, and heart and a prince that was more than a set piece. I love this movie.
i mean she had it in the childhood song, afterwards she lost it, i still like some things about the movie but the two main characters were done pretty dirty
I've always admired animated films and animators that dared to stand up to Disney... even if they weren't entirely successful, they could still always remain gems that could leave an impact on others in ways that Disney couldn't.
And Richard Rich went to multiple studios and backers to try and get it off the ground, and they all said no and to go to Disney, but he opted to do it independently
@@BetterWithBob in a perfect world he and Don Bluth could have been an unstoppable team in the 90s but DreamWorks was right around the corner. Disney has a knack for pissing off former employees. You should see what they tried to do to Ferngully and those 2 bizarre Filmation pseudo-sequels Pinocchio and the emperor of the night and Happily ever after.
Thank you! I’ve been saying this about Odette for years! She is a strong character and her being feminine doesn’t take away from her intellect or courage. I especially like how we get to see her character develop through the two animated sequels. She’s always been my favorite non Disney princess 🦢✨
Yeah she was always a great feminine and strong female lead. My only issue with her in the OG film was that the transition of her from being upset with Derek's botched proposal to pining for him felt so rushed and glossed over. I kinda wish they had given her one or two lines explaining why she still loved him, or that she knew he just made a mistake because it feels so out of left field for her to suddenly change her mind about being with him in ten minutes.
LOL- I totally forgot about the lyric about their marriage leading to lower taxes. Oh man do I feel that now, 25 years later....
I'd settle to lowering the prices of groceries in general lol
@@BetterWithBob Ya, no kidding lol😂😭. Going back to 2020 prices would save our household at least a couple thousand dollars (and there's only 2 of us).
@@BetterWithBobor lowering the rent on a single bedroom apartment 😵💫
@@mkyasha prices for groceries in 2014/2015 were under $2.00. And thanks to inflation in 2018/2019 it was near the $2.50/$3.00 mark, so inflation was already climbing since the late 2010s, before 2020 occured. How do I know this? I've kept receipts from Shoprite that showed me what I used to buy back in the day compared to now. I've collected receipts since the 2010s and it's always interesting to see what I bought back then compared to now. I still have a faded Pathmark receipt where I bought Coca-Cola Zeros and Regular Cokes 12 ounce bottles that Pathmark no longer exists where the Target is now.
"DUCK!" "WHAT?!"
Fantastic video on a very underrated animation from my childhood. Ah, nostalgia!
Thanks for watching Rachel ^_^
That was my favorite bit as a kid and would often quote it with my sister.
evil odette's black dress has lived rent free in my mind for the past 20 years. if I ever get invited to a fancy event it's 100% what im going to wear and i wouldn't even question getting it custom made. probably would even dye my hair lighter tbh.
My kindergarten teacher played this movie once during “nap/quiet time” (year 2000/2001) and I was so enthralled by it I demanded my grandma rent it so I could watch it again and again and again.
My other favorite non-Disney animated musical is Quest for Camelot and I won’t take that slander lying down. 😂
I loved quest for camelot As well. Yeah it felt corny, But the main character love interests even as a kid, Made me really happy to see them grow together.
Garrett, Was a far better Male love interest Then A lot of so-called princes. I definitely like him better than The Swan princess's Prince character.
The dragons were funny. The bad guy really gave this true, psychotic , evil Villain energy.
people don't give this movie enough credit.
My movie twin!!!❤
Quest for Camelot and Cats Don’t Dance for non Disney musicals.
I was 9 when this movie came out. I was fortunate to see it once in theaters, and i was obsessed. I couldn't wait for the VHS release. They used to have book orders for classrooms at my school and i was delighted to own the novelization of the movie, i still own it actually. I vaguely remember a conversation with my classmates and they were being exposed to more adult material than i cared to watch, and i was made fun of for liking this film. It prompted me to write a essay as a journal entry that we wrote in for class, stating my protection of my innocence and being careful of the entertainment i cared for. My teacher loved the entry so much that she asked my permission to copy it and keep it. Thats my memory of The Swan Princess.
Oh that's awesome :D I didn't even know there was a novelization
The Swan Princess and Anastasia are both on the top of the list of my favorite films of all time, completely unironically. I absolutely adore them with my whole heart. It makes me very happy to see someone else show this movie some love. I actually love Derek as a character, his biggest problem is the fact that he's basically a himbo and kinda dumb. Like sometimes you can just see in his face he has zero clue what's going on and its SO funny to me. I think my favorite moment of this is with Princesses on Parade, I feel like its less of him waiting for Odette, and him genuinely being confused by the song number that's happening around him and not being sure how to react. He has some of the best facial animations in the movie as well, he's very expressive and it makes him fun to watch for that reason.
The human animation in general is just really good, and like you pointed out as well, the fact that all the background staff are unique is a nice touch. I feel like women back then often got the copy paste treatment, and it would have been so much easier to have the white dress dancer in "Parade" all have the same face, but the fact they designed and then animated all of them to look different makes me give so much respect to the artists working on the film. I haven't seen the sequels in a while but this video makes me want to check them out again. I certainly watched them a lot on VHS back in the day!
Ooh that's a good point about the dancers in Princesses on Parade
Interesting....I sadly have to go with "Flight Of Dragons", since that one is my absolute favorite animated film of all time in the 1980s.
I think the song that really captures the identify of this trilogy is practice, practice, practice. unashamed fun, but always with a reason for being.
Ooh that's an interesting perspective
Oh, wow. You actually brought up the original tragedy and how Odette and Odile were played by the same ballerina. So many people just see the modern iterations, including this film, and assume the story (in all versions) just is that way by default, rather than evolving into that over countless retellings.
Thank you! I've loved this movie since I was little. Odette's and Roger's immediate calling out of Derek's shallowness definitely shaped my early expectations of how strong women are and how you should expect to be treated by a partner. Also that princesses on parade song is the freaking best
I love all the music but Princesses on Parade is extra special to me as it is sung by the same actor I saw the first time I went to Phantom of the Opera. He was great!
There is only the Swan Princess, the two sequels and THATS it!
Amen!
Agreed!!
Yep, agreed!🙂👍🏻
The later sequels don't exist.
Truth.
"This Is My Idea" is one of my favorite songs from a Princess-type musical due to the fact that it does a lot (which you've already explained well), but also the fact that it did something Disney just started to do, which was to show a really developed and/or established long term connection between the two characters who are intended to be together (romantic, or not). Prior to this, the Princess formula was a meet and and greet, then marriage. They would've been the first, but BATB coming out in 91' due to having to release it under "compressed timeline" which was 2 years and had major story changes. The version we have today managed to be in development after Swan Princess started and finished before it's release.
I adored this movie as a kid. I've since introduced my children to it. It will live on as it deserves.♥️
Parenting done right lol
The amount of fluidity in the expressive swaying of Roger’s hair is just…. It’s just hair but my god whoever animated that put their whole ass heart into it
I was a little girl when this movie was released. I saw it in theaters and begged my mother to buy me every piece of merch I saw. I was surprised to find out later it was viewed as a failure. It was a lot of fun for an 8 year old girl and her sisters. I'm glad there are others who also get into the music and the characters.
I actually LOVED Thumbelina is a kid. It was so different. And that song "You'll be sure to do impossible things, if you follow your heart" got me threw relentless bullying in school. Swan Lake & Anastasia was my other favourites. Strong & determinted women that to every cost, follow their heart. Yeah I see why I am the way I am now as an adult xD
I remain convinced that queen Uberta (objectively the best animated queen) is based on Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who is also famous for her wide smile and extra fashion sense
Ooh I had no idea
@@BetterWithBob I don't know if it's true, it just feels true, you know
I love basically all the movies mentioned, but I do have to say, Swan Princess was one of the few princess movies that had a romance I actually bought into and enjoyed, even as a young child. And you're so right about the title card. Goosebumps. Every time.
I love this movie and Odette was my model for all my "princess" ocs after seeing it as a child. I also agree that her growth from "cute 6-year-old in frilly dresses" to "awkward preteen w/freckles trying to figure herself out" to "teenage girl experimenting with her femininity" to "grown woman comfortable in her skin" was impeccable and conveyed in "This is My Idea" perfectly. I often reference that song as a good opening hook/scene for novel writing XD Thank you for sharing this vid!
I just had a daughter.. I can’t wait to watch this with her and her Father one day.
I love this movie, I love Odette, but I could never stand Derek once he grew up and thought Odette's sudden switch to waiting for him to show up and save her was odd considering she had just rejected him after the only thing he could think of to praise about her was her beauty. I do wish they had made it less sudden and shown her falling for him again as a swan or something after he had so disappointed her with his shallowness. They were cute as kids, but rather than pivoting to the 'we're in everlasting love' and ignoring the way they had last seen each other, I think they should have at least mentioned it because I get she was in a desperate situation, but it was like she just completely forgot about it so it was weird
I'm so ready. One of my favs as a kid. I however was very confused when I saw a whole booth at my local comic con when they were rebooting the series. But we don't talk about those ones.
Is that the CGI sequels or another reboot?
@@BetterWithBob yeah the cgi ones
my sisters and I borrowed this VHS so much from the library (we were the _only_ ones that did), that after a year the library gave it to us for free instead of including it in their annual book sale.
Aha do you still have it?
@@BetterWithBob yes, I snuck it out of the house when I went to college many years ago and it's up on one of my bookcases. crazy to think I can just go online to watch it now.
This film was a childhood favorite of mine and in a lot of ways, I think it's just as good if not better than some of the Disney Rennaissance movies. Derek and Odette were my introduction to "enemies to lovers" and I've loved them and the trope ever since. Odette is the genuinely strong, well-rounded leading lady modern Disney is trying, and failing miserably, to create. She is indeed "silk hiding steel" (LOVE that description, by the way).
Derek is also a great character, too. I love that you pointed out how, even though the film is named for Odette, it's really the story of Derek's growth. Also, Howard McGillin's voice is absolutely gorgeous! I've loved it since I first saw this film as a kid and, years later, I saw Howard on Broadway as the Phantom in "The Phantom of the Opera", another spectacular performance of his. He's one of my favorite musical theatre performers.
And lastly, Rogers is an absolute icon.
Sorry But Thumbelina is fantastic I still die laughing at that movie with my nieces and nephews . That being said Swan Princess does not get the love it deserves.
the quote from roger's how to offend women in 5 syllables or less will forever be funny in my mind 🤣😂😹.
but you should review barbie of swan lake since barbie's odette met her prince but she was given a necklace by a fairy and you should watch the rest.
I loved the Swan Princess as a kid. There are a couple of criticisms I'll always have, like how Dereck and Odette were such strong-willed, energetic children but as adults (at least for the second half of the first movie) they both appeared rather bland and formulaic, not to mention the obvious Sleeping Beauty rip-offs like the dance scene and Rothbart becoming a dragon, but the story, the songs, Rothbart's pizzazz, and the fact the sequels (save the awful CGI ones) continue the story rather than just remaking the first in a different skin, making their marriage feel real and not a perfect love story, giving them flaws and challenges to overcome as a couple, made me feel like I was watching real peoples lives, not just colourful bright songs with barely a plot to push VHS sales. I'm glad you made this. This series has a place in my heart too.
I'd argue that their strong wills manifested in different ways as adults. Like Odette refuses to give into Rothbart's demands, which one could interpret as her knowing she's saving her kingdom and its people from being under his control, and staying under the enchantment being a great personal sacrifice. And Derek refuses to give up on searching for Odette even when his mother and counsellor are insisting he just marry someone else, training relentlessly to be able to fight whatever beast kidnapped her, but I can see your point
@@BetterWithBob I just mean that I would have liked to know that she hadn't spent all the time between the first night she is changed into a swan and the next time we see her, as you said, months or possibly years in the future, doing more than sitting around singing and waiting for Dereck. She was proactive after this scene, searching for the map and such, but a few lines implying she'd spent her time during the day as a swan doing something, like flying around, trying to map out a way back home, or to some form of civilisation so someone could pass along a message to Dereck would have been appreciated. When she was a kid, she liked wrestling, hunting and boxing, I would have liked to see that grit in more than just her being sassy towards Rothbart.
Thank you for showing so much love to this movie. It gives such a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing that there are so many other people still singing "Far Longer Than Forever" 🖤
holy cow! so happy to see this video today. this was my favorite movie growing up, i used to watch it soooo often. i think this is what cursed me to be a hopeless romantic but i don't regret a thing
Thank you for watching :)
Silk Hiding Steel is an incredibly sexy descriptor, thank you very much for that!
Anastasia and Swan Princess were, hands down, my favorite cartoons as a kid. I love both the style and story, but the true success was the music. Both of them are musically spectacular, to the point were i used my little radio to record the sound on a cassette to listen to at bed time. I still know all the songs by heart.
ALWAYS loved loved loved the swan princess, even got invited to the anniversary screening. I will defend this movie to death and i will die on all the hills
I got the dvd as a birthday gift as a kid, I watched it multiple times a day for days at a time.
“That first did half an hour short animated passage of The Book of Mormon”
Shows clips from an animated passage of The New Testament.
I think the reason for Odette's change in her perspective on Derek is because she had several months (if not years) to mentally replay their last encounter. By that point, she presumably understood Derek's motives much better than she did before.
Another point with Prince Derek not recognizing That he was with the fake princess. Even though he seen that magic exists And can change a princess into a swan, That doesn't mean he'd ever comprehend another person Being changed into the image of his beloved.
So even though he recognizes there's something off about her. That can easily be overlooked Because how could it not be her. He doesn't see a possibility of there being a trick.
I loved this movie as a kid. Most of all I loved the earnestness and sincerity. I still love that
I have unabashedly adored this movie since day one. It fuelled my childhood obsession with swans, and the soundtrack is still on regular rotation when I listen to music.
A highlight of my adulthood was stumbling through a local convention and seeing a Swan Princess booth, complete with original merch and original cels from the first movie, and chatting about them with Seldon Young. Still low-key kicking myself for not buying something when I had the chance.
Watching this movie as an adult, I enjoy it more and more with every subsequent watch and gain a deeper appreciation for the splendid animation. I also credit it for being the catalyst for my undying love of the Enemies-to-Lovers romance trope and epic heist scenes for the greater good. 🤣
OH MY GOD! My love of enemies to lovers MAKES SO MUCH SENSE NOW
Fantastic analysis and discussion. One of my fave movies and I agree that films like this won in the long term.
As someone who absolutely adored both The Swan Princess *and* Thumbelina as a child, how dare you, sir!
Finally a video that doesn't bash this hidden gem. As a kid I loved this movie and it's sequel more than most of my Disney movies. I'm so glad there are people here who also love it.
You're welcome :)
This was my favorite movie as a child
I didn't grow up with The Swan Princess (*my* childhood Swan Lake adaptation was Barbie's), and I definitely think the story could use improvement in some areas, but I'm happy for you, Bob, to hear how much love you have for it (complete with an incredible, viewpoint-changing analysis of Odette's character). 🤍 Plus, the fact that Prince Derek is voiced by Howard McGillin, the longest-running actor to play the Phantom (Erik) on Broadway, continues to bring my POTO-loving heart much joy. And *thank you* Bob for informing me that he wasn't the only one! (Hey Davis Gaines). 🥰🌹
And even though it's just Bridget in disguise, Odette looked *so* good in that red and black dress, and I love how it contrasts with the real Odette's blue and white dress. ✨
P.S. Congrats to you being quoted on its Wikipedia page! 😆👏
Ah it is technically Odette lol. Did you notice the reporter in the 25th anniversary clips was cosplaying in it?
@@BetterWithBob I did indeed, she looked lovely! And it reminds me how much I would genuinely like to see a second chance stab at this story via live action (that fan-made trailer was too good to ignore).
Quest for Camelot is one of my fav. When I was kid I would watch three movies on repeat. Pocahontas, Anastasia and Quest for Camelot. It has many good songs. I love those dragon twins, very funny. Main guy is blind and a badass, how often you see that in kids movies? His song I stand alone? OMG, my fav of them all!
Female lead proactive and fun. Bad guy is scary as heck and his pet is actually kinda cute. And his evil minions? how they make it that a human or animal is being fused with a weapon, so smart and clever.
The movie about missing your father, loosing him too early, but wanting to follow his legacy, to be someone he would be proud of if he still was here. Learning that you cant do everything alone, and kidness leads to more kidness.
Another brilliant video! First off I got so excited that you chose this movie cause it was a huge part of my childhood but you are so informative! I just love your videos
Thank you for your lovely comment :)
I have always loved The Swan Princess. The original trilogy were some of my favorites to watch, and I always enjoyed the Princesses on Parade song because they animated crystals/diamonds/glitter so well. I loved how much she fought for herself and defied Rothbart.
Also, Rogers' line is iconic, and I bring it up all the time lol (especially now with all the manosphere-mansplainy crap).
I completely agree. It took me forever until I got to university, art school to learn of all the skills set you need in order to recreate this type of art style. By then companies started dabbing into 3D and I was left disappointed. The backgrounds, the foreground, the individual hand painted cells and choreography as well as the writing. Especially the sparkles, diamonds and Odette's transformation. I really wanted to draw like that.
It took me a year and a half to find another art school that taught these techniques. This will always be on my desk, on my top twenty best films to look back to when I need inspiration when I have an artistic block or writer's block. 😊
I love the Swan Princess. Two and three were my favorites, though I enjoy all three. With regards to villain songs, Zelda's song in III is groovy as hell. Not to mention that Rogers' weird 80s ballad to Zelda is pure comedic gold. 😂
Oh I loved Zelda lol
YES!!! So, so glad someone has mentioned the wonderful Swan Princess sequels and the Comedy Queen that is Uberta. :))) (Also, great video! Lots of great background/detail on the production of the movie.) Edited to add my favorite quote from the movie: "All those years of planning: _WASTED!"_
I wore the vhs tape out because of the end credits and the music video. Same with Space Jam. I love Far longer than forever but Eternity is the song that has stuck with me.
23:33 I hate that. I'm often in distress and I'd be VERY GRATEFUL if my boy could just solve it all with a magic spell or some sword killing my boss but that's life for y'all, I guess.
Hell, I'd be happy if someone else impaling a giant beast in my name would solve all my problems lol
Clavius has the BEST villain song out of the entire trilogy and I will die on that hill if I have to.
ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES!!! SO GLAD IT HAS A FANDOM HERE !!
Thank you for making this video.
Loved this movie. Literally my childhood.
It was also my childhood dream to walk down the aisle while Far longer than forever is being sang in the background❤❤❤
Swan Princess, Thief and the Cobbler and the Princess and the Goblin were always guilty pleasures of mine as a kid. This just reminded me of my love for them.
of all the vhs tapes my grandma used to have at her place, this movie and its two sequels used to be my absolute favorites. i could never really properly put it into words why that was, and even later on just chalked it up to nostalgia instead of them being "good, actually", so im honestly really glad this video put it into words for me. a lot of this resonated. thanks for the great video!
Damn, the nostalgia hit when I heard those notes and saw the water form for the opening title. My sister and I had this movie on VHS growing up, and we ADORED it! I remember buying it on DVD some years back and I gave it to her when I moved away. We quoted it, sang the songs, named our childhood turtle Speed, and we greatly appreciated the love story with Odette having agency. That way she responds to Derek, "Thank you, but what else?" and later says to her father, "I need to know he loves me for just being me," it definitely influenced us to not settle for less than that when it came to dating and serious relationships later in our lives. Thanks for making this video, I have nothing but love for this movie!
Ok, I have always loved The Swan Princess, its songs have stayed rent free in my head for years...Guess I have some sequels to watch now! 😆
Will you do all eleven lol?
Aw, man... The "Practice" song is one of those my brain really likes. Every time I hear part of it, it's stuck in my head for weeks. 🤣
Me and my sister had a VHS of the Swan Princess movie and it was our favorite animated movie growing up. We watched it at least 100 times and learned all the songs by heart
Swan Princess was my favorite. I watched it all the time as a kid. I don't think a falling in love montage will ever match This Is My Idea to me. The visual of Odette's transformation always had me transfixed.
I think the film is also critical of Odette. Asking someone to explain in front of a crowd why they love you is pretty a) childish and b) dumb. And paralleling that scene with the ball scene, the ironic way to break the curse she is bestowed with, "the person you love has to pronounce to the world in dumb specific terms their love for you, and if they do it in a way I, ethereal gods of the dark arts don't like, you die." but that's just how I always viewed it. Derek and Odette are a true example 'women maturing first' haha. I don't know why people are so critical of Derek. My man is just immature! Leave him alone! Odette was just going to give him another year to mature a little! Derek was pretty high on my animated crushes when I was a girl.
And another thing I noticed while editing - the Black Swan sequence is Odette's fault. Derek was ready to confront Rothbart then and there, having spent all that time training to be able to fight the Great Animal, but Odette insisted he leave, probably assuming Derek wouldn't be a match for him. If he'd stayed they might have been able to break the curse sooner
This is something some movies now a days are missing from their lead actor or actress. Each one is so perfect, not a single weakness, limitation or disability. Then seeing Derek act in such a way it lets you know men and women are oblivious and immature at first, or don't know what they want out of a relationship at first. It takes years of dating the same person or multiple people to learn what values and characteristics you are looking for; and allows the man or woman to learn from their mistakes and know who they are within a relationship other than "Well... I'm here for you because you are beautiful"
We all want to feel loved and special to our better half, whether you are a man or a woman. Swan princess will forever be my favorite princess along with other forgotten masterpieces.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I totally forgot, but this was my FAVORITE thing to watch as a little girl. Def going to go watch it right now.
Never owned this one, but I definitely rented it often as a child. It is still remembered fondly for me and I do have Far Longer Than Forever in my music library.
Ahww fekk. Just remembering that this was one of my favorites growing up. Odette was telling fuckbois off back in 1994. Thanks for reminding me that my spirit animal is the one and only OG, The Swan Princess.
I didn't watch this film for so long because of how much I love and loved the Swan Lake Ballet. Changed my mind later. God I love this movie 😍😍😍😍
I saw the film first and later read about the story in a book that had the plots of a few famous ballets and was like "oh...this is familiar" lol
One of my favorite movies growing up ♥
As a kid I literally watched this movie on repeat for months on end. This one and Anastasia. The VHS tapes started to get scratchy.
Yessssss I adore this film, and completely agree that the opening credits music always gives me chills! Up there with the magical opening score from BATB imo
The sequence for "This is My Idea" is one of my faves in this movie! This came out when I was in third grade and was a non-Disney fave! I still have this in my VHS collection 😅 I am also a romance reader, and this movie really embodies what a romance/Fairy Tale should be. The backstory for how Derek and Odette met was a genius move since this wasn't an "instalove" trope.
The swan princess is my favorite princess movie. Love the music. Love the animation. And I was a dancer so of course swan lake is near and dear to me. ♥️🦢
Ooh cool :D
13:30 Holy crap that chorus line about lower taxes makes me belly laugh out loud every time. Theres ton of small dialogus/visual gags like that through the movie that just get me every time, no matter how old I seem to get.
Also, that sparkle animation for Princesses on Parade is sooooo good, ive been obsessed with it forever. Especially on my old VHS cooy, it was so blinding and blown out and Ive never seen anything like it since.
My favourite song number was when all the princesses were arriving at Derek's castle. I especially loved the knight lady, was a little upset we didn't get more of her. This movie was great as long as I didn't think about who was ruling what and how exactly that marriage thing was working out, considering they're both sorta royalty and there's seemingly only one kingdom.
I genuinely never consodered the ways in which Swan Princess looked at the original story of the Swan Lake ballet and decided to make the most of it with a mix of trope subversions and theme expansion. Like, its genuinely a well planned adaptation of a story thats quite hard to fill out into a film-length feature without bloating it with filler. Its genuinely clever to use the prince needing to fall for the disguise a part of his character growth and the romantic developments, same with Odette clearly being made a swan bc Rothbart is thinking of her like how people who havent been attacked by a real swan think of them as graceful delicate pure beautiful things to be observed and appreciated - hes as unorepared for what a real swan is capable of as he is for how tough Odette is, and it again feels like they really analysed the contents of Swan Lake's plot and figured out what they could do interesting things with!
So yeah im really glad that i saw this video, i always loved this film but didnt realise how many details i hadnt really thought about as a kid
I remember this movie. I watched it so much as a kid, I go back and watch it eery so often as an adult still. We had it on vhs but I don't think we ever saw any of the kids movies in theaters.
I love thumbalina. One of my favorite movies growing up. In some ways I loved the don bluth movies more than some Disney movies.
I also loved this Swan princess. She was always one of my favorite princesses.
I always related to her character.
It's nice to hear someone say so much positive stuff about Swan Princess, after watching serious reviews that - while recognizing what it tried to do - still lampooned it. I grew up with this film and it was one of my big favourites for a LONG time (and I adored the traditionally animated sequels, which I only ever got to watch at a friend's place).
Since you mentioned the quote that became commonplace in your household, in mine, it was "Well, that's FINE by me. Just FIIIIIIIIIIIINE by ME." Still in use today.
I pretend the CGI films do not exist.
I love that The Swan Princess is being talked about more, this franchise was my favorite as a kid and I’d rewatch each movie repeatedly so much so that i knew all the dialogue and song to a tee. Amazing video btw!!
one of my absolute favorite animated movies when i was a kid!
That review allowed me to look at the swan princess from another point of view
I was of the view that it was pretty shallow, mainly because of the quick turn-around from "Oh you only like me for my looks" to "I love you"
Thank you
I always loved watching Swan Princess on TV. Amazing video man!
Thank you for watching :)
I remembered how this film was replaying over and over on my VHS as a kid. Hahahhahahhaha I must revisit this film it was absolutely hilarious 😂😂😂❤❤❤
I loved the VHS: Cartoon Network Ad, Pillsbury Ad, Swan Princess 🦢
This movie, like way too many others shaped my views on love and life. Odette willingly walking away from the love of her life because he couldn't admit the same called to me lol. I also never saw her as a damsel in distress. Yes, she was trapped, but she was still fighting every step of the way in a way some princesses didn't in older movies. I still know all the songs by heart although it's been years since I saw the movie. I love that the movie held through the years. Although I would say don't waste the time on the "new age" ones. They lost the magic that the first three movies have and I am still sort of mad at myself for watching about 4 of them lol.
With your look back at some of these more obscure 90s movies I am being reminded of the joy they brought. When talking about non-Disney movies in this realm Anastasia is hands down my favorite and Thumbelina is in the top 5 although as an adult I gotta look at the movie sideways with women trying to marry her off to creeps. Although it does make the prince look better in comparison as he was weird for wanting to marry her after like 5 minutes lol.
I feel like this is one of those movies that one can appreciate more now than when it first came out. At the time, the market was so saturated with this kind of disney-imitation movie that Doug Walker (because yes I've watched that review) dubbed it "diet disney." But now post-Wish? People are desperate for more classic Disney-like fairytales because Disney itself is too scared to go there again.
Honestly, those diet-Disney movies from the 90s (as Doug called them) have really more heart and soul compared to Wish.
@@NameGKal Absolutely. It's just definitely easier to see now that we know what true soullessness looks like.
I absolutely love how swan princess gets a TH-cam essay on it every 10 years or so 🥰🥰
I LOVED the swan princess! I bought it and the sequel on dvd and still have them to this day! Thank you for this analysis and reminder to put it on later. :D
YESSS, THANK YOU! I totally agree with your analysis of the romance. A couple more lines exploring Odette's feelings after she broke off the engagement would've made her transition into Far Longer Than Forever much more believable. I'm going to repost a comment I wrote almost a year ago on another video lowkey bashing The Swan Princess, if you don't mind:
"I don't think Odette's love was as shallow as Derek's attraction towards her. As children, she was obviously the one trying to make an effort to bond with him every summer even though he acted so miserable around her. By the time they're teenagers, she even seems to have started finding it fun to mess with him. And maybe she had thought more deeply about why they could be a well-matched couple if only he treated her better - hence why her "doubts" melt away when he seems to finally put their longstanding rivalry aside and begin acting like a gentleman.
If they had Odette tell her father why she was so disappointed, or explain to her animal friends why she's still hopeful about being rescued and reminisce on some of Derek's kinder moments as a child right before she breaks out into Far Longer than Forever, her pining would make a lot more sense, even if it was simply a coping mechanism for her awful situation. Also, when Derek and Odette reunite, it would be nice if Derek apologized and asked Odette if she's still mad at him for being an idiot, and she sort of laughs it off saying that he's always been an idiot - showing that she still found a way to love him despite their constant bickering. And then Derek could properly reciprocate because he realizes he doesn't really deserve someone who is so forgiving and sweet as her.
Just a little more character development or dialogue would go a long way in making their love for each other make more sense, imo."
Silk hiding steel is the perfect description of Odette's personality. Also, I'm glad you pointed out that Derek seemed to have already been developing a secret crush on Odette by the time they were teenagers (Brom's "I think you sorta like her, 'fess up!" alluding to it), but he was only ready to confront those feelings of attraction openly when they were both adults. It's honestly one of the best examples of childhood friends to lovers in animation that I can think of.
P.S. Uberta and Rodgers are both so iconic. Their lines never fail to crack me up. "All these years... wasted!" and "You should write a book: How to offend a woman in five words or less." are instantly quotable 😂
In any case, fantastic video essay. I love this movie - especially the entire opening sequence with This is My Idea. The 2D animated sequels were rather enjoyable, and they did a decent job exploring their dynamic as a long-standing couple. 100% would watch again with my future children.
Thank you for making this video. I really love the Swan Princess and I know all the songs by heart. When you played the melody, my gosh it brought out a strong sense of nostalgia for me! It's a charming story and is criminally underrated
This is the review for this movie I didn’t realise I needed to see so badly. You worded it all perfectly. 👏
I watched this movie so much as a child i got a dvd copy in my early 20s from my family as a birthday gift.
So refreshing to hear someone have positive things to say about Anastasia.
I love this film and the sequels are fun as well even if they're not as good as the first one.
About Odette's loving Derek in the second song so suddenly i thought it was that she already loved him and knew he did love her, as the first aong showed her repeatedly demonstrate empathy, social cues and strategy, who repeatedly shows she doesnt want to be seen as just a silly pretty girl, she just wanted reassurance of why derek loved her before she agreed to marry him. I assumed she expected he'd soon follow her to her land and make amends, then once cursed that hope became more important and she meeded to hang on to it to hang on to survival.