Remember that older news story when a swan in England pushed a four-year-old into the water and frickin' _drowned_ her? Can confirm. Swans are more vicious than these movies give them credit for! 😵
Even a chicken can mess you up if it's not in the mood for you, and they're pretty much the most docile dinosaurs we domesticated! Imagine a SWAN, which is basically just a prettied up water-type dwarf cassowary...
The thing about Uberta is that while she may be a literal queen (complimentary), it’s important to remember that she’s also a literal queen (derogatory)
"If this elderly woman is the biblical widow, Uberta is the scribes, the chief priests, and the elders, and two chapters from now she will be plotting to kill Jesus" I almost spit out my drink, like you're right but I also can't believe I heard those words on a Swan Princess video
I agree! He’s easily hotter than Prince Florian and Charming from Snow White and Cinderella, but yeah. Honestly it doesn’t look awful in 2D, but 3D just looks horrifying. That’s what they get for ever so stupidly making Swan Princess 3D, let alone capitalizing on it to milk the cashcow.
I legit had no idea the Swan Princess was a Christian movie, like at all. I was raised agnostic so maybe I just didn't pick up on it as a child. That's super interesting!
I was raised Christian as well, and also totally didn't pick up on it. It makes me raise my eyebrows a little on Odette's relationship with...Erik (? I'm tired I can't remember if that's the right name). Like, what in the world were they going for there??
That was a turn I wasn't expecting. Raised Christian, became an Atheist as a teenager and LOVED the og Swan Princess as an itty bitty child. I never picked up on that theme as a child. I even rewatched the movie in a mood of nostalgia as an adult and STILL didn't pick up on it, even as a 20 year old.
@@kristinahuchison2511 I mean, Zelda is also the villain of her movie, but the series isn't explicitly Christian anyway, it just has some undertones that seem to stem more from creators' subconscious biases affecting their creative process than an active attempt at making the films more Christian, though the CG films definetly have more of that.
Pkay but honestly hearing you talk about the Widow’s Mite and how it’s about how the widow is being exploited and thinking “huh, growing up in Mormonism, that story was always told to tell us to keep giving to the Church even if we didn’t have enough for ourselves” and then the go into the whole Nest thing - that was certainly a ride!
As someone who grew up Christian, with the same values, I agree. That was a very fucked up thing to teach and I am glad that I watched this, and I would love to hear more
One thing about these movies...anyone who thinks swans are easy to incapacitate has never seen an angry swan. They're not particularly dangerous, but the hissing and wing-battering and grandstanding is hella intimidating to someone who's not expecting it. Of course, this is a natural swan acting on natural instincts to protect their babies. And it's generally the cob (male) of the pair that goes on the offensive, though I'm pretty sure the pen (female) is more than ready to step up if the cob isn't around. Point being: they're pretty animals, but far from helpless. Also: there is *one* trope I'm pleased to see being invoked in here: that curse that turned Chen into a dragon being broken through creative interpretation of its end condition. I was a fan of Gargoyles as a kid (hell, I enjoyed it as a grown adult a couple of years back) and that show was rife with curses that had interesting and seemingly unbreakable end conditions: "Become stone until this castle rises above the clouds" - 1000 years later, evil billionaire David Xanatos buys this Scottish ruin, has it shipped brick by brick to his corporate headquarters in Manhattan, and has it re-assembled atop his skyscraper. The castle is now above the clouds, and the gargoyles are no longer petrified, and very confused to see what the humans have come up with in the last millennium. (This one's pretty much the opening monologue for the first season, so not really a spoiler.) I loved this trope as a kid, and I wish I was creative enough to come up with good conditions like that to apply in D&D.)
Swans and gooses are terrifying animals and they have been known to serious injure people, this is why when thinking back about this movie I could help wondering why at least Puffin didn't tell her: "You are a swan, why don't you just maim the guy?"
@@Geenween When making that comment, I looked it up - I've only actually heard a portrayal of angry swans in Redwall, which is written largely from the perspective of mice. (Sparrows are fearsome beasts in the first book, for example.) What I saw was an animal control guy getting mildly bruised by a cob while helping a baby who was stuck in a chain link fence - it looked pretty ineffectual against someone who actually kept their head on straight. But that could have been an exception - a lot of those animal control folks are very good at getting across that they're not as much of a threat as they seem to be to the animals they're saving. (At least, the ones who get film crews following them around have gotten good at that.)
I'm kinda impressed that the sequels remembered King William existed when the first movie basically forgot him almost immediately. Not so much as a "You killed my father" to Rothbart or a "I wish my father could have seen this" at the wedding.
The widows scene in the movie was so wild bc the guys line isn't "hey isn't it bad that this woman is giving away money she needs," it's "hey isn't it bad that this woman is giving away money she needs MORE THAN THE PEOPLE SHE'S GIVING IT AWAY TO"
I grew up with VeggieTales on the furthest fringes of my consciousness until it suddenly shoved itself front and center in the memes of my adulthood, and I would be interested in a close reading of it.
"Swan Lake is hosting Racist Eurovision." This was not a sentence that I was expecting to hear... ever. And it blindsided me as such a non-sequiter that my brain broke and i bust a gut laughing. Bravo!
I'm an athiest but I'm a pretty big fan of this Jesus guy, pretty swell and wholesome lad. Not so much the people who worship him but don't practice what he preached.
as an athiest I agree, the more hard core fans who constantly fight about whats canon, and how to be a real fan, and how "if you aren't a fan you're a terrible person with no taste" really annoy me but I can get behind the more casual fans who don't get all bent out of shape about me not being into the book anymore
@@shanon4768 first of all, can I just say your comment made my day? Secondly, I am what you would call a casual fan. (To follow up on your analogy) I don’t know all the lore but I feel like I know the important bits. And I also understand that it’s not for everyone. People like different things and it’s what makes us unique. I would never force someone to be into the same interests I was into or try to insinuate that they were bad people just because they don’t like the same things I do.
We Muslims also believe in Jesus PBUH as one of mighest messenger of Allah Almighty. He is one of best Prophets best man ever. No Muslim is a Muslim if he doesnt believes in Jesus PBUH as a messenger. We love him but don't worship him. We don't believe he is a God or son of God. We Muslims follow his commands believe in one God don't eat pork drink wine dont k*ll people etc.
I have so much religious trauma and am now agnostic but I also still think Jesus was a really cool dude. He really popped off when he flipped those tables for those sex workers.
As someone unfamiliar with the story of the Widow's Mite, your explanation of it was very clear and powerful. I admire Christians who can see the damage Fundamentalism and Prosperity Gospel are doing to their faith.
As a loving and kind Christian,if I had all the time and a hammer I would tear down every megachurch in America and repurpose the material into housing for low to no income citizens. The Way! It! Should! Be!
Oh my gosh I grew up watching Nest bible movies... Living scriptures sounds familiar too. My family would watch them on Sunday's because other movies wouldn't be "keeping the Sabbath holy". I was mentally comparing your experiences with religion to mine being raised as Mormen, and then you revealed that the Swan Princess and the "interesting" take on the widow's mite story was made by Nest and... that tracks. Honestly though, even as an atheist it makes me so happy to see people who experience their faith as a positive in their life and the lives of those around them. Spirituality can be such a wonderful, beautiful thing when you're not being told the "right" way to be spiritual, and it makes me happy that some people have that experience.
I wasn't raised religiously (went to low-key religious school) and the closest label I can find to describe me is atheist agnostic (I don't have belief and I don't think me or anyone can know anyway) and I wanted to say I really agree with your take (last paragraph). I have my own sort of spirituality, but it's about the beauty of existence and contradictions and of not knowing and of the complexities of the universe and of people. Hard to describe, really. I wish we lived in a world where everyone could enjoy their faith as a positive and no-one was traumatised or hurt by it.
Joining the exmo train on this comment. I almost cried listening to her take on the Widow's Mite when I realized that the prosperity gospel version had been force fed to me along with 'doubt your doubts'. I may still have been religious if I had instead have been taught the way she was.
I also was raised mormon and experienced a lot of emotions through that whole segment. Nest was all we were allowed to watch on sundays for the same reason. It healed a little bit of the religious trauma I experienced to see a Christian care about their religion in a way that isn’t self-serving. I wonder how I would be if I was given the opportunity to doubt like that. But instead I was told to doubt my doubts :/
So Swan Princess being made by that nest company adds up actually. I grew up in Utah and once they started Salt Lake Comic Con (now known as FanX) every single year there's been a Swan Princess booth with some weird guy wearing a pink suit with images from the movie all over it.
I grew up with the Swan Princess movies, and they are one of my most beloved childhood memories. So when I saw the AWFUL CGI animation, I was not happy at all I don't care what anyone says, they can continue making those so called "Sequels" all they want, BUT I WILL NEVER accept them as actual continuation. The Swan Princess from 1 to 3 are permanently Canon to me and that's final P.s. I admire the dedication it took you to make this video. May God bless you 😇🙏🏼
I never got to see any sequel of the Swan Princess and yet I gagged specifically at the CGI movies What were they thinking, canonically having children??
Same! I literally didn’t get to watch the Swan Princess as a kid, I actually just now watched it and absolutely loved the first 3, going 1, 3 and 2 (the middle one the villain was kinda underwhelming but I guess Odette willing became a swan to save Derek from literally drowning in a tar pit) oh man the CGI is so cringy and awful. I actually really liked the Christmas special despite Rathbart is conveniently stuck in a trunk in the royal stables in deus eu sec maux (however you say it) but literally the rest are so dumb. I seriously hated the only child they have is a orphan they adopted, like why not the next sequel is about Odette giving birth to their own daughter and Alicia is scared they won’t love her as much because she knows she isn’t their biological daughter, so she acts out for attention or something and eventually tells them she’s scared she’ll never be their daughter or something? Its a very sneaky and stupid way to get around the “where do babies come from” issue and I KNOW Derek and Odette aren’t virgins. At least make it be the royal doctor says Odette can’t have her own children or something (dark humor: a side effect of royal inbreeding) but really the ONLY one I actually slightly liked was the Royal Myzerty because of Odette FINALLY singing Far Longer Than Forever when Derek almost suffocated in a sinking submarine, and he’s trying listen to her voice but just can’t anymore. Also the Kingdom of Music one and Royal Wedding actually didn’t annoy me so much because AGAIN the writers are FINALLY reintroducing why Odette is called the swan princess. I’m beyond bitter and royally pissed in the latest sequel, the villain is literally a sorceress and leaning Derek and Odette learned her secret, she merely traps them in a Chinese wall art INSTEAD of it just being Derek and making Odette a SWAN again! That would’ve made so much more impact when Mei Li is almost roasted by the sorceress a swan flys in front of her to save her and Derek has absolutely no idea it was Odette who basically became a cooked goose or roast duck (ok I’ll shut up) to save her friend, making the part when the sorceress is killed and they’re freed from the painting, Derek is horrified and shocked the swan that sacrificed herself is actually Odette
Thank you for your speech. As a Christian myself, I’ve often felt disillusioned by how my religion has been used by people with there own ends. I’ve had doubts and I felt pressured not to have them. That you for reminding me that’s What having faith is all about.
Ok… I’m a pagan, with a lot of ptsd regarding Christianity in general, but I adore the way you talk about your religion. You made me rethink a lot of my prejudice against Christians. Amazing speech, truly. Thank you for sharing this story and your viewpoint. 💕
I was expecting this to be pleasant background noise to listen to while I work like Jenny Nicholson's "I watched all the land before time movies" video. This video went some places and said some things I was very much not expecting, but needed to hear. A wild ride and I don't expect every video to hit those same topics but I heard enough to know I want to hear more. 10/10 Subscribed.
I'm someone who suffers from a lot of religious trauma, specifically around Christianity and I would like to say thank you for treating Christianity correctly. You clearly have worked hard to understand your faith in a way that sees better interaction with your life in general than the people who, unfortunately quite frequently, used that same faith to abuse me. So many thanks for you. And if you know more who treat their religion with private, considerate passion rather than performative, forceful zeal (which I suspect you do), please also give them my thanks. We need more Christians to act with the thoughtfulness you do.
"Evil Swan Princess" has the same energy as "I'm afraid of Princess Tutu" But seriously, the first Swan Princess movie 1. was one of my top three as a child, 2. I still enjoy to this day, 3. Apparently beloved by every single lesbian and helped with the lesbian awakening (me included). Learning about the creators and the insidious fundy propaganda honestly hurts and this may be my villain origin story. However, I deeply enjoyed this video ("enjoy" might not be the best word for some parts, but it was all very good). I am also SO GLAD I didn't learn about the horrifying 3D ones until now. They will haunt my nightmares.
I had Bartok The Magnificent (undeniably reliably magnificent) on dvd for years and watched it so often that I constantly forget what movie Bartok was originally from. I actually don't think I knew it was a spinoff until I was in my teens.
Wait, so is the swan just her fursona, or is there a reason she can't get turned into anything else? Why would you as the villain turn your enemy into something that BITES REALLY HARD and can break your legs with their wings? Also, I loved the digression about religion, and I think your whole attitude and approach to your faith is based and hermeneuticspilled. I've long known that Richard Rich is Mormon, so I always enjoy spotting the places where a creator's worldview peeked through or shaped their work. Before the Widow's Mite bit, the part where *I* felt vaguely offended and sensed the influence of mainstream American fundangelicalism was when everybody just waxes poetic about Lucas' reunion with his parents without even thinking about offering help to them. Minor credit where it's due, though, *at least* these movies depict Odette and company wanting to participate in the community and help people, as it seems like a lot of churches nowadays have adopted the unfortunate belief that charity, caring, and community service are just Trojan horses for SOOOOOOOCIALISM--but, the movies still promote the toxic notion that poverty is somehow sweet and honorable and good things will magically come to those who suck it up and wait. You can also tell these movies have an underlying fundagelical influence because the cultural in-jokes feel like your youth pastor is trying to be hip again and the attempts at multicultural tolerance and acceptance still manage to feel racist and white-people-centric. These things certainly aren't limited to Christian media, but they're common features of them.
I believe that it's actually the churches job and volunteers and good hearted people to fulfill the work that people think the government do. Having the government "help" people badly makes it seem like we dont have to help them.
Oh my god, the Mormon conspiracy tangent... Thank you so much. I was an LDS convert for a couple of years myself and I distinctly remember a friend telling me it was made by Mormons and that the whole 'for longer than forever' thing was a direct reference to the Mormon concept of eternal marriage. This was a great video because I truly don't have the patience to watch all of the sequels myself but I've always been curious about what their deal is so thank you for sitting through them so I didn't have to lol
It’s so weird reading content made by Latter-Day Saints just because of how beliefs alter worldviews and all that. I mean Twilight would be my biggest example but absolutely Swan Princess as well.
@@blondetapperware8289 basically seeing how the LDS Church treats people and gaslights it’s members, then realizing that the entire church is a scam and a cult. To me, it’s no different from Scientology. I grew up military and have been around people of a lot of denominations, but after seeing some of the absurd things that LDS people believe, it made me question religion in general, and now I can’t justify it or connect the dots. I do want to stress that I feel like religion is a very personal thing to most people, and just because I feel one way doesn’t mean anyone else is necessarily wrong. This is just my personal experience and it does not invalidate anyone else’s beliefs whatsoever.
@@krissygrab4821 I appreciate you still respecting other peoples' devotions. I'm sorry you had that experience. Cults can be pretty scary, especially the more radical fundamentalist kinds. Praying for you and wishing you have a Merry Christmas.
It was jarring to hear Odette sounds like Tohru Honda all of a sudden to say the least. Also it's nice to hear from fellow Christians who are chill about it in the online left space.
I have a pretty horrible relationship with churches and religious people (not just Christians), so hearing a religious person openly saying they are just educating me, and don't intend to convert me, is such a breath of fresh air
ik as someone who is queer and due to religious trauma shits ended up literally fearing ppl who have anti-LGBTQ religions for a while, seeing people like her genuinely helps me lol
When I was a kid the first school I ever went to was in the basement of a church. My family was religious but never really pushed it or openly talked about it and I remember , since we had church 3 times a week , I told my teacher God didn't make any sense to me. All she told me was "he doesn't have to, you don't have to believe in him. If you learn the lessons and do the right thing God will love you either way. It's about doing the right thing". I'm not religious but that was such an important thing for me , it's why I get so angry when I see people hurting others or using religion to prove they're better/self benefit. I just don't feel like that's what the point of any of it was , it's not that you're supposed to think there's only one way to think or that you're better if you don't question things... its a suggestion in hopes that those suggestions will lead you to be/do better.
Woah. Living Scriptures vhs tapes were a staple of my Mormon youth media diet. And they’re still sold in mall kiosks all over Utah. Having it pop up in my atheistic adulthood’s love of video essays threw me for a loop. Worlds colliding! Also, “Hark a Feminism” may be my favorite line of dialogue ever.
Not me combing the comments to find so many other exmo’s and crying at the solidarity. Really didn’t expect this video to touch on religion like that ahaha
Queen Uberta is a literal queen in every sense, all hail the queen. What an eye opener into just how insane this franchise has become. I grew up with the 2d films, still love the original to bits and even the first two sequels were alright (though pretending 2 doesn't exist really does make things better, thank you for that). I saw a trailer for Swan Princess Christmas and eventually watched it on Netflix... which still haunts me to this day. Then I saw clips of other sequels and it just hurt to see what was happening to my childhood favourite, I did not want to watch them. Frankly I'm much happier I experienced these stories through this fantastic video rather than watching them all the way through, and the religion discussion was really interesting. Amazing work, I have no doubt I'll be rewatching this many times :D
I wasn't expecting to find another good Christian through this video. I'm also a Christian. I basically left the church because I got sick of the fusion of religion and nationalism that basically rules the roost where I live. Conservatives twisting the faith to serve their opulent lifestyles and passive people who don't want to rock the boat are basically all I've found around here. I feel the same anger toward the Christian establishment. Anyway, you just got a subscriber.
Not a practicing Christian myself, but I was raised in a very Catholic education system outside of the US. I remember feeling a very distinct, if indescribable uneasiness about US Christianity when I first visited the country back when I was around 10 y.o. Maybe it was how loudly people displayed their faith. Maybe it was the way they said Jesus like his name was a spell. Maybe it was how some of those Christians talked about other religions, and people who (they assume, which included myself) believe in those other religions… And that was before 2001, before the rise of the modern Christian Right.
Atheist, raised Catholic. My parents are actually good Catholics. They help the poor (their grounds were actually a safe park for the homeless and keeping that area clean was part of their ministry) and extend love to all people. My parents’ church is trying to reconcile the racist history of the church as an institution by reaching out to black churches regardless of denomination to find how they could work with them to serve their communities.
It's nice to see that someone who believes in God doesn't also think that God is American. That's what it is. People deciding that they're the chosen people, like happens every time a nation gets powerful. No one seems to get it. Why would an all knowing, all seeing entity that invented _planets_ think one ape is better than the other one because they found the magic formula to being prosperous? That's wack.
The Gospel of Mark digression was a very interesting companion piece to the often quoted "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Coincidentally, I just read the part of John Green's The Anthropocene Reviewed last night "Only line meant literally," where he speaks of a minister that said "people take every line of the Bible literally except for that one, when it is the only line that is meant literally." Though you probably already heard that one, since I spotted all those John Green books on your shelf when I went back to your original Swan Princess video for this one. I didn't even know that video existed, or did so well. I found you while looking for videos on Invisible Man, and loved the unique perspective you had to offer, which you're doing all over again here.
Was not expecting to google bible stories because of a "Swan Princess franchise" video, but I had to know what was up with Jesus literally flipping tables. Which also reminded me how difficult it is if you just want to read or read about bible stories but not end up on a site trying to convert you. I actually found you talking about religion very interesting! I would love to see more videos on similar topics. I am not at all religious, but hearing about progressive people finding hope and growth through faith (while thinking critically about its history) very fascinating and inspiring. Having said that, if that would require you to bring in personal stuff that you don't feel like talking about, that's fine. There's always the option of that Veggie Tales close reading.
Basically Jesus started flipping tables when he found that the holy temple has been crowded by merchants and money changers, like it turned into a shady market supposedly instead of a religious place. So he got mad, and started flipping out, then started flipping the tables with the merchants' wares and money. Chased them with a whip too.
Super late, but my Jewish ass did the same thing with this video, and also every time I watch this video and remember I still haven't learned all the terms.
Right? When she said that I thought she had misspoken at first, like you can't have that be your parody name when it's a real name too? Like having a character from the vaguely middle-eastern made-up land of "persia."
OK. You are quite wrong. Kievska Rus - is the beginning of Ukraine. The only thing that begins there for russia is their religion. That's all. And I can tell that, because I am studying Ukraine history from whatever points I can take. It's OK to make a mistake, but it's a great moment of realising that's count the most")
I thought this was a Lindsey Ellis video. And I'm not entirely wrong. In all seriousness, please keep doing what you're doing, and I would love to see you review Vegetales.
The third one is definitely the best of the sequels and I will randomly get "Because I Love Her" stuck in my head, specifically "Because I love her and need her like I need to breathe, did Adam need Eve like this?" The Christian themes were mostly subtle to baby me but I still definitely picked up on them from that line alone. I also loved that "Because I Love Her" is immediately prefaced by Odette being like "Ok come find me when your tantrum's done." Like, this feels like the Odette who was ready to throw hands at 5 years old.
Adding more to this after watching your deep dive into your faith (one that spoke to me so deeply, Prosperity Gospel is so insidious) and Nest's Mormon roots and it reminded me of a friend telling me a few years back that "Far Longer Than Forever" is basically exactly the Mormon ideal of marriage. I don't have a ton of Mormon background info (I ran from the Southern Missionary Baptist church to the Catholic Church to "I'm just going to do my own thing") so I can't expound on it much more but thought it might interest you.
Honestly wasn't expecting this to go into religion but was pleasantly surprised. You do a good job of being both informative and entertaining on the subject. Especially loved you going into full conspiracy-mode immediately afterwards lol
If magic ornaments can bring someone back from the dead, you'd think they'd have one made that'll stop Odette being turned into a Swan every year. Like, she's probably used to it by now and fed up with constantly being turned into a bird.
Istg at 15:56 when she revealed what the carollers sounded like I took a literal step back from my screen. What in the world was that! I was expecting some sorta sweet, cozy, old time-y sounding chorus (srry idk how else to describe it) and instead they come out with this pop, remix version of the song 🤣🤣🤣
I remember seeing an ad for one of the movies with the daughter and being blown away that The Swan Princess was a.) still being made and b.) in horrifying CG. Thank you for taking one for the team and watching them so I didn't have to. It would have taken for longer than forever.
Wow, I've never heard that kind of take on the widow's mite. And as a Christian, I feel like what you said about introducing the idea that certain things in the Bible are messed up and that you're allowed to have your own thoughts about it is really important. I didn't get that at a young age, everything was very black and white, and I think that's affected my own journey with my faith a lot.
I stumbled upon A Fairy Tale is Born tonight… I made it through the first 20mins, but it was so bizarre and just made me miss the original from my childhood. So I went to TH-cam to watch some scenes from the original- discovered that “This is My Idea” still holds up and find your other Swan Princess video… and now here I am 3hrs later having watched the full original film, read the entire Swan Princess wikipedia, and watched this entire video… ah, the internet. Thank you for this delightful and horrifying trip into the sequels! (And sparing me from having to actually watch them)
You know what's REALLY weird? In the Royal Mystery Lucas calls Derek "Papa". So does this mean his parents died off screen and he sees Derek as a father figure? Does that make Elise his sister? If so, wtf were they thinking
Like others, I wasn't expecting the section relating to Christian youth teaching, and I thought it was really cool to hear your thoughts. It's great to hear different perspectives on TH-cam, especially since the algorithm tends to make that difficult.
With the final two films I don't know why they didn't just create a new series of films instead of making more Swan Princess stuff. These literally could have been their own story. Call it "The Princess and the Dragon" or something like that.
I vividly remember watching the royal family tale with my family in elementary school, turning to my dad and going “can we watch something else?” At the part where they play hide and seek. My dad looked more relieved than I’ve ever seen in my whole life.
How did you know that this is exactly what I needed today??? I found you through your excellent original Swan Princess video, and this video is equally excellent!
Well, I'm someone who doesn't do religion, but I found your perspective very good to hear from. Thank you! And also I watched zero of the Swan Princess movies and I loved this, so please do Veggie Tales too because I"m here for it.
ok so fun story: last night my friend and i remembered the cursed cgi sequels and made fun of them because of how uncanny they look, unknowing to the plot of any of them, she then asked "who is even asking for these movies?" and i jokingly said "christian moms against steven universe" because its an inside joke we have but OMG I DIDNT HOPE ANYTHING TO COME OUT OF THAT SENTENCE HOLY SHIT, im sorry your religion is being used this horribly for a preachy narrative, loved the whole way of the video tho! You deserve more views!!!
Ladyknightthebrave brought me here. Great analysis, love it all, especially the aside on the Gospel of Mark. I also love VeggieTales (and would love a followup vid on those), and don't mind content that teaches the tenets of other faiths. But you're right, children are sponges and companies should not be trying to secretly evangelize children through a princess swan movie... especially problematic interpretations like prosperity gospel (ugh).
I am also here from Ladyknightthebrave! :D I feel like I _must_ have watched the original Swan Princess movie but I have hardly any recollection of it and definitely never saw the sequels so this dive was really fascinating, including the discussion of Christian education of children.
I feel like there’s probably a lot you can tell about a person by what brand of alcohol they choose as a prop when doing the “I’m gonna need a drink in order to get through this thing I’m taking about” bit.
Can I just say that as a children and youth pastor, this may be the only time in my life that I've heard someone outside of a conference or my direct church point out the value of my work. Thank you. I didn't expect it in a Swan Princess video but it meant a lot.
(41:43) your take on the character of the widow is the kindest, spiciest, and most interesting take that I have ever heard. I’m a fairly recent atheist...and like so many who have come before, I delved DEEP into my faith before I finally let it go...if I had come across more Sunday School Teachers like you and Wendigoon, it might have taken longer. Lol. To encourage curiosity and comparison and empathy is the right message regardless of the framework of faith.
Hoooly crap, the tangent about the widow's mite blew me away. I'm a former christian who was only taught the widow's mite on a service level "it's not about how much you give to charity, but the reason why you're doing it" way, so to hear you honestly and passionately dissect it all was amazing to hear. I loved this video I'm an instant fan!
I got kicked out of religion class 2 times for asking questions, I'm mentally scarred for being forced to kneel on the marble floor for hours which caused extreme bruising, I confect to a priest that I was having suicidal thoughts and I quote "just pray the rosary girl" is all he said. I'm truly jealous of your experience in the Catholic church and wondered while you were telling us about your experience if those words were said to me would I still believe there is a god. So thank you that was really nice to hear someone else say what my elementary self thought.
You had such a different church experience than I did growing up. If I had been taught that it was ok to doubt and to read the bible critically, I might not have the CPTSD now and immediate repulsion every time someone mentions Christianity. I'm so glad to hear that there are churches and people out there who are exhibiting the good parts of Christianity rather than using it to justify biases and fear.
Same. My church said doubt could happen, but like sexual temptation could happen. You had to fight it and repent of it. And don’t take too long with repenting, because if you die in sin you’re going to Hell for an eternity of torture. Why yes this IS part of God’s Perfect Plan™️!
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY?! AND WHY ARE THEY SO RECENT?! What child in the year 2019 is watching the new Swan Princess film? Who in the year 2021 is?! Also as somehow who isn't religious aside from celebrating Christmas and Easter, I'm very confused why a medieval fantasy movie is having a modern day pop style autotuned to hell song about Jesus. Also why haven't they updated the CG models in, like, ten years? They look like they're from the late 90s, not 2021 level of quality!
I grew up watching The Swan Princess 1,2 and 3 back when they first came out. Never knew about all these sequels, but glad I never watched them. I don't think I could get past the animation and... the voices. xD
Was not expecting such a fantastic breakdown of how a scene from one of The Swan Princess sequels relates to the Bible and the church but the way you spoke about your faith and your interpretation of the Bible was so fantastic. You definitely earned a subscription from me this is amazing
Only 2 days ago I made inquiries on the Swan Princess series website, asking for artist information for the backgrounds of Swan Princess 2, and literally the next day I got a digital copy of the master painting of Clavius' castle. The colour on the original is gorgeous. The shot seen in the movie is very grainy and dark. Yeah it's a bad movie, but some of the movies background art was wonderful.
On a serious note: I really, truly appreciated the breakdown of the lesson of the widow’s mite, and the way you talk about your faith. For me, doubt and questioning are as much a part of my faith (lapsed catholic here eyoooo) as devotion and joy are. That really really resonated with me 🧡 On a lighthearted note: when you said the accursed words “the animated Book of Mormon” I nearly spat water all over my desk 🤪
thank you, Swan princess christmas, i didn't know it before but i think we just don't have enough christmas specials in literally all the cartoons we watched in the same time this movie was released...
This was a deep dive that turned into a "x and how it interacts with me" video that turns into an unhinged unraveling that turns back into a deep dive. I loved it.
I almost mistook you for Lindsay Ellis! That's a compliment, Lindsay Ellis is a BEAST. yeah, I used to be OBSESSED with the first movie when I was a kid Haha
I only watch the original as a kid and I'm so glad you did the deep dive on to why the weird veggie tales vibes. The series definitely went off the rails 😂
"I may be a hostage- but I am also the queen! And it is StIlL mY bIrThDaY!"
based and red pilled
She understood the assignment.
TFW You are half-watching a retrospective on the Swan Princess and it becomes a nuanced exploration on religion
👍👍
If Odette turned into a Goose, she'd have fought Rothbart and he'd take away the curse just to make her stop.
Honestly, Swans can also be pretty scary.
Geese let my dog chase them into the water, swans are ready to fight the universe (and my dog) at any given moment.
Credentials: I live in Canada.
Swans are generally bigger and meaner than geese. Odette just missed that memo lol
Swans can flippin break arms dawg
Remember that older news story when a swan in England pushed a four-year-old into the water and frickin' _drowned_ her?
Can confirm. Swans are more vicious than these movies give them credit for! 😵
"A swan is a pretty easy threat for a human to incapacitate" you've clearly never messed with a swan, they will mess you up.
Even a chicken can mess you up if it's not in the mood for you, and they're pretty much the most docile dinosaurs we domesticated! Imagine a SWAN, which is basically just a prettied up water-type dwarf cassowary...
Me and my bro were attacked once I can still hear the screaming, I don't do parks anymore
I like Bridget's arc:
Step 1) Become the Black Swan, seduce Eric, and kill Odette.
Step 2) ???
Step 3) Become their best friend.
I like bridgette shes a funny little hag
@@charlieclark9552 This is the funniest way to describe a character ever
Step 4) Profit
Being on the good guys side do pay more
The thing about Uberta is that while she may be a literal queen (complimentary), it’s important to remember that she’s also a literal queen (derogatory)
"If this elderly woman is the biblical widow, Uberta is the scribes, the chief priests, and the elders, and two chapters from now she will be plotting to kill Jesus" I almost spit out my drink, like you're right but I also can't believe I heard those words on a Swan Princess video
Also, Derek's haircut always bothered me even as a kid.
It was MY haircut and I hated it
@@TheTroutyness Haha
its... well its fine for 2D, but by the gods in 3D- 💀
I agree! He’s easily hotter than Prince Florian and Charming from Snow White and Cinderella, but yeah. Honestly it doesn’t look awful in 2D, but 3D just looks horrifying. That’s what they get for ever so stupidly making Swan Princess 3D, let alone capitalizing on it to milk the cashcow.
I legit had no idea the Swan Princess was a Christian movie, like at all. I was raised agnostic so maybe I just didn't pick up on it as a child. That's super interesting!
As someone who was raised Christian, and loved these movies. I, too, didn't pick up on it
I was raised Christian as well, and also totally didn't pick up on it.
It makes me raise my eyebrows a little on Odette's relationship with...Erik (? I'm tired I can't remember if that's the right name). Like, what in the world were they going for there??
That was a turn I wasn't expecting. Raised Christian, became an Atheist as a teenager and LOVED the og Swan Princess as an itty bitty child. I never picked up on that theme as a child. I even rewatched the movie in a mood of nostalgia as an adult and STILL didn't pick up on it, even as a 20 year old.
I didn’t think it was, considering it literally has magic in it. Heck Zelda is even dressed as a witch. I’m a Christian as well
@@kristinahuchison2511 I mean, Zelda is also the villain of her movie, but the series isn't explicitly Christian anyway, it just has some undertones that seem to stem more from creators' subconscious biases affecting their creative process than an active attempt at making the films more Christian, though the CG films definetly have more of that.
Pkay but honestly hearing you talk about the Widow’s Mite and how it’s about how the widow is being exploited and thinking “huh, growing up in Mormonism, that story was always told to tell us to keep giving to the Church even if we didn’t have enough for ourselves” and then the go into the whole Nest thing - that was certainly a ride!
As someone who grew up Christian, with the same values, I agree.
That was a very fucked up thing to teach and I am glad that I watched this, and I would love to hear more
One thing about these movies...anyone who thinks swans are easy to incapacitate has never seen an angry swan. They're not particularly dangerous, but the hissing and wing-battering and grandstanding is hella intimidating to someone who's not expecting it.
Of course, this is a natural swan acting on natural instincts to protect their babies. And it's generally the cob (male) of the pair that goes on the offensive, though I'm pretty sure the pen (female) is more than ready to step up if the cob isn't around.
Point being: they're pretty animals, but far from helpless.
Also: there is *one* trope I'm pleased to see being invoked in here: that curse that turned Chen into a dragon being broken through creative interpretation of its end condition. I was a fan of Gargoyles as a kid (hell, I enjoyed it as a grown adult a couple of years back) and that show was rife with curses that had interesting and seemingly unbreakable end conditions:
"Become stone until this castle rises above the clouds" - 1000 years later, evil billionaire David Xanatos buys this Scottish ruin, has it shipped brick by brick to his corporate headquarters in Manhattan, and has it re-assembled atop his skyscraper. The castle is now above the clouds, and the gargoyles are no longer petrified, and very confused to see what the humans have come up with in the last millennium. (This one's pretty much the opening monologue for the first season, so not really a spoiler.) I loved this trope as a kid, and I wish I was creative enough to come up with good conditions like that to apply in D&D.)
Swans and gooses are terrifying animals and they have been known to serious injure people, this is why when thinking back about this movie I could help wondering why at least Puffin didn't tell her: "You are a swan, why don't you just maim the guy?"
@@Geenween When making that comment, I looked it up - I've only actually heard a portrayal of angry swans in Redwall, which is written largely from the perspective of mice. (Sparrows are fearsome beasts in the first book, for example.) What I saw was an animal control guy getting mildly bruised by a cob while helping a baby who was stuck in a chain link fence - it looked pretty ineffectual against someone who actually kept their head on straight.
But that could have been an exception - a lot of those animal control folks are very good at getting across that they're not as much of a threat as they seem to be to the animals they're saving. (At least, the ones who get film crews following them around have gotten good at that.)
Close reading of Veggie Tales, you say??
I'm here for it.
Me to
Holy crap, hey TB. Fancy seeing you here ^^
Oooh THAT'S why this got recommended to me. Sweet!
OMG IT'S SKYEN! WHAT?!?!
anyway YEAH I"M SO HERE FOR IT
I'm kinda impressed that the sequels remembered King William existed when the first movie basically forgot him almost immediately. Not so much as a "You killed my father" to Rothbart or a "I wish my father could have seen this" at the wedding.
The widows scene in the movie was so wild bc the guys line isn't "hey isn't it bad that this woman is giving away money she needs," it's "hey isn't it bad that this woman is giving away money she needs MORE THAN THE PEOPLE SHE'S GIVING IT AWAY TO"
I'm athiest but I truly appreciate your passion and pain seeing your religion usurped and manipulated. You did a lot of research and I love it.
Ditto
It's fiction lifting from fiction. Whatever.
@@Charles-js3ri Stfu your name is cHaRlEs
@@Astrolionking LOL, even for angry idiot comment that's lazy.
@@Charles-js3ri Not fiction, boy. Not for us
"I Watched ALL the Swan Princess Sequels"
Aaaaaand they released another one...this year...there's no escape...
I didn't grow up with VeggieTales so I would be genuinely curious about a close reading of it
I grew up with veggietales and i would also be genuinely curious about a close reading of it
I grew up with VeggieTales on the furthest fringes of my consciousness until it suddenly shoved itself front and center in the memes of my adulthood, and I would be interested in a close reading of it.
Same.
"Swan Lake is hosting Racist Eurovision."
This was not a sentence that I was expecting to hear... ever. And it blindsided me as such a non-sequiter that my brain broke and i bust a gut laughing. Bravo!
So, Swan Lake is hosting Eurovision.
I'm an athiest but I'm a pretty big fan of this Jesus guy, pretty swell and wholesome lad.
Not so much the people who worship him but don't practice what he preached.
Amen to that (pun absolutely intended)!
as an athiest I agree, the more hard core fans who constantly fight about whats canon, and how to be a real fan, and how "if you aren't a fan you're a terrible person with no taste" really annoy me but I can get behind the more casual fans who don't get all bent out of shape about me not being into the book anymore
@@shanon4768 first of all, can I just say your comment made my day? Secondly, I am what you would call a casual fan. (To follow up on your analogy) I don’t know all the lore but I feel like I know the important bits. And I also understand that it’s not for everyone. People like different things and it’s what makes us unique. I would never force someone to be into the same interests I was into or try to insinuate that they were bad people just because they don’t like the same things I do.
We Muslims also believe in Jesus PBUH as one of mighest messenger of Allah Almighty. He is one of best Prophets best man ever. No Muslim is a Muslim if he doesnt believes in Jesus PBUH as a messenger. We love him but don't worship him. We don't believe he is a God or son of God. We Muslims follow his commands believe in one God don't eat pork drink wine dont k*ll people etc.
I have so much religious trauma and am now agnostic but I also still think Jesus was a really cool dude. He really popped off when he flipped those tables for those sex workers.
As someone unfamiliar with the story of the Widow's Mite, your explanation of it was very clear and powerful. I admire Christians who can see the damage Fundamentalism and Prosperity Gospel are doing to their faith.
As a loving and kind Christian,if I had all the time and a hammer I would tear down every megachurch in America and repurpose the material into housing for low to no income citizens. The Way! It! Should! Be!
"unfortunately a swan is also a pretty easy threat for a human advisory to incapacitate' - someone who's never met a pissed off swan.
I assume that Odette's human mind is incapable of releasing a swan's true power.
You should go full liberation theology on us more often
Yes.
Yes.. this was amazing
Oh my gosh I grew up watching Nest bible movies... Living scriptures sounds familiar too. My family would watch them on Sunday's because other movies wouldn't be "keeping the Sabbath holy".
I was mentally comparing your experiences with religion to mine being raised as Mormen, and then you revealed that the Swan Princess and the "interesting" take on the widow's mite story was made by Nest and... that tracks.
Honestly though, even as an atheist it makes me so happy to see people who experience their faith as a positive in their life and the lives of those around them. Spirituality can be such a wonderful, beautiful thing when you're not being told the "right" way to be spiritual, and it makes me happy that some people have that experience.
I wasn't raised religiously (went to low-key religious school) and the closest label I can find to describe me is atheist agnostic (I don't have belief and I don't think me or anyone can know anyway) and I wanted to say I really agree with your take (last paragraph). I have my own sort of spirituality, but it's about the beauty of existence and contradictions and of not knowing and of the complexities of the universe and of people. Hard to describe, really. I wish we lived in a world where everyone could enjoy their faith as a positive and no-one was traumatised or hurt by it.
Hello fellow ex-Mormon. Enjoyed your comment.
Joining the exmo train on this comment. I almost cried listening to her take on the Widow's Mite when I realized that the prosperity gospel version had been force fed to me along with 'doubt your doubts'. I may still have been religious if I had instead have been taught the way she was.
I also was raised mormon and experienced a lot of emotions through that whole segment. Nest was all we were allowed to watch on sundays for the same reason.
It healed a little bit of the religious trauma I experienced to see a Christian care about their religion in a way that isn’t self-serving. I wonder how I would be if I was given the opportunity to doubt like that. But instead I was told to doubt my doubts :/
So Swan Princess being made by that nest company adds up actually. I grew up in Utah and once they started Salt Lake Comic Con (now known as FanX) every single year there's been a Swan Princess booth with some weird guy wearing a pink suit with images from the movie all over it.
That suit haunts my nightmares.
Bro, I’d pay good money to see this in person
I grew up with the Swan Princess movies, and they are one of my most beloved childhood memories.
So when I saw the AWFUL CGI animation, I was not happy at all
I don't care what anyone says, they can continue making those so called "Sequels" all they want, BUT I WILL NEVER accept them as actual continuation.
The Swan Princess from 1 to 3 are permanently Canon to me and that's final
P.s. I admire the dedication it took you to make this video. May God bless you 😇🙏🏼
HARD SAME. Dear god, what were they thinking??
I never got to see any sequel of the Swan Princess and yet I gagged specifically at the CGI movies
What were they thinking, canonically having children??
Same! I literally didn’t get to watch the Swan Princess as a kid, I actually just now watched it and absolutely loved the first 3, going 1, 3 and 2 (the middle one the villain was kinda underwhelming but I guess Odette willing became a swan to save Derek from literally drowning in a tar pit) oh man the CGI is so cringy and awful. I actually really liked the Christmas special despite Rathbart is conveniently stuck in a trunk in the royal stables in deus eu sec maux (however you say it) but literally the rest are so dumb. I seriously hated the only child they have is a orphan they adopted, like why not the next sequel is about Odette giving birth to their own daughter and Alicia is scared they won’t love her as much because she knows she isn’t their biological daughter, so she acts out for attention or something and eventually tells them she’s scared she’ll never be their daughter or something? Its a very sneaky and stupid way to get around the “where do babies come from” issue and I KNOW Derek and Odette aren’t virgins. At least make it be the royal doctor says Odette can’t have her own children or something (dark humor: a side effect of royal inbreeding) but really the ONLY one I actually slightly liked was the Royal Myzerty because of Odette FINALLY singing Far Longer Than Forever when Derek almost suffocated in a sinking submarine, and he’s trying listen to her voice but just can’t anymore. Also the Kingdom of Music one and Royal Wedding actually didn’t annoy me so much because AGAIN the writers are FINALLY reintroducing why Odette is called the swan princess. I’m beyond bitter and royally pissed in the latest sequel, the villain is literally a sorceress and leaning Derek and Odette learned her secret, she merely traps them in a Chinese wall art INSTEAD of it just being Derek and making Odette a SWAN again! That would’ve made so much more impact when Mei Li is almost roasted by the sorceress a swan flys in front of her to save her and Derek has absolutely no idea it was Odette who basically became a cooked goose or roast duck (ok I’ll shut up) to save her friend, making the part when the sorceress is killed and they’re freed from the painting, Derek is horrified and shocked the swan that sacrificed herself is actually Odette
You could always think of the cgi movies as the darkest timeline version of the Swan Princess canon
Thank you for your speech. As a Christian myself, I’ve often felt disillusioned by how my religion has been used by people with there own ends. I’ve had doubts and I felt pressured not to have them. That you for reminding me that’s What having faith is all about.
Ok… I’m a pagan, with a lot of ptsd regarding Christianity in general, but I adore the way you talk about your religion. You made me rethink a lot of my prejudice against Christians. Amazing speech, truly. Thank you for sharing this story and your viewpoint. 💕
I was expecting this to be pleasant background noise to listen to while I work like Jenny Nicholson's "I watched all the land before time movies" video.
This video went some places and said some things I was very much not expecting, but needed to hear.
A wild ride and I don't expect every video to hit those same topics but I heard enough to know I want to hear more.
10/10
Subscribed.
Agreed
I'm someone who suffers from a lot of religious trauma, specifically around Christianity and I would like to say thank you for treating Christianity correctly. You clearly have worked hard to understand your faith in a way that sees better interaction with your life in general than the people who, unfortunately quite frequently, used that same faith to abuse me. So many thanks for you. And if you know more who treat their religion with private, considerate passion rather than performative, forceful zeal (which I suspect you do), please also give them my thanks. We need more Christians to act with the thoughtfulness you do.
"Evil Swan Princess" has the same energy as "I'm afraid of Princess Tutu"
But seriously, the first Swan Princess movie 1. was one of my top three as a child, 2. I still enjoy to this day, 3. Apparently beloved by every single lesbian and helped with the lesbian awakening (me included). Learning about the creators and the insidious fundy propaganda honestly hurts and this may be my villain origin story. However, I deeply enjoyed this video ("enjoy" might not be the best word for some parts, but it was all very good). I am also SO GLAD I didn't learn about the horrifying 3D ones until now. They will haunt my nightmares.
Don't mind me; just liking your comment for being someone with good taste in anime.
Princess Tutu is amazing!
I had Bartok The Magnificent (undeniably reliably magnificent) on dvd for years and watched it so often that I constantly forget what movie Bartok was originally from. I actually don't think I knew it was a spinoff until I was in my teens.
Bartok the Magnificent is so underrated
@@aurafluff not in the furry community. If I had a nickel for every tf sequence done in the style of ludmilla....
@@TheBonkleFox DJDJDM i love all the furries in this videos comment section LMAO
Wait, so is the swan just her fursona, or is there a reason she can't get turned into anything else? Why would you as the villain turn your enemy into something that BITES REALLY HARD and can break your legs with their wings?
Also, I loved the digression about religion, and I think your whole attitude and approach to your faith is based and hermeneuticspilled. I've long known that Richard Rich is Mormon, so I always enjoy spotting the places where a creator's worldview peeked through or shaped their work.
Before the Widow's Mite bit, the part where *I* felt vaguely offended and sensed the influence of mainstream American fundangelicalism was when everybody just waxes poetic about Lucas' reunion with his parents without even thinking about offering help to them. Minor credit where it's due, though, *at least* these movies depict Odette and company wanting to participate in the community and help people, as it seems like a lot of churches nowadays have adopted the unfortunate belief that charity, caring, and community service are just Trojan horses for SOOOOOOOCIALISM--but, the movies still promote the toxic notion that poverty is somehow sweet and honorable and good things will magically come to those who suck it up and wait.
You can also tell these movies have an underlying fundagelical influence because the cultural in-jokes feel like your youth pastor is trying to be hip again and the attempts at multicultural tolerance and acceptance still manage to feel racist and white-people-centric. These things certainly aren't limited to Christian media, but they're common features of them.
HER FURSONA SHEHEGGDHS
I believe that it's actually the churches job and volunteers and good hearted people to fulfill the work that people think the government do. Having the government "help" people badly makes it seem like we dont have to help them.
Did anyone else always find “Derek” to be a super weird name choice for a Prince 😂 Everyone else has like fancy sounding names lol.
In the original ballet the prince's name is Sigfried. Guess they changed it for American audiences 🤷♀️
No, Derek is an old Germanic derivation of Theoderic.
Oh my god, the Mormon conspiracy tangent... Thank you so much. I was an LDS convert for a couple of years myself and I distinctly remember a friend telling me it was made by Mormons and that the whole 'for longer than forever' thing was a direct reference to the Mormon concept of eternal marriage.
This was a great video because I truly don't have the patience to watch all of the sequels myself but I've always been curious about what their deal is so thank you for sitting through them so I didn't have to lol
It’s so weird reading content made by Latter-Day Saints just because of how beliefs alter worldviews and all that. I mean Twilight would be my biggest example but absolutely Swan Princess as well.
As someone who loved Swan Princess, was Christian as a child and became an atheist after living in Utah for a year, I am shook.
May I ask, why did you become an atheist after living in Utah?
@@blondetapperware8289 basically seeing how the LDS Church treats people and gaslights it’s members, then realizing that the entire church is a scam and a cult. To me, it’s no different from Scientology. I grew up military and have been around people of a lot of denominations, but after seeing some of the absurd things that LDS people believe, it made me question religion in general, and now I can’t justify it or connect the dots. I do want to stress that I feel like religion is a very personal thing to most people, and just because I feel one way doesn’t mean anyone else is necessarily wrong. This is just my personal experience and it does not invalidate anyone else’s beliefs whatsoever.
@@krissygrab4821 I appreciate you still respecting other peoples' devotions. I'm sorry you had that experience. Cults can be pretty scary, especially the more radical fundamentalist kinds. Praying for you and wishing you have a Merry Christmas.
It was jarring to hear Odette sounds like Tohru Honda all of a sudden to say the least. Also it's nice to hear from fellow Christians who are chill about it in the online left space.
This comment wrecked me
I have a pretty horrible relationship with churches and religious people (not just Christians), so hearing a religious person openly saying they are just educating me, and don't intend to convert me, is such a breath of fresh air
right? I literally subbed to her because of that speech she made. FINALLY SOMEONE WHO RESPECTS THE FACT I HAVE MY OWN RELIGION!
ik as someone who is queer and due to religious trauma shits ended up literally fearing ppl who have anti-LGBTQ religions for a while, seeing people like her genuinely helps me lol
When I was a kid the first school I ever went to was in the basement of a church. My family was religious but never really pushed it or openly talked about it and I remember , since we had church 3 times a week , I told my teacher God didn't make any sense to me. All she told me was "he doesn't have to, you don't have to believe in him. If you learn the lessons and do the right thing God will love you either way. It's about doing the right thing". I'm not religious but that was such an important thing for me , it's why I get so angry when I see people hurting others or using religion to prove they're better/self benefit. I just don't feel like that's what the point of any of it was , it's not that you're supposed to think there's only one way to think or that you're better if you don't question things... its a suggestion in hopes that those suggestions will lead you to be/do better.
Woah. Living Scriptures vhs tapes were a staple of my Mormon youth media diet. And they’re still sold in mall kiosks all over Utah. Having it pop up in my atheistic adulthood’s love of video essays threw me for a loop. Worlds colliding!
Also, “Hark a Feminism” may be my favorite line of dialogue ever.
Not me combing the comments to find so many other exmo’s and crying at the solidarity. Really didn’t expect this video to touch on religion like that ahaha
Tbh, I’d totally watch a movie about an evil swan princess
Queen Uberta is a literal queen in every sense, all hail the queen.
What an eye opener into just how insane this franchise has become. I grew up with the 2d films, still love the original to bits and even the first two sequels were alright (though pretending 2 doesn't exist really does make things better, thank you for that). I saw a trailer for Swan Princess Christmas and eventually watched it on Netflix... which still haunts me to this day.
Then I saw clips of other sequels and it just hurt to see what was happening to my childhood favourite, I did not want to watch them. Frankly I'm much happier I experienced these stories through this fantastic video rather than watching them all the way through, and the religion discussion was really interesting.
Amazing work, I have no doubt I'll be rewatching this many times :D
I wasn't expecting to find another good Christian through this video. I'm also a Christian.
I basically left the church because I got sick of the fusion of religion and nationalism that basically rules the roost where I live. Conservatives twisting the faith to serve their opulent lifestyles and passive people who don't want to rock the boat are basically all I've found around here. I feel the same anger toward the Christian establishment.
Anyway, you just got a subscriber.
Same actually
Not a practicing Christian myself, but I was raised in a very Catholic education system outside of the US. I remember feeling a very distinct, if indescribable uneasiness about US Christianity when I first visited the country back when I was around 10 y.o. Maybe it was how loudly people displayed their faith. Maybe it was the way they said Jesus like his name was a spell. Maybe it was how some of those Christians talked about other religions, and people who (they assume, which included myself) believe in those other religions…
And that was before 2001, before the rise of the modern Christian Right.
Atheist, raised Catholic. My parents are actually good Catholics. They help the poor (their grounds were actually a safe park for the homeless and keeping that area clean was part of their ministry) and extend love to all people. My parents’ church is trying to reconcile the racist history of the church as an institution by reaching out to black churches regardless of denomination to find how they could work with them to serve their communities.
Not a Christian, but PREACH, Matt Prime!
It's nice to see that someone who believes in God doesn't also think that God is American. That's what it is. People deciding that they're the chosen people, like happens every time a nation gets powerful. No one seems to get it. Why would an all knowing, all seeing entity that invented _planets_ think one ape is better than the other one because they found the magic formula to being prosperous? That's wack.
My brain broke when I found out there was more than one. As a kid I was super into ballet- especially Swan Lake- so the first movie was my CHILDHOOD.
Love the fact that Odette's kingdom was never given a name, so you have to call it Swan Lake
that whole Christmas choir singing was hilarious.
I've always had a sneaky feeling Queen Uberta was based on Queen Margethe II of Denmark. She's a literal queen and literal queen
Holy Shit, these final movies are even wilder than I could imagine.
My friend and I speculated that the two sorcerers who worked with Rothbart are just his bitter exes and that's my headcanon now xD
I finally got around to watching this, and it's really good.
Now you Review this Video.
The Gospel of Mark digression was a very interesting companion piece to the often quoted "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Coincidentally, I just read the part of John Green's The Anthropocene Reviewed last night "Only line meant literally," where he speaks of a minister that said "people take every line of the Bible literally except for that one, when it is the only line that is meant literally."
Though you probably already heard that one, since I spotted all those John Green books on your shelf when I went back to your original Swan Princess video for this one. I didn't even know that video existed, or did so well. I found you while looking for videos on Invisible Man, and loved the unique perspective you had to offer, which you're doing all over again here.
Was not expecting to google bible stories because of a "Swan Princess franchise" video, but I had to know what was up with Jesus literally flipping tables. Which also reminded me how difficult it is if you just want to read or read about bible stories but not end up on a site trying to convert you.
I actually found you talking about religion very interesting! I would love to see more videos on similar topics. I am not at all religious, but hearing about progressive people finding hope and growth through faith (while thinking critically about its history) very fascinating and inspiring.
Having said that, if that would require you to bring in personal stuff that you don't feel like talking about, that's fine. There's always the option of that Veggie Tales close reading.
Basically Jesus started flipping tables when he found that the holy temple has been crowded by merchants and money changers, like it turned into a shady market supposedly instead of a religious place. So he got mad, and started flipping out, then started flipping the tables with the merchants' wares and money. Chased them with a whip too.
Super late, but my Jewish ass did the same thing with this video, and also every time I watch this video and remember I still haven't learned all the terms.
The fact they called the Russian country Kievan Rus... which is literally the name of the first Russian nation in history.... subtle, real subtle.
Right? When she said that I thought she had misspoken at first, like you can't have that be your parody name when it's a real name too? Like having a character from the vaguely middle-eastern made-up land of "persia."
I thought Russia started with the Novgorod Republic? Moscow didn't even exist as a city until well into the 16th century
OK. You are quite wrong.
Kievska Rus - is the beginning of Ukraine. The only thing that begins there for russia is their religion. That's all.
And I can tell that, because I am studying Ukraine history from whatever points I can take.
It's OK to make a mistake, but it's a great moment of realising that's count the most")
came here from TBSkyens recommendation vid and i gotta say, it was 10000% worth it!
time to binge more of your content LMAO
Thank you for the interpretation of the Widow's Gift. It was amazing and gave a lot of context to a story that is usually told without it.
Just found your channel and I mean this with the absolutely highest of praise, you give me the very best Lindsay Ellis vibes.
Indeed.
@@SaffronicSaffron indeed.
@@snakesnoteyes 😁
I thought this was a Lindsey Ellis video.
And I'm not entirely wrong.
In all seriousness, please keep doing what you're doing, and I would love to see you review Vegetales.
yeah I thought so too. they have a similar way about them.
Also, swans in real life are vicious. Getting hit by their wings is like hitting by a Billy club. Plus their beaks.
The third one is definitely the best of the sequels and I will randomly get "Because I Love Her" stuck in my head, specifically "Because I love her and need her like I need to breathe, did Adam need Eve like this?" The Christian themes were mostly subtle to baby me but I still definitely picked up on them from that line alone. I also loved that "Because I Love Her" is immediately prefaced by Odette being like "Ok come find me when your tantrum's done." Like, this feels like the Odette who was ready to throw hands at 5 years old.
Adding more to this after watching your deep dive into your faith (one that spoke to me so deeply, Prosperity Gospel is so insidious) and Nest's Mormon roots and it reminded me of a friend telling me a few years back that "Far Longer Than Forever" is basically exactly the Mormon ideal of marriage. I don't have a ton of Mormon background info (I ran from the Southern Missionary Baptist church to the Catholic Church to "I'm just going to do my own thing") so I can't expound on it much more but thought it might interest you.
Honestly wasn't expecting this to go into religion but was pleasantly surprised. You do a good job of being both informative and entertaining on the subject. Especially loved you going into full conspiracy-mode immediately afterwards lol
If magic ornaments can bring someone back from the dead, you'd think they'd have one made that'll stop Odette being turned into a Swan every year. Like, she's probably used to it by now and fed up with constantly being turned into a bird.
Istg at 15:56 when she revealed what the carollers sounded like I took a literal step back from my screen. What in the world was that! I was expecting some sorta sweet, cozy, old time-y sounding chorus (srry idk how else to describe it) and instead they come out with this pop, remix version of the song 🤣🤣🤣
I remember seeing an ad for one of the movies with the daughter and being blown away that The Swan Princess was a.) still being made and b.) in horrifying CG. Thank you for taking one for the team and watching them so I didn't have to. It would have taken for longer than forever.
Wow, I've never heard that kind of take on the widow's mite. And as a Christian, I feel like what you said about introducing the idea that certain things in the Bible are messed up and that you're allowed to have your own thoughts about it is really important. I didn't get that at a young age, everything was very black and white, and I think that's affected my own journey with my faith a lot.
I stumbled upon A Fairy Tale is Born tonight… I made it through the first 20mins, but it was so bizarre and just made me miss the original from my childhood. So I went to TH-cam to watch some scenes from the original- discovered that “This is My Idea” still holds up and find your other Swan Princess video… and now here I am 3hrs later having watched the full original film, read the entire Swan Princess wikipedia, and watched this entire video… ah, the internet. Thank you for this delightful and horrifying trip into the sequels! (And sparing me from having to actually watch them)
You know what's REALLY weird? In the Royal Mystery Lucas calls Derek "Papa". So does this mean his parents died off screen and he sees Derek as a father figure? Does that make Elise his sister? If so, wtf were they thinking
16:45 yep, checks out. Swan Princess was made by Nest - a bunch of former disney animators who liked Jesus more than the mouse
wow you went quite the rabbit hole there, thats some crazy shit you found. Really makes me look at the movie differently now
Like others, I wasn't expecting the section relating to Christian youth teaching, and I thought it was really cool to hear your thoughts. It's great to hear different perspectives on TH-cam, especially since the algorithm tends to make that difficult.
With the final two films I don't know why they didn't just create a new series of films instead of making more Swan Princess stuff. These literally could have been their own story. Call it "The Princess and the Dragon" or something like that.
I vividly remember watching the royal family tale with my family in elementary school, turning to my dad and going “can we watch something else?” At the part where they play hide and seek. My dad looked more relieved than I’ve ever seen in my whole life.
How did you know that this is exactly what I needed today??? I found you through your excellent original Swan Princess video, and this video is equally excellent!
We want the VeggieTales analysis! Also, it's inspiring to see a Christian LeftTube (or Lefttube-adjacent?) content creator.
I'd be surprised if Laura didn't see herself as a leftist.
Well, I'm someone who doesn't do religion, but I found your perspective very good to hear from. Thank you! And also I watched zero of the Swan Princess movies and I loved this, so please do Veggie Tales too because I"m here for it.
ok so fun story: last night my friend and i remembered the cursed cgi sequels and made fun of them because of how uncanny they look, unknowing to the plot of any of them, she then asked "who is even asking for these movies?" and i jokingly said "christian moms against steven universe" because its an inside joke we have but OMG I DIDNT HOPE ANYTHING TO COME OUT OF THAT SENTENCE HOLY SHIT, im sorry your religion is being used this horribly for a preachy narrative, loved the whole way of the video tho! You deserve more views!!!
Ladyknightthebrave brought me here. Great analysis, love it all, especially the aside on the Gospel of Mark. I also love VeggieTales (and would love a followup vid on those), and don't mind content that teaches the tenets of other faiths. But you're right, children are sponges and companies should not be trying to secretly evangelize children through a princess swan movie... especially problematic interpretations like prosperity gospel (ugh).
I am also here from Ladyknightthebrave! :D
I feel like I _must_ have watched the original Swan Princess movie but I have hardly any recollection of it and definitely never saw the sequels so this dive was really fascinating, including the discussion of Christian education of children.
There’s 3 new movies out lets go 😂😂😂 I watched them all in one weekend and I honestly appreciate them for what they are. I grew up on the first three
I feel like there’s probably a lot you can tell about a person by what brand of alcohol they choose as a prop when doing the “I’m gonna need a drink in order to get through this thing I’m taking about” bit.
Can I just say that as a children and youth pastor, this may be the only time in my life that I've heard someone outside of a conference or my direct church point out the value of my work. Thank you. I didn't expect it in a Swan Princess video but it meant a lot.
This took some fun turns. Also, definitely make a VeggieTales video!
Please!
Yeeeesssss!
(41:43) your take on the character of the widow is the kindest, spiciest, and most interesting take that I have ever heard. I’m a fairly recent atheist...and like so many who have come before, I delved DEEP into my faith before I finally let it go...if I had come across more Sunday School Teachers like you and Wendigoon, it might have taken longer. Lol. To encourage curiosity and comparison and empathy is the right message regardless of the framework of faith.
Hoooly crap, the tangent about the widow's mite blew me away. I'm a former christian who was only taught the widow's mite on a service level "it's not about how much you give to charity, but the reason why you're doing it" way, so to hear you honestly and passionately dissect it all was amazing to hear. I loved this video I'm an instant fan!
When I looked up a video for The Swan Princess Movies, I did not expect an entire discussion on The Widow's Mite but it was a beautiful thing to hear
I got kicked out of religion class 2 times for asking questions, I'm mentally scarred for being forced to kneel on the
marble floor for hours which caused extreme bruising, I confect to a priest that I was having suicidal thoughts
and I quote "just pray the rosary girl" is all he said. I'm truly jealous of your experience in the Catholic church and wondered while you were telling us about your experience if those words were said to me would I still believe there is a god.
So thank you that was really nice to hear someone else say what my elementary self thought.
You had such a different church experience than I did growing up. If I had been taught that it was ok to doubt and to read the bible critically, I might not have the CPTSD now and immediate repulsion every time someone mentions Christianity. I'm so glad to hear that there are churches and people out there who are exhibiting the good parts of Christianity rather than using it to justify biases and fear.
Same. My church said doubt could happen, but like sexual temptation could happen. You had to fight it and repent of it. And don’t take too long with repenting, because if you die in sin you’re going to Hell for an eternity of torture. Why yes this IS part of God’s Perfect Plan™️!
I’m so happy someone else knows about this movie series and how absolutely bonkers it is. Fantastic video!
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY?! AND WHY ARE THEY SO RECENT?!
What child in the year 2019 is watching the new Swan Princess film? Who in the year 2021 is?!
Also as somehow who isn't religious aside from celebrating Christmas and Easter, I'm very confused why a medieval fantasy movie is having a modern day pop style autotuned to hell song about Jesus.
Also why haven't they updated the CG models in, like, ten years? They look like they're from the late 90s, not 2021 level of quality!
I grew up watching The Swan Princess 1,2 and 3 back when they first came out. Never knew about all these sequels, but glad I never watched them. I don't think I could get past the animation and... the voices. xD
31:38 - harrowing footage of Cruella's mum being pushed off a cliff by dalmations
This video took a turn that I never would have guessed in a million years.
Ok, this was so much better, more interesting, and more thought-provoking than any video about swan Princess sequels has any right to be! I’m amazed.
Was not expecting such a fantastic breakdown of how a scene from one of The Swan Princess sequels relates to the Bible and the church but the way you spoke about your faith and your interpretation of the Bible was so fantastic. You definitely earned a subscription from me this is amazing
I'm always happy when I find out that cool YTers are relgious _and_ accepting of other people's religions. 👍
Waiting for the sequel where Derrick and Odette have their own biological child and Elise is jealous.
Only 2 days ago I made inquiries on the Swan Princess series website, asking for artist information for the backgrounds of Swan Princess 2, and literally the next day I got a digital copy of the master painting of Clavius' castle.
The colour on the original is gorgeous. The shot seen in the movie is very grainy and dark. Yeah it's a bad movie, but some of the movies background art was wonderful.
On a serious note: I really, truly appreciated the breakdown of the lesson of the widow’s mite, and the way you talk about your faith. For me, doubt and questioning are as much a part of my faith (lapsed catholic here eyoooo) as devotion and joy are. That really really resonated with me 🧡
On a lighthearted note: when you said the accursed words “the animated Book of Mormon” I nearly spat water all over my desk 🤪
I didn't know I wanted a religious tangent in the middle of a swan princess marathon until I got one and thoroughly enjoyed it.
thank you, Swan princess christmas, i didn't know it before but i think we just don't have enough christmas specials in literally all the cartoons we watched in the same time this movie was released...
This was a deep dive that turned into a "x and how it interacts with me" video that turns into an unhinged unraveling that turns back into a deep dive. I loved it.
I almost mistook you for Lindsay Ellis! That's a compliment, Lindsay Ellis is a BEAST.
yeah, I used to be OBSESSED with the first movie when I was a kid Haha
I only watch the original as a kid and I'm so glad you did the deep dive on to why the weird veggie tales vibes. The series definitely went off the rails 😂