The Wild Swans is a 1994 2D animated film from Walt Disney Studios which is written and directed by Kirk Wise and Ron Clements.
It is based on the classic fairytale of the same name and features the voice talents of Zoe Kravtiz, Matthew Beard, Parker Posey, Erik Knudsen, Nick Lashaway, Jesse Plemons, Steven R. McQueen, Max Thieriot, Kevin Schmidt, Kevin G. Schmidt, Rhys Wakefield, Mark Rendall, Paul Iancono, Jake Lloyd, Anthony Hopkins, Nathaniel Arcand and Susan Lynch.
Plot[]
A beautiful 15 year old princess Elisa (Zoe Kravtiz) lives in a majestic kingdom of white marble with her eleven prince brothers and loving widow king father (Anthony Hopkins).
Her dad however then marries a mysterious woman (Parker Posey) who stumbles to the castle one night during a wicked storm.
She seduces the King through spell and then marries him.
The Mysterious Woman/ Queen Stepmother upon learning about the last will and testament of the King which states should he meet his untimely end his beloved children will inherit everything enrages her and sees her curse the eleven prince sons.
The curse transforms them into swans and they are cast off one stormy night in hope the storm whill strike them down.
The evil witch stepmom tries to endow the same curse on Elisa but however her strong heart and pure light backfires it.
The evil witch stepmom instead banishes her away.
The story continues on to show us the eleven prince sons have survived flying out through the wicked storm and have reunited with their sister Elisa at a homesome cave.
They set up living there and try endlessly to find a way to reverse the swan endowed curse.
Eventually a Queen Of The Fairies named Athena (Susan Lynch) secretly comes to Elisa and tells her a way to reverse the curse.
She however makes take a vow of silence and if she tells anyone of her plan she will ultimatley make the hearts of swan brothers stop.
Athena points Elisa towards a graveyard not far from the village of the kingdom her where she originally lived.
The graveyard contains great blossoming nettle flowers which if turned to clothing have magical properties.
Athena informs Elisa that should she make shirts of these flowers eleven in number the curse will be reversed upon placing them on them.
As Elisa presses on with making the shirts through the night to ensure her brothers don't find out she however is soon discovered by a Charming Prince who was originally pre-arranged to marry Elisa.
The Prince does not show is the princess he was arranged to marry but finds himself attracted to her anway.He invites her over to stay the night upon stumbling upon her one night in the graveyard during a terrible storm.
He then asks her to live with him and Elisa accepts.
She however through the nights continues on making the shirts and doesn't return to her brothers for her returning would make them believe she has abandoned them.
The Prince's superstitous Archbishop (Nathaniel Arcand) however believes her to be a witch and begins spying on through the course of her stay.
He eventually discovers her one night procuring the magical properties of the Nettle Flowers and tries to suade the Prince she is a witch.
The Prince's king father however agrees and sentences her death.
She is to be burned at the stake on the High Peak Cliff at Noon.
The Prince remains locked in the castle so he may not reach her however the Queen of The Fairies Athena then divolges everything to her swan brothers whom believed when she vanished she was killed.
In the midst of being marched to the totem she is to be tied to Elisa binds the final shirt and attempts to call her brothers by song as they always shared a passion for music.
The song is magnified by the spell of Athena as the brothers at first do not believe what Athena is telling them.
They fly off to save their sister and save her just in time.
The Swan brothers then are restored by the binded shirts back to boys again all apart from the youngest prince brother who'se shirt wasn't completely finished.
Athena then casts Elisa and her eleven brothers back to their kingdom where they confront their father and witch stepmother.
Their witch stepmother is exposed to their father who over the course of them being missing as been under a forget grieving spell by the evil stepmother.
The Evil Stepmother then erupts with anger turning her skin pitch black as she takes up the sky as a giant black cloud.
It is revealed that all the storms throughout the movie which have caused havoc for the Prince Sons and Elisa have been created by their Witch Stepmother.
Athena appears and turns Elisa, her eleven brothers and their father into swans so they can take to the sky and finish her.
Elisa makes a sacrifice as the witch almost destroys the youngest prince which sees her instead take a deadly blast sending her to the ground.
The King father then sacfrices himself by plunging straight into the witch cloud taking his life and hers.
The skies however do not fully clear and the prince sons and Athena gather around the dead Elisa.
Then appears the Prince of whom was in love with Elisa.
He kisses her and places a shirt made of the nettle plant he secretly made.
The shirt transforms Elisa back to normal and she regains her life.
The Prince then marries Elissa and the two run his kingdom as the Prince Sons run their father's kingdom with the help of Athena.
The film ends with the clouds completely clearing to a beautiful blue sky as the spirit of their king father can be clearly seen taking off as a swan.
Cast[]
- Zoe Kravtiz as Princess Elisa
- Matthew Beard as Prince Alexander/ The Neighbouring Kingdom Prince arranged to marry Elisa
- Parker Posey as Umber/ The Evil Witch Stepmom
- Erik Knudsen as Prince Gerald/ The Oldest of Elisa's Prince Brothers
- Nick Lashaway as Prince Even/ One of Elisa's many prince brothers
- Jesse Plemons as Prince Ewan/ One of Elisa's many prince brothers
- Steven R. McQueen as Prince Walt/ One of Elissa's many prince brothers
- Max Thieriot as Prince Jensen/ One of Elisa's many prince brothers
- Kevin Schmidt as Prince Not/ One of Elisa's many prince brothers he is a twin
- Kevin G. Schmidt as Prince Cot/ One of Elisa's many prince brothers he is a twin
- Rhys Wakefield as Prince Kemper / One of Elisa's many prince brothers
- Mark Rendall as Prince Tambin/ One of Elisa's many prince brothers
- Paul Iancono as Prince Cambin/ One of Elisa's many prince brothers
- Jake Lloyd as Prince Johnathen/ Elisa's youngest prince brother
- Anthony Hopkins as King Midas/ Father of the Eleven Prince Sons, Husband of Umber and father of Princess Elisa
- Nathaniel Arcand as Decklan The Archbishop
- Bobby Cannavale as King Idas/ King of the Neighbouring Kingdom and father of Prince Alexander
- Randall Emmet as Philonius The Frightening Hooded Executioner
Soundtrack[]
- "Love Is An Expression" performed by Zoe Kravtiz
- "A Tight Tough Bond" performed by Zoe Kravtiz, Erik Knudsen, Nick Lashaway, Jesse Plemons, Steven R. McQueen, Max Thieriot, Kevin Schmidt, Kevin G. Schmidt, Rhys Wakefield, Mark Rendall, Paul Iancono and Jake Lloyd
- "Taking Action for the Love Of Power" performed by Parker Posey
- "Prestige (Eye Of The Storm)" performed by Parker Posey
- "We Have Each Other Still and that's all we need" performed by Zoe Kravtiz
- "A Magical Field" Performed by Susan Lynch
- "Love Is An Expression (Reprise)" performed by Zoe Kravtiz and Matthew Beard
- "Prestige (Eye Of The Storm) (Reprise)" performed by Parker Posey
- "A Tight Tough Bond (Reprise)" Performed by The German Orchestra and Opera Sound