The Trumpet of the Swan

I love the book by EB White and having seen Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web and really liking them, I looked forward to seeing The Trumpet of the Swan. Another reason why I wanted to see the film was because Carol Burnett was doing a voice on it, to this day I still love her as Miss Hannigan in Annie and I consider her a great actress and comedienne. On paper, Trumpet of the Swan had all the ingredients for a perfectly charming family film. A beautiful, charming book to work from and a great voice cast were the main attractions.

After finally seeing it, I felt that there were some good moments and everything, but at the end of the day it all felt bland. First of all, I highly appreciate the messages that the film had, learning the importance of reading and writing, overcoming disability, finding your own voice, honour and family love are great messages for kids and incorporated into the story in a simple yet effective way. Another redeeming quality is the voice cast, while I found the characters themselves bland I thought Jason Alexander, Seth Green, Reese Witherspoon, Mary Steenbergen, Joe Mantegna and Carol Burnett all do stellar jobs. Plus I think kids will find it very cute, there are parts where I certainly did find very sweet and well intentioned, as there are some touching moments.

However, there are also things that don't quite work. The animation I had mixed feelings about, some of the backgrounds are quite pretty with lovely use of pastel colours, but some of the characters are poorly drawn with some wonky movements. A lot less successful were the songs, they were sweet but they were also very sugary and forgettable and felt as though they were there to make the movie longer. Another component that didn't work as well was the story, there were some touching and humorous moments but the film's structure is somewhat episodic and rushed. That way I didn't relate to the characters as much as I would have liked, and that extra ingredient that made the book so charming was missing. Speaking of the characters while the protagonist was decent and Mrs Hammerbotham was likable in some ways, but some others Serena and the squirrels especially were rather cookie-cutter and the father did have moments where he annoyed me. Several of these problems lead to one major problem, the length, at barely over an hour the film was for me too short and that did affect how I felt about the characters and the story.

Overall, The Trumpet of the Swan certainly isn't a bad film as such, it just wasn't a particularly good one either. Kids will definitely like it, but adults may find it bland. 4/10 mainly for the voice work. Bethany Cox

Now, I haven't read the book so I can't exactly compare and even with movies for which I'm familiar with the source material I try to judge the movie on its own. But judged on its own I personally found Trumpet of the Swan very nice. It's not flawless, but then again few movies are. The animation is nice and crisp, if a little dry at times, and I don't understand why people complain about the swans having hair because otherwise it would be hard to tell them apart. As for the songs, they aren't actually that bad. "Louie, Louie, Louie" I always have a hard time getting out of my head and "Serena" is a lovely song. Trumpet of the Swan's weakness is that it's a little slow at times and I wish Serena had been a bit more developed, but for the most part The Trumpet of the Swan is still pretty enjoyable. It's not Secret of NIMH, The Last Unicorn, Spirited Away, or Lady and the Tramp but neither is it Secret of NIMH 2, Titanic the Animated Movie, or Spider's Web: A Pig's Tale.

Now, I'm not one who likes picking apart a film, because of differences from the book, but ... I'm okay with praising it for accuracy.

My children and I had just finished reading the book, when we saw this in the discount section at the store. Well, we just couldn't resist giving it a try. We all truly enjoyed it.

Most of the details are true to the book, but more important than that, the spirit of it remained in tact.

With a strong moral lesson (or two) I really enjoy this just for causing you (and kids) to spend some time thinking about things that matter. It is also very upbeat overall, despite some more serious moments while the characters face large personal dilemmas. The voice talents were impressive and the animation was adorable and engaging.

The only negatives I have to say about this one are not a big deal, but there are two very weak characters. The 'mean kid' is totally unconvincing and pretty annoying and the camp coach is just confusing. (I don't understand what he says or why he is like that. Is it supposed to be funny?) But, since both of their roles are relatively minor, they don't ruin the film. So, sit back with the kids and maybe some popcorn and enjoy.

It's rather silly but nevertheless it's watchable. I just found that it couldn't capture my interest as there was something missing. It wasn't as magical as it should have been. I've personally never read the actual story but this movie adaptation version seems dull and feels like they have tried to make it fit into an "Ugly Duckling" format.

I don't think I would recommend watching this movie. It is fine if there is nothing else on but it just doesn't have enough to offer the audience. Louie also feels more pathetic than discouraged. It's hard to watch him interact with his family and then later with the human world. Although the ending turns out how you would expect it brings little resolution to the movie.

Oh, and minor side note... Louie the swan's father is a jerk.

You don't have to tell me that cuteness alone is not a factor by which an entire movie can be judged. But even so, this movie just has so much cuteness that one could actually sit through it and keep him engrossed. Besides which the movie isn't very long at all and barely touches 70 minutes and therefore, you aren't really likely to get bored. The dubbing or lip syncing does seem a bit subpar though and I don't know if they've done that intentionally? I would recommend this movie for young children as they would certainly appreciate. As an adult or parent, if you have nothing better to do than watching this short film may leave you warm and fuzzy inside. Nothing wrong with that is there?