The Trumpet of the Swan

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.

Being a very large fan of the original story, this movie was absolutely abysmal. As a standalone movie it's just a bit below par (the songs are just awful), but given that it was based on such a great story, this film had something to live up to, and it falls far short of that. There are characters and storyline added that don't really make sense - and some of the best parts of the original story were omitted.

For some reason, the swans all have hair that is obnoxiously colored. Lime green, purple, yellow and orange?? I guess this is so you can tell them apart but there could've been a less anatomically incorrect way to do it... but I guess this will be OK for kids.

If you are a fan of the original story looking for a decent movie adaptation, DO NOT watch this movie. You will be sorely disappointed.

If you're looking for a cute and fun movie to watch with your kids, then this movie is adequate. But just barely.

This is a mediocre family friendly animation. It's nothing special but works as modest time-pass entertainment specially for young children. The story deals with a trumpeter swan who doesn't have a voice and so doesn't know how to attract a mate. Would it help if he got a real trumpet and learned to play? The animation quality is alright for home viewing. The voice work is decent with Jason Alexander, Reese Witherspoon and Carol Burnett managing to hold our attention. The songs are dull and feel like padding. The film runs a short seventy minutes and is acceptable for kids.

Overall 4/10

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.

This movie was not the greatest movie I've ever seen, but I did enjoyed far more than I thought I would. Most of the story is true the book of the same name by E.B. White. Except of course for the song & dance numbers (which were terribly annoying and for the most part unessecary) and a couple of characters were

also not in the book (the talking squirrels are a few).

The Trumpet Of the Swan would be best enjoyed by children ages 3-10, beyond

that the movie seems hokie.

4 out of 10 stars.