The Swan Princess II: Escape from Castle Mountain
Encyclopedia
The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain (also known as The Swan Princess: The Secret of the Castle in European countries) is the first sequel to the animated film The Swan Princess
. It was directed by Richard Rich
and released in 1997.
This sequel features recycled footage from the previous film, most notably in the flashbacks during "The Magic of Love" sequence. Musically, the film also samples the soundtrack of the previous film, such as during the scene where Clavius is changing Queen Uberta into various animals; the instrumental of "Practice, Practice, Practice" can be heard.
, but Derek and Odette's anniversary is interrupted by the dangerous vandalism of Knuckles, a minion of the wizard, Clavius the Magic-Shaper. Clavius, who was the partner of Rothbart the Spell-Weaver, wants to claim the all-powerful mystic magical orb of the Forbidden Arts which is located somewhere deep within Swan Lake castle, which has become the new home of Derek and Odette. Clavius and Rothbart both conquered the Forbidden Arts together, until Rothbart drove him (Clavius) underground after betraying their partnership.
At Derek's castle, his mother, Queen Uberta, cannot conceive the fact that she is turning fifty tomorrow. When her assistant Chamberlain tells her the news of the mysterious attack on one of Derek's fields, Uberta wails that Derek is sure to forget her birthday.
When the birthday comes, Clavius, dressed as a clown abducts Uberta to use her as leverage, but not before being pestered by the Queen while on the way to his lair. When Derek sets out to rescue his mother, Clavius sneaks into Swan Lake castle where he locks Odette in a tower and then goes after the orb himself. Odile, who was once Rothbart's accomplice but has joined the side of good , recognizes Clavius and knows that he is after the Forbidden Arts. She takes Speed, Puffin, and Jean-Bob (whom throughout the movie is tired of hearing Puffin repeating "no fear" over and over) into the catacombs under the castle where they find the orb first. After claiming the orb, they race back upstairs and free Odette.
Odette knows now that Derek is heading into a trap, but Puffin cannot fly because of an accident of spraining his tail earlier in the movie so she convinces Odile to use the orb to change her into a swan. Once transformed, Odette flies off to warn Derek. Clavius stumbles upon the remaining group and a chase ensues throughout the castle. During the chase, Clavius frantically warns that if the orb hits the ground, it'll cause the whole castle to explode, taking out everyone within it. Clavius eventually obtains the orb, and locks Odile and the animals in the watery dungeon.
Elsewhere, Odette reaches Derek just in time to save him from sinking to his death in a pit of quicksand. Racing back to the palace, they see Clavius escaping in his hot-air balloon, from which Speed, Puffin and Jean-Bob are secretly clinging to in the hopes of being able to regain the orb. Derek and Odette follow the balloon to Clavius' volcano lair but Knuckles tries to stop them. After a big fight, Knuckles is soon caused to fall into the lava pool beneath the volcano.
Clavius celebrates with a remix of Born to be Wild
having the Forbidden Arts again, but when he attempts to transform Uberta into a fly he is cut short when Derek arrives and the animals free Uberta from her prison. During the fight, Jean-Bob jumps on Clavius' head to stop him from delivering a killing blow to Derek, but Jean-Bob is killed when he is thrown off. Derek finally gets his hands on the orb, and the gang rushes to escape in Clavius' balloon. Clavius tries to stop them, and during the struggle the orb is dropped, which shatters on the floor and causes a massive explosion which presumably kills Clavius and destroys the Forbidden Arts in the process.
Later, everyone is at Swan Lake
, waiting for the moon to rise on Odette, who is waiting on the surface with Jean-Bob on her wing. When the moonlight touches Odette, she is transformed back to her human form and Jean-Bob revives. The gang celebrate their victory and Uberta's fiftieth birthday.
The next day, a guest (the king of Lincolnshire) arrives a day early, much to the surprise of Derek and Rogers. Derek asks Rogers to tell the king to wait as he plans on spending the day with Odette.
Gift set containing all three The Swan Princess
movies. The DVD of the film was released in the USA on August 18, 2009. In February 2004 in Europe it has been released in a DVD
set containing all three The Swan Princess
movies with a bonus a sing-a-long disc.
The Swan Princess
The Swan Princess is a 1994 American animated film based on the ballet "Swan Lake". Starring the voice talents of Jack Palance, John Cleese, Steven Wright, and Sandy Duncan, the film is directed by a former Disney animation director, Richard Rich, with a music score by Lex de Azevedo...
. It was directed by Richard Rich
Richard Rich (director)
Richard Rich is an American film director, producer and writer known for his work in animation. He is president of Crest Animation Productions. Unlike most animation directors Rich has never worked as animator on a film....
and released in 1997.
This sequel features recycled footage from the previous film, most notably in the flashbacks during "The Magic of Love" sequence. Musically, the film also samples the soundtrack of the previous film, such as during the scene where Clavius is changing Queen Uberta into various animals; the instrumental of "Practice, Practice, Practice" can be heard.
Plot
It has been one year since the events of The Swan PrincessThe Swan Princess
The Swan Princess is a 1994 American animated film based on the ballet "Swan Lake". Starring the voice talents of Jack Palance, John Cleese, Steven Wright, and Sandy Duncan, the film is directed by a former Disney animation director, Richard Rich, with a music score by Lex de Azevedo...
, but Derek and Odette's anniversary is interrupted by the dangerous vandalism of Knuckles, a minion of the wizard, Clavius the Magic-Shaper. Clavius, who was the partner of Rothbart the Spell-Weaver, wants to claim the all-powerful mystic magical orb of the Forbidden Arts which is located somewhere deep within Swan Lake castle, which has become the new home of Derek and Odette. Clavius and Rothbart both conquered the Forbidden Arts together, until Rothbart drove him (Clavius) underground after betraying their partnership.
At Derek's castle, his mother, Queen Uberta, cannot conceive the fact that she is turning fifty tomorrow. When her assistant Chamberlain tells her the news of the mysterious attack on one of Derek's fields, Uberta wails that Derek is sure to forget her birthday.
When the birthday comes, Clavius, dressed as a clown abducts Uberta to use her as leverage, but not before being pestered by the Queen while on the way to his lair. When Derek sets out to rescue his mother, Clavius sneaks into Swan Lake castle where he locks Odette in a tower and then goes after the orb himself. Odile, who was once Rothbart's accomplice but has joined the side of good , recognizes Clavius and knows that he is after the Forbidden Arts. She takes Speed, Puffin, and Jean-Bob (whom throughout the movie is tired of hearing Puffin repeating "no fear" over and over) into the catacombs under the castle where they find the orb first. After claiming the orb, they race back upstairs and free Odette.
Odette knows now that Derek is heading into a trap, but Puffin cannot fly because of an accident of spraining his tail earlier in the movie so she convinces Odile to use the orb to change her into a swan. Once transformed, Odette flies off to warn Derek. Clavius stumbles upon the remaining group and a chase ensues throughout the castle. During the chase, Clavius frantically warns that if the orb hits the ground, it'll cause the whole castle to explode, taking out everyone within it. Clavius eventually obtains the orb, and locks Odile and the animals in the watery dungeon.
Elsewhere, Odette reaches Derek just in time to save him from sinking to his death in a pit of quicksand. Racing back to the palace, they see Clavius escaping in his hot-air balloon, from which Speed, Puffin and Jean-Bob are secretly clinging to in the hopes of being able to regain the orb. Derek and Odette follow the balloon to Clavius' volcano lair but Knuckles tries to stop them. After a big fight, Knuckles is soon caused to fall into the lava pool beneath the volcano.
Clavius celebrates with a remix of Born to be Wild
Born to Be Wild
"Born to Be Wild" is a rock song written by Mars Bonfire and made famous by the Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. It is often used in popular culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude...
having the Forbidden Arts again, but when he attempts to transform Uberta into a fly he is cut short when Derek arrives and the animals free Uberta from her prison. During the fight, Jean-Bob jumps on Clavius' head to stop him from delivering a killing blow to Derek, but Jean-Bob is killed when he is thrown off. Derek finally gets his hands on the orb, and the gang rushes to escape in Clavius' balloon. Clavius tries to stop them, and during the struggle the orb is dropped, which shatters on the floor and causes a massive explosion which presumably kills Clavius and destroys the Forbidden Arts in the process.
Later, everyone is at Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
, waiting for the moon to rise on Odette, who is waiting on the surface with Jean-Bob on her wing. When the moonlight touches Odette, she is transformed back to her human form and Jean-Bob revives. The gang celebrate their victory and Uberta's fiftieth birthday.
The next day, a guest (the king of Lincolnshire) arrives a day early, much to the surprise of Derek and Rogers. Derek asks Rogers to tell the king to wait as he plans on spending the day with Odette.
Cast
- Michelle NicastroMichelle NicastroMichelle Nicastro was an American actress and singer.-Life and career:Nicastro was born in Washington D.C., the daughter of Carole Rose and Norman Joseph Nicastro, who was an ophthalmologist...
- Princess Odette - Douglas SillsDouglas Sills-Life and career:Born in Detroit, Michigan, he grew up in the suburb of Franklin, where he was friends with both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Sills attended Cranbrook School, from which he graduated in 1978, and the University of Michigan where he majored in music...
- Prince Derek - Jake Williamson - Clavius
- Christy Landers - Queen Uberta
- Donald Sage MacKay - Jean-Bob
- Doug StoneDoug Stone (voice actor)Douglas David Stone is a voice actor who is most notable for his representation of the character Psycho Mantis from the popular video game Metal Gear Solid, as well as the voice of Matt Trakker and several other characters in M.A.S.K., and Dragonborg in Beetleborgs Metallix...
- Speed - Steve VinovichSteve Vinovich-Biography:Vinovich was born in Peoria, Illinois, the son of Jennie J. , a secretary, and Stephen J. Vinovich, an insurance salesman.-Filmography:*Cold Case *8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter...
- Puffin - Joseph Merdano - Lord Rogers
- James ArringtonJames ArringtonJames Arrington is an American stage actor, director, playwright and scholar. His plays are about the people or the culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
- Chamberlain - Joey CamenJoey Camen- Anime Roles :* Dinozaurs - Dino Tricera* Eureka Seven - Dr. Greg "Bear" Egan- Non-Anime Roles :* Darkwing Duck - Stegmutt* Little Dracula - Werebunny* The Smurfs - Additional Voices- Movie Roles :...
- Knuckles - Owen Miller - Bromley
- Rosie Mann - Bridget, The Hag
- Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
- the alligators
Musical numbers
- The Magic of Love
- That's What You Do for a Friend
- You Gotta Love It
- Far Longer Than Forever (end credits)
- No Fear (rap)
Release
The film had a limited theatrical release in July 1997 but performed poorly, only achieving a total domestic gross of $273,644. Two months later in September 1997 the film was released on video. In 1999 it was included in a VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
Gift set containing all three The Swan Princess
The Swan Princess
The Swan Princess is a 1994 American animated film based on the ballet "Swan Lake". Starring the voice talents of Jack Palance, John Cleese, Steven Wright, and Sandy Duncan, the film is directed by a former Disney animation director, Richard Rich, with a music score by Lex de Azevedo...
movies. The DVD of the film was released in the USA on August 18, 2009. In February 2004 in Europe it has been released in a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set containing all three The Swan Princess
The Swan Princess
The Swan Princess is a 1994 American animated film based on the ballet "Swan Lake". Starring the voice talents of Jack Palance, John Cleese, Steven Wright, and Sandy Duncan, the film is directed by a former Disney animation director, Richard Rich, with a music score by Lex de Azevedo...
movies with a bonus a sing-a-long disc.