The Trumpet of the Swan (film)
Encyclopedia
The Trumpet of the Swan is a 2001 animated film produced by RichCrest Animation Studios
, directed by Richard Rich
, and distributed by TriStar Pictures
, being TriStar's first animated film since 1988's Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw
.
's popular children's book of the same name
, it tells the story of a young Trumpeter Swan
who is born with muteness
and is vying for the attention of a beautiful pen. He overcomes this by learning to play the trumpet
.
, the film scored a 13% 'Fresh' rating.
, and the release of Shrek
the following week would cause the film to lose most of its audience. By the end of its run, the film grossed a mere $102,202.
for best voice-casting in an animated film, but lost the award to Disney's The Emperor's New Groove
. It is notable, however, that an independent animated film would be able to win such a nomination. It was the last film based on a book by E. B. White
until 2006's Charlotte's Web
.
RichCrest Animation Studios
Crest Animation Productions is an animation studio located in Burbank, California, United States. The studio was founded by Richard Rich, who previously worked at Disney. The studio's first and most famous film was The Swan Princess, which was rather successful on initial release...
, 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 distributed by TriStar Pictures
TriStar Pictures
TriStar Pictures, Inc. is an American film production/distribution studio and subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, itself a subdivision of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures...
, being TriStar's first animated film since 1988's Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw
Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw
Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw is a 1988 animated feature film distributed by TriStar Pictures. The film is based on the Tonka/Mattel toy line and Hanna-Barbera television series of the same name. It was directed by Pierre DeCelles, and stars the voices of Brennan Howard, B. J...
.
Plot
Based on E. B. WhiteE. B. White
Elwyn Brooks White , usually known as E. B. White, was an American writer. A long-time contributor to The New Yorker magazine, he also wrote many famous books for both adults and children, such as the popular Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, and co-authored a widely used writing guide, The...
's popular children's book of the same name
The Trumpet of the Swan
The Trumpet of the Swan is a children's novel by E.B. White published in 1970. It tells the story of Louis, a Trumpeter Swan born without a voice and trying to overcome it by learning to play a trumpet, always trying to impress a beautiful pen named Serena.-Plot summary:In Canada in the spring of...
, it tells the story of a young Trumpeter Swan
Trumpeter Swan
The Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator, is the largest native North American bird, if measured in terms of weight and length, and is the largest living waterfowl species on earth. It is the North American counterpart of the European Whooper Swan.-Description:Males typically measure from and weigh...
who is born with muteness
Muteness
Muteness or mutism is an inability to speak caused by a speech disorder. The term originates from the Latin word mutus, meaning "silent".-Causes:...
and is vying for the attention of a beautiful pen. He overcomes this by learning to play the trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
.
Cast
- Jason AlexanderJason AlexanderJay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
as Father - Reese WitherspoonReese WitherspoonLaura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
as Serena - Mary SteenburgenMary SteenburgenMary Nell Steenburgen is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Lynda Dummar in Jonathan Demme's Melvin and Howard, which earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.-Early life:...
as Mother - Seth GreenSeth GreenSeth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
as Boyd - Carol BurnettCarol BurnettCarol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
as Mrs. Hammerbotham - Joe MantegnaJoe MantegnaJoseph Anthony "Joe" Mantegna, Jr. is an American actor, producer, writer,director, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos , The Godfather Part III , Forget Paris , and Up Close & Personal...
as Monty - Dee BakerDee Bradley BakerDee Bradley Baker is an American voice actor. He is noted as his long-running-role as Klaus Heissler in American Dad! and other various characters including Squilliam Fancyson in the hit TV series SpongeBob SquarePants, Nightcrawler in X-Men: Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance...
as Louie - Melissa DisneyMelissa DisneyMelissa Disney is a voiceover artist, actress, singer/songwriter, writer, and film producer. She is the daughter of Louise Gallagher and granddaughter of silent actress Tara Gallagher, and is a distant relative to Walt Disney. She voices the title character Ginger Foutley in the animated cartoon...
as Billie - E.G. DailyElizabeth DailyElizabeth Ann Guttman , better known by her stage names of Elizabeth Daily and E.G. Daily, is an American voice actress, actress, singer-songwriter, and musician...
as Ella - Pamela Segall AdlonPamela AdlonPamela Fionna Adlon is a Jewish-American actress, voice actress, and producer. She is sometimes credited as Pamela Segall, Pamela S. Adlon and Pamela Segall Adlon...
as A.G. Skinner - 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...
as Maurice / Roger - Corey BurtonCorey BurtonCorey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
as Senator - Michael WinslowMichael WinslowMichael Winslow is an American actor and a comedian billed as the "Man of 10,000 Sound Effects" for his ability to make realistic sound effects using only his voice.-Early life:...
Critical reception
It was not well received by critics. Many stated the animation was poor, that the charm of the original book was lost, the characters were dull, the casting did not match, the songs were unmemorable and that the character design was awful. But the most common criticism of the film version was that it did not follow the original story well; this disappointed many fans of the book. On Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the film scored a 13% 'Fresh' rating.
Box office
It failed to get an audience at the box office, for two reasons, a small limited releaseLimited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
, and the release of Shrek
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
the following week would cause the film to lose most of its audience. By the end of its run, the film grossed a mere $102,202.
Awards and nominations
In 2001, it was nominated by the Casting Society of AmericaCasting Society of America
Founded in Los Angeles, California in 1982, the Casting Society of America is a professional society of about 350 casting directors for film, television, and theatre in Australia, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. The society is not to be confused with an industry union. The...
for best voice-casting in an animated film, but lost the award to Disney's The Emperor's New Groove
The Emperor's New Groove
The Emperor's New Groove is a 2000 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures through Buena Vista Distribution on December 15, 2000. It is the 40th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics...
. It is notable, however, that an independent animated film would be able to win such a nomination. It was the last film based on a book by E. B. White
E. B. White
Elwyn Brooks White , usually known as E. B. White, was an American writer. A long-time contributor to The New Yorker magazine, he also wrote many famous books for both adults and children, such as the popular Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, and co-authored a widely used writing guide, The...
until 2006's Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web (2006 film)
Charlotte's Web is a 2006 American live-action/computer-animated feature film, based on the popular book of the same name by E. B. White. It is directed by Gary Winick and produced by Paramount Pictures, Walden Media, The K Entertainment Company, and Nickelodeon Movies...
.