But the directors don't trust the kids enough to let them feel the pain for long. Instead, they anesthetize the narration with a cuteness (and a few easy-to-hate bad guys) that leaves the film with a neatly packaged, made-for-video feel.
a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company
TriStar Pictures
presents
A
RichCrest Animation
production
A
Lin Oliver
production
A
Richard Rich
Terry L. Noss
film
The
Trumpet
of the Swan
Produced by
Lin Oliver
Executive Producer
Seldon O. Young
Co-Producers
Richard Rich
Thomas J. Tobin
Terry L. Noss
Screenplay by
Judy Rothman Rofé
Based on the Book by
E.B. White
Music
by
Marcus Miller
Casting
by
Katy Wallin-Sandalis, C.S.A.
and
Bernie Van De Yacht
Supervising Editor
James D. Koford
Editor
Joseph L. Campana
With the Voice Talents of
Jason Alexander
Father
Mary Steenburgen
Mother
Reese Witherspoon
Serena
Seth Green
Boyd
with
Carol Burnett
as
Mrs. Hammerbotham
and
Joe Mantegna
as
Monty
| Sam Beaver | Sam Gifaldi |
| Louie | Dee Baker |
| Billie | Melissa Disney |
| Serena (cygnet) | Kath Soucie |
| Ella | E.G. Daily |
| A.G. Skinner | Pamela Segall Adlon |
| Maurice/Ranger | Steve Vinovich |
| Sweets | Gary Anthony Williams |
| Senator | Corey Burton |
| Chief | Michael Winslow |
| Squirrel/Hawk | David Jeremiah |
| Felicity | Julie Nathanson |
| Apathy | Dana Daurey |
| Waiter | Michael Kostroff |
| Clerk | Lee Magnuson |
| Bud | Steve Franken |
| Policeman | Norman Parker |
| Justice of the Geese | Jack Angel |
| Paramedic/Newscaster | Kath Soucie |
| Director's Assistant | Helena Collins-Liuag |
| Production Manager | Brett Hayden |
| Character Design | Elena Kravets Bronwen Barry |
| Storyboard Artists | Steven E. Gordon Floro Dery Larry Scholl Mark Sonntag |
| Layout Design | Mike Hodgson |
| Layout Supervisor | Dennis Richards |
| Layout Artist | Robert Orona Jr. |
| Layout Assistant | Kimberly Bowles |
| Animators | Steven E. Gordon John Celestri Bronwen Barry Elena Kravets Patrick Gleeson |
| Background Supervisor | Jeff Richards |
| Background Artists | Donald Towns Eric Reese Anette Ahlholm Mannix Bennett Kim Spink Junn Roca Nadia Vurbenova Diane Best |
| Effects & Computer Animation Supervisor | Brian McSweeney |
| Effects Animation | Actarus Aksas |
| Additional Computer Animation | Timothy Yoo Chris Cho |
| Digital Supervisor | Timothy Yoo |
| Color Model Stylist | Jeanette Nouribekian |
| Scene Planning | Bob Richards |
| Compositing | Chris Cho |
| Animation Checking | Patricia Blackburn |
| Executive Assistant to Richard Rich | Kimberlee Johnson |
| Executive Assistant to Lin Oliver | Mercedes Coats |
| ADR Voices | Melissa Disney Taylor Gifaldi Eddy Karr Anne Marie Lee Katie Leigh Tessa Ludwick Chris Marquette Olivia Marsico Tony Pope Jason Spisak Bernie van de Yacht Lalaine Vergara Paras |
| Choreography | Anne Fletcher |
| Dancer | Erik Hyler |
| Foley Walkers | Dominique Decaudain Jerry Trent |
| Foley Mixer | Dean St. John |
| Re-Recording Mixers | Rick Alexander Rick Hart |
| Recordist | Robbie Bartholomew Ryan Davis |
| Dolby Sound Consultant | Bryan Pennington |
| Enterprise Post Executive | Brian B. Murray |
| Digital Mixing | Enterprise Post |
| Associate Music Producer | David Ward |
| Music Coordinator | Bibi Green |
| Music Editor | Douglas Lackey |
| Music Mixer | Tommy Vicari |
| Orchestrator | Charles Harrison |
| Hannibal Studios Technician | Khaliq Glover |
"Spittin' Image"
Written by Pamela Phillips Oland, Marcus Miller,
Steve Rucker, Lin Oliver and Randy Rogel
Performed by Jason Alexander and Mary Steenburgen
"Touch the Sky"
Written by Marcus Miller and Randy Rogel
Performed by Kenya Hathaway
"Hey, Hey"
Written by Marcus Miller and Randy Rogel
Performed Melissa Disney, E.G. Daily and Ann Marie Lee
"Here Me Serena"
Written by Marcus Miller
Performed by Tim Carmon
"Louie's Lullaby"
Written by Marcus Miller
"Learning to Fly"
Written by Charles Harrison
| Production Coordinator | Susan Gelb |
| Production Coordinator | Jim Haas |
| Production Assistants | Karen Noss Crudge Gregory Daven Susan A. Kelley |
Overseas Coordinator
Denis Deegan
[Credits listed for overseas production and animation, including about 125 Korean names.]
| Color by | CFI |
| Completion Bond | Film Finances, Inc. |
| Production Legal Counsel | Robert A. Darwell Troop Steuber Pasich Reddick & Tobey, LLC |
| RichCrest Counsel | Donna Bascom |
[Standard film, sound system symbols, followed by standard legal notices about copyright, the story being fictitious, etc.]
Copyright © 2000 Tiny Tot Productions, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
E.B. White had a way of creating animal characters that stir the soul: the spider who saves a pig in Charlotte's Web, the mouse who becomes a vital part of a human family in Stuart Little and the mute swan searching for his voice in The Trumpet of the Swan. But while Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little have enjoyed numerous theatrical incarnations, The Trumpet of the Swan has resisted the Hollywood touch.
Until now.
The animated version of Mr. White's classic, directed with lush, hand-drawn exuberance by Disney vet Richard Rich and co-director Terry L. Noss, tackles this poignant story with mixed success. The film alludes to the pain of growing up different. It shows how a child's "disability" can sometimes lead to something wonderful.
But the directors don't trust the kids enough to let them feel the pain for long. Instead, they anesthetize the narration with a cuteness (and a few easy-to-hate bad guys) that leaves the film with a neatly packaged, made-for-video feel.
Jason Alexander (fine on the comedy, but lacking in the drama department) and the always appealing Mary Steenburgen voice the swan parents of silent swan Louie (Dee Baker) and his two sisters. Louie falls in love with a beautiful swan named Serena (Reese Witherspoon), which makes him even more unhappy about not being able to express himself.
With the help of a friendly boy, Sam (Sam Gifaldi), Louie goes to school to learn to read and write. But it's not until his father steals him a trumpet that Louie (named for Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong) learns to express himself through sound.
The music, an eclectic blend of jazz and contemporary music, is one of the film's strongest calling cards.
And it doesn't hurt to have such a fetching way to introduce kids to a remarkable book. After all, whatever has been lost in the translation can be more than made up for by the increased numbers of kids inspired to go back to the original.
Grade: B-
Director: Richard Rich and Terry L. Noss
In a surprise announcement, Columbia TriStar says that it will release an animated feature titled The Trumpet of the Swan into theaters on May 11, 2001 for a short engagement. The movie is based on E.B. White's The Trumpet of the Swan book, one of only three books ever written by E.B. White (Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web are the other two).
The rights to turn the book into an animated movie were acquired by Columbia Tristar in 1998. The company announced at the time that the movie would be a direct to video release in 2000 and even received a G rating by the Motion Picture Association of America last summer.
According to sources associated with the project, the release was delayed when it was learned that the Motion Picture Association of America was adding a "Best Animated Film" category to its award lineup. The film was readapted for the wide screen to play in theaters long enough to qualify for a possible nomination.
The Trumpet of the Swan is directed by Richard Rich, who also directed The Swan Princess and Warner Bros. animated The King and I. The movie stars the voices of Jason Alexander, Mary Steenburgen, Reese Witherspoon, Joe Mantegna, and Seth Green. The Trumpet of the Swan is the story of Louis, a voiceless trumpeter swan and his adventure in learning new ways to communicate.
The May 11 release date will put The Trumpet of the Swan into theaters one week before DreamWorks release of Shrek. Both are targeting separate audiences, however. The animation was done by Rich Animation Studios, located in Burbank, CA. Rich Animation Studios was acquired last year by Crest Communication of India.
RottenTomatoes.com freshness score: 10%
39 reviews counted: 4 positive; 35 negative
[In the table below, the column labeled "RT.c" shows a plus or minus sign, indicating whether the RottenTomatoes.com website rated the review mainly positive (+) or negative (-).]
| Source | Review Author | RT.c | Grade | Grade as # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Morning News | Nancy Churnin | + | B- | 67 |
| Boxoffice Magazine (DVD review) | Wade Major | 3/5 | 56 | |
| iF Magazine | Abbie Bernstein | + | B- | 67 |
| Film Threat | Heather Wadowski | + | 3.5/5 | 67 |
| digitallyOBSESSED.com | Rich Rosell | Style: B- Substance: C+ | 63 | |
| Apollo Guide | Brian Webster | - | 61/100 | 61 |
| Christian Spotlight on the Movies | Douglas Downs | 3/5 | 56 | |
| Movie Mom | Nell Minow | + | 3/5 | 56 |
| DVD Verdict | Nicholas Sylvain | 55/100 | 55 | |
| CinemaZone.dk | - | 3/6 | 50 | |
| Boston Globe | Jay Carr | - | 2/4 | 50 |
| Globe and Mail | Rick Groen | - | 2/4 | 50 |
| filmcritic.com | Christopher Null | - | 2.5/5 | 45 |
| DVD Authority.com | Fusion3600 | 2.5/5 | 45 | |
| E! Online | - | C- | 42 | |
| Reeling Reviews | Laura Clifford | - | C- | 42 |
| rec.arts.movies.reviews | Robin Clifford | - | C- | 42 |
| Seattle Times | Pam Sitt | - | 1.5/4 | 38 |
| Amazing Colossal Website | David Cornelius | - | 1.5/4 | 38 |
| Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert | - | 1.5/4 | 38 |
| Chicago Tribune | Loren King | - | 1.5/4 | 38 |
| St. Paul Pioneer Press | Chris Hewitt | - | 1.5/4 | 38 |
| Deseret News | Jeff Vice | - | 1.5/4 | 38 |
| Snack Bar | Adam J. Hakari | - | 1.5/4 | 38 |
| New York Times | Stephen Holden | - | 2/5 | 34 |
| Toronto Sun / Jam! Movies | Liz Braun | - | 2/5 | 34 |
| Boxoffice Magazine | Luisa F. Ribeiro | - | 2/5 | 34 |
| DVDTalk.com | Holly E. Ordway | - | 2/5 | 34 |
| DVD Angle | Charles Aliaga | 1.75/5 | 29 | |
| Seattle Post-Intelligencer | Sean Axmaker | - | D | 25 |
| Entertainment Weekly | Ty Burr | - | D | 25 |
| Utah County Daily Herald / Land of Eric | Eric D. Snider | - | D | 25 |
| Detroit News | Susan Stark | - | 1/4 | 25 |
| eye WEEKLY | Catharine Tunnacliffe | 1/4 | 25 | |
| Reel.com | Mary Kalin-Casey | - | 1/4 | 25 |
| Los Angeles Times | Jan Stuart | - | 1.5/5 | 23 |
| Haro Online | Haro | Pretty Bad | 17 | |
| Film Freak Central | Walter Chaw | - | 0.5/4 | 13 |
| TV Guide's Movie Guide | Frank Lovece | - | 1/5 | 12 |
| IFilm | Dave White | - | 1/5 | 12 |
The following reviews were tabulated by RottenTomatoes.com (positive/negative), but did not include a "grade":
| Source | Reviewer | RT.c |
|---|---|---|
| Spirituality and Health | Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat | + |
| Film Journal International | Daniel Eagan | - |
| Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt | - |
| Film.com | Tom Keogh | - |
| Detroit Free Press | Terry Lawson | - |
| New York Post | Lou Lumenick | - |
| Greenwich Village Gazette | Eric Lurio | - |
| Associated Press | Malcolm Ritter | - |
| Philadelphia Inquirer | Desmond Ryan | - |
| Newsday | Jan Stuart | - |
| New Times Los Angeles | Gregory Weinkauf | - |
| South Florida Sun-Sentinel | Sherri Winston | - |
More reviews, with neither a RottenTomatoes.com Fresh/Rotten designation, nor a grade, shown on the RottenTomatoes.com website:
| Source | Reviewer |
|---|---|
| Sacramento Bee | Joe Baltake |
| Denver Rocky Mountain News | Robert Denerstein |
| FILMtabs | Gunter H. Jekubzik |
| Providence Journal | |
| eFilmCritic.com |