The Swan Princess: Christmas (2012 Video) User Reviews

This movie might work with babys and pre-schoolers who never saw a cartoon in there life

[jordondave-28085 · 3/10 · 3 May 2023]

(2012) The Swan Princess Christmas COMPUTER ANIMATION/FAMILY/ MUSICAL FANTASY

By not seeing or remembering any of the Swan Princess movies, this one has to be one of the weakest since it lacks credible scenarios. Prince Derek and Princess Odette who used to be a swan plan a Christmas celebration with the lighting of a tree. And anyone who's open minded would be able to see that there are absolutely no guards anywhere so anyone can pretty much could walk in anywhere. The only people we see are a Christmas choir group who sing like what people can get from "Glee" where there voices can be synchronized by machines. There's also talking animals such as a small little frog, a turtle, and a parrot used as comic relief which nothing they had done is even remotely funny. The villain is of course villainous Rothbart who used to be an evil king of some sort who's spirit is present and is helped by a scrupulous mangy cat. The whole experience is amateurish in comparison to what people can watch in computer animation these days. I have say that the ending is the most ludicrous thing I had ever seen which regards a swan that sings even though she has no lips or that there's no musical instruments played on sight asking the question where is this music playing coming from.

But why ruin my favorite trilogy

[erminahotmail · 3/10 · 7 December 2023]

Then I tell you that the first three films the swan princess which I loved very much but after all these years until 2012 they decided to make another film but after seeing some films I had I had little expectations and I saw the film Oh my God how bad this movie is I swearthis film doesn't really save anything So let's start with the animation the animation is really bad if everyone always criticized the terrible animation of the very first Barbie films Well these were a thousand times better instead of this film then the plot is really non-sense then in this film returns rothbart to be brought back to life Where to get help from a cat and he wants to sabotage Christmas now Let's move on to the characters the characters must be the same in the three previous films but in this film they are just reduced very badly written badly but Thecharacter who really doesn't have a personality at all is the cat called number 9 But you can know why he's called that he doesn't really have anything in the film he just helps roadba to be aroused and then and after in the end he goes away then the final battle is really uglythat is, to fix the spirit of Rothbart Odette must sing But sorry but you're in a way We had to sing then why wasn't this thing used before This is really the right thing this film really ruined my favorite trilogy of all time for me but the problem is that if Notthis film was enough they also made other sequels so in the fifth they had to adopt a little girl in chapter 6 the little girl becomes the pirate princess and that's why I stopped and didn't see the others for example in the other chapter they talk about spies But what does it have to do with itthis in the Middle Ages for me the only films of the swan princess exist only the first three the others They really have to forget us to conclude vote 3-

From a swan to an ugly duckling

[TheLittleSongbird · 1/10 · 2 November 2013]

The Swan Princess was a childhood favourite, and from a personal perspective still very enjoyable now. The two sequels that followed weren't as good but had some nice things about them(Secret of the Castle may have had a bad villain and Mystery of the Enchanted Kingdom some animation goofs- plus in all three films Derek has never been the strongest of characters- but the songs were serviceable and at least made some effort to be true to the style of the music in the first film, had some fun dialogue and Uberta is hilarious). All three are still much better than The Swan Princess Christmas which was not only unnecessary but of poor quality judging it as a stand-alone.

For starters, the animation is pretty terrible and reminiscent of a bad computer game from 20 years ago, it is very flatly coloured and textured, with very awkward facial expressions and Jean Bob and Speed are very stiffly animated. Even worse were the songs, not only were they forgettable and irritating but they were ill-placed, made no effort to be true to the music style of the first Swan Princess and sounded like they were sung by people from high-school/Disney Channel(Autotune and all, and it didn't fit the characters at all), the manger scene could have been cute but was painful instead.

The incidental score fares s tad better but still lacked spark or sense of danger, and you miss the classical orchestrations of the previous outings. The chime bells playing Far Longer than Forever was the one time where the movie harkened back to the original film which was nice admittedly. The dialogue lacked anything that was genuinely funny and heartfelt, it all felt stilted with some witless humour(Uberta was a bland character this time round when she was one of the high points of both sequels, and strangely Rodgers worked marginally smoother with Bromley which is saying little) and heartfelt moments that verged on overwrought, I personally felt nothing about Derek dying and coming back to life again.

If the film had any signs of potential from the get go it was in the story, even if it was conceptually derivative except with Christmas thrown into the mix. Unfortunately the potential doesn't translate to screen very well at all. The story is very tired- very little sense of charm, enchantment and even heart-warming Christmas spirit- and doesn't make clear where abouts between the previous three films it's meant to be set, it did have potential but uses it poorly. The film is fairly short but feels longer than it is. The characters seem off, Number 9 is the best character here and is actually at times more devious than Rothbart. While Odette lacks charm(actually really with each sequel she got blander and lost her feistiness), Derek is as wet as a drip, Jean Bob, Speed and Puffin are not very funny, Uberta and Rodgers are blandly fleshed out and Rothbart doesn't exude any sense of threat at all and comes off like a childish clown. The voice acting is going through the motions quality, including Ben 10s' Yuri Lowenthal for Derek. The film really suffers without the presence of the late Michelle Nicastro as Odette and few of them sound like the original voice actors(Speed and Jean-Bob are the exceptions).

In conclusion, very poor and it is the only Swan Princess film that came off really badly. 1/10 Bethany Cox

fans from the original trilogy... DO NOT WATCH THIS!

[violetashes · 1/10 · 6 October 2013]

This film doesn't even deserve a rating...

I've been a fan of these films ever since I was a child and I could not believe this one even exists. I saw the title and was intrigued to see what it was like. Unfortunately almost immediately I knew even thinking about watching this was a big mistake... I must of watched the first 2 minutes and instantly switched it off. Bare in mind the first three films are all animated, this one for unknown reasons decided to be made into cheap CGI. You can say I didn't give it a good chance because i didn't watch it all the way through or at least half way, but after seeing how it was made I decided it was best to not put myself though any mental torture and hold onto my original memory for the first three films. Some titles just need to be left alone and this is certainly a good example for this.

Never Watch

[freudfreak · 1/10 · 12 May 2014]

As a child and now even as an adult I enjoy watching the original Swan Princess Trilogy. So when I heard about this I was excited, until I watched the trailer. Could barely make it through that. It went from beautiful animation to sucky CGI. It hardly even looks like the original characters. Don't waste your time thinking this is another beautiful Swan Princess movie because it isn't. I mean really, Lord Rothbart's ghost is coming back to haunt the castle. If I were you I would stick with the original three movies if you are wanted your Swan Princess fix. I sure once u watch the trailer you will agree with me as well. Please say if this was helpful to you or not.

This sucks big time

[sysclp · 1/10 · 24 December 2013]

The cgi animation is so pitiful it is painful to watch and Odette's eyes come off as really creepy. The songs are OK but don't mesh well with the medieval setting since they are more hip hop and R&B styled. It was barely tolerable as background noise but if I tried to watch it I quickly wanted to go do something else. I really can't find anything to recommend about it other than to skip it.

I watched it on The Movie Network in Canada for free which was the only reason I tortured myself with this dreck. For a 2012 movie, the animation was like a really bad video game from several years ago. I doubt even small children would enjoy this pitiful money grab.

Beyond awful.

[Animany94 · 1/10 · 31 July 2017]

This fourth installment in the Swan Princess franchise was released fourteen years after the third one. By that time, one might think we could at least get something decent with a little thought put into it. WRONG!

Richard Rich turned his not good but decent and perfectly serviceable franchise into simply an abomination to animation itself by transforming it into cheap and hideous 3D computer animation which makes especially Odette creepy to look at! How could the same director masacre his own passion project so brutally, because it's not just the animation style which is ugly and lazy?

Just to name a few of them story contradicts the earlier SP movies' continuity all too many times, the same one-note gags are repeated from the previous movies and new absolutely terrible non-sensical pop culture references have been added. The orchestral music score and the songs was the highlights of the first movie in particular, but is now replaced with heavily auto-tuned pop/R&B- tunes with the most obvious use of the same singer for several characters.

Finally I must add that the fact that it is a Christmas movie is also a disgrace to the spirit of Christmas, because the symbolism it shows is so shallow and consumerism oriented that I simply feel offended. Hallelujah! Insulting both the franchise and the Spirit of Christmas. THIS MOVIE IS A JOKE! DO NOT WATCH IF YOU VALUE YOUR MENTAL WELL-BEING!

Enjoyable family fantasy, maybe a little scary

[vchimpanzee · 13 December 2018]

Lord Rogers introduces this animated film by explaining the customs of his kingdom, and by telling us he has invented the light bulb. Curiously, if this is how behind the times they are, how can expressions like "got your back" be explained? Or light sabers from "Star Wars"?

Princess Odette just lost her father and she is spending Christmas in a different kingdom with Prince Derek. They travel with a puffin named Puffin, a turtle named Speed who has Eeyore's personality, and a frog with a German accent named Jean-Bob who wants to be kissed by a princess and turn into a prince. He also hates Christmas.

And he's not the only one. The ghost of Rothbart, who we can hear but not see, wants Number 9, a tuxedo cat who has lived 8 or his 9 lives. to do what is necessary to bring him back. Since Derek killed Rothbart, he must be the one to open a trunk that will restore certain abilities to Rothbart and allow him to eventually come back to life. Number 9 experiences a number of comic misadventures in the process of getting this done, and gives us a lot of attitude and sarcasm. Rothbart goes back on his word several times but eventually has to give in when Number 9 has the advantage.

Meanwhile, Chamberlain blows his bugle to announce the arrival of the young couple. He and Bridget like each other. Bridget's command of the English language is a combination of Cookie Monster and the stereotypical immigrant servants so often seen on TV and in the movies when such a thing was acceptable. She is simply adorable.

Queen Uberta welcomes Odette and immediately becomes very demanding, apologizing quickly each time she does. It is Ornament Day, when the official Christmas tree is decorated with ornaments made to represent good deeds, depicted as in a painting or photograph.

Derek goes out in the woods with Bromley and encounters danger from snow leopards and Number 9 (who isn't dangerous at all).

Uberta, Lord Rogers and Odette make preparations for Christmas. When Rothbart gets his powers, his true intention is revealed. He wants to destroy Christmas! The first step: change people's behavior.

So will Rothbart succeed? What will bring back the magic of Christmas if he does?

The name of this movie suggests an overly sweet holiday story. In fact, this is quite complicated with the constant threat of danger, when it isn't sweet. There is a Swan Princess but I can't explain that without spoilers. Mostly it is the theme for the celebration desired by Queen Uberta.

The animation is most quite good, and sometimes backgrounds are very realistic. Characters' personalities are captured very effectively. This is especially true of the beautiful and kind Odette. I did notice one problem. It was very obvious to me that the leopards were added to the background art later.

As with most holiday movies of this type, there is lots of comedy and silliness. But most of the characters are very well acted. Lord Rogers has a sophisticated British accent and an almost Shakespearean delivery right from the opening scenes. Some characters sound American. Rothbart's early scenes are on the chilling side. The animals would be the most appealing to the kids.

Is this appropriate for children? Well, how could it not be? But there was a TV-PG rating shown at the beginning (though the official listings said G). Perhaps some of the scenes involving Rothbart are a little scary for the younger ones. And some of his evil deeds are quite upsetting, but you just know things will turn out all right in this type of movie. But I don't see this as anything more than a charming family film.

Odette loves this time of year, and especially the great songs. Yes, it would have been nice to hear some good music. The background instrumentals are pleasant and include some familiar favorites. But when songs have words, even the traditional ones don't sound so traditional. No, I take that back. Those weren't so bad, though one example is "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" where one singer accuses another of being flat. How is that possible with auto-tune? Even worse, in a world without electric lights, how does one explain the unspeakable offense to the great hymns? Or even worse, new songs that may have been written for this movie which sound appalling? But just in case I am the only one evaluating the songs, this is what kids these days think music sounds like. I'm sure it's quite good, as is everything else about this movie. The singers are quite talented.

Another positive about this movie: I mentioned the great hymns. There is, in fact, a message of "Jesus is the reason for the season " (the theme of one of those new songs), something many Christmas movies like this don't have.

And Odette does a good deed for one particular family every year. It was one of the things she enjoyed about being with her family, and a tradition she wanted to continue. They don't know who is helping them, and it's really quite touching.

A classic? I'm not sure, but it's worth seeing.