Trama

In Medieval Europe, a king named William rules a large and mighty kingdom. But he is sad until his daughter is born. He names her Odette. At the ceremony for his daughter, everyone was invited to the christening, including the queen of another kingdom, Queen Uberta, and her young son, Prince Derek. William and Uberta agree to unite their kingdoms through their children with the plan that they would spend every summer together with the hope of them falling in love and marrying. Unknown to both, is a big threat to their kingdoms. Sir Rothbart, an evil court warlock, looks on and is unconcerned about the birth of the new princess. He plans to overtake William's kingdom by means of the Forbidden Arts. But before he can have the chance to strike, William's guards attack and Rothbart's powers are plunged into darkness. Despite the calls for Rothbart's death, the king decides to banish him. Before he leaves, an enraged Rothbart swears he will return one day with his powers and take everything the king loves.

Many fear that William is too kind. But over time, the threat is forgotten. The hopes turn instead to the following summer when Prince Derek and Princess Odette would meet. King William brings Odette to Queen Uberta's castle where she spends the summer with Derek. The two children, knowing they are meant to one day wed, instantly harbor a dislike for each other. Each summer, they resent their time together with Derek and his chap Bromley opting to prank Odette. When they both finally grow up to be young adults and meet again, Derek is struck by the discovery that Odette has grown from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan. Odette also realizes she is now charmed by the prince, and they are smitten with each other. Following a kiss at the ball that night, Derek announces for them to arrange the marriage with cheers from his mother, but Odette asks him to wait. When Derek tells her she is all he ever wanted because she is beautiful, she asks him "what else?" and wants to know if beauty is all that matters to him. Confused, Derek asks her, "What else is there?" Saddened by his response, Odette rejects the marriage and departs with her disappointed father. Derek watches Odette, William, and their carriage leave, and Uberta exclaims about all the wasted years of planning. That night, her head butler, Lord Rogers, advises Derek that he must think of something other than Odette's beauty while Bromley is playing a little game of chess.

On the road back to their kingdom, they're ambushed by Rothbart, who has gotten his powers back. Turning himself into the Great Animal, he attacks the king's fleet and kidnaps Odette. The wounded captain makes his way to Derek's castle, informing the prince, his friend, and the head butler of the attack. Upon learning from William's captain of the attack by the Great Animal, Derek races off to find the overturned carriage and mortally wounded king. With his last breaths, William tells Derek that Odette is gone after a great animal attacked them -- that it's "not what it seems." Once William dies, Derek cries out for the loss of Odette, not knowing if she's alive or dead.

Following William's own assassination, Odette is shown to be a swan at the lake by the abandoned castle that is revealed to be Rothbart's new hideaway. He informs her that when the moonlight touches the lake each night, she will turn back into a princess. He also reveals that he still wishes to rule over William's kingdom, but he wants to do it legally as her husband, so he doesn't have to fight to keep the kingdom. Odette refuses him and tries to escape, but the court warlock further reveals that no matter where she is, she will turn back into a swan once the moon leaves the lake, leaving her to sob.

After searching everywhere with no sign of Odette, Derek's kingdom believes she has perished, but Derek is determined to believe that the "Great Animal" has her and won't give her up without a fight. The next day, he practices daily to make sure he is ready for the battle. Lord Rogers helps Derek and Bromley practice by pulling together the musicians and has them dress up as forest animals, telling them that the servants have a day off. Derek and Bromley are armed with arrows that have harmless, painted balls of cloth instead of tips on them. They use the fake animals for target practice, keeping score of whose color is painted the most on each animal. Derek wins with a hidden spot on the elusive "white rabbit". Rogers then challenges Derek and Bromley to a quick round of "Catch and Fire" to prove that Bromley is as courageous as he claims. Dressed in a suit of armor with an apple tied on top of his helmet, Bromley shoots a single arrow at Derek who stands at a distance away with his back turned. Timing it perfectly, Derek whips around, snatches the arrow from the air and perfectly shots the apple in half, demonstrating his perfect ability as an archer. As Rogers tells Bromley about what it's like to have courage, Derek vows to find Odette no matter where she is.

Back at Swan Lake, Odette has made friends with a French frog named Jean-Bob and a tortoise named Speed. Jean-Bob believes he is a prince and that a kiss from a princess will turn him back into his human, prince form. He thinks he needs to cross an alligator-filled moat to retrieve flowers for Odette, and the brave feat will make her want to kiss him. He fails to do so after almost getting eaten, and Odette tells him he deserves a kiss for trying. He agrees, but she explains that because of her spell, she can only kiss the man she loves. The man must then declare a vow of everlasting love to the world and her spell will be broken. She believes Derek is out there working on finding his way to her. Suddenly, an injured Irish puffin bird flies through the trees and collapses. Odette pulls the arrow from his wing and the bird wakes up, believing Odette to be the one who harmed him until he realizes she saved him. He feels indebted to her, introducing himself as Lieutenant Puffin. Odette explains there isn't much he can do because she is under a spell. Just then, Rothbart appears, asking for her hand in marriage again. Odette turns him down, exclaiming that he asks her the same question every night and she gives him the same answer -- "I'll die first." The moon sets, however, and Odette turns back into a swan.

Back at the kingdom, Uberta is planning a ball for the following night where princesses from across the mainlands will meet the eligible prince, hoping one of them will sway Derek away from his quest to find Odette, despite Rogers doubting that Derek won't stop unless he finds Odette. Meanwhile, Derek continues to research through books at the library, looking for answers to King William's warning about the Great Animal not being what it seems. He finds a book that helps him deduce that the Great Animal is very likely to be a shapeshifter. He recruits Bromley to join him on a hunt in the woods after promising his mother he would be back in time for her ball, while she orders her first footman, Sir Chamberlain, to help make make the arrangements for the ball and required four royal escorts to escort the Ladies and Lords.

Back at Swan Lake, Odette tells Puffin about her spell, and she and Puffin decide to retrieve the map from Rothbart's castle in order to find Derek and bring him back to the lake. After some trouble getting the map from Rothbart's hag sidekick, Bridget, Odette and Puffin are able to set out to Derek's castle. Along the way, they happen upon Derek and Bromley venturing through the woods. When Derek spots the swan, he believes it may be the Great Animal and attempts to shoot her with an arrow. Puffin pushes her away in time and they fly towards Swan Lake with Derek in pursuit. Odette is able to land on the lake and she transforms back into herself as Derek watches. Surprised but relieved to see her, he runs out to greet her in a loving reunion. Odette tells him about Rothbart and her spell, and Derek invites her to the ball the following night so he can declare his vow of everlasting love to the crowd and break her spell. At this moment, Rothbart starts calling out for Odette, who forces Derek to depart before he discovers them. Unknown to Odette, Rothbart heard their entire exchange and tells her she won't make it to the ball because there will be "no moon" that night, to her dismay and sorrow.

Fearful that despite her not being there, Derek will still make his vow, Rothbart turns Bridget into Odette and sends her to the ball, plotting that Derek will make his vow to the wrong woman and the real Odette will die as a result. On the night of the ball, he imprisons Odette (who is now in her swan form) in the castle dungeon, along with Bromley, whom he found lost in the woods. Bridget (as Odette) arrives at the ball late and Derek immediately dances with her, happy to see Odette, but unaware it's not her.

At Swan Lake, Puffin, Speed and Jean-Bob successfully free Odette from the dungeon, and Odette flies off towards Derek's castle. Through the window, she is shocked to see her doppelganger and desperately tries to break inside, but it's too late. Derek makes his vow to the wrong Odette, and the real one immediately feels the consequences. Rothbart breaks into the castle, crashing Uberta's party. He confronts Derek and reveals that he made his vow to the wrong woman, which is revealed to be Bridget. Derek spots Odette through the window as she weakly flies away. Realizing his mistake, he pursues Odette back to Swan Lake where he finds her transformed as a human again on the ground. Held by Derek, Odette tells him she is weak but knows the vow he made was meant for her. She confesses her love to him before losing consciousness. A furious Derek confronts Rothbart, demanding he shouldn't let her die. Rothbart challenges him to defeat him first, transforming and revealing himself into the Great Animal once more and the perilous battle ensues when Rothbart overpowers Derek and threw him on the ground, nearly killing him. Fortunately, Odette's animal friends are able to retrieve his bow from the lake and get it to him just in time. Bromley, who escaped from his earlier imprisonment in the dungeon, shoots a single arrow to Derek, who catches it in the air and fires it into the Great Animal's chest, sending him crashing to the lake in flash of magic lights. Once Rothbart is killed, Derek returns to Odette's side. Heartbroken, he declares his love to Odette, who wakes up. Happily, they embrace.

Derek and Odette get married and unite their kingdoms with the young couple having restored Rothbart's castle and taken residence there. Bridget also redeems herself and falls in love with Sir Chamberlain. At the celebratory ball that night, Odette finally kisses Jean-Bob, and he believes he has turned into a prince when he sees a prince in the fountain water's reflection (when it's actually a real prince hovering over him). Derek pulls his bride onto a bridge overlooking Swan Lake. Odette asks him if he will love her until the day she dies, and Derek responds that he'll love her for much longer. They kiss.