The movie Swan Princess is... nice. The prince and princess fall in love, the prince saves her and they live happily ever after. There's a whole deal with the villian kidnapping Odette and turning her into a swan so he can take over the kingdom, but that's already a well known tale. This wanna-be-Disney movie didn't have much to stand out from other movies at the time.
EXCEPT...
The song This Isn My Idea. This song has a lot of moving pieces and, more importantly, a lot of personality! The song is basically a montage of Derek and Odette growing up and eventually falling for each other. They initially can't stand each other and are at the whims of their parents (who are pushing marriage so their kingdoms can peacefully merge).
Here's a link to the song if you haven't heard it- it's a must watch!
The characters are so charming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8duS9eB2m5Y
These characters are interesting and dynamic- not to mention adorable. Derek and Odette have distinct personalities and their chemistry works so well with each other.
Their interactions are colorful and fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8duS9eB2m5YThey play, they fight and they play hilarious pranks on each other. Odette even accidentally breaks their tree house and lands them all in crutches. That'd be a much better scene than the bland interactions they have in later acts of the movie.
You could play with politics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8duS9eB2m5Y
Their parents want them to get married in order tp merge their kingdoms. This adds such a wonderful layer of tension to their relationships as entire economies and political spheres are dependent on them getting along. People don't give kids credit for being as smart as they are- 'let's give our kids some solid content!
The movie would explore child-parent relationships.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8duS9eB2m5Y
Parents encourage their kids to do things all the time. Ideally, the parents have their kid's best interests in mind- even if there's a disconnect. You could have some really tender moments in this hypothetical movie.
The animation is expressive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8duS9eB2m5Y
As the characters age, they lose their unique and emotive designs. The characters are so much more captivating in these animations- that'd make for a more interesting movie in my opinion!
Power dynamics in a monarchy could be presented.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8duS9eB2m5Y
The citizens of their kingdoms hope to see Odette and Derek marry. They want a break in the monotony of their hard lives and want the peace and prosperity marriage brings. This is good stuff, people! This could've taken time from that weird, psuedo-jazz number the villain sings.
Downside: This song reinforces gender stereotypes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8duS9eB2m5Y
To flesh out this movie, you'd have to erase some of the gender stereotypes enforced in this song. While Odette can keep up with the boys (as seen when she puts up her fists to Derek and sword fights) their are still some pretty rigid traits that only get worse when our lovely protagonists grow up.
It's just so fun!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8duS9eB2m5Y
The thematic elements are intruiging, the characters are charming, the plot is great... this should be it's own movie!! I won't even get after you for copyright if you make this- please do!!!!!!
