The Trumpet of the Swan (film)

This article is about the animated film. For the children's novel, see The Trumpet of the Swan.

The Trumpet of the Swan
Directed by	Richard Rich Terry L. Noss
Screenplay by	Judy Rothman Rofé
Produced by	Paul J. Newman Lin Oliver
Starring	Jason Alexander Mary Steenburgen Reese Witherspoon Seth Green Carol Burnett Joe Mantegna Dee Bradley Baker
Edited by	Joe Campana
Music by	Marcus Miller
Production companies	Nest Family Entertainment RichCrest Animation Studios
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures
Release date	May 11, 2001 (2001-05-11)
Running time	75 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$102,202

The Trumpet of the Swan is a 2001 animated film produced by Nest Family Entertainment and 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.

Plot

Based on E. B. White'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.

Cast

• Jason Alexander as Father
• Mary Steenburgen as Mother
• Reese Witherspoon as Serena
• Seth Green as Boyd
• Carol Burnett as Mrs. Hammerbotham
• Joe Mantegna as Monty
• Sam Gifaldi as Sam Beaver
• Dee Baker as Louie
• Melissa Disney as Billie
• Kath Soucie as Serena (cygnet) / Paramedic / Newscaster
• E.G. Daily as Ella
• Pamela Segall Adlon as A.G. Skinner
• Steve Vinovich as Maurice / Roger
• Gary Anthony Williams as Sweets
• Corey Burton as Senator
• Michael Winslow as Chief
• David Jeremiah as Squirrel/Hawk
• Julie Nathanson as Felicity
• Dana Daurey as Apathy
• Michael Kostroff as Waiter
• Lee Magnuson as Clerk
• Steve Franken as Bud
• Norman Parker as Policeman
• Jack Angel as Justice of the Geese

Release

Critical reception

This film received mostly negative reviews from 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, which disappointed many fans of the book. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film scored a 15% 'Rotten' rating.

Box office

It failed to get an audience at the box office, for two reasons, a small limited release, 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.

Awards and nominations

In 2001, it was nominated by the Casting Society of America 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.

External links

• The Trumpet of the Swan at IMDb
• The Trumpet of the Swan at Box Office Mojo
• The Trumpet of the Swan at Rotten Tomatoes