Plot: What’s it about?
A trio of young ones have been born to very pleased parents (voiced by Jason Alexander & Mary Steenburgen), but it is soon learned the youngest has a problem. Louie (Dee Bradley Baker) is unable to speak and of course, this means he won’t have an easy path at times. He manages to get along fine most of the time, but when he seeks to romance his true love Serena (Reese Witherspoon), he finds himself upstaged. As he can’t vocalize his emotions, he is left behind while his rival Boyd (Seth Green) tries to win Serena as his own. Of course, Louie is a terrific young swan, but he has issues with himself and unless he overcomes them soon, Boyd will end up with Serena and Louie will be sad forever. But he soon finds some new friends and with a little help, maybe he can figure out a way to win Serena over. Maybe Louie isn’t able to talk, but he is bound to have a unique talent and when he finds it, he will be able to make all of his dreams come true.
This animated feature was based on the book by E.B. White and has some name talent on the cast, but still made a small splash on the big screen. Tristar did little to promote The Trumpet of the Swan and that sunk this movie, without a doubt. I think had some effort been into the marketing here, this film would have found a solid audience base and pulled in some higher revenue numbers. I am by no means the intended audience for a film like this, so while I wasn’t too taken with, kids should be pleased and that’s what counts. The story is a good one and has a positive message, which is rare in even children’s movies these days. The animation is not up to the usual animated feature standards, but looks better than normal cartoons. Where this movie shines is the in cast, where a gifted gaggle of voice actors really bring this tale to life. You’ll hear Reese Witherspoon, Seth Green, Jason Alexander, Joe Mantegna, and even Little Richard, which ranks as a solid cast, if you ask me. The Trumpet of the Swan is an average animated feature on the whole, but the voice talents are great and make this well worth a rental. But Tristar has once again dropped the ball with this movie, as this disc offers little incentive to purchase, with a rather mediocre disc.
Video: How does it look?
The Trumpet of the Swan is presented in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. This is a very good visual effort, although the animation is a little plain, which lessens the visual punch. The colors look bold, but never become too vivid, though this is intentional. The style of animation looks as good as possible here, which is about all the can ask for, I think. The colors are as intended, the print looks very clean, and contrast is level handed at all times, not much else I can expect from this kind of material.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby Digital 5.1 track is more than adequate, but isn’t as active as I would have liked. The vocals sound crisp without fail, with no volume or clarity issues in the least. The surrounds are used to enhance the musical score and songs, but there isn’t much to discuss in that respect. I think a couple scenes sound a little flat, but the main points are covered and that’s enough, in this case. This disc also includes 2.0 surround tracks in English and French, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a “Can You Guess The Sound Game,” but no other bonus materials are to be found.
