The appeal and reviews of "The Swan Prince," a world-famous fairy tale: A fusion of moving story and beautiful images

"The Swan Prince": A story of love and courage

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

Fairy tales

■ Release date

March 19, 1977 - January 1, 0000

■Distribution company

Toei

■ Eirin Number

18792

■Frequencies

61 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen

■ Director

Nobutaka Nishizawa

■ Production

Toei Animation

■Works

©Toei Animation

■ Story

King Hildebrand married a witch named Greta, who, in a fit of jealousy, cast a curse on the six princes, the children of his first wife, turning them into swans. In order to break the curse, the youngest daughter, Eliza, takes on the challenge of knitting nettle undergarments for six years without speaking a word. Feeling sorry for her, the young King Friedrich decides to betroth her to Eliza. However, Greta gets in the way and Eliza is sentenced to be burned at the stake...

■Explanation

This animated feature film is based on an adaptation of Grimm's Fairy Tales and Andersen's Fairy Tales, and won the Artist Alliance Award in the Children's and Youth Films category at the Moscow International Film Festival. It is a love fantasy for families that adults can enjoy as well. It teaches children the importance of love through the protagonist's sacrifice of himself for his precious family and his efforts to overcome hardships.

■Cast

・Eliza / Eiko Masuyama ・Greta / Kaneko Iwasaki ・Tears / Kyoko Miyazaki ・Hildebrand / Yosuke Kondo ・The Witch / Tokuko Sugiyama ・King Friedrich / Taro Mochizuki ・The Six Princes / Kiyoshi Komiyama, Noriko Tsukase, Akira Kamiya, Toru Furuya

■ Main staff

・Original story: Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen・Producer: Tomonori Imada・Planning: Ken Ariga, Yoshifumi Hatano・Production: Tokushige Shirane・Screenplay: Takatomo・Direction: Nobutaka Nishizawa・Chief animation director: Takashi Abe・Art director: Hideo Chiba・Editor: Yasuo Iseki・Music: Akihiro Komori・Producer: Toei Animation・Theme song: "The Swan Prince"
Lyrics by Takatomo Composition by Akihiro Komori Vocals by Eiko Masuyama and The Chirps

"Namida and sleep"
Lyrics by Takatomo Composition by Akihiro Komori Vocals by Kumiko Osugi and The Chirps

■ Main Characters

Eliza: King Hildebrand's youngest daughter, a kind-hearted girl who puts all her effort into everything she does. She grows up being loved by her father and older brothers.

The six princes are the sons of King Hildebrand. Greta is jealous of the king's love for them, and curses them to turn into swans. They return to human form only at night.

King Hildebrand: King of Hildebrand and father of seven siblings. Even after the death of his ex-wife, he raised his children with great love.

Greta is a ruthless witch. She became King Hildebrand's queen in exchange for showing him the way when he got lost in the forest. She is jealous of the children of the king's first wife, who are close to the king, and uses various schemes to drive them away.

・Tear Fairy A fairy born from Eliza's tears. She provides emotional support to Eliza as she faces her challenges.

King Friedrich: The king of Friedrich. He loves Eliza dearly, but he suspects that she is a witch because she won't speak.

■Detailed evaluation

"The Swan Prince" is a theatrical animation produced by Toei Animation and released in 1977, based on a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. The film depicts themes of family love and self-sacrifice, and is loved by a wide range of people, from children to adults.

The story begins when Greta, the witch who is the second wife of King Hildebrand, turns the six princes into swans in a fit of jealousy. The youngest daughter, Eliza, takes on the harsh challenge of knitting nettle undergarments without speaking for six years in order to save her brothers. During this challenge, Eliza meets King Friedrich and falls in love with him, but is also in danger of being burned at the stake due to Greta's scheme. However, Eliza's pure heart and love ultimately save her brothers and expose Greta's evil deeds.

The charm of this work lies in the character of Eliza. Her selfless love and strong will deeply move the audience. Eliza's trials are depicted visually and beautifully, especially the scene where she knits a nettle undershirt, which symbolizes her suffering and determination. The character of the Fairy of Tears also plays an important role as Eliza's emotional support, adding depth to the story.

The animation is also of high quality, featuring beautiful backgrounds and character designs that make full use of the technology of the time. In particular, the scene in which the princes are turned into swans is impressive with its fantastical and beautiful visuals. The music, composed by Akihiro Komori, also enhances the emotional impact of the story. The theme songs "The Swan Prince" and "Namida da Nenne" express the theme of the work through lyrics and melodies, and will resonate with viewers.

The cast is also impressive, with Eiko Masuyama as Eliza and Kaneko Iwasaki as Greta, and the performances of the voice actors also add to the charm of the work. In particular, Eiko Masuyama's beautiful portrayal of Eliza's purity and strength resonates with viewers. The voice actors who play the six princes also deliver performances that make the most of the individuality of each character, adding depth to the story.

This work won the Artists Union Award at the Moscow International Film Festival in the Children's and Youth Film category, and has been highly praised for its artistry and message. As a family-friendly love fantasy, it teaches children the importance of love, while also moving adults to tears with its beauty and emotion.

■Recommendation details

"The Swan Prince" is a wonderful film that the whole family can enjoy, especially from an educational point of view, to teach children the importance of love and self-sacrifice, but also to adults who enjoy the beauty of the animation and the wonderful music.

When watching this film, keep the following points in mind:

• Eliza's pure heart and strong will
• A fantastic visual of the princes being transformed into swans
• Characters of the Tear Fairy and their roles
• Beautiful music and theme song by Akihiro Komori
• Voice acting by a stellar cast

Furthermore, to gain a deeper understanding of this work, it is recommended that you read the original novel by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. By exploring the differences and similarities between the original novel and the animation, you can gain a deeper understanding of the background and theme of the work. It would also be interesting to compare the two by watching other Toei Animation works or animations that deal with the same theme.

"The Swan Prince" is a world-famous fairy tale that has touched many people's hearts as a story of love and courage. Please experience this beautiful animation and moving story.