Passable animation for the younger members of the family, but the movie never finds its own voice.
Trumpet of the Swan (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:40
Fresh:5
Rotten:35
Average Rating:3.4/10
Consensus: An uninspired E.B. White adaptation that's targeted at the very young.
Theatrical Release:May 11, 2001 Limited
Synopsis: Young mute trumpeter swan Louie yearns to have a voice. He leaves his family's nest to learn to read and write in order to express himself. After befriending a young schoolboy named Sam, Louie... Young mute trumpeter swan Louie yearns to have a voice. He leaves his family's nest to learn to read and write in order to express himself. After befriending a young schoolboy named Sam, Louie learns to communicate and returns home with a chalkboard on which he writes messages for communication--but then decides that learning the trumpet would truly allow him to express himself. After Louie's father (voiced by SEINFELD's Jason Alexander) steals a trumpet for him, Louie must pay for it to restore his father's honor. He then sets out to become a world-class trumpeter, demonstrating the importance of expressing one's self. This delightful musical was based on the classic childrens' book by E.B. White (STUART LITTLE, CHARLOTTE'S WEB). [More]
Starring: Jason Alexander, Mary Steenburgen, Reese Witherspoon, Seth Green
Starring: Jason Alexander, Mary Steenburgen, Reese Witherspoon, Seth Green, Carol Burnett
Director: Richard Rich, Terry Noss
Director: Richard Rich, Terry Noss
Screenwriter: Judy Rothman Rofe
Story: E. B. White
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment
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Reviews for Trumpet of the Swan
There isn't much for children to see at the movies that doesn't fall into the usual dog-droppings-and-pratfall stuff of films like See Spot Run.
A shallow, tacky, finally soupy revision of a wry, noticing, resonant, elegant, deeply romantic story.
The movie leeches from the book most of what makes the story wonderful: The sly humour and the occasional dark edge that keeps the inherent sweetness on the safe side of sentimentality.
An innocuous family feature that's too little/too late in the fast-moving world of feature animation.
A bland, well-meaning mishmash that never coheres into a dramatic whole.
Trumpet of the Swan is not just lackluster. It’s also lackbeauty, lackhumor and lackquality.
The right messages about finding your own way and your real friends are gently offered, but The Trumpet of the Swan never really takes wing.
These people are responsible for lots of those bad, bland '80s Disney features like The Fox and the Hound. Now, their generic, cheap, animation style has murdered another beautiful E.B. White novel.
The only possible audience for this film are young children and their exceedingly bored parents.
Despite the strong cast of voices behind the drawings, the most important one -- that of White -- is ultimately missing.
The music, an eclectic blend of jazz and contemporary music, is one of the film's strongest calling cards.
The moral of this E. B. White classic is: Never give up trying to express your unique personality.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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