History WesternAnimation / TheSwanPrincess

** The clothes: fashion styles range from the 1300's to the 1700's, to the 1980's.

* {{Disneyfication}}: The script changes to allow a happier ending are understandable, given that the original ballet had a DownerEnding.

** Taken UpToEleven in the second film, where Derek walks into a trap and has several crossbow bolts launched at him, but catches them all in one motion. All that "Practice, Practice, Practice" must've [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower paid off]].

The film [[BoxOfficeBomb wasn't a blockbuster]]. However, it did exceptionally well when it was released on home video, so much so that it spawned multiple sequels, all of which have been DirectToVideo. After a 14-year hiatus, a new series of sequels began production, this time being made in CGI instead of 2D animation:

* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Zigzagged. "Long before they met / Derek and Odette / Were destined to be wedded…" William and Euberta have the pair spend every summer together in the hope that [[ChildhoodFriendRomance they'll fall in love by the time they're old enough to marry]]. Initially, this backfires; Derek and Odette clearly don't get along and try their best to get out of seeing each other. However, meeting again as adults, they both realize that the other really is the person of their dreams. Then Odette calls off the marriage when Derek can only come up with beauty as a reason to love her. They finally marry at the end of the first movie, and the sequels show they are quite happy together, the occasional disagreement notwithstanding.

** Exploited in the second film; Odette, trapped inside the castle with Clavius seconds from bursting through the door, ''asks'' Bridget to transform her into a swan so she can escape through the window and summon Derek to help them. They just didn't quite think through how she was supposed to change back...

** We would like to know how Prince Derek has an air force. Then again, maybe we're better off [[MST3KMantra not thinking about it]].
** Not to mention Sir Rothbart in boxing clothes during his VillainSong "No More Mr. Nice Guy", and Sir Clavius playing a (magical, understandably) electric guitar and a keyboard.

* BerserkButton: You do ''not'' make Uberta's age sound like a joke at her expense, and you ''don't'' ruin her birthday. Clavius found that out the hard way.

* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Rothbart's alligators. On the other hand, one of the good guys is a {{turtle| power}}, one of the "cute" types of reptiles often exempted from the trope.

* BlondeBrunetteAndRedhead: The three lead characters in the first movie; Odette (blonde), Derek (brunet), and Rothbart (redhead).

* MoralDissonance: Invoked and defied. Rothbart tricks Derek into making his vow of everlasting love to the wrong woman, but as Derek later points out, he clearly made the vow to ''Odette'', regardless of who was standing in front of him at the time.
-->'''Derek:''' I made the vow for her. Do you hear? [[SkywardScream The vow I made was for her!]]

* PantyShot: The lavender-haired, princess octuplets are all revealed to wear white panties, when they're held upside down and there's a view of them from above at one point during the "Princess on Parade" song.

** Jean-Bob's delusional claims of being a prince are clearly a homage to The Frog Prince; assuming such a story exists in this universe, perhaps this is what led to him believing that this was the case.

* StateVisit: The first movie starts with a series of visits from King William to Queen Uberta to try to get their children to fall in love for a plotical marriage.

** Bromley fails spectacularly at helping Derek cheat at poker; and ''then'' Derek beats him at chess even as Bromley is actively cheating against him. [[RuleOfThree And then finally]], his spectacularly failed efforts at archery, where he tricks Rogers into thinking that he scored higher than Derek by shooting the guy in the rabbit suit, only for Derek to realize he ''scored higher anyway'' from having scored a legitimate shot on the rabbit.

* CaptureAndReplicate: Towards the end, [[spoiler: Rothbart has Odette locked up as a swan in a dungeon, and turns Brigit into a look-alike of Odette, sending her to trick Prince Derek]].

* BeautyIsBest: Princess Odette creates an awkward situation by asking Prince Derek what he likes about her besides her beauty. He asks, "What else is there?"

* BeleagueredAssistant: Sir Chamberlain in the first film, since Uberta is such a GenkiGirl with a MotorMouth.

* ConvectionSchmonvection: In the second film, the villain's lair is in a volcano, with a moat of boiling lava surrounding it. The only way to cross the moat is in a small wooden box pulled along by a rope and pulley system-all parts of which should easily have been incinerated within moments of exposure to the heat rising off the lava. Also, at the end there is a great deal of frothing, exploding lava being tossed about-sometimes within millimeters of the heroes, and filling up the space directly below them completely-and none of them get even slightly scorched.

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Jean-Bob's attempts to become a prince always fail; even when he gets it, he is quickly turned back.

* OncePerEpisode: Up until the fourth film, Odette is turned into a swan.

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** The alligators vaguely resemble the alligator from ''All Dogs Go to Heaven''.

* AnachronismStew: The films are supposed to take place during medieval times, possibly in England, but features many references and objects that wouldn't have existed until much later.

** Not to mention Sir Rothbart in boxing clothes during his VillainSong "No More Mr. Nice Guy", and Clavius playing a (magical, understandably) electric guitar and a keyboard.

* UsefulNotes/{{Britain}}: Though not explicitly said or explained, it is the possible setting mainly because some of the characters have British accents. Another clue is that have some characters have English sounding names, such as Chamberlain, Bromley, William, Wesley, Derek, and Rogers (except Odette, Jean Bob, Clavius, and Rothbart, which are French, German, and Latin respectively). Also noted that the clothing of the characters, peasants, knights, and nobles were based off of Medieval England and Renaissance Germany. During the sequence of “Princesses on Parade”, Rogers mention one of the towns in England called Colchester and mention Lincolnshire in the first sequel.

** Rogers, the court's head musician who also serves as Derek's advisor.

* FreudianExcuse: In the first sequel Uberta tries to get Clavius to talk about how he was raised and if his parents neglected him. Clavius just wants her to shut up.

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Bridget, Rothbart's hag sidekick]] at the end of the first movie. Apparently Sir Chamberlain had something to do with it.

** During Rothbart's VillainSong, he is shown doing one-handed pushups. Rothbart is voiced by Jack Palance, who a few years earlier won the Academy Award for Film/CitySlickers, and as a humorous TakeThat at those who would think he had only won as a consolation for losing his previous two nominations, demonstrated his fitness at the age of 73 by dropping to the floor to do a series of one-handed pushups.

* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: "Long before they met / Derek and Odette / Were destined to be wedded…" Eventually they agree that they are each other's OneTrueLove.

* EasilyForgiven: Odette initially calls off the marriage on account of Derek's incredible shallowness, but this issue is quickly tossed aside. His dedication to finding her after everyone believed her dead could have served to overcome this, but she's still singing about their "unshakable bond" without ever realizing he's even looking.

** King William banishing Rothbart instead of executing him, a decision that he would pay dearly for years later. The opening narration lampshades this, stating that many of William's subjects felt the punishment was too kind.

* WhatTheHellHero: Downplayed in the first film. After Odette calls off the wedding, Rogers gives Derek an earful on just how badly he screwed up.

* WhatTheHellHero: PlayedForLaughs in the first film. After Odette calls off the wedding, Rogers gives Derek an earful on just how badly he screwed up.

-->'''Lord Rogers:''' "What else is there?"? She says, "Is beauty all that matters?", and ''you'' say, ''"What else is there?"''!?\\
'''Derek:''' It was dumb, I know!\\
'''Lord Rogers:''' [[DeadpanSnarker You should write a book; “How to Offend Women in Five Syllables or Less”.]]