When I first saw Mark Swan's 'Princess and the Pea', I was expecting a short plot less fairytale. Instead, I was treated to a long animated film, with plenty of character development, and much more of a plot than the fairytale I remember. Many of the situations and characters are based on other animation. Homage is paid to Disney film like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and even Black Cauldron. It isn't limited to Disney; one scene is very much like Wonder Works Anastasia, and another like Rich's Swan Princess, with others like Thumbelina. But it all flows nicely. The whole plot has a quiet pace. A smart bird (like Zazu in Lion King?) plays a major part. Plenty of singing. After the first song it was quite good. The animation was quite nice; real feature animation and not TV animation. All in all, a very nice film. Too bad it can't get the exposure it would if it had a Disney label. It may be hard to find, but it's worth it. It makes me look forward to Swan's The Velveteen Rabbit.
Review of The Princess and the Pea
