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The Swan Princess - A Character Analysis

It's pretty safe to say that 'The Swan Princess' is one of those movies that at first glance screams, "Disney! Disney!" This movie, while incorporating the feel-good charm and music of earlier Disney classics, bears almost no connection to the Mickey Mouse Monopoly.
         It's based on Tchaikovsky ballet, 'Swan Lake'. Odette and Derek grow up together, facing an arranged marriage, and are less than comrades in spite of spending every summer together. When finally, as young adults, they decide to love each other, Odette is snatched away by an evil sorcerer, bent on marrying her and claiming her kingdom. To add a little 'fine print' to the plot, we are given an "Oh yeah, and by day, Odette turns into a swan, (a pretty one, at least), and can only be human when the mooonlight touches the lake - and her on the lake. Aw, gee..."
True to classic House of Mouse form - oops, not Disney - the characters all have amusing quirks, enough to the carry the story apparently.
        First, of course, we have the lovely Princess Odette, (because when have pricness ever not been lovely?). With measurements Barbie would sell little sister Kelly for, Odette also appears to have brains. When she suspects Derek loves her for her beauty, she demands to know "what else" he likes. Sweet, kind, she also proves to go against the grain of weakling princesses, (Snow White, for example). When Derek hits her with a tomato, she hits him right back. Although she apparently had no remorse for the death of her father, her soft hearted reactions to Puffin, and Speed, as well as her begrudging acceptance of Jean-Bob's delusions, leave her as a heroine to be remembered, whether she's standing down Rothbart, or being held in Derek's arms.
Prince Derek is very real. He doesn't notice Odette's blatant change of attire, uses a poor choice of words in an attempt at winning her heart, tries to shoot down harmless swans, and can even beat Bromley in a very messed up game ot chess. If this isn't a true example of the male population - what is? He does have finer points, however. He unrelentlessly struggles to save Odette, even if he does foolishly condemn her.
               Jean-Bob, Swan Lake's resident delusional frog, is just that: a delusional frog. Bent with the idea that he is a prince, his firm resolve in this makes you wonder if he should see someone about schizophrenia. He'll reject the most daring of plans until the last minute, when he'll become the most adventurous of sidekicks, waiting for his reward in the form of a "kiss to break ze spell".
Speed - or 'Lorenzo Trudge-Along' - is the level headed balance to Jean-Bob. He's wiser than he may seem, with a very wry sense of humor. The only question about him is how he ever got saddled with Jean-Bob in the first place. Definitely Swan Lake's intellectual.
                The last of the Swan Lake Triumvirate is Puffin, the puffin. An arrow in his wing brings him down to Odette's benevolent nursing, and his wacky off-army ways allow him to fit right in with Jean-Bob and Speed.
The villain of the piece, is of course, Rothbart, an evil sorcerer. His plans seem a little 'half-baked' unfortunately. And to think it took the greater part of eighteen years to develop them. Tsk - we expected something better. Something flashy. Something... that worked.
The two biggest enigmas of the castle are Rogers, and Bromley. Rogers - well, he does everything. Everything the Chamberlain doesn't, at least. He conducts the orchestra, chaperones Derek and Bromley, insults people with a wit sharper than Speed's, and acts as a consort for Queen Uberta. (They are definitely hiding something.) He certainly does hang out with her alot. What is he? Well, I don't really know. If you find out, share the wealth. Also in a pointless, unreasonable position, is Bromley. He's Derek's best friend, and he looks a lot like Friar Tuck. He's got no backbone, no courage, and an ego to rival Rothbart's. How did this weirdo become Prince Derek's best friend? We may never know. But if Derek had a life, I'm sure Bromley would be off pursuing a career as a friendly - but spineless - monk.
                 Queen Uberta is Derek's shameless mother. Her pouting could send any self-respecting toddler into a crying fit, and her pushiness is frightening. Her hair seems to reflect her personality: BIG, and flamboyant. Her opposite is King William, Odette's father. He's quiet, but seems knowledgable. Sort of like a grandfather. A grandfather cowed by a pushy wife. Uberta fits this position well.
Finally, we have the Chamberlain. He does it all. Bugling, invitation-ing. Everything Rogers doesn't do. His defining moment is most definitely, "Princesses on Parade".
              The plot may seem to sag with holes every few feet, but the combined energy and vivaciousness of everyone from the Chamberlain, to Odette, to Puffin gives the movie an extra bit of shine that carries it a long way. (Even without its' being Disney!)

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