The Trumpet of the Swan (film)

The Trumpet of the Swan is a 2001 animated film produced by Amblin Entertainment, Nest Family Entertainment and RichCrest Animation Studios, directed by Richard Rich & Rob Minkoff and distributed by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment.

Plot
Based on E. B. White's popular children's book of the same name, it tells the story of a young trumpeter swan who is born with muteness and is vying for the attention of a beautiful pen. He overcomes this by learning to play the trumpet.

Cast

 * Ben Affleck as Louie
 * Jason Alexander as Father
 * Mary Steenburgen as Mother
 * Reese Witherspoon as Serena
 * Seth Green as Boyd
 * Susan Egan as Mrs. Hammerbotham
 * Michael Keaton as Monty
 * Haley Joel Osment as Sam Beaver
 * Melissa Disney as Billie
 * Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Serena (cygnet)
 * E.G. Daily as Ella
 * Pamela Segall Adlon as A.G. Skinner
 * Gary Oldman as Maurice
 * David Ogden Stiers as Ranger
 * Michael Clarke Duncan as Sweets
 * Corey Burton as Senator
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Chief
 * René Auberjonois as Squirrel
 * Mark Hamill as Hawk
 * Julie Nathanson as Felicity
 * Mary Kay Bergan as Apathy
 * Jim Cummings as Waiter
 * Carlos Alazraqui as Clerk
 * Wayne Knight as Bud
 * Jeff Glen Benentt as Policeman
 * Richard McGonagle as Justice of the Geese
 * Kath Soucie as Paramedic / Newscaster
 * Ryan O'Donahue as Young Louie

Critical reception
This film received mostly negative reviews from critics. Many stated the animation was poor, that the charm of the original book was lost, the characters were dull, the casting did not match, the songs were unmemorable and that the character design was awful. But the most common criticism of the film version was that it did not follow the original story well, which disappointed many fans of the book. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film scored a 15% 'Rotten' rating.

Box office
It failed to get an audience at the box office, for two reasons, a small limited release, and the release of Dreamworks Shrek the following week would cause the film to lose most of its potential audience. By the end of its run, the film grossed a mere $102,202.

Awards and nominations
In 2001, it was nominated by the Casting Society of America for best voice-casting in an animated film, but lost the award to Disney's The Emperor's New Groove. It is notable, however, that an independent animated film would be able to win such a nomination. It was the last film based on a book by E. B. White until 2006's Charlotte's Web.