The Swan Princess III: The Mystery of the Enchanted Treasure (alternatively subtitled as The Swan Princess: The Mystery of the Enchanted Kingdom) is a direct-to-video film and the third installment in the The Swan Princess franchise. It was released in 1998, directed by Richard Rich, and features the voices of Michelle Nicastro and Brian Nissen as Odette and Derek.
This film follows Derek and Odette having to deal with Zelda, an evil sorceress who is seeking the Forbidden Arts and wishes to use it to destroy their happiness. Derek must defeat Zelda in order to rescue Odette and save the kingdom.
This sequel features the returning voices of Michelle Nicastro and Steve Vinovich from the first film, with all the other characters being re-cast. The film was followed by another direct-to-video sequel: The Swan Princess Christmas (2012).
Plot[edit]
A yakey-bird named Whizzer is relaxing at a paradise, until he is captured by the evil sorceress Zelda. Zelda was once a lover of Rothbart who helped him regain his power after he was banished by King William, until he betrayed her. Zelda tells Whizzer to find out if Rothbart's notes for the Forbidden Arts still exist, as he can imitate any voice, promising to set him free if he does.
Derek and Odette's kingdom is preparing a celebratory Festival Days, as all their enemies have seemingly been defeated. When Whizzer imitates Bromley and asks Lord Rogers about Rothbart's notes, Rogers thinks a rumor is going around about this and tells Derek, who reveals to Odette (and Whizzer) that shortly after Clavius's death, he and Rogers found Rothbart's chamber containing everything on the Forbidden Arts, and while destroying everything else, they kept the notes, intending to use them for good. Odette tells Derek to destroy the notes, saying nothing good can come from them. Puffin catches Whizzer spying and chases after him, but Whizzer escapes when Puffin crashes into a porcupine.
Whizzer informs Zelda that the notes are in the castle, but Zelda forces Whizzer to help her next scheme. As Queen Uberta enters the festival's talent show with Rogers as her partner doing the tango, Zelda disguises herself as a girl being attacked by a bat (played by Whizzer). Rogers "fights Whizzer off" and falls in love with Zelda, who pretends to be a slave that escaped from the ruthless king of the country of "Chuten-Chuten-Doodang". Rogers's love for Zelda annoys Uberta. When Rogers gives Zelda a tour of the castle, she discovers the room where Derek is keeping Rothbart's notes.
That night, Zelda steals the notes and returns to her lair, only to find that Derek has torn off the last word of the notes on the power to destroy. Zelda kidnaps Odette, along with Jean-Bob, with a seeker fireball while forcing Whizzer to give Derek a ransom note. Before Whizzer can return, he is chased and captured by Puffin.
Zelda uses the notes to obtain the powers to create and change. When Jean-Bob unties Odette and they attempt to escape, Zelda turns Odette into a swan and traps her and Jean-Bob inside a fiery green dome that destroys anything that makes contact with it.
Upon receiving Zelda's ransom note, Derek informs Rogers and Uberta of Zelda's trick and retrieves the missing piece of the notes. Zelda takes the piece from Derek, disguised as Odette, and returns to her base to test the power to destroy on Odette. Puffin and Speed convince Whizzer to help them, and he leads Derek to Zelda's lair to defeat her. As Zelda reads the last notes and receives the power to destroy, Derek releases Odette from Zelda's trap. Zelda tries to kill Derek before sending a killing seeker after Odette. Whizzer tells Derek to break Zelda's wand, which will make the seeker disappear. When Whizzer distracts Zelda by imitating Rothbart, Derek breaks Zelda's wand. Zelda falls onto her own trap and is destroyed.
Puffin returns and tells Derek that Odette was killed by Zelda's seeker. Derek is heartbroken over this, but when he burns Rothbart's notes, the fire takes the form of a swan, and Odette is revived.
The festival takes place next morning. Jean-Bob wins the obstacle course and becomes prince for a day. Uberta and Rogers win the talent show, and Odette tells Derek that there's no more magic in the Castle, to which Derek tells her "So long as you're here Odette, there'll always be magic."
Cast
- Michelle Nicastro as Odette
- Brian Nissen as Derek
- Donald Sage Mackay as Jean-Bob
- Doug Stone as Speed
- Steve Vinovich as Puffin
- Joseph Medrano as Lord Rogers
- Christy Landers as Queen Uberta
- Owen Miller as Bromley
- Paul Masonson as Whizzer
- Katja Zoch as Zelda
Songs[edit]
- "It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This" - performed by Michelle Nicastro, Brian Nissen, Christy Landers, Doug Stone, Steve Vinovich, Doald Sage MacKay, Joseph Medrano and Owen Miller
- "Because I Love Her" - performed by Brian Nissen, lyrics by Clive Romney and Sydney Clarke
- "She's Gone!" - performed by Joseph Medrano
- "Bad Days Ahead" - performed by Katja Zoch
- "The Right Side" - performed by Steve Vinovich, Doug Stone, Donald Sage MacKay and Paul Masonson
- "Because I Love Her" [End Credits] - performed by Connell Moss
Trivia
- This is the last film to use 2D traditional animation, the next film, The Swan Princess Christmas and onward, will use 3D digtital CGI animation.
- This film was originally the last film in the series to have been designated a G rating from the MPAA until the seventh film The Swan Princess: Royally Undercover.
- This is the last film in the franchise to be composed by Lex de Azevedo.