The Trumpet of the Swan is a 2001 American animated drama film produced by Nest Family Entertainment and RichCrest Animation Studios, directed by Richard Rich and Terry L. Noss, starring Jason Alexander, Mary Steenburgen, Reese Witherspoon, Seth Green, Carol Burnett and Joe Mantegna, produced by TriStar Pictures, Nest Family Entertainment and RichCrest Animation Studios and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film had a limited release on May 11, 2001, before having a wide release on June 22, 2001. The film received negative reviews from critics and grossed $628,387.
Premise 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 Dee Bradley Baker as Louie Jason Alexander as Father Mary Steenburgen as Mother Reese Witherspoon as Serena Seth Green as Boyd Carol Burnett as Mrs. Hammerbotham Joe Mantegna as Monty Sam Gifaldi as Sam Beaver Melissa Disney as Billie Kath Soucie as Serena (cygnet) / Paramedic / Newscaster E. G. Daily as Ella Pamela Segall Adlon as A.G. Skinner Steve Vinovich as Maurice / Roger Gary Anthony Williams as Sweets Corey Burton as Senator Michael Winslow as Chief David Jeremiah as Squirrel / Hawk Julie Nathanson as Felicity Dana Daurey as Apathy Michael Kostroff as Waiter Lee Magnuson as Clerk Steve Franken as Bud Norman Parker as Policeman Jack Angel as Justice of the Geese
Release Originally intended for a direct-to-video release, Tri-Star Pictures announced in March 2001 that the film will receive a limited theatrical release so it can qualify for the newly introduced Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film was released on May 11, 2001 in 125 theaters.
Reception Critical response Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 27 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film half a star out of four, calling it "innocuous" and a "slow-going" effort. Jeremy Arnold of Variety called it a bland animated musical which offers little to charm audiences, being hampered by its lackluster execution. Stephen Holden of The New York Times noted the film's "conceptual confusion" and criticized the film's inability to cohere into a compelling dramatic whole despite it being a right-minded fable.
Box office The film grossed $102,202 on its opening weekend. By the end of its run, The Trumpet of the Swan grossed a mere $628,387.
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.
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