The Swan Princess (1994)

One of my all-time loved films from my childhood! I remember when the movie premiered on television and it was hosted by Pillsbury and so before the film there was this cute commercial with the Pillsbury doughboy. My family recorded the movie and the commercial with it and so I always associated Pillsbury with the Swan Princess for years.

Loosely inspired by Tchaikovsky's ballet, Swan Lake, which premiered in 1875, the ballet was possibly inspired by old Germanic and Slavic folk and fairy tales. By nature, it's a rather depressing story (everybody dies), however, over the years the ballet has adapted a more hopeful ending to the storyline. I actually got to see Swan Lake on stage performed by a Ukrainian dance company, and it was breathtaking.

 From the time they were children, Princess Odette and Prince Derek have been in an arranged marriage. Their childhood and teenage years were filled with fighting, pranks, arguing with their parents and adamantly refusing to see any good in each other. However, as they reach adulthood love finally begins to blossom but a blunder from Derek ends it immediately.

When Odette is kidnapped by her father's old enemy, Rothbart, she is cursed to live as a swan in daylight and then is transformed into a human at night. With her few friends at the lake, Odette hopes and perseveres that Derek will find her and break Rothbart's spell. And that is exactly what Derek throws himself into doing, however, Rothbart's scheme is more powerful than either of them could imagine.

• The memories that are wrapped up in this film are wonderful

• Storyline set aside the music was phenomenal! This is My Idea, Far Longer Than Forever and Practice have always been favorites.

• Derek you really were an idiot for this:

• Rogers is an absolute icon throughout the whole film

• I always wondered who was caring for Odette's kingdom while she was imprisoned and her father had been killed.

• Speed the turtle, Jean-Bob the frog and Puffin were the ultimate ride or die companions.

• They could have sold Rothbart as a solid villain if it wasn't for his hideous number, No More Mr. Nice Guy. Even as a kid I thought the song was cringy and didn't exactly inspire or incite fear in the same way that Be Prepared and In the Dark of the Night succeeded in doing.

• However, Rothbart's great beast was truly terrifying. So, they may have redeemed themselves.

• Flaws set aside this is still one of the best and underrated fantasy animation films of my generation