A childhood fave
It started with us singing along to a song from Disney's Little Mermaid. It led to us looking for old-school Little Mermaid, circa 1975. Which in turn reminded me of...
I couldn't believe they had the entire Swan Lake on YouTube! I used to drive my family nuts by watching this over and over and over when I was in kindergarten (or first grade...I'm pretty sure it was before second grade because we still lived in Makati). I was so obsessed that I even drew a comic book version.
Watching it as a grownup, I could still feel the excitement I used to feel as I heard the first haunting strains of Tchaikovsky's classic. Images of Odette's big, melancholic eyes, and Odille's eerie pale skin and blue tresses all came flooding back. I remembered the heartbreak I felt for Odette as she was locked in Rothbart's castle, and Odille attempted to trick the prince into picking her as his bride.
There were a few differences in the viewing experience, however, not the least of which was that the prince looks so much younger! As a kid, I always thought he was so grown up--he was about to get married, after all. Another thing I noticed: The animation is very Voltron. (Man, I miss two-dimensional animated movies.) And lastly, there's something creepy about Prince Siegfried declaring that he had fallen in love with Odette even before he discovered she was more than just a swan. Animal love? Oh-kay, whatever floats your boat.
Despite all these, and despite the fact that the animation is a bit crude by today's standards, it still remains to be one of my all-time favorite animated films. The story is poignant (though the storytelling is simplistic), the characters memorable, the emotions raw and intense. It's the kind of fairy tale that really makes a little girl want to be a princess. And it's a precious connection to my childhood that has the ability to bring on a bittersweet wave of nostalgia. I used to watch this on Betamax! Kasi..."wala pa nung MYX, wala pa nung MTV, wala pa nung Internet, wala pa nung iPod at mp3..."
I couldn't believe they had the entire Swan Lake on YouTube! I used to drive my family nuts by watching this over and over and over when I was in kindergarten (or first grade...I'm pretty sure it was before second grade because we still lived in Makati). I was so obsessed that I even drew a comic book version.
Watching it as a grownup, I could still feel the excitement I used to feel as I heard the first haunting strains of Tchaikovsky's classic. Images of Odette's big, melancholic eyes, and Odille's eerie pale skin and blue tresses all came flooding back. I remembered the heartbreak I felt for Odette as she was locked in Rothbart's castle, and Odille attempted to trick the prince into picking her as his bride.
There were a few differences in the viewing experience, however, not the least of which was that the prince looks so much younger! As a kid, I always thought he was so grown up--he was about to get married, after all. Another thing I noticed: The animation is very Voltron. (Man, I miss two-dimensional animated movies.) And lastly, there's something creepy about Prince Siegfried declaring that he had fallen in love with Odette even before he discovered she was more than just a swan. Animal love? Oh-kay, whatever floats your boat.
Despite all these, and despite the fact that the animation is a bit crude by today's standards, it still remains to be one of my all-time favorite animated films. The story is poignant (though the storytelling is simplistic), the characters memorable, the emotions raw and intense. It's the kind of fairy tale that really makes a little girl want to be a princess. And it's a precious connection to my childhood that has the ability to bring on a bittersweet wave of nostalgia. I used to watch this on Betamax! Kasi..."wala pa nung MYX, wala pa nung MTV, wala pa nung Internet, wala pa nung iPod at mp3..."
posted by Tisha @ 12:54 AM
2 Comments:
At 9:39 PM ,
Leah said...
where is this comic book version?? :P
At 11:09 PM ,
Tisha said...
Probably under a pile of Choose Your Own Adventure stories I wrote before. In some landfill. Haha.
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