Nightingale is a 2011 Walt Disney 2D Animated American Fantasy Children's film written by Mike Rich and directed by Randall Wallace featuring the voice talents of Brad Pitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Uma Thurman, Laramie Eppler, Zachary Quinto, Vanessa Hudgens, Kerry Washington, Lynn Collins, Devin Ratray, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones.
The film is distributed by both Walt Disney Feature Animation and RKO Pictures.
The film features the old title openings used in Walt Disney Pictures earlier Princess films such as it's first feature Snow White & The Seven Dwarves, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.
The film mentions an RKO Radio Pictures production which was the company's original title until 1971.
The film opens with the classic fairytale opening despite the movie not being based off any fairytale nor actual story but being a completely original story created by writer Mike Rich inspired by the original Disney Princesses of the late 30's to late 50's.
The film was released theatrically on May 12th, 2011 and was met with positive reviews by critics and audiences who praised it for it's old style and nostalgic commemoration of the long dead original Disney style as well as the singing, story, entertaining villain, headstrong princess, prince and loveable sidekicks.
The film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc on October 28th, 2011.
The film is set in Finland despite all the characters speaking American.
Plot[]
The Kingdom Of Grace, Finland put on a large musical head by their beautiful eldest daughter who possesses an incredible voice.
The Princess Diana (Sarah Michelle Gellar) entertains the kingdom and her father King Reginald (Tommy Lee Jones) and mother Queen Eliza (Sally Field).
King Reginald then announces to her that her and her beautiful voice shall soon belong to the Prince they have chosen for her.
She becomes surprised and angry at this stating that should the day come when she wants to seek out love it should be someone of her choosing not his.
He claims however that he can't take the risk of her marrying some commoner and that the Prince they have selected is not only the most sought after Prince in entire Finland but a beautiful singer himself and they will unite both the Kingdoms Of Grace and the Kingdom Of Delicatssen.
Diana tells him she is not going to take any proposal unless she wants it and barricades herself in her room despite her father yelling at her to come out and tell the people who have gathered here tonight she will marry the Prince of Delicatssen.
She refuses however and converses with her personal maid Evelyn (Jaime Murray).
She then that night at dinner flees from the castle and whilest fleeing along the streets avoiding her father's guards who are dispatched to find her comes across an injured woman whom beckons her to help her back to her house.
She escorts the injured woman to a seemingly abandoned theatre which she states is her home and tells her to take her inside so she may fashion her some tea for rescuing her.
She asks about the theatre and wether she is homeless stating that if that be the case she can set home back at the Palace.
Princess Diana however pauses in saying this remembering running away and having to marry a neighbouring kingdom's prince.
She then instead asks the woman about the theatre.
The woman tells her name to be Madame Maseille (Uma Thurman) and that the Theatre Gran De Meuir was once owned and operated her containing the most famous singers of the area.
She tells that it was closed by the awful King Reginald.
She then begins to tell Princess Diana that she was at her horrible father's concert tonight and witnessed her beautiful voice be sung.
Princess Diana thanks her for the compliment and tells that she has always been able to sing and finds it's helps her get along with animals, even horrible ones like her father.
Maseille laughs at this and ushers her into drinking all of her provided tea.
Upon seeing she has drunk it all reveals that she had shown up at the concert tonight to initially kill her father for shutting down her Theatre and freeing all the entrapped performers she had working for her, her wayward souls.
She tells the ones she could latch onto were unable to perform once the theatre closed and she then tells however instead of murdering her father she struck gold upon hearing her beautiful voice light up the room and developed the new plan of luring her here and making her new star attraction.
Princess Diana hears this and attempts to get up and flee but begins to collapse and go dizzy.
Maseille tells that the tea she just consumed contains a very powerful elixir she developed which slows the senses and subdues the drinker and that her tea happened to be the one to not contain the elixir.
She then by magic pulls Diana to her feet and with a magical sceptre sucks away soul and chains it.
She then releases her wild dogs to escort Diana to her new palace sleeping chambers.
Maseille then by magic repairs the theatre and lights it up.
She sets out posters to the people on the street telling of her new star attraction the beautiful Nightingale who has the voice of a million sirens all in one beautiful body accompanied by the wonderful talking, singing back up Little Boy Humble and talking instruments.
What follows is Diana under the beautiful guise of another long dead maiden sing and bring in many patrons to the re-opened Theatre and the King and Queen parents of Diana attempt to shut down the Theatre but learning they cannot.
The Prince Harrison (Brad Pitt) then begins to investigate the theatre believing his missing bestfriend servants have been abducted by the evil Maseille and they be the singing instruments.
The Instruments attempt to help Princess Diana escape as does the entrapped Little Boy Humble who is indeed the Prince Harrison's Squire turned a little boy.
Them all being entrapped for possessing incredible voices.
Eventually the Prince comes to discover Maiselle has indeed turned his servants into her star attractions and that the lead is the Princess Diana of whom he was assigned to marry.
In the end he eventually comes to slay the evil Maiselle and have her wild dogs turnt back into the people who foreclosed her theatre, the instruments and Little Boy Humble turnt back into his bestfriend servants and Princess regain her soul and original form.
The two are wed and the film ends following the wedding with They Lived Happily Ever After on the storybook.
Cast[]
- Brad Pitt as Prince Harrison
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Princess Diana/ Nightingale
- Uma Thurman as Madame Maiselle
- Laramie Eppler as Little Boy Humble/ Young Squire Meko
- Zachary Quinto as Bono The Trumpet/ Darwin The Advisor
- Vanessa Hudgens as Heart The Harp/ Constance The Royal Court Singer
- Kerry Washington as Rettina The Flute/ Rhonda The Maid
- Lynn Collins as Princess Estelle
- Devin Ratray as Bomba The Drums/ Bombardo The Butler
- Sally Field as Queen Eliza
- Tommy Lee Jones as King Reginald
Soundtrack[]
- Dreams Can Grow- Sarah Michelle Gellar
- I'm Escaping- Sarah Michelle Gellar & Lynn Collins
- The Sweet Sounding Nightingale- Uma Thurman
- We Were Human Once- Laramie Eppler, Zachary Quinto, Vanessa Hudgens, Kerry Washington and Devin Ratray
- I Sing For You- Sarah Michelle Gellar
- Smelling Something Off, Something Very Mysterious, By God It Finally Makes Sense- Brad Pitt
- The Crossing Ballad- Sarah Michelle Gellar & Brad Pitt
- No It Cannot Be, Love For We But Me- Uma Thurman
- Troubles Abrewin- Laramie Eppler, Zachary Quinto, Vanessa Hudgens, Kerry Washington & Devin Ratray
- The Delicate Swan- Sarah Michelle Gellar
- The Beast- Uma Thurman
- Dreams Can Grow (Reprise)- Sarah Michelle Gellar & Brad Pitt