The Princess and the Goblin (film)

The Princess and the Goblin
Directed by József Gémes
Produced by Robin Lyons
Written by Original 1872 novel:
George MacDonald
Screenplay:
Robin Lyons
Starring
Music by István Lerch
Edited by Magda Hap
Distributed by United States
Hemdale Film Corporation
J&M Entertainment
United Kingdom:
Entertainment Film Distributors[1][2]
Hungary:
Budapest Film[2]
Release dates
 Hungary:
December 20, 1991 (1991-12-20)
United Kingdom:
December 18, 1992 (1992-12-18)
United States:
June 3, 1994 (1994-06-03)
Running time
 82 min.
Country United Kingdom
Hungary
Language English
Budget $10 million[3]
Box office $2,105,078

The Princess and the Goblin (Hungarian: A hercegnő és a kobold) is a 1991 Welsh-Hungarian animated fantasy film directed by József Gémes. It is an adaptation of 1872 novel of the same name by George MacDonald.

When a peaceful kingdom is menaced by an army of monstrous goblins, a brave and beautiful princess joins forces with a resourceful peasant boy to rescue the noble king and all his people. The lucky pair must battle the evil power of the wicked goblin prince armed only with the gift of song, the miracle of love, and a magical shimmering thread.

Plot

In a mountainous kingdom, the widowed King leaves to attend affairs of state, leaving his beloved daughter, Princess Irene, alone with her nursemaid, Lootie. When Irene is on an outing with Lootie, she runs away on purpose, and Lootie cannot find her. When sun sets, Irene is lost in a sinister forest, and is attacked when a clawed hands bursts through the earth and attempts to seize her kitten, Turnip. Several deformed animals corner the frightened Princess, until a strange singing sounds through the trees, driving them into a fit, and they flee. The singing is revealed to be a young boy, Curdie, the son of a miner. He discovers Irene is lost, and leads her back to the castle. He informs her that the monsters were goblins and their "pets", and that they are driven away by singing. Curdie says that everyone except the King and his family know of the goblins, and Irene reveals she is a Princess.

The next day, Irene goes exploring in the castle after discovering a magical secret door in her bedroom. She ventures into a tower and meets the spirit of her Great Great Grandmother, also called Irene. She informs her that she will be there to help her, for Irene will soon be in grave danger. The same day, Curdie and his father are underground in the mines, and Curdie falls through a pothole and into the realm of the goblins. Hidden, he follows the goblins to a vast cavern where the sniveling Goblin King and the malevolent Goblin Queen are holding an audience, announcing their scheme to flood the mines and drown the "Sun People"... humans. Suddenly, Prince Froglip, the feared yet spoiled and infantile, heir to the goblin throne, announces drowning them is "Not enough!" and states he shall abduct the Princess of the Sun People and marry her, thereby forcing the humans to accept the goblins as their rulers. He claims that this is revenge for the humans exiling the goblins underground centuries beforehand. Before Curdie can run and tell the others, the goblins find him and put him away in a dungeon, but Irene manages to find him with the help of magic string her great great grandmother Irene gave to her. The goblins finally manage to flood the mines and attack the castle, but with the help of Curdie and Irene, the people fight the goblins off and save the kingdom.

Cast

Production

The Princess and the Goblin was the first animated feature from Wales, and the 25th full-length cartoon from Hungary.[4] The film was produced by the Welsh television station S4C, and the Cardiff-based Siriol studio,[5] along with Hungary's Pannonia and Japan's NHK. Costing $10 million,[3] the film teamed producer/screenwriter Robin Lyons with director József Gémes (from 1982's Heroic Times).[3] Most of the principal animation was produced at the Siriol facilities.[6]

Release and reception

Originally released in 1992 and 1993 across Europe, The Princess and the Goblin was picked up for North American release by Hemdale Releasing for a summer release in 1994. The film was a critical and commercial disappointment there, only grossing US$2.1 million from 795 venues, being overshadowed by the release of The Lion King.[7] Ironically, this film's star Rik Mayall had been asked by Tim Rice to audition for The Lion King for the roles of Banzai, Zazu and Timon.

The staff of Halliwell's Film Guide deemed it an "Uninteresting animated feature, with a dull fairy-tale plot dully executed."[1] The New York Times wrote "If 'The Princess and the Goblin' is mildly diverting children's fare, its characters are not sharply focused visually or verbally. In a cinema that teems with terrifying monsters, the goblins appear to be ineffectual and unmenacing even when they are on the warpath."[8]

In a desperate attempt to counter its bad reviews, Hemdale asked several movie critics to view the film with their children, and asked those children for their comments on the film; these were subsequently included in its newspaper promotion. Mentioned in the advertisements were Michael Medved's daughter, Sarah, and Bob Campbell's four-year-old daughter ("It gets 91 stars!"). The idea came from Hemdale executives who thought animated films from the Disney company were preferred over those from other studios.[3]

The Princess and the Goblin received a Seal of Approval from the Dove Foundation, and the Film Advisory Board's Award of Excellence. Moreover, it won the Best Children's Film Award at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.[3]

Hemdale Home Video premiered the movie on VHS some time after its theatrical outing. It was released on DVD in August 15, 2005 by Allumination FilmWorks.

The VHS version features information on a child support hotline in which lonely children could call a number displayed on the screen to speak to one of the characters.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Gritten, David, ed. (2007). "The Princess and the Goblin". Halliwell's Film Guide 2008. Hammersmith, London: HarperCollins Publishers. p. 946. ISBN 0-00-726080-6.
  2. 1 2 "Credits list for The Princess and the Goblin". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Beck, Jerry (2005). "The Princess and the Goblin". The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago Reader Press. pp. 213–214. ISBN 1-55652-591-5.
  4. ↑ Lendvai, Erzsi. "A magyar animációs film" (in Hungarian). Filmkultura. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  5. ↑ "The Princess and the Goblin". Toonhound. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  6. ↑ "Review of The Princess and the Goblin". TV Guide. Lions Gate Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  7. ↑ "Box office information for The Princess and the Goblin". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  8. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9d0defd81e3bf930a35755c0a962958260
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