The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain
1997 film by Richard Rich
The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain, alternatively known as The Swan Princess and the Secret of the Castle in European territories, is a 1997 American animated musical fantasy comedy film and the first direct-to-video sequel to the 1994 animated film The Swan Princess. Directed by Richard Rich (who also directed the original), the film follows Derek and Odette's first anniversary of their wedding being disrupted by the actions of a wicked magician, Clavius, who wants to find a magical orb, the source of the Forbidden Arts, and take over the world. The film was released on July 18, 1997. Unlike the first film, Michelle Nicastro, who had recorded several albums prior to the release of the first film, was allowed to do her own singing.
Plot
Prince Derek and Princess Odette's anniversary is interrupted by vandalism from Knuckles, the minion of Clavius, an evil magician who was the partner-in-crime of Derek and Odette's enemy, Rothbart; they conquered the Forbidden Arts together until Rothbart betrayed Clavius and drove him underground. Now, he wants to claim the magical orb of the Forbidden Arts that is located somewhere in Swan Lake Castle, which has become Derek and Odette's new home. Clavius has Knuckles perform acts of vandalism in the kingdom that keep Derek very busy and make him neglect both his wife and mother.
On Queen Uberta's fiftieth birthday, she is abducted by Clavius, who wants to use her as leverage. When Uberta's first footman, Sir Chamberlain, sends Derek the letter, stating that Uberta has been captured, he sets out to rescue his mother. Meanwhile, Clavius sneaks into the castle, where he kidnaps Odette, locks her in a tower and then goes after the orb himself.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain” is 1997 film by Richard Rich. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Swan, Princess and Escape, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “1997 film by Richard Rich” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2633422. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1997 and 1994.
Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.