It’s widely acknowledged that Warner Bros Animation is not
held in as high regard as Disney, but the studio has, on the odd occasion,
proven its capabilities with the likes of unexpected masterpieces as Brad Bird’s
The Iron Giant (1999). Sadly, Quest for Camelot (also known as The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot in
the UK) doesn’t match up, and is instead representative of the tired formula
popularised by your average Disney flick – only not executed nearly as
effectively. It’s a shame because there are elements of Quest for Camelot that are actually quite admirable, but there are
far too many flaws and obviously derivative aspects that see the film
consistently mired in mediocrity.
The main focus of the film is Kayley (voiced by Jessalyn
Gilsig), who, in typical Disney-princess-esque fashion, yearns to defy the
societal norm and become a knight like her father Sir Lionel (Gabriel Byrne).
After Sir Lionel is predictably killed within the first quarter of an hour by villain
and fellow knight of The Round Table Ruber (voiced by Gary Oldman, and who
could not look more villainous if he tried – how on earth he was knighted in
the first place, I’ll never know), Ruber’s pet griffin retrieves the magic
sword Excalibur from King Arthur (Pierce Brosnan), only to lose it in the
forbidden enchanted forest. After Ruber lays siege to the village and creates
an army of human/animal/weapon hybrid warriors, Kayley sets out to find the
sword. Along the way she meets Garrett (Cary Elwes), a blind hermit who knows
his way around the enchanted forest better than anybody else… somehow, and
Devon and Cornwall, a two-headed dragon voiced by Eric Idle and Don Rickles
respectively, who serve no purpose other than to fill the clichéd role of
annoying sidekick/comic relief – which would probably be more bearable were the
characters actually funny.
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| Devon and Cornwall (Warner Bros, 1998) |
Okay, firstly I’d like to make it clear that the film isn’t
all bad. As stated previously, there are moments in the film that are somewhat
admirable. The animation isn’t too bad, although it’s surprisingly erratic;
some animation is rather impressive, and some of it is absolutely horrendous. The
characters are, on the whole, extremely derivative and devoid of any original
personality. Devon and Cornwall seem to represent Warner Bros’ attempt to mimic
the spirit of Robin Williams as the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin (1992), littering their dialogue with pop culture
references galore. Unfortunately in this case it doesn’t quite work. The fact
that the Genie was, well, a genie seemed to justify his calling upon various
time periods as he had this magic ability, and it suited the insincere tone of
the movie. Devon and Cornwall are instead conveyed as a strange incongruous
anomaly in an otherwise straight-played, period, action-adventure flick. The
only aspect that could be considered innovative is Garrett’s blindness, which
is laughably underplayed; his debilitation is hardly debilitating, and his adeptness
in combat requires some substantial suspension of disbelief. One cannot help
but laugh as Kayley leaves Garrett to drive a horse and cart around a blazing
fort. Honestly, you’ve never seen anything quite like it.
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| Garrett (Warner Bros, 1998) |
And, in that respect, at least you can’t say this film is
boring. Yes, it’s predictable, and laden with inexplicable nonsensical
occurrences that seem to propel the story without acknowledging how or why, but
it holds your attention. Don’t get me wrong – this has all the elements of a
BAD movie, but it’s oddly satisfying in a quirky way I can’t explain. Actors
Gary Oldman, Pierce Brosnan and Eric Idle are frankly wasted in this film, and
their presence altogether rather jarring; it really is an unusual cast. But
beneath all the flaws, you can still recognise what they were trying to achieve
with this movie. There are some aspects that are rather clever, including Ruber’s
demise (at least to some extent), but ultimately the characters amount to little
more than laughably faceless cookie-cutters.
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| Ruber (Warner Bros, 1998) |
Though the plot might not be masterfully constructed, its
soundtrack is decent. That said, much like the story, it’s a little unclear
what kind of tone the filmmakers were attempting to convey. Some of the songs
have a grand, epic feel, such as the opening song ‘United We Stand’, but things
soon devolve into your typical Disney-like pop slush courtesy of The Corrs (don’t
get me wrong, I quite like The Corrs, but you have to admit it invokes a
drastically different tone to the song preceding it). And to round things off,
there’s the disturbingly incongruous ‘The Prayer’, the award-winning song
performed by Celine Dion, which, though a decent song in its own right, could
not be more ill-fitting with whatever the hell is going on onscreen – which involves
Ruber’s towering warriors bouncing after Kayley’s horse on tiny warthogs. It
really is a spectacle to behold, and one you certainly will not forget. Much
like the rest of the movie, it’s just plain odd.
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| The scene in question... (Warner Bros, 1998) |
Suffice to say, this is hardly Warner Bros Animation’s
finest moment. It’s an incredibly uneven film with a bland, nonsensical plot,
bizarrely incongruous pop culture references, and characters who are
essentially ripped directly from your favourite Disney flicks and watered down
so much that they are almost devoid entirely of personality. But, as said
before, it’s certainly not boring, and as godawful as the plot really is, there
are far worse movies out there. Ultimately, however, The Magic Sword sadly proves to be anything but magic.
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