History Literature / TheTrumpetOfTheSwan

* FunnyAnimalAnatomy: The book doesn't exactly say how Louie, who has no lips, can play a trumpet (though it is at least mentioned that it takes him a while to figure out for himself).

* GeniusBruiser: Not only is Louie pretty smart for an animal (being able to read and write English, not to mention figuring out and playing a musical instrument), but according to the novel, a trumpeter swan can swat you with the force of a baseball bat. (That's absolutely TruthInTelevision, though real Trumpeters rarely attack with their fragile wings). Louie doesn't hesitate to use his strength to defend Serena.

* GeniusBruiser: Not only is Louie pretty smart for an animal, but according to the novel, a trumpeter swan can swat you with the force of a baseball bat. Louie doesn't hesitate to use his strength to defend Serena.

* AwardBaitSong: "Touch the Sky" from the film.

* DisneyDeath: Louie and his dad fly to the music store to pay for the stolen trumpet and smashed window. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:the store owner thinks they're trying to steal from him and grabs a shot gun and fires it at Louie's dad, who falls the ground, wounded and seemingly dies. After the misunderstanding is cleared up, the music owner [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone instantly regrets what he just did.]] However, as an ambulance arrives to carry Louie's dad away, they discover that he's unharmed, and Dad quickly revived. Turns out the bullet missed Louie's dad, and he simply fainted from trauma. The music store owner then decides to use the money to not only pay for the trumpet and the damages to his shop, but also to preserve all Trumpeter Swans.]]]]

* DisneyDeath: Louie and his dad fly to the music store to pay for the stolen trumpet and smashed window. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:the store owner thinks they're trying to steal from him and grabs a shot gun and fires it at Louie's dad, who falls the ground, wounded and seemingly dies. After the misunderstanding is cleared up, the music owner [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone instantly regrets what he just did. However, as an ambulance arrives to carry Louie's dad away, they discover that he's unharmed, and Dad quickly revived. Turns out the bullet missed Louie's dad, and he simply fainted from trauma. The music store owner then decides to use the money to not only pay for the trumpet and the damages to his shop, but also to preserve all Trumpeter Swans.]]]]

* DisneyDeath: Louie and his dad fly to the music store to pay for the stolen trumpet and smashed window. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:the store owner thinks they're trying to steal from him and grabs a shot gun and fires it at Louie's dad, who falls the ground, wounded and seemingly dies. After the misunderstanding is cleared up, the music owner [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone instantly regrets what he just did. However, as an ambulance arrives to carry Louie's dad away, they discover that he's unharmed, and Dad quickly revived. Turns out the bullet missed Louie's dad, and he simply fainted from trauma. The music store owner then decides to use the money to not only pay for the trumpet and the damages to his shop, but also to preserve all Trumpeter Swans.]]

* FatBastard: The Big City Agent in the film.
* FatIdiot: The agent is this too.

* LargeHam: Louie's father.

One day on a Canadian lake, a cob (male swan) and a pen (female swan) are saved by a boy named Sam from a fox. Sam is allowed to watch the swans' cygnets (baby swans) hatch, and it is discovered that one of them is mute. Instead of chirping to greet him, the mute cygnet pulls Sam's shoelace. [[CutenessProximity Awww.]] Thus begins an OddFriendship between swan and boy.

The story focuses on the swan, named Louis, and his efforts to overcome his handicap. Sam takes Louis to school so the bird can learn to read and write, and Louis's father steals a brass trumpet to give his son a voice. Louis feels guilty about the theft, so at Sam's suggestion he takes several jobs across America to pay for the trumpet. Adventures are had by all.

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Louis doesn't interact much with his swan peers in the novel. In the animated adaptation, he has a case of AllOfTheOtherReindeer because his peers (sans his family and Serena) find him weird that he's mute.
* AdaptationalHeroism: In the novel, Serena [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer refuses to interact with Louis]] because of his disability, and Louis wins her over simply by revealing that he can play the trumpet. In the film, Serena is much more sympathetic to Louis and a {{jerkass}} rival named Boyd is added instead.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Due to LostInTranslation. Louis is mute, and Serena can't read, so his attempts to talk to her fall flat and she assumes he's not interested in her.
* AmazingTechnicolorWildlife: To a lesser extent. In the film a lot of swans have some additional color on their feathers besides white. For instance, Louis has yellow, his sisters have peach pink and green, and Boyd has bright red.
* AmplifiedAnimalAptitude: Louis and others. When his father breaks into a shop to steal the trumpet, he flies away feeling guilty for the crime.

* DisabilitySuperpower: Because he is mute, Louis learns to read and write English, skills the other swans do not possess.

* FeatherFingers: Played straight in the [[TheFilmOfTheBook film adaptation]], but averted in the novel, where Louis uses his foot instead. At one point he even asks Sam to cut the webbing between his toes so he can use the valves more easily -- the narrative stresses that this is painless, though it does make his swimming stroke a bit weaker).
* FunnyAnimalAnatomy: The book doesn't exactly say how Louis, who has no lips, can play a trumpet (though it is at least mentioned that it takes him a while to figure out for himself).
* GeniusBruiser: Not only is Louis pretty smart for an animal, but according to the novel, a trumpeter swan can swat you with the force of a baseball bat. Louis doesn't hesitate to use his strength to defend Serena.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In the film, Louis holds a bottle and thinks "This pound water is kind of fizzy."

* HaveAGayOldTime: Allow yourself a free snicker when Serena hears Louis's trumpet and thinks "What a gay bird!"
** A somewhat more innocent example happens in-universe. Louis's father has to explain to him that he meant "mute" when he said "dumb," reassuring Louis that he doesn't regard his son as stupid.
* LargeHam: Louis's father.
* LostInTranslation: Louis initially tries to communicate with Serena with his chalk and slate. Unfortunately, Serena can't read.
* MeaningfulName: Louis plays a trumpet, like a certain other [[Music/LouisArmstrong jazz musician]]. This is lampshaded in the book, when a boy says he'll name him Louis after said musician, only for the swan to write on his chalkboard "That actually is my name."

* PollyWantsAMicrophone: Louis with his chalkboard.

* SatelliteLoveInterest: We never learn anything about Serena other than that she wasn't interested in returning Louis's feelings for her until she saw how well he could play the trumpet.

* StealthPun: Louis's species is a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumpeter_Swan Trumpeter Swan]], but due to his condition you could also say he's a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mute_Swan "Mute" Swan]].

In 2000, an animated [[TheFilmOfTheBook film adaptation]] was released by Richard Rich (the director of ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'').

There is an animated [[TheFilmOfTheBook film adaptation]] by the director of ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess''.

* FatBastard: The Big City Agent.

* RaceLift: In the book, Sam Beaver is described as having black hair and dark eyes like a Native American, though whether he has any actual Native American blood isn't said. In the film, he's a generic brown-haired, blue eyed white kid.

* RaceLift: In the book, Sam Beaver is implied to be Native American. In the film, he's a generic white kid.

** MusicalThemeNaming / NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: His sisters in the film, Ella and Billie, also share names with musicians: Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, respectively.

* SpiritualSuccessor: The book could be considered one to ''Literature/CharlottesWeb'' (though [[LighterAndSofter without]] the earlier book's [[DeathByNewberyMedal heavier themes]]) film could be considered one to ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet''.

* AdaptationalHeroism: In the novel, Serena [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer refuses to interact with Louis]] because of his disability, and Louis wins her over simply by revealing that he can play the trumpet. In the film, Serena is much more sympathetic to Louie and a {{jerkass}} rival named Boyd is added instead.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In the film, Louie holds a bottle and thinks "This pound water is kind of fizzy."

* GrudgingThankYou: Averted. Applegate is more than happy to be saved by a "stupid dirty bird".

* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: In the film, Serena prefers NiceGuy Louie over {{jerkass}} Boyd.
* SpiritualSuccessor: The film could be considered one to ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet''.

* AdaptationExpansion: In the novel, Serena [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer refuses to interact with Louis]] because of his disability, and Louis wins her over simply by revealing that he can play the trumpet. In the film, Serena is much more sympathetic to Louie and a {{jerkass}} rival named Boyd is added instead.

* Creator/DeeBradleyBaker: Voiced Louis' thoughts in the film.

* TheBully[=/=]JerkJock: Boyd in the film.

* [[EdutainmentShow Edutainment Novel]]: Like ''Literature/MobyDick'' for kids, but with swans instead of whales.

** FeatherFingers: Played straight in the [[TheFilmOfTheBook film adaptation]], but averted in the novel, where Louis uses his foot instead. At one point he even asks Sam to cut the webbing between his toes so he can use the valves more easily -- the narrative stresses that this is painless, though it does make his swimming stroke a bit weaker).

* [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness Big Words]]: Occasionally Sam or another human character will stop and explain what a certain word means.

* [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan Single Pen Seeks Good Cob]]: In the film, Serena prefers NiceGuy Louie over {{jerkass}} Boyd.
* [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Predecessor]]: The film could be considered one to ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet''.

There is an animated [[TheFilmOfTheBook film adaptation]] by the director of ''TheSwanPrincess''.

* ShoutOut: In the film, there are twin blonde pens who fawn over Boyd much like [[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast the Bimbettes fafwn over Gaston]].

* DistantFinale: Sam is 11 in the beginning and 20 by the end of the novel. He's still a kid in the end of the film.

* [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Predecessor: The film could be considered one to ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet''.

* ShoutOut: In the film, there are twin blonde pens who fawn over Boyd much like [[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast the Bimbettes fawn over Gaston]].