History Literature / TheTrumpetOfTheSwan

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

[[quoteright:244:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/51ipjmxpehl_sl500_aa300_piaudiblebottomright1373_aa300.jpg]]

One day on a Canadian lake, a cob (male swan) and a pen (female swan) are saved by a boy named Sam Beaver from a fox. Sam is allowed to watch the swans' cygnets 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. Feeling guilty over the theft, Louis leaves home to earn enough money to pay for the trumpet. Adventures are had by all.

Compare to Creator/EBWhite's more famous novel, ''Literature/CharlottesWeb''.

* TalkingAnimal: Subverted with Louis, who can't talk but can read and write. Played straight with all the other animals (at least when humans aren't around).

* SatelliteLoveInterest: Serena is largely a cypher: Louis falls for her because she's beautiful -- and she's there -- but the only real personality she gets is when she's utterly spellbound by Louis's trumpet serenade and no longer cares that he's mute.

* 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.

* HateSink: Boyd is a magnet of resentment, embodying nearly all mean-spirited hardships that come from Louis's mute condition, from needlessly taunting him during childhood to forcing Serena to marry him instead of voiceless Louis. And when Louis rightfully earns Serena's love, Boyd spites him by throwing his trumpet in the water.

* SeldomSeenSpecies: A black-necked swan appears in the film as a minor character. Also qualifies as MisplacedWildlife, since the species is only found in South America.

* 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]].

* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: In the film, Serena prefers [[NiceGuy Louis]] over [[JerkassBoyd]].

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the novel, Serena [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer doesn't interact with Louis]] because of his disability (Louis' mother points out that his muteness means he can't communicate in the usual way and of course Serena can't read), 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.

* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: In the film, Serena prefers [[NiceGuy Louis]] over [[Jerkass Boyd]].

* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: In the film, Serena prefers NiceGuy Louis over {{jerkass}} Boyd.

* HateSink: Boyd is a magnet of resentment, embodying nearly all mean-spirited hardships that come from Louie's mute condition, from needlessly taunting him during childhood to forcing Serena to marry him instead of voiceless Louis. And when Louis rightfully earns Serena's love, Boyd spites him by throwing his trumpet in the water.

* SwanBoats: Louis at one point gets a job on the real life Swan Boats in Boston.

* TheVoiceless: Louis of course. To help the audience understand how mute Louis thinks and feels, the animated adaptation has Louis "talking" through his thoughts -- courtesy of Creator/DeeBradleyBaker.

The story focuses on the swan, named Louie, and his efforts to overcome his handicap. Sam takes Louie to school so the bird can learn to read and write, and Louie's father steals a brass trumpet to give his son a voice. Feeling guilty over the theft, Louie leaves home to earn enough money to pay for the trumpet. Adventures are had by all.

* FatBastard: Monty, Louie's con-artist agent in the film, who takes advantage of Louie's skills and uses him for his own selfish gain.

* 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).
** It's [[HandWave Hand Waved]] in the book as saying he uses his tongue and the softer parts of the bill. Swan tongues can be curled and have rough edges, though whether it could actually be curled enough to form a seal on the mouthpiece is [[MST3KMantra probably something best not thought about too closely]].

* TheRival: Boyd in the film is Louie's competition for Serena.

* SatelliteLoveInterest: Serena is largely a cypher: Louis falls for her because she's beautiful -- and she's there -- but the only real personality she gets is when she's utterly spellbound by Louie's trumpet serenade and no longer cares that he's mute.

* StealthPun: Louie'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]].

* TheVoiceless: Louie of course. To help the audience understand how mute Louie thinks and feels, the animated adaptation has Louie "talking" through his thoughts -- courtesy of Creator/DeeBradleyBaker.

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

The story focuses on the swan, named Louie, and his efforts to overcome his handicap. Sam takes Louie to school so the bird can learn to read and write, and Louie' father steals a brass trumpet to give his son a voice. Feeling guilty over the theft, Louie leaves home to earn enough money to pay for the trumpet. Adventures are had by all.

* TheVoiceless: Louie of course. To help the audience understand how mute Louis thinks and feels, the animated adaptation has Louie "talking" through his thoughts -- courtesy of Creator/DeeBradleyBaker.

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

* TheVoiceless: Louis of course. To help the audience understand how mute Louis thinks and feels, the animated adaptation has Louis "talking" through his thoughts -- courtesy of Creator/DeeBradleyBaker.

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. Feeling guilty over the theft, Louis leaves home to earn enough money to pay for the trumpet. Adventures are had by all.

* DisneyDeath: Louis and his dad fly to the music store to pay for the stolen trumpet and smashed window. Unfortunately, the store owner thinks they're back to steal again and shoots at Louis's dad, who falls the ground. After the misunderstanding is cleared up, the music owner [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone instantly regrets what he just did]]. Fortunately, the swan was only stunned from shock. 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: Monty, Louis's con-artist agent in the film, who takes advantage of Louis's skills and uses him for his own selfish gain.

* HateSink: Boyd is a magnet of resentment, embodying nearly all mean-spirited hardships that come from Louis's mute condition, from needlessly taunting him during childhood to forcing Serena to marry him instead of voiceless Louis. And when Louis rightfully earns Serena's love, Boyd spites him by throwing his trumpet in the water.
* HaveAGayOldTime: Allow yourself a free snicker when Serena hears Louis's trumpet and thinks "What a gay bird!"

* LargeHam: Louis's father in the animated adaptation -- voiced by Creator/JasonAlexander.

* TheRival: Boyd in the film is Louis's competition for Serena.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: Serena is largely a cypher: Louis falls for her because she's beautiful -- and she's there -- but the only real personality she gets is when she's utterly spellbound by Louis's trumpet serenade and no longer cares that he's mute.

* 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]].

* ConspicuousCG: In the animated adaptation.

Compare to E.B. White's more famous novel, ''Literature/CharlottesWeb''.

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: 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.

* ContrivedCoincidence: Serena just happens to get blown by storm all the way to the Philadelphia zoo.

* SatelliteLoveInterest: Serena is largely a cypher -- Louis falls for her because she's beautiful -- and she's there -- but the only real personality she gets is that she's utterly spellbound by Louis's trumpet serenade and no longer cares that he's mute.

* DisneyDeath: Louis and his dad fly to the music store to pay for the stolen trumpet and smashed window. Unfortunately, the store owner thinks they're back to steal again and shoots at Louis's dad, who falls the ground. After the misunderstanding is cleared up, the music owner [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone instantly regrets what he just did. Fortunately, the swan was only stunned from shock. 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.

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 Louie's father steals a brass trumpet to give his son a voice. Guilty about the theft, Louis leaves home to earn enough money to pay for the trumpet. Adventures are had by all.

One day on a Canadian lake, a cob (male swan) and a pen (female swan) are saved by a boy named Sam Beaver 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 Louie, and his efforts to overcome his handicap. Sam takes Louie to school so the bird can learn to read and write, and Louie's father steals a brass trumpet to give his son a voice. Louie 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: Louie 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.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the novel, Serena [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer refuses to interact with Louie]] because of his disability, and Louie 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.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Due to LostInTranslation. Louie 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, Louie has yellow, his sisters have peach pink and green, and Boyd has bright red.
* AmplifiedAnimalAptitude: Louie and others. When his father breaks into a shop to steal the trumpet, he flies away feeling guilty for the crime.
%%* AnimalTalk

%%* BabiesEverAfter
%%* TheBully: Boyd in the film.
%%* ConspicuousCG: In the film.

* DisabilitySuperpower: Because he is mute, Louie learns to read and write English, skills the other swans do not possess.
* 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 promptly revives! 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: Monty, Louie's con-artist agent in the film, who takes advantage of Louie's skills and uses him for his own selfish gain.
* FeatherFingers: Played straight in the [[TheFilmOfTheBook film adaptation]], but averted in the novel, where Louie 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 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, preferring to use their serrated bill. You ''do not'' want to get bitten by a Trumpeter). Louie doesn't hesitate to use every natural weapon at his disposal to defend Serena from the Philadelphia zookeepers (who want to amputate part of her wings and render her permanently flightless).
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In the film, Louie holds a bottle and thinks "This pound water is kind of fizzy."

%%* GreenAesop: E.B. White sneaks a few in there.

* HateSink: Boyd is a magnet of resentment, embodying nearly all mean-spirited hardships that come from Louie's mute condition, from needlessly taunting him during childhood to forcing Serena to marry him instead of voiceless Louie. And when Louie rightfully earns Serena's love, Boyd spites him by throwing his trumpet in the water.
* HaveAGayOldTime: Allow yourself a free snicker when Serena hears Louie's trumpet and thinks "What a gay bird!"
** A somewhat more innocent example happens in-universe. Louie's father has to explain to him that he meant "mute" when he said "dumb," reassuring Louie that he doesn't regard his son as stupid.
* LargeHam: Louie's father in the animated adaptation--voiced by Creator/JasonAlexander.
* LostInTranslation: Louie 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 Louie after said musician, only for the swan to write on his chalkboard "That actually is my name."

%%* OddFriendship

%%* PollyWantsAMicrophone: Louie with his chalkboard.

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

* StealthPun: Louie'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]].
%%* SummerCampy: Camp Kookooskoos.

* TalkingAnimal: Subverted with Louis, who can't talk, but can read and write. Played straight with all the other animals (at least when humans aren't around).
* TheVoiceless: Louie of course. To help the audience understand how mute Louie thinks and feels, the animated adaptation has Louie "talking" through his thoughts--courtesy of Creator/DeeBradleyBaker.

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

* AdaptationalHeroism: In the novel, Serena [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer refuses to interact with Louie]] because of his disability, and Louie 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.

** MusicalThemeNaming / NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: His sisters in the film, Ella and Billie, also share names with musicians: Msuic/EllaFitzgerald and Music/BillieHoliday, respectively.

* AnimalTalk

* BabiesEverAfter
* TheBully: Boyd in the film.
* ConspicuousCG: In the film.

* {{Gonk}}: The Big City Agent.
* GreenAesop: E.B. White sneaks a few in there.

* TheNapoleon: Boyd and the agent.
* OddFriendship

* PollyWantsAMicrophone: Louie with his chalkboard.

* TheRival: Boyd in the film.

* SummerCampy: Camp Kookooskoos.