Just a film about a couple of lovebirds.
October 12, 2009 4:34 PM Subscribe
MovieFilter: does anyone remember an animated film about a couple who were magically turned into a heron and an egret? It might have aired on American cable TV in the 1990's, but I have no idea about its origins.
Every so often I'll remember the voice of a little boy saying "the heron and the egret!" from an animated film that I'm pretty sure I saw on cable when I was a kid in the 1990's, though it could have been made before then. It was in color, in English, and I don't think it was a dubbed anime.
As best as I recall, the main plot revolved around a couple of star-crossed lovers who ended up transformed into a heron and an egret permanently. They were probably cursed by a magical antagonist, like a sorcerer or a witch. It was one of those framed narratives where an older female relative (mother? grandmother?) told the main tale to her young male relative, sort of like in The Princess Bride, except the boy in this film wasn't ill. They might have been staying at a lighthouse and I think the female character was sitting in an armchair while the boy sat on the floor.
Near the end of the film, the grandfather/elderly male character (a bearded captain?) returns from a sea voyage. The other two characters were probably waiting for his return and using the story to pass the time. When they look out the window, the boy sees a heron and an egret flying around in the sky. After they reunited with the elderly male character comes back, he says that the birds helped him find his way home. Not sure if it was through a storm or a fog, but it was something troublesome. The boy is thrilled because he thinks that the birds are the heron and the egret of the story he had just heard, so he's happy that they're still together.
Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? My google-fu has failed me thus far, so I doubt it was popular or that it aired on TV often. I'd love to see the film again, but it'd also be cool to know that I'm not the only one who remembers it.
Every so often I'll remember the voice of a little boy saying "the heron and the egret!" from an animated film that I'm pretty sure I saw on cable when I was a kid in the 1990's, though it could have been made before then. It was in color, in English, and I don't think it was a dubbed anime.
As best as I recall, the main plot revolved around a couple of star-crossed lovers who ended up transformed into a heron and an egret permanently. They were probably cursed by a magical antagonist, like a sorcerer or a witch. It was one of those framed narratives where an older female relative (mother? grandmother?) told the main tale to her young male relative, sort of like in The Princess Bride, except the boy in this film wasn't ill. They might have been staying at a lighthouse and I think the female character was sitting in an armchair while the boy sat on the floor.
Near the end of the film, the grandfather/elderly male character (a bearded captain?) returns from a sea voyage. The other two characters were probably waiting for his return and using the story to pass the time. When they look out the window, the boy sees a heron and an egret flying around in the sky. After they reunited with the elderly male character comes back, he says that the birds helped him find his way home. Not sure if it was through a storm or a fog, but it was something troublesome. The boy is thrilled because he thinks that the birds are the heron and the egret of the story he had just heard, so he's happy that they're still together.
Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? My google-fu has failed me thus far, so I doubt it was popular or that it aired on TV often. I'd love to see the film again, but it'd also be cool to know that I'm not the only one who remembers it.
Response by poster: Thanks so much! It's been bugging me for years. I like how Sarah McLachlan did a song for the film, which basically cements it as a 90's flick. Oh man, and the version uploaded to Youtube has tracking lines on it and everything. Going to watch it now. Thanks again!
posted by cobwebberies at 5:43 PM on October 12, 2009
posted by cobwebberies at 5:43 PM on October 12, 2009
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Description of The Blood Crystal, aka The Admiral and The Princess. You can watch the whole thing on YouTube - it's there in 3 parts.
posted by iconomy at 5:14 PM on October 12, 2009