Von Rothbart

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Von Rothbart is a fictional villain in the Russian ballet Swan Lake. Rothbart is rarely seen in human form as he appears as an evil bird for most of the ballet. His human form is seen once in the scene with his daughter Odile, when she dances with the Prince Siegfried.

Rothbart is a powerful sorcerer who turns the girl Odette into a Swan during the daylight hours and yet when the sun sets she can return to human form until day break. The reason for Rothbart's curse upon her is not known; yet several other versions of the ballet including two feature films have suggested other reasons.

In The Swan Princess, an adaptation of Swan Lake, Rothbart quests to be King and needs Odette who is known to be a princess. She rejects him, for she is already in love with the Prince Derek, whom she has known since birth; Rothbart not knowing of this, changes Odette into a Swan and carries her away in the night. Only through the loves kiss and the destruction of the sorcerer can Odette change back.

In another version, a Barbie take on the ballet; Rothbart changes Odette into a Swan because she is the prophesised Chosen One who will release the curse that he has emplaced upon the forest. Rothbart to prove his powers over Odette changes her into a Swan but cannot harm her because of a 'Magic' Crystal.

The story changes in each version, yet when Rothbart realises that Odette falls in love with the Prince Siegfried he tries to intervene by tricking Siegfried into marrying his own daughter Odile; the plan succeeds yet Rothbarts fate is undecided depending on the ballet. In some versions his fate is unknown and yet presumed survived, in one version the love of the two dying lovers breaks the spell and Rothbart is overthrown and destroyed.

In the Swan Princess version Rothbart transforms into a giant winged creature and attacks the Prince, after a short melee, the Prince shoots him with an arrow and he collapses into the Lake dead; his powers destroyed. However, his memory returns in the two subsequent and unsuccessful sequels in which his old friend wizard and his old love both try to resurrect the Dark Arts.

In the Barbie version; he does seem to kill the lovers but is destroyed by the Crystals power that returns after the two prove their love. While Rothbart seems to explode he actually transforms into a clock in a subsequent scene in which the villains of these films never seem to die.

Rothbart's only powers displayed in the ballet are his multiple ability to change into an owl and to disguise his daughter into the looks of Odette. In the Swan Princess he has great and varied magical abilities and often changes himself into a giant winged monster; the Barbie version he has multiple powers and changes characters and objects into animals; he also can change into a Eagle-type monster.