The Secret of the Sword

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Secret of the Sword, also known as He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword or She-Ra Princess of Power: The Secret of the Sword,^[1] is a 1985 American animated feature film produced by Filmation. It is based on the toy line and TV series, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. The film is the first one ever to be based on a toy franchise, its original American release coming a week before The Care Bears Movie.

[edit] Plot

The Sorceress is having a nightmare about a vicious character by the name of Hordak, who has kidnapped a baby girl named Adora. He fires a blast at the Sorceress and Man-At-Arms before running into an interdimensional gateway. Waking up from her dream, the Sorceress sees a sword which looks just like He-Man's (distinguishable only by the jewel in the centre) floating in mid-air. The sword floats away, and the Sorceress follows it to a door. The sword blasts the door, which opens, revealing a portal before the sword drops to the floor. The Sorceress picks it up before saying: "Can it be? After so long?".

At the Palace of Eternia, Prince Adam is baking spiced bread while Cringer looks on. The Sorceress suddenly contacts Adam by telepathy, summoning him to Castle Grayskull. At Grayskull, the Sorceress tells him that the door that was concealing the gateway has never been opened before, and then she gives Adam the mysterious sword, and tells him that like his own sword, it is meant for someone with a very special destiny. Adam enters the gate with Cringer, and they are sent to a world called Etheria.

Adam and Cringer arrive at the Laughing Swan Inn. When they enter, everybody looks at them odly while a hooded figure named Bow looks at Adam suspiciously, believing him to be a spy. On his shoulder sits Kowl, a koala-owl hybrid with brightly coloured wings. Fear descends upon the inn when three men dressed in heavy armour walk in. Bow recognizes them as Hordesmen. One of them destroys a musician's harp with his weapon before threatening him for talking back in a defenceful manner. Adam easily dispatches that Hordesman before Bow hurls off his disguise, and helps him deal with the other two. Adam and Bow quickly get acquainted, before Kowl warns Bow that there will be trouble when the Horde finds out about this, so Bow asks Adam to come with him to The Whispering Woods, telling him "From now on, my friend, you are a part of The Great Rebellion".

Once they reach Whispering Woods, Bow leads Adam to a tent where he introduces him to the Rebellion's leader, Glimmer. Moments later, Madame Razz, an absent-minded witch arrives on her flying Broom, who helps her explain that the entire village of Thaymor has been placed under arrest by the Horde because three of the Horde's troopers were trounced by two men claiming to be Rebels, and, in retaliation, have threatened to send the whole village to the mines as slaves unless the culprits give themselves up. Madame Razz also explains that four of the Horde's worst villains and Force Captain are in the village, but Adam says he has a friend who may be able to help (namely, He-Man).

At the village, Horde villains Catra, Scorpia, Leech, and Mantenna, and Force Captain Adora are getting bored of waiting for those responsible for trouncing the Hordesmen in the Laughing Swan Inn.

The Rebels launch an attack. Catra pulls the mask on top of her head over her face, and transforms into a purple panther. Leech grabs Glimmer, and drains her energy. When Bow tries to save her, Catra pins him down. Adam transforms into He-Man, and subsequently dispatches Leech, Catra (with help from Battle Cat), and Scorpia, before Mantenna knocks him off balance with stun beams. Sprag, a Twigget, a creature native to Whispering Woods shoots Mantenna with a Sneezy Arrow, and he sneezes so hard, he crashes into a wall. He-Man then disarms Adora (by snapping her sword in two with his own), and chases after her. He draws the sword the Sorceress gave him, but it begins to glow, and Adora appears in the jewel, showing that this is who He-Man was sent to find. He-Man then gets stunned from behind by a Hordesman and is captured. Adora, meanwhile, gains possession of the sword...

Later, Madame Razz uses her magic to pinpoint He-Man's location; a prison island known as Beast Island. He-Man is being held in a room where he is bound with electro-shackles. Try as he might, he can't break free. Adora enters, and He-Man discovers that she thinks the Rebels are evil, but He-Man convinces her to explore Etheria and see for herself how the Horde treats people. When she witnesses the ill treatment of Horde slaves, it upsets her deeply.

Meanwhile, Glimmer and co have arrived at Beast Island, and in their search for He-Man, they encounter many dangers. When they do finally find He-Man, they end up getting captured and locked in a cell, except for Kowl, who flew out of a window to safety. Once everyone is gone, he flies back in and frees He-Man, who, in turn, frees the others. They reach the launching pad, and He-Man destroys the prison.

Adora now knows that Hordak has been lying to her, and that the Horde is, in her own words "evil, cruel, unjust". Shadow Weaver, an expert on black magic, puts her to sleep, steals the sword Adora got from He-Man, and says that when Adora awakes, she will be under her spell again. In the meantime, Glimmer fails to convince Adam not to go to the Horde's stronghold, the Fright Zone, but Bow salutes Adam's bravery. Cringer is all too happy when Adam tells him to stay with the rebels.

Hordak has a new trick up his sleeve: A new weapon called the Magna-beam, which he intends to use to zap Whispering Woods (and the Rebels at the same time) to the Valley of the Lost (from which nobody has ever returned). Hordak tests the new weapon on a useless old Battle Wagon. However, the Magna-beam will need to be charged. For power, it must absorb energy from slaves.

Meanwhile, Adam changes into He-Man, and captures a passing Hordesman before putting on his armour. While this is going on, Shadow Weaver checks to see if the patrol have brought some new prisoners. They haven't, but she sees the last trooper has hair sticking out of his helmet, so she guesses that it's He-Man is disguise. A trap is set. He-Man manages to sneak into the Fright Zone, and confronts Adora, but ends up getting captured, and locked in a glass case that will drain him of his energy. However, it will take all night to drain He-Man, and charge the Magna-beam to full capacity.

That night, Adora starts tossing and turning in a way that mirrors the way the Sorceress did so at the start of the film. She suddenly hears a voice, and goes to the Plunder Room where He-Man is being held. The sword she got from He-Man starts to glow, and the Sorceress appears in the jewel. The Sorceress tells Adora the truth about her past, that the Horde stole her from her parents when she was a baby, so she never knew her mother or father, or that she had a twin brother. The Sorceress tells her that He-Man is her brother, and that he needs her help. Before disappearing, the Sorceress utters "For the Honour of Grayskull, Adora". Suddenly, the Magna-beam reaches full capacity, and He-Man collapses. Holding up the sword, Adora cries "For the Honour of Grayskull!", and becomes She-Ra for the first time. She frees He-Man from the case, and gives him the Sword of Power so he can recharge himself.

While Hordak goes upstairs to the Magna-beam, She-Ra jumps out of a window, into the stable and lands on her horse, Spirit, who then turns into Swift Wind, a winged unicorn. He-Man goes up after Hordak, but he has already activated the Magna-beam. She-Ra and Swift Wind fly down, and She-Ra throws a rock into the blast from the Magna-beam. Before Hordak can fire a second blast, He-Man destroys the weapon, thus giving all the weakened prisoners back their energy. He-Man is then plucked to safety, and he and She-Ra head for Whispering Woods.

In Whispering Woods, He-Man is confused when She-Ra tells him she's his sister. She also explains that the woman in the sword told her. Realising it must have been the Sorceress, He-Man asks She-Ra for her sword. She gives it to him, and he contacts the Sorceress, who explains all: Years ago, twins were born to Randor, King of Eternia, and his Queen, Marlena. Those babies were Adam and Adora. The king and queens happiness turned to sorrow when the Horde invaded. Led by Hordak, the Horde fell to the armies of Eternia, and the magic of Castle Grayskull. In an act of vengeance, Hordak, accompanied by his protegé, Skeletor, attempted to kidnap the twins, knowing they were both destined for something special, though he did not know exactly what. He succeeded in snatching Adora, but Adam was saved by Man-At-Arms. Hordak got away, and Skeletor, to save himself, revealed where the Horde's secret base was. Man-at-Arms and the Sorceress went there, but failed to rescue Adora, and despite years of searching, they were unable to find where Hordak had escaped to. To spare Adam the pain of Adora's loss, the Sorceress cast a spell that erased all memories of Adora's existence and the invasion of the Horde from the people. Only the Sorceress, the King and Queen, and Man-At-Arms knew the secret. Now, Adora had come into possession of the Sword of Protection, and become She-Ra as she was always meant to do.

Returning to Whispering Woods, Prince Adam stuns everyone by revealing Adora is really his sister, and that she was only serving the Horde because of one of Shadow Weaver's evil spells. Bow and Kowl then reveal that Glimmer's mother, Queen Angella, the last ruler of the kingdom of Bright Moon, who went missing in battle, is being held by a group of Harpies at Talon Mountain. Adam and Adora offer to go rescue her.

Hunga, the Queen of the Harpies attacks He-Man and She-Ra when they arrive to save Angella. Hunga is armed with a magic club that fires powerful bolts. Hunga is defeated after He-Man and She-Ra cross their swords and reflect one of her blasts, and She-Ra forces her to reveal where the Queen Angella is being held. They find her and set her free before taking her back to her daughter.

She-Ra then decides it is time to go see her parents. Along the way to the gate that Adam and Cringer entered through, Adora learns that her parents don't know Adam is He-Man, and Adam tells her she must not tell them she's She-Ra. They finally reach the gate, and all make their way through, only to be followed by Hordak.

At the Palace, Randor and Marlena, Man-at-Arms and Teela all have their eyes covered because Adam has told them he has a surprise for them. When they uncover their eyes, Man-at-Arms and the king and queen recognise Adora straight away, and Randor declares that nothing will ever separate them again.

Meanwhile, Hordak goes to Snake Mountain, which is also his former base, and he encounters Skeletor, with whom he strikes a deal to help him get Adora back.

In disguise, Skeletor, Hordak, Beast Man, Kobra Khan and Webstor sneak into the Royal Palace as caterers, and after stunning the Royal Family, Hordak kidnaps Adora, and the baddies make their getaway in a craft flown by Tri-Klops. He-Man assures the devastated Randor and Marlena that he will get Adora back. Meanwhile, at Snake Mountain, Skeletor betrays Hordak by having Webstor and Trap-Jaw shove him into a portal leading back to Etheria. He intends to hold Adora to ransom. Adora faints, and Beast Man takes her to the dungeon, only for Adora to turn the tables on him, and lock him in a cell.

After reclaiming the Sword of Protection, Adora becomes She-Ra and confronts Skeletor. She easily defeats Webstor and Kobra Khan, and then Skeletor before Tri-Klops and Trap-Jaw attack. By this time, He-Man, Teela, Battle Cat and Man-At-Arms are approaching the throne room, only for Skeletor and his minions to come flying out. She-Ra then appears, and tells everyone (with a little help from He-Man) that Adora is safe.

Back at the palace, Adora makes a really tough decision; she decides she must go back to Etheria to defend it from the Horde. She returns to Etheria, but, to her surprise, Adam and Cringer are there, too, and Adam offers to help get the Rebellion off to a good start. They see a lot of Horde crafts flying overhead, leading to a double transformation scene.

They then head to Whispering Woods where they find the Rebellion planning their attack on the Horde-occupied Castle Bright Moon. A group of animals led by a big brown bear arrives, but She-Ra then reveals she has a telepathic ability, and she explains that the animals want to help them drive the Horde out.

So the Battle for Bright Moon begins. She-Ra takes off on Swift Wind to deal with Batmeks (robot planes that have no pilots), while He-Man and everyone else take care of the Destructo Tanks. Once the Batmeks and Destructo Tanks have been dealt with, there is the problem of the Stun Cannons. Unfortunately, Swift Wind gets hit by a stun beam, and is badly wounded. However, She-Ra also has a healing power which helps Swift Wind to make a quick recovery. Two mice ruin a Stunner Cannon by chewing through a cable, and before the Hordesmam operating it can zap the creatures, the Twiggets shoot him with Sneezy Arrows. Another trooper towers above them, but Bow shoots down a Horde flag and puts his lights out.

The rebels enter the castle, and He-Man and She-Ra confront Hordak and Shadow Weaver. Hordak tells She-Ra that one battle doesn't win a war before he turns into a rocket and flees. Shadow Weaver follows close behind. The people of Bright Moon celebrate while outside, He-Man and She-Ra listen to the happy cheering. When He-Man asks her if she's happy, She-Ra answers "Yes and no", and that she can't return to Eternia with He-Man as the people of Etheria will need her. She-Ra flies away on Swift Wind, and a tear rolls down He-Man's face as the movie comes to an end, thus marking the start of the She-Ra series.

[edit] Trivia

• When Battle Cat rams Catra, she loses her mask which causes her to revert back to her human form. Moments later, when she is seen being chased by Battle Cat, the mask is back on her head.
• When the Hordesman is threatening the musician, he lifts him up with his left hand. In the next shot, he's holding the musician with his right hand.
• After He-Man is captured for the first time, the Rebels don't seem to notice that his "friend" Prince Adam is missing.
• This movie was originally intended to be a five-parter to launch the She-Ra series, with deleted scenes intact in the 5 parter. The five part format did air as planned.
• When Scorpia says "She'd never let us do it", she has a high voice, yet, the remainder of her lines are spoken with a deeper voice.

[edit] Quotes

This section is a candidate to be copied to Wikiquote using the Transwiki process. If the content can be changed to be more encyclopedic rather than just a list of quotes, please do so and remove this message. Otherwise, you can help by formatting it per the Wikiquote guidelines in preparation for the duplication.

• Scorpia: "I'll stop ya, muscle man".

(She starts snapping her claws, but He-Man grabs her)

• He-Man: "That's not very lady-like. Of course, you're not much of a lady anyway".

• Madame Razz: "Razzle dazzle, drizzle drear, horrid vines disappear".

Broom: "Horrid MONSTER disappear, not horrid vines!" Madame Razz: "Oops".

• Sprag (after Cringer falls from a tree): "Sorry I scared you, pussycat".

(He runs away) Cringer: "Pussycat? Hmm!".

• (Beast Man takes Adora, who has fainted, into a cell) Beast Man: "You're sure a pretty princess. It's too bad we have to lock you up in the dungeon"

(Adora wakes up)

Adora: "Thanks for the compliment, Fangs."

(She dives between his legs and closes the cell on him)

Beast Man: "You can't do this to me".

Adora: "Funny. I thought I just did it".

• Madame Razz (repeated line): "Oh, deary my".

• Mantenna (after knocking He-Man off balance): "Ha. My balance distorter ray has fixed him-m-m-m".

Spragg: "Take this, bug-face!" (he shoots him with a Sneezy Arrow).

• Bow: "This is it, Adam. The main camp of the Great Rebellion".

Cringer: "It doesn't look so great to me".

Kowl: "Most perceptive of you, friend Cringer. It is in fact a very small rebellion at present".

• Skeletor: "A female He-Man! This is the worst day of my life!"

• (Last lines) He-Man: "Farewell, She-Ra, Princess of Power!"

She-Ra: "Farewell, He-Man, dear brother!"

[edit] Voice cast

• John Erwin
• Melendy Britt
• Alan Oppenheimer
• Linda Gary
• George DiCenzo
• Erika Scheimer
• Lou Scheimer

[edit] References

1. ^ UK DVD release "She-Ra Princes of Power: The Secret of the Sword", Right Enterntainment cat no 8245567

[edit] See also

• List of animated feature films