What if you were a princess trapped in a castle, but you weren't especially beautiful or emotionally mature? How about if you were a prince in search of a bride, but you cut a somewhat lackluster figure as a hero, and your sense of direction was so bad that you basically couldn't find your way out of a paper bag? Princess Rosamunde languishes in an imposed confinement, somewhat eased by her companionship with her peculiar dog Sigismund. Prince Claude, despite his idealism, sets forth to rescue her without a plan, or any real ability to find his way. Along, the journey, he picks up a handful of exasperating and unreliable animal helpers that deter his progress as much as they manage to assist him. Any success rests on his ability to survive and mollify the wishes of a vain witch, find his way to Rosamunde, and remember the prescribed instructions with which to set her free. Ultimately, Rosamunde has a part to play in her own redemption as well. Their brief story draws on traditional fairy tale conventions while injecting the kind of light-hearted and absurdist humor that children (and sufficiently silly adults) love.
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