Quest for Camelot#Music

Set in a Celtic mythology, Sir Lionel is a knight of the Round Table, who is killed foiling an assassination attempt on King Arthur by the evil Sir Ruber, who is then driven off by Excalibur, Arthur's sword. Later, while at Lionel's funeral, Arthur tells Lionel's daughter Kayley and his widow Juliana that they will always be welcome at Camelot. Kayley dreams of becoming a knight, like her father, and she trains herself while working on their farm.

A decade later, Ruber's griffin attacks Camelot and steals Excalibur and injures Arthur. Merlin the wizard's pet falcon Ayden attacks the griffin, causing it to drop the sword into the Forbidden Forest. The griffin is driven away by the forest's sentient trees. When Kayley learns what has occurred, she embarks on her own search for Excalibur, which leads to an argument with her mother. Ruber attacks the farm, capturing Kayley and Juliana. He plans to use them to gain entry to Camelot. He uses a potion he acquired from witches to fuse his henchmen with their weapons and a henpecked rooster named Bladebeak. After hearing Ruber's plans, Kayley escapes to the forest, pursued by the steel men and Bladebeak. She is saved by a blind hermit Garrett and Ayden. They decide to search for Excalibur, and Kayley persuades him to let her join the quest. Ruber learns of this from Bladebeak and decides to follow them in order to obtain Excalibur.

Kayley and Garrett encounter a wisecracking two-headed dragon Devon and Cornwall. Its two heads dislike each other and dream of being separated. They can neither fly nor breathe fire. All of them escape from a group of attacking dragons, who are taken out by Ruber and his henchmen. Devon and Cornwall join their quest. During a night of rest (much to Kayley's reluctance), Garrett reveals he was once a stable boy in Camelot who dreamt of becoming a knight. While saving horses from a fire, he was kicked in the head which caused his blindness. Following the accident, Sir Lionel still believed in Garrett and trained him personally. Garrett teaches Kayley more about the forest, including the existence of magical healing plants.

The next day, they discover Excalibur's belt and scabbard (but not the sword) in a giant footprint. Kayley's frustrated ranting causes Garrett to miss Ayden's signal, and he is injured by Ruber's men. Kayley uses the sentient trees to trap Ruber and his men. She escorts Garrett into a remote cave where she uses a healing plant to heal his wounds. The two reconcile and profess their love for each other. The next day, the group goes into a giant cave where a rock-like ogre holds Excalibur, using it as a toothpick. They recover Excalibur and flee from Ruber in the process.

After reaching the end of the forest, Garrett decides to stay behind, claiming he does not belong in Camelot. He gives Excalibur to Kayley. However, Ruber captures Kayley. He takes Excalibur and melds it to his right arm before imprisoning Kayley in the wagon with her mother. Devon and Cornwall witness this. They rush to Garrett and convince him to save Kayley. By working together for the first time, Devon and Cornwall are able to fly and breathe fire, and they transport Garrett to Camelot by flight. Bladebeak reconciles with his constantly henpecking hen and frees Kayley from her ropes. She warns the guards of Ruber's trap, exposing him and his steel men. Garrett, Devon and Cornwall arrive shortly after to aid her.

Kayley and Garrett enter the castle while Devon and Cornwall rescue Ayden from the griffin by breathing fire at the creature. Inside, Kayley and Garrett find Ruber attempting to kill Arthur with Excalibur. They intervene and trick Ruber into returning Excalibur to its stone, causing its magic to vaporize Ruber, revert his henchmen (including Bladebeak) back to normal and temporarily separate Devon and Cornwall, but they decide to end up back together again. Later, with Camelot and Excalibur restored to their former glory, Kayley and Garrett marry and become knights of the Round Table before they ride off into the distance together on their horse.

• Jessalyn Gilsig as Kayley, a young woman who aspires to be a knight.
• Andrea Corr as Kayley's singing voice.
• Sarah Rayne (Also known as Sarah Freeman) as young Kayley.
• Cary Elwes as Garrett, a blind hermit who joins Kayley's quest.
• Bryan White as Garrett's singing voice.
• Gary Oldman as Lord Ruber, a former knight plotting to steal Excalibur in order to become king of Camelot and is loosely based on the Red Knight.
• Eric Idle and Don Rickles as Devon and Cornwall, a comic relief two-headed dragon whom Kayley and Garrett meet. Devon is long-necked, intellectual and polite while Cornwall is short-necked, lowbrow and wisecracking.
• Jane Seymour as Juliana, Kayley's widowed mother, who has reservations over Kayley becoming a knight.
• Celine Dion as Juliana's singing voice.
• Pierce Brosnan as King Arthur, the legendary King of England who resides in Camelot.
• Steve Perry as King Arthur's singing voice.
• Bronson Pinchot as Griffin, Ruber's pet and enforcer.
• Jaleel White as Bladebeak, a rooster who is fused with an axe by Ruber.
• Gabriel Byrne as Sir Lionel, Kayley's father who is killed by Ruber when defending King Arthur.
• Sir John Gielgud as Merlin, a wizard and Arthur's advisor. This was the last film of Gielgud's career.
• Frank Welker as Ayden, Merlin's pet falcon that guides Garrett.

In May 1995, The Quest for the Grail was Warner Bros. Feature Animation's first announced project. Bill Kroyer and Frederik Du Chau were announced as the directors, with Sue Kroyer serving as co-producer. Elizabeth Chandler, who had co-written the screenplay for A Little Princess (1995), was enlisted to write the script, but was eventually replaced by a trio of writers before Kirk DeMicco eventually got the job (who would go on to direct animated features such as the 2023 film Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken). The initial story centered around a young female character named Susannah, who embarks on a dangerous quest for the Holy Grail to save her sister from a ruthless and powerful knight.{{cite news|last=Berman|first=Art|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-05-26-ca-6143-story.html|title=Movies: Warners Does a Disney|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=May 26, 1995|access-date=September 8, 2017|archive-date=May 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524171255/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-05-26-ca-6143-story.html|url-status=live}} According to Lauren Faust, who was an animator for the film, it was initially envisioned with a PG-13 rating and was meant to draw homage to Ralph Bakshi's Wizards (1977), but it was changed to be more family-friendly to compete with the Disney Renaissance films.{{Cite web |date=2011-05-11 |title=Why Lauren Faust Hated Camelot |url=https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13051478140A91478000 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=TV Tropes |archive-date=March 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319220531/https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13051478140A91478000 |url-status=live }}

The film was put into production before the story was finalized. However, during the fall of 1995, the animators were reassigned to finish Space Jam (1996). Meanwhile, in April 1996, Christopher Reeve was cast as King Arthur.{{cite press release|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Christopher+Reeve+signed+to+provide+character+voice+for+Warner+Bros....-a018146804|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909095622/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Christopher+Reeve+signed+to+provide+character+voice+for+Warner+Bros....-a018146804|title=Christopher Reeve signed to provide character voice for Warner Bros. Feature Animation's The Quest For Camelot|agency=Business Wire|via=TheFreeLibrary.com|archive-date=September 9, 2017|date=April 1, 1996|access-date=August 12, 2019}} During the interim, several story changes were made that resulted in creative differences between the Kroyers and the studio management. In particular, Excalibur replaced the Holy Grail, which Warner Bros. Feature Animation president Max Howard felt better reflected the film's setting: "The symbol of Camelot is the power of Excalibur, and that became a more interesting theme: Whoever held the sword, held the power." By the middle of 1996, the Kroyers were allegedly fired by Howard,{{cite news|last=Wells|first=Jeffrey|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60193384/article-about-quest-for-camelot/|title=A Misguided 'Quest'?|newspaper=The Record|page=41|via=Newspapers.com|date=February 27, 1998|access-date=November 25, 2018}} {{Open access}} who later moved on to developing another project at Warner Bros. Feature Animation.

Following the departure of the Kroyers, two supervising animators along with several employees in the studio's art department subsequently left the project.{{cite news|last=Horn|first=John|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-01-ca-64365-story.html|title=Can Anyone Dethrone Disney?|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=June 1, 1997|access-date=November 25, 2018|archive-date=March 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311144817/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-01-ca-64365-story.html|url-status=live}} The film's initial producer, Frank Gladstone, left the project in February 1997 and was replaced with Dalisa Cohen. Effects supervisor Michel Gagné recalled that "People were giving up. The head of layout was kicked out, the head of background, the executive producer, the producer, the director, the associate producer—all the heads rolled. It's kind of a hard environment to work in."{{rp|218}} Eventually, Du Chau was promoted to be the film's director. Meanwhile, Reeve was replaced by Pierce Brosnan when he became unavailable to record new dialogue.{{cite book|title=The Animated Movie Guide|last=Beck|first=Jerry|url=https://archive.org/details/animatedmoviegui0000beck|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/animatedmoviegui0000beck/page/217 217]|quote=Quest for Camelot jerry beck.|publisher=Chicago Review Press|year=2005|isbn=978-1556525919}}{{rp|217}}

In an article in Animation Magazine, Chrystal Klabunde, the leading animator of Garrett, stated, "It was top heavy. All the executives were happily running around and playing executive, getting corner offices—but very few of them had any concept about animation at all, about doing an animated film. It never occurred to anybody at the top that they had to start from the bottom and build that up. The problems were really coming at the inexperience of everyone involved. Those were people from Disney that had the idea that you just said, 'Do it,' and it gets done. It never occurred to them that it got done because Disney had an infrastructure in place, working like clockwork. We didn't have that."{{rp|218}} Reportedly, "cost overruns and production nightmares" led the studio to "reconsider their commitment to feature animation." Filmmaker Brad Bird (who directed The Iron Giant, Warner Bros.' next animated film) thought that micromanaging, which he said had worked well for Disney but not for Warner Bros., had been part of the problem.{{cite web |url=http://mag.awn.com/index.php?article_no=1185 |title=Lean, Mean Fighting Machine: How Brad Bird Made The Iron Giant |access-date=December 9, 2008 |last=Miller |first=Bob |date=August 1, 1999 |work=Animation World Magazine |publisher=Animation World Network |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203154900/http://mag.awn.com/index.php?article_no=1185 |archive-date=February 3, 2009|url-status=dead }}

The film was mainly animated at the main Warner Bros. Feature Animation facility located in Glendale, California and London, England. In January 1996, the London animation studio was opened where more than 50 animators were expected to animate 20 minutes of animation, which would be sent back to Glendale to be inked-and-painted.{{cite press release|title=Warner to open London animation studio|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920045036/http://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/01/05/Warner-to-open-London-animation-studio/1680820818000/|url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/01/05/Warner-to-open-London-animation-studio/1680820818000/|location=Burbank, California|agency=Warner Bros.|via=United Press International|url-status=live|date=January 5, 1996|access-date=September 19, 2017|archive-date=September 20, 2017}} Additional studios that worked on the film included Yowza! Animation in Toronto, Ontario, where they assisted in clean-up animation,{{cite web|url=http://www.durhamcollege.ca/new-notable/focus-on-innovation/durham-college-and-yowza-digital-inc-announce-research-agreement-to-create-new-transmedia-production-process|title=Durham College and Yowza Digital Inc. announce research agreement to create new transmedia production process|publisher=Durham College|date=August 19, 2010|access-date=September 19, 2017|archive-date=September 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920044757/http://www.durhamcollege.ca/new-notable/focus-on-innovation/durham-college-and-yowza-digital-inc-announce-research-agreement-to-create-new-transmedia-production-process|url-status=live}} Heart of Texas Productions in Austin, and A. Film A/S in Copenhagen where, along with London, about a quarter of the film was animated overseas.{{rp|218}}{{cite news|last=Solomon|first=Charles|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-aug-03-ca-18862-story.html|title=Drawing on Talent Overseas|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=August 3, 1997|access-date=September 8, 2017|archive-date=November 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121221628/http://articles.latimes.com/1997/aug/03/entertainment/ca-18862|url-status=live}} The supervising animators were Athanassios Vakalis for Kayley, Chrystal Klabunde for Garrett, Cynthia Overman for Juliana, Alexander Williams for Ruber, Dan Wagner for Devon and Cornwall, Stephan Franck for the Griffin and Bladebeak, and Mike Nguyen for Ayden.{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030816150610/http://www.filmscouts.com/scripts/matinee.cfm?Film=que-cam&File=productn|url=http://www.filmscouts.com/scripts/matinee.cfm?Film=que-cam&File=productn|title=Quest for Camelot: About The Production|publisher=Film Scouts|archive-date=August 16, 2003|access-date=September 8, 2017}}

To create the rock-like ogre and other computer-generated effects, the production team used Silicon Graphics' Alias Research software. According to Katherine Percy, the head of CGI effects, the software was originally designed for special effects used in live-action films.{{cite AV media |title=Quest for Camelot – Special Features: The Animation Process (text) | type=DVD | publisher=Warner Home Video |date=1998 }}

{{Infobox album

| name = Quest for Camelot: Music from the Motion Picture

| type = Soundtrack

| artist = Various Artists

| cover =

| alt =

| released = May 5, 1998

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Various

| length = {{Duration|m=45|s=07}}

| label = Atlantic Records

| producer = Various Artists

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Quest for Camelot: Music from the Motion Picture

| type = soundtrack

| single1 = Looking Through Your Eyes

| single1date = March 24, 1998

| single2 = I Stand Alone

| single2date = 1 March 1999

}}

}}

{{Music ratings

|rev1 = Allmusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r348582/review}}

}}

On January 31, 1996, David Foster and Carole Bayer Sager were attached to compose several songs for the film.{{Cite news|title=Sager Gets Animated About 'Camelot' Production|newspaper=Los Angeles Daily News|via=HighBeam Research |date=January 31, 1996 |access-date=September 8, 2017 |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-25032067.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909142125/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-25032067.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 9, 2017}} The album peaked at #117 on the Billboard 200, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "The Prayer". The song was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, but lost to "When You Believe" from DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-its-hollywoods/124161530/ |title=It's Hollywood's night to let its stars shine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506201752/https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-its-hollywoods/124161530/ |date=March 22, 1999 |access-date=May 6, 2023 |archive-date=May 6, 2023 |page=5 |publisher=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}

On the soundtrack, "The Prayer" was performed separately by Celine Dion in English, and by Andrea Bocelli in Italian. The now better-known Dion-Bocelli duet in both languages first appeared in October 1998 on Dion's Christmas album These Are Special Times; it was also released as a single in March 1999 and on Bocelli's album Sogno in April 1999.

"Looking Through Your Eyes" was the lead single for the soundtrack. Andrea Corr of The Corrs and Bryan White performed the song as a duet in the film, while LeAnn Rimes performed the song during the end credits as the pop version. The second single off the soundtrack, "I Stand Alone", performed by White in the film, and Steve Perry for the end credits. Other original songs composed for the film include "United We Stand", "On My Father's Wings", "Ruber", and "If I Didn't Have You".

Original songs performed in the film include:

{{Track listing

| all_writing =

| all_lyrics =

| all_music =

| extra_column = Performer(s)

| total_length =

| title1 = United We Stand

| extra1 = Steve Perry

| length1 = 3:20

| title2 = On My Father's Wings

| extra2 = Andrea Corr

| length2 = 3:00

| title3 = Ruber

| extra3 = Gary Oldman

| length3 = 3:56

| title4 = The Prayer

| extra4 = Celine Dion

| length4 = 2:49

| title5 = I Stand All Alone

| extra5 = Bryan White

| length5 = 3:27

| title6 = If I Didn't Have You

| extra6 = Eric Idle & Don Rickles

| length6 = 2:55

| title7 = Looking Through Your Eyes

| extra7 = Andrea Corr & Bryan White

| length7 = 3:36

| title8 = Looking Through Your Eyes

| extra8 = LeAnn Rimes

| length8 = 4:06

| title9 = I Stand Alone

| extra9 = Steve Perry

| length9 = 3:43

| title10 = The Prayer

| extra10 = Andrea Bocelli

| length10 = 4:10

}}

The film was originally slated for November 14, 1997, but was pushed to May 15, 1998, to give the production team more time to finish the film.{{cite news|title='Camelot' put off by WB to '98|last=Johnson|first=Ted|url=https://variety.com/1997/film/news/camelot-put-off-by-wb-to-98-1117432981/|work=Variety|date=January 28, 1997|access-date=September 8, 2017|archive-date=September 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909095916/http://variety.com/1997/film/news/camelot-put-off-by-wb-to-98-1117432981/|url-status=live}}

The film was accompanied with a marketing campaign with promotional licensees including Tyson Foods, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo via Frito-Lay, Kodak, ConAgra Foods via Act II Popcorn, and Hasbro via Kenner Products. The fast food restaurant chain Wendy's had toys based on the characters included in a kid's meal, while Kodak had print advertisements on over 200 million photo processing envelopes.{{cite web|last=Szadkowski|first=Joseph|url=https://www.awn.com/animationworld/toy-fair-flood-animated-toys|title=Toy Fair: A Flood of Animated Toys|publisher=Animation World Network|date=March 1, 1998|access-date=September 8, 2017|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214756/https://www.awn.com/animationworld/toy-fair-flood-animated-toys|url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Hughes |first=Nancy |url=https://kidscreen.com/1998/06/01/22217-19980601/ |title=Property: Quest For Camelot |work=Kidscreen |date=June 1, 1998 |access-date=July 27, 2022 |archive-date=July 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220728022716/https://kidscreen.com/1998/06/01/22217-19980601/ |url-status=live }} Warner Bros. also partnered with Scholastic to produce children's books based on the film.{{cite press release|title=Partnership Launches with Scholastic's Quest for Camelot Publishing Program|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530200728/http://www.timewarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/1998/01/21/partnership-launches-with-scholastic-s-quest-for-Camelot|url=http://www.timewarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/1998/01/21/partnership-launches-with-scholastic-s-quest-for-Camelot|agency=Time Warner|date=January 21, 1998|access-date=September 8, 2017|archive-date=May 30, 2015|url-status=dead}}

Quest for Camelot was released on VHS and DVD by Warner Home Video in the United States and Canada on October 13, 1998. The VHS edition includes a teaser trailer for Warner Bros. and Morgan Creek Productions' The King and I (1999) and the Tom and Jerry cartoon, "The Two Mouseketeers", while the DVD included several making-of documentaries with interviews of the filmmakers and cast and a music video of "I Stand Alone". To help promote the home video release of the film, Warner partnered with Act II Popcorn, Smucker's, American Express, Continental Airlines, Best Western Hotels, CoinStar and UNICEF, which advertised its trick-or-treat donation boxes before Halloween arrived. Other promotions with the purchase of every video included a free "Devon & Cornwall" pendant, a mail-in offer for a free 14-inch "Devon & Cornwall" stuffed toy, and a Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary savings booklet worth over $150 in special offers and valuable savings.{{cite press release|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/%22Quest+for+Camelot%22+--+Animated+Feature+Film+From+Warner+Bros.+Family...-a053079681|title="Quest for Camelot" -- Animated Feature Film From Warner Bros. Family Entertainment Arrives On Home Video Oct. 13; First-Ever Fully Animated Theatrical DVD Release.|date=October 13, 1998|access-date=September 8, 2017|archive-date=September 9, 2017|url-status=dead|agency=Business Wire|via=TheFreeLibrary.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909095724/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/%22Quest+for+Camelot%22+--+Animated+Feature+Film+From+Warner+Bros.+Family...-a053079681}}

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 41% based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Diminished by uneven animation and treacly songs, Quest for Camelot is an adventure that ought to be tossed back to the Lady in the Lake."{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/quest_for_camelot/ | title=Quest For Camelot (1998) | website=Rotten Tomatoes | access-date=February 21, 2025 | archive-date=April 12, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240412105947/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/quest_for_camelot | url-status=live }} On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 50 based on 22 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{Citation |title=Quest for Camelot |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/quest-for-camelot |access-date=2022-09-29 |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922211824/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/quest-for-camelot |url-status=live }} Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a B+ on a grade scale from A to F.{{cite web |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |title=QUEST FOR CAMELOT, THE (1998) B+ |work=CinemaScore |access-date=March 4, 2021}}

Owen Gleiberman, reviewing for Entertainment Weekly, wrote, "The images are playful and serviceably lush, but the story and characters might have come out of a screenwriting software program, and the songs (sung by Celine Dion and Steve Perry, among others) are Vegas-pop wallpaper."{{cite magazine |date=May 22, 1998 |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |author-link=Owen Gleiberman |url=https://ew.com/article/1998/05/22/quest-camelot-2/ |title=Quest for Camelot |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=December 15, 2018 |archive-date=December 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215171329/https://ew.com/article/1998/05/22/quest-camelot-2/ |url-status=live }} David Kronke of the Los Angeles Times described the film as "formulaic" and wrote that it was "a nearly perfect reflection of troubling trends in animated features". He called Kayley "a standard-issue spunky female heroine" and said that "Garrett's blindness is the one adventurous element to the film, but even it seems calculated; his lack of sight is hardly debilitating, yet still provides kids a lesson in acceptance."{{cite web |title=Warner Bros.' Animated 'Camelot' Hits Formulaic Notes |access-date=September 10, 2017 |last=Kronke |first=David |date=May 15, 1998 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-15-ca-49793-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=May 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524170618/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-15-ca-49793-story.html |url-status=live }}

Critical of the story, animation, characters, and music, James Berardinelli of ReelViews wrote that the film was "dull, uninspired, and, worst of all, characterized by artwork that could charitably be called 'unimpressive.{{' "}}{{cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/q/quest_camelot.html |title=The Quest for Camelot |date=1998 |work=ReelViews |access-date=September 10, 2017 |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327035041/http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/q/quest_camelot.html |url-status=live }} Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote, "Coming on the heels of 20th Century Fox's lush but silly Anastasia (a much better film than this one), Quest for Camelot suggests that Disney still owns the artistic franchise on animated features."{{cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/15/movies/film-review-adventures-of-some-square-pegs-at-the-round-table.html |title=Quest for Camelot (1998) FILM REVIEW; Adventures of Some Square Pegs at the Round Table |date=May 15, 1998 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 29, 2020 |archive-date=September 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927104757/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/15/movies/film-review-adventures-of-some-square-pegs-at-the-round-table.html |url-status=live }} Kevin J. Harty, an editor of a collection of essays titled Cinema Arthuriana, says that the film is "slightly indebted to, rather than, as Warner publicity claims, actually based on" Chapman's novel.{{cite book |title=Cinema Arthuriana: Twenty Essays |editor=Kevin J. Harty |year=2002 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=0-7864-1344-1 |page=26}}

Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle said that the film is "a spirited adventure with generous romantic and comic charms" that "aims to please a range of ages, with loopy gags, corny romance, an oversized villain and catchy tunes performed by Celine Dion and LeAnn Rimes, among others."{{cite web|last=Stack|first=Peter|url=http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/A-Charming-Quest-Animated-legend-finds-right-3006713.php|title=A Charming 'Quest' / Animated legend finds right mix of adventure, romance|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=May 15, 1998|access-date=September 10, 2017|archive-date=September 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911114851/http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/A-Charming-Quest-Animated-legend-finds-right-3006713.php|url-status=live}} Joe Leydon of Variety considered the film as a "lightweight but likable fantasy that offers a playfully feminist twist to Arthurian legends" and noted that the "animation, though not quite up to Disney standards, is impressive enough on its own terms to dazzle the eye and serve the story."{{cite web|last=Leydon|first=Joe|url=https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/quest-for-camelot-1117477468/|title=Quest for Camelot|work=Variety|date=May 11, 1998|access-date=April 21, 2019|archive-date=August 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821085908/https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/quest-for-camelot-1117477468/|url-status=live}}

Quest for Camelot grossed $6 million on its opening weekend, ranking third behind The Horse Whisperer and Deep Impact.{{cite news|last=Welkos|first=Richard|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-19-ca-51169-story.html|title=Audiences Still Flocking to 'Impact'|work=Los Angeles Times|date=May 19, 1998|access-date=September 8, 2017|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225042839/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-19-ca-51169-story.html|url-status=live}} The film ultimately grossed $22.5 million during its theatrical run in North America.{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=questforcamelot.htm |title=Quest for Camelot (1998) |work=Box Office Mojo |access-date=April 28, 2020 |archive-date=May 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527152503/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=questforcamelot.htm |url-status=live }} Cumulatively, the film grossed $38.1 million worldwide. The studio lost about $40 million on the film.{{cite news|last1=Bates|first1=James|last2=Eller|first2=Claudia|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-24-mn-49659-story.html|title=Animators' Days of Drawing Big Salaries Are Ending|work=Los Angeles Times|date=June 24, 1999|access-date=October 4, 2010|archive-date=October 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019181543/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-24-mn-49659-story.html|url-status=live}}

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

• 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:
• "The Prayer" – Nominated{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/songs400.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs Nominees |access-date=August 5, 2016 |archive-date=April 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417023552/http://afi.com/Docs/100Years/songs400.pdf |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Quest for Camelot Nights}}

Prior to the release of the film, Warner Bros. had plans to make a stage adaptation of the film that would tour around to different renaissance fairs throughout the United States, as well as a nightly fireworks show for Six Flags Great Adventure. Both shows were designed by SLG Design & Creative Talent and Steve Gilliam.{{cite web|url=http://faculty.trinity.edu/sgilliam/SLG/QUEST/homepage.html|title=Quest for Camelot Tour|website=Trinity College|access-date=January 19, 2019|archive-date=September 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914022909/http://faculty.trinity.edu/sgilliam/SLG/QUEST/homepage.html|url-status=live}}

The touring aspect of the project was cancelled soon after the film's release due to poor box office performance and the tour's anticipated cost, but the nightly firework show did end up coming to fruition. Quest for Camelot Nights debuted at Six Flags Great Adventure in 1998, and ran through 2001.

The show told the story of the film, with much of the film's main characters appearing as live characters in the show. The film's musical numbers were acted out with scenes from the film displayed with projections onto the show's "water curtains".{{cite web|url=http://www.georgefledo.net/Quest%20for%20Camelot.htm|title=Quest for Camelot|website=George F. Ledo Theatrical and Entertainment Design|access-date=January 19, 2019|archive-date=April 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415230409/http://georgefledo.net/Quest%20for%20Camelot.htm|url-status=live}}

The Quest for Camelot Audio Action-Adventure was a follow along audiobook based on the film. Released April 7, 1998,{{cite magazine |last=McCormick |first=Moria |date=May 23, 1998 |title=Atlantic Employs Tie-Ins Galore for 'Camelot' Set |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jQ4EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Quest+for+Camelot%22+%22Audio+Action+Adventure%22&pg=PA70 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=November 18, 2019 |archive-date=September 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904165644/https://books.google.com/books?id=jQ4EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Quest+for+Camelot%22+%22Audio+Action+Adventure%22&pg=PA70 |url-status=live }} the interactive story features two new songs that were not included in the movie, Camelot and To Be a Knight.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/quest-for-camelot-read-along-mw0000035700|title=Quest for Camelot [Read-Along] - Audio Action Adventure Songs, Reviews, Credits|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=November 18, 2019|archive-date=September 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904165644/https://www.allmusic.com/album/quest-for-camelot-read-along-mw0000035700|url-status=live}} Initially announced in 1996, the audiobook was scheduled to be released October 1997,{{cite magazine|last=McCormick|first=Moria|date=October 5, 1996|title=Warner Consumer Products, Kid Rhino Team Up For Kids! WB Music Imprint|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0QkEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Quest+for+Camelot%22+%22Audio+action%22&pg=PA76|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 18, 2019}} but was delayed until April 1998. The story was narrated by Val Bettin.

{{Main|Quest for Camelot (1998 video game)}}

{{Main|Quest for Camelot Dragon Games}}

The first video game was titled Quest for Camelot and is an action-adventure video game developed by Titus Interactive and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color in 1998, and later was added to the Nintendo Switch Online service on September 5, 2023. A Nintendo 64 version of the game was planned,{{cite news|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/04/23/titus-makes-games-64dd-compatible|title=Titus Makes Games 6DD Compatible|work=IGN|date=April 23, 1997|access-date=June 21, 2019|archive-date=May 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523225859/http://www.ign.com/articles/1997/04/23/titus-makes-games-64dd-compatible|url-status=live}} but was scrapped due to the film's performance at the box office.{{cite news|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/04/13/titus-shelves-bots-and-camelot|title=Titus Shelves Bots and Camelot|work=IGN|date=April 13, 1999|access-date=June 21, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622041133/https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/04/13/titus-shelves-bots-and-camelot|url-status=live}} The second video game was titled Quest for Camelot: Dragon Games is a computer game developed by Knowledge Adventure, it gives the player the ability to explore Camelot after the events of the film. In addition to exploring the world, the player gets to raise a dragon egg and watch it grow.

• List of Warner Bros. theatrical animated features
• List of films based on Arthurian legend

{{Reflist}}

{{Wikiquote|Quest for Camelot}}

• {{Official website|http://www.warnerbros.com/quest-camelot}}
• {{IMDb title|120800|Quest for Camelot}}
• {{TCMDb title|411462|Quest for Camelot}}
• {{mojo title|questforcamelot|Quest for Camelot}}
• {{rotten-tomatoes|quest_for_camelot|Quest for Camelot}}

{{Warner Bros. Quest for Camelot}}

{{Warner Bros. theatrical animated features}}

{{Warner Bros. animation and comics}}

{{Films based on Arthurian legends}}

{{Frederik Du Chau}}

{{Authority control}}

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