A teenage princess in a magical land ventures on an epic journey to save her parents from a monstrous fate in the new Netflix movie Spellbound, which sings and dances up a storm while cleverly addressing complex themes of anger, resentment, and reconciliation. The CGI musical fantasy film uses Disney-style songs and fairy tale elements to teach youngsters difficult truths about growing up. Relationships evolve over time. Parents who were once in love can grow apart in ways that cannot be rectified. That doesn't change how they feel about their children. Sometimes the happy ending isn't the one you expect.
A Princess Without Parents
Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious young daughter of the rulers of Lumbria who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents into monsters. Spellbound is directed by Vicky Jenson (Shrek) with original score from EGOT-winning composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast) and lyrics by Glenn Slater (Tangled). A Netflix Film from Skydance Animation, Spellbound boasts an all-star voice cast led by Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Nathan Lane, Tituss Burgess, With Javier Bardem, And Nicole Kidman. Spellbound is written by Lauren Hynek & Elizabeth Martin and Julia Miranda and produced by John Lasseter, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Bruce Anderson for Skydance Animation.
- Release Date
- November 22, 2024
- Director
- Vicky Jenson
- Cast
- Rachel Zegler , Miguel Bernardeau , Giovanna Bush , Dennis Stowe , Jenifer Lewis , Dee Bradley Baker , Susan Fitzer , Nicole Kidman , Javier Bardem , John Lithgow , Olga Merediz , Rich Moore , Nathan Lane , Tituss Burgess , John Ratzenberger , Vicky Jenson , Angela Grovey , Jessica Molaskey , Isabelle McCalla
- Runtime
- 109 Minutes
- Studio(s)
- Skydance Animation
- The animation and music are good enough, though don't rise to the creators' brilliance elsewhere.
- An allegory for how divorce or parental problems affects children that is told with subtlety and maturity but in an entertaining way.
- A large, excellent voice cast, though many stars don't get much to do.
- The film ends with a bit of a whimper and winds down without a strong climax.
- Some of the animation is excellent, but a lot of it is fairly uninspired and forgettable.
In the kingdom of Lumbria, Princess Ellian (Rachel Zegler) soars on her pet griffin, which looks like a fluffy tabby cat with wings. She banks and rolls above the castle as her friends frolic nearby. An emergency flare signals that Ellian must return home at once. She lands in a hurry, leaving everyone else behind locked gates. No, she will not be having a celebration that night for her 15th birthday. Ellian arrives just in time to prevent General Cardona (Olga Merediz) from entering.
Where is King Solon (Javier Bardem) and Queen Ellsmere (Nicole Kidman)? Cardona hasn't seen them in over a year. Why do they refuse to meet her? Ministers Bolinar (John Lithgow) and Nazara (Jenifer Lewis), the royal family's loyal aides, concoct another clever excuse to keep Cardona and her soldiers at bay. Everyone rushes back inside to reveal their big secret. The King and Queen were transformed into giant monsters after a trip into the Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness.
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Bolinar and Nazara can no longer keep up the charade and reach a sad conclusion. Ellian is now of age. Her parents will never return to normal. She must ascend to the throne as the ruler of Lumbria. Ellian reluctantly agrees, but begs for one last chance to save her parents. She will consult Sunny (Nathan Lane) and Ludo (Tituss Burgess), the Oracles of the Sun and Moon, for help. Thus begins an epic fantasy quest that unearths some big revelations for the 15-year-old princess.
Average Work from Great Musicians & Animators
Spellbound is brimming with nifty musical numbers from Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Enchanted) and lyricist Glenn Slater (Home on the Range, Tangled). They shepherd the narrative with timely tunes that express the characters' emotional states as Ellian and a hilariously transformed Bolinar embark with her monster parents on a grand adventure. A particular standout, "Step in a New Direction," has vibrant flamenco guitars and showcases Spanish influences with a snappy beat. The songs are solid across the board and should be crowd-pleasers, but likely won't be adding more awards to Menken's shelf.
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Spellbound gets a passable grade for character design and overall creativity. Acclaimed animation director Vicky Jenson (Shrek, Shark Tale) takes an original idea and infuses the film with familiar animals meant to engender warmth. The Lumbrians have human features but pointy elf ears. There are flying critters aplenty fashioned after domesticated pets. Imagine a husky puppy with wings. The most adorable and fluffy scene-stealer is a purple thief called Flink. He's equal parts chipmunk and flying squirrel, with a penchant for stuffing ill-gotten gains in his mouth. If kids still play with anything other than phones, Flink toys might be a hit at Christmas.
No Monsters but the Ones Inside You
The film takes a different approach by not having a specific villain or antagonist. There's a whirling black tornado that chases the cast whenever they let bad feelings overtake them. It's depicted as a mindless entity driven solely by negativity as opposed to something that specifically targets victims. This fits into the general theme of darkness versus light, and the characters can be physically changed if they allow dark thoughts to rule their fate. Most fairy tales have a baddie the hero eventually battles, but that isn't Jenson's goal here. The message is that we have to tame the demons inside or suffer tragic consequences.
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Spellbound's animation doesn't push boundaries but deserves a modicum of praise for several exceptional scenes. In one of them, Ellian, Bolinar, and her monster parents have to cross a quicksand desert before reaching their ultimate goal. It hardens in the light but behaves like a raging sea under darkness and cloud cover. This looks pretty impressive, with sand waves swirling like a whirlpool and then surging forward as they literally surf on rocks.
'Spellbound' Lacks a Climax but Nails Its Message
The major drawback here is that the climax doesn't offer anything new or visually stimulating. Audiences are used to seeing a big finale in animated films. Jenson and her production team should have saved the best CGI effects for last.
Spellbound is at its best when it explores its themes of divorce. Children can feel lost and ignored when their parents hit a rough patch, and then blame themselves for the hurt and physical separation in the aftermath. Breaking up isn't easy and can cause significant distress as time passes. Parents have to be aware of their children's feelings and prepare them for a new life under different roofs. In depicting this through engaging fantasy and song, Spellbound succeeds grandly at its most important tenet. Spellbound is a production of Skydance Animation and premieres on November 22nd exclusively on Netflix. Watch it through the link below:
Watch Spellbound
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