Director Vicky Jenson hopes that Spellbound, the second animated feature originated by Apple Original Films, will be nearing 50% completion by this autumn.
The animated musical should be ready by the end of 2023, “if not spilling a little into January” ahead of a 2024 release, according to Jenson, whose directing credits include Shrek and Shark Tale.
Jenson presented a work-in-progress showcase of Spellbound alongside Brian Pimental, head of story at the film’s producer Skydance Animation, to the animation-savvy audience at Annecy International Animation Film Festival on Tuesday, June 13.
The session included first looks at characters and locations – plus several original songs from legendary composer Alan Menken, and longtime collaborator Glenn Slater.
Spellbound, which Jenson boarded in late 2017, is her first musical title. “Shaping a story with music is a very different process,” says the director. “Musicals are often a two-act story; movies are traditionally three acts.” To solve some of these challenges, the key production team had a “music retreat” where they shut themselves in a room for three days to work on songs and their placement in the film. The room contained a piano – and Menken, who came up with the main fairy tale theme on the spot. “The writers were crying – it’s beautiful,” recalls Jenson.
Spellbound follows Elian, a teenager who must use her magical powers to defend her family when opposing forces of light and darkness threaten to divide her kingdom. The fairy tale story plus Menken’s presence will draw inevitable comparisons to Disney classics on which the composer worked, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast and Aladdin. Jenson accepts the connection, but sees a difference in the stories’ genesis.
“Disney brought us the fairy tales, but didn’t create them; we’re just used to them being there,” says Jenson. “We made fun of that in Shrek.”
Sculpting
Creating an original story was “one of the biggest challenges” says Pimental. “We’re not basing it on a character like The Little Mermaid; we’re trying to invent that, but at the same time solve the story problems.” This challenge became an advantage; instead of a pre-ordained story, the narrative and songs could be shaped in tandem.
An initial version of the script was more expansive, with “two separate kingdoms, armies at war” says Jenson. Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter, who was hired to run Skydance Animation in January 2019, helped focus the film “on what was key about the story – what was unique and emotional.”
“We always knew where we were going with the story; but how to tell that story, what aspects of it are we going to elevate with song – that shifted,” says Jenson. “Then other times the music would drive us – this is a song you need more, this is a story point. That’s a really fun time, because we can tune up the humour, sharpen the action, clarify certain aspects, and plant things earlier to call back to later. You’re sculpting a little bit all over – hedge-trimming.”
The Annecy audience were treated to songs by a voice cast led by West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler as Elian, plus Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman as her parents, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, and Tituss Burgess and Nathan Lane as two oracle characters, with Lane’s inspired by Sigmund Freud.
A family animation with a film star cast and grand fairy tale locations seems tailor-made for cinemas. That is Jenson’s wish. “We’re actively trying to find a way [to ensure a theatrical release], so fingers crossed,” says the director. Apple Original Films’ and Skydance’s previous animated feature Luck also showed footage at Annecy, before debuting on Apple TV+ exclusively last August. “Spellbound feels like a movie that should be in a theatre,” says Jenson. Conversations with Apple have not yet taken place though. “That’s above our pay grade!” laughs the filmmaker.
Twenty-two years on from Shrek, Jenson is acutely aware of the cultural impact a well-told fairy tale can have. The green ogre is firmly ensconced in contemporary meme culture; while she recommends visiting the regular Shrek raves that take place worldwide. “It’s crazy!” laughs Jenson of the film’s enduring popularity. “The people who grew up on it – they’re the babies of Shrek. Watching your life get turned into a musical on a cruise ship – what world am I in?!”
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