‘Spellbound’: Review

Dir: Vicky Jenson. US/Spain. 2024. 106mins

Even in enchanted kingdoms, families have problems. This is the primary lesson of Spellbound, a heartfelt animation that never proves to be especially magical. Rachel Zegler voices an optimistic princess hiding a secret — her royal parents have been turned into monsters by a dark curse — who goes on a journey to restore things to how they once were. But despite a handful of catchy songs from Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken and a thoughtful, unexpected final twist, the latest project from Skydance Animation, which also produced 2022’s Luck, finds the nascent company still lagging behind its competitors. 

A sense of narrative deja vu 

Streaming on Netflix globally starting on November 22 — the same day it also receives a limited US theatrical release — Spellbound hopes to find an audience over the Thanksgiving holiday, especially among families who would prefer to watch something at home. The film features big names, including Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman in smaller roles but, even among viewers seeking animated fare, Spellbound lacks the buzz of Moana 2, which opens in the US and rolls out globally from November 27.

In the land of Lumbria, Princess Ellian (voiced by Zegler) is a happy-go-lucky teenager who has done her best to cope with the fact that her parents, the king (Bardem) and queen (Kidman), were put under a spell that has transformed them into rampaging, unspeaking creatures. With the help of the haughty but loyal Minister Bolinar (John Lithgow), Ellian has kept this a secret from their subjects – but eventually the townspeople learn the horrible truth, sending the kingdom into a panic. Two wacky oracles (Tituss Burgess, Nathan Lane) instruct the princess that she must take her parents in search of a mystical totem that can reverse the curse before it is too late for them to change back.

Directed by Vicky Jenson, who co-directed Shrek and Shark Tale, the film plays with fairytale tropes, trying to find humour in updating the old-fashioned milieu with modern references. (There are jokes about rideshares, and the dialogue contains plenty of modern expressions, such as “They are a lot.”) But the quippy exchanges often fall flat, while the comedy frequently targets younger children, relying on tired bits of business such as overly cute critters and broad slapstick. 

Skydance Animation’s first feature, Luck, borrowed heavily from the playbooks of Pixar and Dreamworks, concocting a would-be clever imaginary world while attempting to balance laughs and sentiment. Ambitiously, Spellbound aspires to be an adventure saga, a musical and a tear-jerking family drama. But the sense of narrative deja vu — the nagging recognition that the film draws from disparate, familiar parts, rarely gelling into a coherent whole — cannot help but make the proceedings feel derivative. This is especially apparent in the humdrum animation style, which is bright and energetic but unspectacular.

Ziegler makes for a likeable, independent princess, and the West Side Story star certainly has the talent to perform Menken’s peppy tunes. (It is both a strength and a limitation that Spellbound’s songs echo his previous work on classics like The Little Mermaid and Beauty And The Beast, with Tony-nominated lyricist Glenn Slater providing the zippy rhymes.) Unfortunately, Ziegler’s supporting cast struggle with their predictable roles. Lithgow’s fussy Bolinar is a drag, while Burgess and Lane’s comic-relief oracles are schticky rather than uproarious. Bardem and Kidman, reuniting after 2021’s Being The Ricardos and once again playing a fractious couple, have little opportunity to shine. 

Yet, underneath the threadbare plot and commonplace characters, Jenson wants to say something meaningful about the sometimes-fraught relationship between parents and children — and the challenges of trying to recapture simpler, happier times. Initially, Ellian is frustrated by her unruly parents, who she is convinced are still there somewhere inside these rambunctious monsters, even though most in the castle believe they are too far gone to save. As the princess takes them on a quest to find a cure, she must be the adult guiding these unreasoning beasts.

Jenson’s ultimate message is actually not revealed until the finale, which should not be spoiled – although let it be said that she provocatively explores how family members can become (metaphorical) monsters without realising it. That closing twist would hit harder, however, if the journey to get there had been more engaging. But, by recycling themes and genres, Spellbound fails to transform into a touching fable.