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Spellbound (2024 film)

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Spellbound
Promotional poster
Directed byVicky Jenson
Screenplay by
  • Lauren Hynek
  • Elizabeth Martin
  • Julia Miranda
Produced by
Starring
Music byAlan Menken[1]
Production
company
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • November 22, 2024 (2024-11-22)
Running time
109 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Spellbound is a 2024 American animated musical adventure fantasy comedy film directed by Vicky Jenson from a screenplay by Julia Miranda and the writing team of Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin. It features music composed by Alan Menken, who also wrote the songs with longtime collaborator and lyricist Glenn Slater.[1] Produced by Skydance Animation, the film features the voices of Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Tituss Burgess, Nathan Lane, Javier Bardem, and Nicole Kidman. Set in the world of magic known as Lumbria, the story follows Princess Ellian (Zegler) who must break the spell that has turned her parents (Bardem and Kidman) into monsters and split her kingdom in two.

The project, initially titled Split, was announced in July 2017, shortly after Skydance Animation was formed in March 2017, with Paramount Pictures scheduling distribution for 2019. The film subsequently underwent changes, such as release dates, with Jenson later announced as the director, and the film's title changed to The Unbreakable Spell,[3] before eventually getting to its current title. The film was acquired by Apple TV+ in December 2020, before Netflix took over the rights in October 2023. Much of the main voice cast signed on in June 2022, following Zegler's casting in April 2022. Production was done remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spellbound was released on November 22, 2024 on Netflix. The film received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

In the magical kingdom of Lumbria, Princess Ellian has to deal with the fact that her parents, King Solon and Queen Ellsmere, had been transformed into feral monsters a year before, following a journey in the Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness. Royal advisors, Ministers Bolinar and Nazara Prone, help her supervise and hide the monsters from the public, but without any success of transforming them back, they think Ellian should become the new Queen since she will come of age on her 15th birthday. As a last attempt to bring her parents back, Ellian arranges a meeting with two deities, Sunny and Luno, the Oracles of the Sun and Moon respectively. However, upon their visit, the monster King and Queen scare them off, leaving behind only a magical device, called "The Fob", that combines their powers.

Ellian accidentally lets the monsters out of their cages, and they wreak havoc in the kingdom, making the subjects as well as the Captain of the Guards aware of the situation. With panic erupting among the people, the Captain orders the monsters be removed from the kingdom, prompting Ellian to use the Fob's magic so that she and her parents can escape and visit the Oracles themselves. She uses the Fob again to lose the guards and the ministers chasing them, causing Bolinar to accidentally switch bodies with Ellian's pet rodent Flink.

At the cottage of Sunny and Luno in the Dark Forest, they reveal that only Ellian's parents can reverse the spell by traveling to the Lake of Light. During the journey, the King and Queen regain their ability to talk but not the memories of their former selves. Bolinar tries lead the guards to them, but Ellian and her parents escape through a desert full of quicksand. After Ellian saves a gryphon baby from the quicksand and returns it safely to its parents, Solon and Ellsmere remember what it is to be a parent and finally recognize Ellian as their daughter. The return of their humanity makes Bolinar realize that Ellian was right about not losing hope, while he also begins to enjoy his new body after befriending creatures of Flink’s species.

The group reaches the Lake of Light, and it shows that Solon and Ellsmere's constant arguing was the cause of their transformation. Realizing they were an unhappy couple, they tell Ellian that they cannot be together anymore. A vortex of dark magic appears and is about to consume an upset Ellian, while Solon and Ellsmere are captured by the guards who still believe that they are dangerous beasts. After successfully convincing their subjects about their regained selves, they use the light of the lake to save Ellian from the darkness. Assuring her that their love for her has never changed and never will, Ellian makes peace with their decision of separating, understanding it will not break their family bond. They hug and spell is lifted, turning Solon and Ellsmere back into humans and returning Flink and Bolinar to their respective bodies.

One year later, Solon and Ellsmere are living in separate castles, but managing to rule the kingdom and raise Ellian together in harmony. On her 16th birthday, Ellian is having a big celebration with her family and friends, happily embracing both good and bad changes in her life.

Voice cast

Production

Development

In March 2017, Skydance Media formed a multi-year partnership with Madrid-based animation studio Ilion Animation Studios, forming an animation division called Skydance Animation.[5] In July, it announced Split, and it was revealed by Skydance Media CEO David Ellison that Linda Woolverton was writing the film.[6][7] It would be distributed by Paramount Pictures as part of their deal with Skydance Media and was given a release date for sometime in 2019. Following John Lasseter's hiring as CCO of Skydance Animation, then-chief of Paramount Animation Mireille Soria announced that Paramount Animation would end its informal work with Skydance.[8]

In April 2020, composer Alan Menken announced that he was working on the project with Lasseter,[9] which was renamed to The Unbreakable Spell before it became Spellbound.[1] The film would be directed by Vicky Jenson, from a screenplay by Woolverton and the writing team of Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin, with songs by Menken and longtime collaborator Glenn Slater.[10] In July 2020, it was announced that Spellbound was still going to be released by Paramount Pictures without Paramount Animation[11] until Apple TV+ acquired the distribution rights in December 2020 as part of a larger pact with Skydance Animation.[12] Apple Studios would replace Paramount as a production company. However, in October 2023, Skydance Animation ended its deal with Apple, and later signed a multi-year deal with Netflix, which would take over distribution of the studio's future films in production, including Spellbound.[13] In February 2024, Julia Miranda was revealed to have joined the writing staff. In June 2024, Woolverton was confirmed to be a producer on the film.[14]

Casting

In April 2022, Rachel Zegler was cast as the lead character.[15] In June, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, John Lithgow, Nathan Lane, Jenifer Lewis, André De Shields, and Jordan Fisher were added to the cast.[16] In June 2023, Tituss Burgess joined the cast, replacing De Shields.[17][18]

Animation

Animation has been provided by Skydance Animation Madrid with portions of production done remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.[19]

Marketing

In March 2022, it was reported that Skydance Animation made a multi-year deal with Spin Master Entertainment to make toys based on the film.[20]

Release

In March 2017, it was reported that the original release was intended to be in 2019.[6] On July 20, 2020, Paramount Pictures dated the film for November 11, 2022.[11] On December 16, 2020, Apple TV+ entered talks to take over the distribution rights to the film, retaining its November 11 date. However, the film ended up missing its release date for unknown reasons.[21][22]

A work-in-progress presentation of the film was shown at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June by Jenson and head of story Brian Pimental.[23] Shortly after, the film was announced for a 2024 release.[17][18] That October, Netflix took over the film's distribution rights from Apple, as part of a new multi-year deal with Skydance Animation, while retaining its 2024 release.[13] In June 2024, Netflix announced that the film would premiere on November 22, 2024.[14][24]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 48% of 23 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10.[25] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[26]

References

  1. ^ a b c Giranda, Carolyn (May 20, 2020). "Alan Menken to Compose Original Songs and Score for Skydance Animation's 'Spellbound'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  2. ^ "Spellbound (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. August 21, 2024. Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  3. ^ Keegan, Rebecca; Giardina, Carolyn (July 27, 2022). "John Lasseter's Second Act". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  4. ^ Alexa, Laurén (October 30, 2024). "Netflix Drops 'Spellbound' Official Trailer, Key Art, New Images". Animation World Network. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  5. ^ McNary, Dave (March 16, 2017). "David Ellison's Skydance Launching Animation Division With Spain's Ilion". Variety. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 16, 2017). "Skydance Launches Animation Studio With Spain-Based Ilion". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  7. ^ Busch, Anita (July 31, 2017). "Skydance's Steps Big Into Animation: 'Split' And 'Luck' Coming From Top Notch Ani Filmmakers". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  8. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (January 14, 2019). "Paramount Animation Chief Says Her Team Won't Be Working With John Lasseter at Skydance". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Young Artists of America (April 2, 2020). Talk Back with Alan Menken. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ McNary, Dave (July 20, 2020). "Skydance Animation's 'Luck,' 'Spellbound' Scheduled for 2022 Release". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  11. ^ a b McNary, Dave (July 20, 2020). "Skydance Animation's 'Luck,' 'Spellbound' Scheduled for 2022 Release". Variety. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  12. ^ "Apple Makes Big Animation Commitment with New Skydance Animation Deal". Collider. February 17, 2021. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 18, 2023). "Netflix Sets Skydance Animation In Multi-Year Deal, First Up Is Alan Menken Musical 'Spellbound'; Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem Star". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Milligan, Mercedes (June 6, 2024). "Next on Netflix Animation Presentation Sneak-Peeks 'K-Pop: Demon Hunters', 'Plankton' Movie, 'Motel Transylvania' and Much, Much More!". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on June 6, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  15. ^ Kroll, Justin (April 1, 2022). "Rachel Zegler to Voice Lead of Apple Original Films and Skydance Animation's 'Spellbound'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  16. ^ Grobar, Matt (June 21, 2022). "Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, John Lithgow, Nathan Lane, Jenifer Lewis & More Board Animated Pic Spellbound From Apple & Skydance Animation". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Giardina, Carolyn (June 12, 2023). "Tituss Burgess Joins Voice Cast of Apple and Skydance Animation's 'Spellbound'; New Image Revealed (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  18. ^ a b "Tituss Burgess Joins Voice Cast of Apple and Skydance Animation's 'Spellbound'; New Image Released (Exclusive)". GVS-Entertainment. June 12, 2023. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  19. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 8, 2020). "How Animated Pics Like 'Tom & Jerry', 'SpongeBob Movie', 'Sing 2', Skydance's 'Luck' & More Are Working Through The COVID-19 Crisis". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  20. ^ Hayes, Dade (March 22, 2022). "Skydance Animation Sets Licensing Pact with 'PAW Patrol' Creator Spin Master, Kicking off with Apple Original Film 'Spellbound'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  21. ^ Donnelly, Matt; Lang, Brent (December 16, 2020). "Skydance Animation in Talks to Move 'Luck,' 'Spellbound' to Apple (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  22. ^ Donnelly, Matt (February 17, 2021). "Apple and Skydance Animation Formally Announce Multi-Year Partnership". Variety. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  23. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (June 13, 2023). "Vicky Jenson Teases 'Spellbound' Songs Reuniting 'I See The Light' Duo Alan Menken & Glen Slater – Annecy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  24. ^ Giardina, Carolyn; Moreau, Jordan (June 6, 2024). "Timothy Olyphant to Star in Netflix's 'Terminator Zero'; Plus 'Plankton' Movie and 'Motel Transylvania' Among Animation Slate". Variety. Archived from the original on June 6, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  25. ^ "Spellbound". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  26. ^ "Spellbound". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
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