''Spellbound'' is a 2024 American animated

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

fantasy comedy Fantasy comedy or comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Typically set in imaginary worlds, fantasy comedy often involves puns on, and parodies of, other works of fantasy. Literature The subgenre ro ...

film directed by

Vicky Jenson Victoria Jenson (born March 4, 1960) is an American film director of both live action and animated films. Retrieved April 9, 2014. She has directed projects for DreamWorks Animation, including ''Shrek'', the first film to win an Academy Award ...

and co-directed by Jorge Blanco, from a screenplay by Julia Miranda and the writing team of Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin, based on a story conceived by Jenson, Hynek, and Martin. It features music composed by

Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer and conductor. Over his career he has received List of awards and nominations received by Alan Menken, numerous accolades including winning eight Academy Awards, a Tony Awards, Tony ...

, who also wrote the songs with longtime collaborator and lyricist

Glenn Slater Glenn Slater (born January 28, 1968) is an American lyricist for musical theatre. He's collaborated with Alan Menken, Christopher Lennertz, & Andrew Lloyd Webber, among other composers. He was nominated for three Tony Awards for Best Original S ...

. Produced by

Skydance Animation Skydance Animation, LLC, is an American animation studio that is a division of Skydance Media, founded on March 16, 2017. The studio is based in Los Angeles, with offices in East Hartford, Connecticut, and Madrid, Spain; the Madrid branch was or ...

, the film features the voices of

Rachel Zegler Rachel Anne Zegler ( ; born May 3, 2001) is an American actress and singer. She gained wide recognition for playing María in Steven Spielberg's musical adaptation ''West Side Story (2021 film), West Side Story'' (2021), winning the Golden Glo ...

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...

Jenifer Lewis Jenifer Jeanette Lewis (born January 25, 1957) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in Broadway musicals and worked as a back-up singer for Bette Midler before appearing in films ''Beaches'' (1988) and '' Sister Act'' (1992). L ...

Tituss Burgess Tituss Burgess (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in several Broadway musicals and is known for his high tenor voice. He is best known for starring as Titus Andromedon on the Netflix comedy series '' Unbre ...

Nathan Lane Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. Since 1975, he has been Nathan Lane on screen and stage, on stage and screen in both comedic and dramatic roles. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Na ...

Javier Bardem Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem (born 1 March 1969) is a Spanish actor. In a career spanning over three decades, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, tw ...

, and

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...

. 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 Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

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'', before eventually getting to its current title. The film was acquired by

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

in December 2020, before

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

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 The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. ''Spellbound'' premiered at the Paris Theater in New York City on November 11, 2024, and was released via Netflix on November 22. It 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 ago, 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

Oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

s 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 to lead the guards to them, but Ellian helps her parents escape through a desert full of

quicksand Quicksand (also known as sinking sand) is a colloid consisting of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it crea ...

. 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 and consume an upset Ellian, while her parents are captured by the guards, who still believe that they are dangerous beasts. They successfully convince their subjects otherwise after Bolinar gathers Flink's conspecifics to stop the guards and break them free. Solon and Ellsmere then 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 the 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

as Princess Ellian *

as Queen Ellsmere, Ellian's mother *

as King Solon, Ellian's father *

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of his work has consisted of vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Adventure Time'', ''American Dad!'', '' Avatar: The Las ...

as Flink, Ellian's pet *

as Minister Bolinar *

as Minister Nazara Prone * Olga Merediz as General Cardona *

as Sunny, the Oracle of the Sun *

as Luno, the Oracle of the Moon *

John Ratzenberger John Dezso Ratzenberger (born April 6, 1947)About John
from Ratzenberger's official website is an Americ ...

as Milo, The Monster Handler

Production

Development

In March 2017,

Skydance Media Skydance Media, LLC, also known as Skydance Productions, is an American entertainment company, media production company, production and finance company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by David Ellison in 2006, the company specializes i ...

formed a multi-year partnership with

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

-based animation studio Ilion Animation Studios, forming an animation division called

. In July, it announced ''Split'', and it was revealed by Skydance Media CEO

David Ellison David Ellison (born January 9, 1983) is an American film producer, former actor, and the founder and CEO of Skydance Media. He is the son of multibillionaire and Oracle Corporation co-founder Larry Ellison. Early life and education David Ellis ...

that

Linda Woolverton Linda Woolverton (born December 19, 1952) is an American screenwriter, playwright, and novelist, whose most prominent works include the screenplays and books of several acclaimed Disney films and stage musicals. She is the first woman to have w ...

was writing the film. In January 2019, Skydance Animation hired former

Pixar Animation Studios Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney S ...

and

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that produces animated feature films and short films for the Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a s ...

CCO

John Lasseter John Alan Lasseter ( ; born January 12, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator. He was previously the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Disneytoon Studios, a ...

as Head of Animation. In April 2020, song and score composer

announced that he was working on the project with Lasseter. The following month, Skydance officially announced that Menken had re-teamed with song lyricist

and executive music producer Chris Montan, all of whom had previously collaborated together in the same roles with Lasseter on ''

Tangled ''Tangled'' is a 2010 American animated musical film, musical Adventure film, adventure fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Loosely based on the German fairy tale "Rapunzel" in th ...

'' (2010), to work on ''Spellbound''. The film would be directed by

, from a screenplay by Woolverton and the writing team of Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin. In July 2020, it was announced that ''Spellbound'' was going to be released by Paramount Pictures until

acquired the distribution rights in December 2020 as part of a larger pact with Skydance Animation.

Apple Studios Apple Studios LLC is an American film, television and in-house production company that is a subsidiary of Apple Inc. It specializes in developing and producing original television series and films for Apple's digital video streaming service Appl ...

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

, which would take over distribution of the studio's future films in production, including ''Spellbound''. In February 2024, Julia Miranda was revealed to have joined the writing staff. In June 2024, Woolverton was confirmed to be a producer and was no longer credited as a writer on the film.

Casting

In April 2022,

was cast as the lead character. In June,

André De Shields André Robin De Shields (born January 12, 1946) is an American actor, singer, dancer, director, and choreographer. He has received numerous accolades including an Emmy Award, Grammy Award, and Tony Award. De Shields has appeared in the original ...

, and

Jordan Fisher Jordan William Fisher (born April 24, 1994) is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He began his career with recurring roles on several television series, including '' The Secret Life of the American Teenager'' in 2012 and '' Liv and Maddie'' ...

were added to the cast. In June 2023,

joined the cast, replacing De Shields.

Animation

Animation has been provided by Skydance Animation Madrid and was also made in Los Angeles and Connecticut with portions of

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

done remotely during the

Marketing

In March 2022, it was reported that Skydance Animation made a multi-year deal with

Spin Master Spin Master Corp. (formerly known as Spin Master Toys) is a Canadian multinational toy and entertainment company. Spin Master employs over 1,600 people globally with offices in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ital ...

to make toys based on the film.

Release

In March 2017, it was reported that the original release was intended to be in 2019. On July 20, 2020,

dated the film for November 11, 2022. On December 16, 2020,

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. A work-in-progress presentation of the film was shown at the 2023

Annecy International Animation Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring ever ...

in June by Jenson and head of story Brian Pimental. Shortly after, the film was announced for a 2024 release. That October,

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. In June 2024, Netflix announced that the film would premiere on November 22, 2024.

Reception

Critical response

Audience viewership

During the November 18–24 viewing window, ''Spellbound'' secured its #3 position in Netflix's top series, accumulating 8.5 million views within its first three days. It went up to the #2 position, garnering 15.3 million views the following week (November 25–December 1). According to Luminate Film & TV Streaming Viewership, the film ranked as the #2 and #3 most-watched streaming original film in the U.S. for the weeks of November 22–28 and November 29–December 5, respectively.

Awards and nominations

Short film

On March 1, 2025, Netflix released a short film titled ''Flink's Pigeon Problems: A Magical Rescue'', directed by Susan Fitzer and Brian Pimental.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spellbound 2020s adventure comedy films 2024 American animated films 2020s children's adventure films 2020s children's animated films 2020s children's comedy films 2020s children's fantasy films 2020s English-language films 2020s musical fantasy films 2024 computer-animated films 2024 fantasy films American adventure comedy films American children's animated adventure films American children's animated comedy films American children's animated fantasy films American children's animated musical films American computer-animated films American fantasy comedy films American musical fantasy films Animated adventure films Animated comedy films Animated fantasy films Animated musical films Animated films about magic Animated films impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic Films about divorce Films directed by Vicky Jenson Films about dysfunctional families Films produced by David Ellison Films produced by John Lasseter Films scored by Alan Menken Skydance Animation films Skydance Media films Netflix original films English-language musical fantasy films English-language adventure comedy films 2024 musical films