Spellbound, 2024.
Directed by Vicky Jenson.
Featuring the voice talents of Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Nathan Lane, Tituss Burgess, John Ratzenberger, Dee Bradley Baker, Olga Merediz, and Giovanna Bush.
SYNOPSIS:
Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious princess who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents, the King and Queen of Lumbria, into monsters.
In Vicky Jenson’s Spellbound, Princess Ellian’s (voiced by Rachel Zegler) parents are monsters. Not only have they been transformed into literal monsters after an unlucky encounter in an enchanted forest of darkness, but their newfound rage and rambunctious nature are also a metaphor for these family dynamics. Seeking an answer from an Oracle duo (voiced by Nathan Lane and Tituss Burgess), they are also under the impression that when Princess Ellian explained this situation from afar (which has been going on for roughly a year now), it was a metaphor for her royal parents acting out in some way that would drive a wedge between everyone. It is also to be appreciated that Vicky Jenson (working with a screenplay from Lauren Hynek, Elizabeth Martin, and Julia Miranda) apparently wants to make sure younger viewers know what a metaphor is, but it would have been rewarding if they were more willing to explore the characters themselves.
Beneath the cutesy depiction of this generic fantasy kingdom, the beastly parents themselves, a purple rodent that accompanies Princess Ellian, and John Lithgow as a royal advisor who gets transformed into something else that prompts him to give a deeply goofy voiceover performance all but confirming the film is merely out to entertain rather than do anything radical or substantial with its refreshing concept, this is a disappointing approach to the material.
When one considers that Alan Menken, a prolific and excellent songwriter for Disney, having written songs for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast, among others, is on board but also doesn’t get the opportunity to fully take advantage of those more serious, emotional ideas (and the powerful voice of Rachel Zegler, save for a song or two during the climax), this experience is bluntly a bummer that clearly could have been more. It also has no business stretching this story out to nearly two hours.
That last part is especially true since the plot’s machinations are already uninspired. The plot introduces everything from magical devices (a circular remote with several buttons standing in for a wand) to beacons of light (far into the previously mentioned dangerous enchanted forest) that can solve everything. Everything meanders and drags its way from area to area and song to song.
Dragging her monstrous parents into the forest looking for this magical cure is also Princess Ellian’s last option. Her royal advisors insist they can no longer keep this secret about her parents hidden from the public eye and that it’s time to phase them out and give the 15-year-old control over the kingdom. It’s also worth mentioning that her parents, as monsters, can’t speak. However, they don’t recognize her even when they regain that ability (coming to be voiced by Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman.) They must relearn English from the ground up, albeit at an advanced speed. While the film never acknowledges this, part of the metaphor could also be for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, especially given that Princess Ellian cares for them. It’s an interesting possibility, mostly abandoned, as the parents start having their memories jogged and eventually realize who they are.
Spellbound is colorful and well-meaning but far too familiar, bland, and overtly silly to fully capitalize on the tantalizing notion of Rachel Zegler singing Alan Menken tunes or the thorny messages it seems afraid to fully get at about toxic parenting passing down darkness from generation to generation. The sentiments are admirable but frustratingly executed. Younger viewers will certainly get something out of the third act, but everyone could have gotten much more if the rest of the film was up to that standard.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
