Spellbound (2024) Review: Can Netflix's New Princess Musical Make a Spell?

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Copyright © Netflix, Skydance Animation

Title: Spellbound
Director: Vicky Jenson

Release Date: November 22, 2024



    Netflix just came out with another animated musical today. While Wicked and Gladiator II both started playing in theaters, this movie came into streaming on the same day. Today's movie is called Spellbound, the new Netflix animated movie animated by Skydance Animation. What does this recent flick hold for us? Akin to many other Netflix original movies, this one does not have a confirmed budget. However, what is to tell is that it got mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it got a 62% Tomatometer but no Popcornmeter just yet. From Metacritic, it got a 54 Metascore and a higher 7.8 User Score. This hints that the audience liked it a bit more than the critics did. Being yet another Netflix journey inspired by 2010s Disney Princess films, Spellbound can make a spell to make enjoyable musical magic.


Summary

   Teenage princess, Ellian (Rachel Zegler), must turn her parents back into humans after they have been turned into monsters. What it takes is to adventure into the wild to find what is needed before it stays there forever.


Reasons

    The most sparkling magic to come out of Spellbound are the world building, songs, and message. Similar to Luck, Skydance's previous animated movie, this movie also gets creative with building its fictional world. This time, the world is not based on a particular concept. What it took was to build it to unravel the main message. Another good thing to talk about is the songs. Sure, they may be nothing so special and possibly forgettable after the first listen. Despite that, the musical numbers were what helped them to be one of the best things to come out of the movie. Last up from this batch, the message is barely anything seen before in a kids movie. Most of them are leaning towards family because of the relationship between Ellian and her parents on the journey. To put it, the main message is that divorce is not the children's fault. Just because parents separate from each other, it does not mean that they hate their kids. Also, it shows how families can heal after a tragic event has occurred between them.
    Putting them to the side, the other magic churned out of Spellbound are the structure, animation, and characters. The story did seem to be something that we had seen before. We have the princess trying to fix something bad that has happened to her family, while she learns about things along the way. With how it was put though, it did not turn out all so bad because of how it builds its message in the third act. Next, as this is done by Skydance, the animation turned out to be a visual spectacle. The animators did a good job with the character designs and color palette, and it looks like they are competing with Disney right now. It may not be at DreamWorks' level since the team did what they can with the budget. Finally, the characters are written good enough to be likable. All of them go through character development, like Ellian, the main lead, as well as Bolinar, which turned out solid. Ellian's parents, Queen Ellsmere and King Solon, do go through their development to understand what Ellian is meaning.
    Spellbound is close to being a great movie, so it does have some major flaws that are not so noticeable. There are some plot holes that are not so hard to notice. It has to do with how the creatures work in this fictional world because there are some questions about them that end up unanswered. Next up, the writing came out somewhat rushed. In result, there are some awkward moments that could have been fixed for the film to be more tolerable. Lastly, Ellian is not a great protagonist overall. It is not just because she is voiced by controversial actor, Rachel Zegler; it has to do with her personality and depth. Sure, they are using the awkward and dorky princess stereotype, but she does not have enough negative personality traits to make her more relatable.



Conclusion

    Although it may not hit at DreamWorks' level, Spellbound can make a spell to ignite a musical journey about divorce and healing. Luck was a way better Skydance film. Nonetheless, this one is good as well, even though Rachel Zegler is a horrible person. Because it is inspired by the Disney Princess movies, this film does have a chance at competing with Disney's sequel and live-action remake junk that is coming out right now. There may be some better films but it can also work as an alternative for those who cannot afford to buy Wicked tickets at the moment. If you have Netflix, give this a look if you are curious, even if it will turn out as just a one-time watch for you.


    Score: 7/10 (my parents are monsters!)




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