What Is the Story About?
Princess Ellian’s parents transform into feral monsters after a journey in the Dark Forest. While the royal advisors hide the monsters from the public, there are attempts to announce Ellian as the Queen when she comes of age on her 15th birthday. As a last-ditch effort, Ellian tries to reverse her parents’ curse, confronting many obstacles and learning valuable life lessons.
Performances?
The voice-acting is definitely among the brighter spots of the film. Rachel Zeglar’s performance as Ellian has the right mix of feistiness, hope and innocence. Nicole Kidman’s interpretation of Ellsmere is captivating, but the role doesn’t present a vast scope for him to make an impression. Tituss Burgess, Nathan Lane bring liveliness to their performance as the Oracles. John Lithgow, Jenifer Lwis and Jordan Fisher are decent too.
Analysis
Watching animation films could be therapeutic in more ways than one. When done well, they can downplay the cynic in us and rekindle our inner child. True, they can be preachy, with excessive spoon-feeding to their target audience. Still, there aren’t many mediums to gift-wrap bitter-sweet truths of life in a saccharine exterior, pleasing music with a dose of fantasy as effectively.
Spellbound is a refreshing attempt to reinterpret the values of an ideal family through an optimistic protagonist, who makes an unlikely attempt to reverse a curse that has transformed her parents into monsters. As you may have guessed by now, the curse is a visual representation of humans turning into monsters with their bitterness – the tale understates the need to change within.
The film does an interesting job in its portrayal of Ellian’s dysfunctional childhood. The focus is generally on the curse, the future of Lumbria (the kingdom in which they reside) in the hands of Ellian and safeguarding the truth about the king and the queen from the public. After a failed meeting with Oracles, who could help her parents turn humans again, all hell breaks loose.
The story gains momentum precisely when Ellian uses a magical device to help her and the parents flee the kingdom to meet the Oracles again. Through the journey to the Lake of Light, a minister and a pet-rodent swap identities, the parents regain their ability to converse and also realise the reason behind the monstrous transformation, paving the way to an emphatic finale.
The tale is presented more like a musical than a verbal narrative – the characters express their innermost feelings through songs. While the film sensitively showcases the void in Ellian’s life, and how her little desires remain unfulfilled, the storytelling is too direct, sans much artistry. The life lessons in the story are thrust upon us through dialogues and not organically woven into the film.
The intention behind the story is quite appreciable, discussing the many scars that dysfunctional families leave behind in the life of a child and how it’s better for parents to part ways amicably than make the situation miserable for all parties involved. The ending, where Solon and Ellsmere live in separate castles and still rule the kingdom, leaves a lasting impact.
Spellbound is a strange case where the style doesn’t complement the substance. There are a handful of poignant moments in the journey – like how Ellian saves the baby wolf, makes peace with the separation, Bolinar’s realisation about hope, the bond with the Flink species – to name a few. The animation and visual design fit the bill but are basic in terms of ideation and lack depth.
Despite instances of individual brilliance, Spellbound isn’t holistically impressive.
Music and Other Departments?
Alan Menken’s music is easy on the ears, though not all song situations lend themselves well for a musical. Visually, there’s a lot to savour in the Lumbrian universe, but one senses the bar could’ve been pushed higher too – both in terms of cinematography and production design. The animation is more basic than imaginative, while Vicky Jenson and team get their intentions right in the story.
Highlights?
Impressive story
Good voice-acting
Select animation segments, adventure and action sequences
Drawbacks?
Needed more visual artistry
The messaging is too direct
Did I Enjoy It?
In parts
Will You Recommend It?
One may watch it, but it’s no masterpiece
Spellbound Review by Binged Bureau