©Courtesy of Netflix
Mary, Queen of Scots was six days old when she ascended to the throne. It did not work out very well, especially for her. In contrast, Ellian, the Princess of the Kingdom of Lumbria turns a relatively mature fifteen, right as the film opens. However, she is not yet emotionally prepared to succeed her parents, King Solon and Queen Ellsmere. Unfortunately, the royal advisors will soon invoke the Lumbrian equivalent of the 25th Incapacity Amendment, unless she figures out a way to cure them. Through an unknown magical process, the King and Queen were transformed into giant ogre-like monsters in Vicky Jensen’s Spellbound, which premieres on Netflix (and opens in theaters) this Friday.
The transmuted King has vaguely canine features, while the Queen looks more feline, but there is no talking to either of them in their current state. Yet, somehow Princess Ellian always manages to calm them down. Consequently, she believes a spark of their consciousnesses must remain inside them. Unfortunately, that also means she hardly has time to spend with her friends anymore. Instead, she constantly works to sooth the savage beasts and keep their cursed condition a closely guarded state secret.
Only hyper-stressed Minister Nazara Prone and the puffed-up Minister Bolinar are privy to the truth. Also, Ellian’s pet Flink, a purple chipmunk-like creature with flying squirrel wings and an insatiable appetite for nuts and goo, has also encountered her parents in their enchanted form, but he certainly isn’t telling.
©Courtesy of Netflix
Ellian seeks the supposedly wise counsel of the Sunny, the Oracle of the Sun and Ludo, the Oracle of the Moon, who explain the quest they all must make together, to revert the royal couple to their original selves. Inconveniently, when the rigid General of Lumbria finally learns the truth, she duly captures the royal monsters.
Of course, plucky Ellian has the tenacity to pull off an unlikely escape, but thanks to some injudicious use of the Oracles’ magic, Bolinar finds himself body-switched with Flink. Weirdly, he proves more useful in his new plushy-friendly body, as Ellian resolutely leads her parents on the healing journey prescribed by the Oracles. Yet, ultimately, the monster couple must decide whether they have the strength and desire to change back.
Probably the coolest part of Spellbound is the design work for the winged griffins the characters ride throughout the film. The domesticated griffins are colored a tabby orange, while Griffins in the wild are a lynx-like white. Naturally, their kittens are especially cute. Beyond them, most of the fantasy world created by screenwriters Lauren Hynek, Elizabeth Martin, and Julia Miranda feels largely interchangeable with dozens of previous animated fairy tale realms.
©Courtesy of Netflix
Yet, the film’s most interesting aspect must be the weird, unintentional resonance it takes on, in the (almost) post-Biden era. Frankly, when it was first conceived, the notion of a head of state’s family and closest advisors covering up their compromised condition probably sounded merely like an amusing springboard for palace intrigue, but it lands differently today.
Regardless, Rachel Zegler sounds impossibly and annoyingly chipper as unsinkable Princess Ellian. John Lithgow is perfectly cast as the voice of Bolimar, but a little of his insufferable pompousness goes a long, long way.
The idea of Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman appearing as an on-screen couple should intrigue their fans, but there is little opportunity for them to develop chemistry as the (mostly) monstrous King and Queen. Nathan Lane and Tituss Burgess add further star-power as the Oracles, but their characters are very shticky.
Still, Flink and his fellow furball rodents will likely charm the pants off kids and the griffins offer a good deal of soaring fantastical spectacle. There is nothing really wrong with Spellbound. It just is not sufficiently special to generate a lot enthusiasm. Jenson is an accomplished animated filmmaker, but this film lacks the clever snappiness of her Oscar-winning Shrek (the original).
Nevertheless, parents can feel safe parking their kids in front of Spellbound, because it maintains a peppy pace and contains no objectionable material or themes, which is something. Functional as a low-impact holiday distraction for kids, Spellbound starts streaming this Friday (11/22) on Netflix (and opens in select theaters).
Grade: C+
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Here’s the trailer of the film.