MOVIE REVIEW Some kids see their parents as monsters — making them eat their vegetables, insisting homework be done before dinner, begging them to clean their room, etc. You know, the worst. In the case of Ellian, a princess from the land of Lumbria, her parents literally are monsters — unsightly, rambunctious and uncommunicative creatures — thanks to an encounter with some dark magic.
That's the state of royal play in "Spellbound," a semi-enchanting film from Skydance Animation on Netflix. The movie had a chance to be a gem thanks to some of the folks who brought it to life. The list starts with director Vicky Jenson, who, most notably, helmed 2001's beloved romp "Shrek.
" Then there's composer Alan Menken — working herewith lyricist Glenn Slater — who has contributed to animated Disney classics including "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin" and "Beauty and the Beast." And singing the original songs of Menken and Slater is Rachel Zegler, who delighted us in director Steven Spielberg's 2021 remake of "West Side Story" and last year impressed in "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes." These talented people and others — John Lithgow, Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem contribute voice work — help make "Spellbound" a relative winner even if it falls short of the quality of the aforementioned animated films.
As we meet Ellian (Zegler) — on her birthday, flying through mountains, above water and eventually back to the kingdom with her friends riding giant bird.