Spellbound is a charming fantasy musical adventure thanks to its great voice cast and catchy tunes from Alan Menken and Glenn Slater that will no doubt captivate younger viewers even if it is not reinventing the animated princess formula by any means. 

 

Generations of children have had their childhood movie going experiences defined by the music of Alan Menken. Menken, who had his big break off Broadway with Little Shop of Horrors, began the Disney renaissance with his songs he co-wrote with Howard Ashland for The Little Mermaid and cemented himself as a Disney legend with films like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Hercules, Tangled and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Outside of Disney animation, Menken penned “The Star Spangled Man” for Captain America: The First Avenger and created the music and songs for the criminally underrated and short lived musical comedy series Galavant with Glenn Slater, his lyricist on this film. Marking one of his few animated film outside of Disney, Spellbound sees Menken return to the realm of animated princess with a talented cast of great singers including Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, Nathan Lane and Titus Burgess, that creates one enchanting film for the entire family to enjoy even if it does not measure up to Menken’s legendary previous works in this genre.

 

Menken is no stranger to lush and grand orchestrations, developing his musical score from the melodies of the songs he has written, and Spellbound is no exception to his stylings. The score evokes a magical feeling as viewers embark with Ellian on her quest to save her parents from the curse they are under, but it is the songs from Menken and Slater that many viewers will be watching Spellbound for. Zegler’s ballad “The Way It Was Before” is a beautiful solo for her that gives her her signature princess song and lets her vocal abilities soar, much like many of Menken’s most notable songs, making for the standout song of the entire film. Creating some fun and entertaining musicals numbers are “Look for the Light”, the duet between Lane and Burgess that is one of the most enjoyable scenes of the entire film thanks to their great comedic chemistry and singing, and John Lithgow’s big number “I Could Get Used to This” which is without a question silly but one that younger viewers will have a great time with thanks to its catchy lyrics and exciting visual cues. Compared to Menken’s other animated musical songs, Spellbound falls firmly in the middle of his work, not necessarily bad by any means but far from the goated status of his works in Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. But thanks to the film’s strong voice cast, who both lend their voices to create distinct characters and deliver wonderful musical vocals, Menken and Slater’s songs truly come to life in a spellbinding way.

 

From a visual standpoint, Spellbound features strong CG animation. The animation brings to life the wonderful world of Lumbria and all of the magic in it seamlessly, full of vibrant colours and great detail in every frame. It has the polished look of other Skydance Animation titles, though it does not feature the groundbreaking or boundary pushing animation efforts that we have seen from studios like Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, and Sony Pictures Animation in recent years. While not a detriment to the film, it misses that wow factor that so many recent animated films have had due to their animation styles.

 

The story itself fits firmly within the mold of modern animated princess films we have seen in the past decade. Gone is the damsel in distress storyline or needing to be married off to a handsome prince, as Ellian is a strong willed, intelligent and resourceful princess determined to break the curse that her parents are under, making for one powerful role model for young girls. Playing with themes of growing up, strained family relationships and embracing one’s emotions and not suppressing them, the film has strong messaging for younger viewers to help them not fear their feelings when they are feeling stressed or troubled, that will simultaneously create a richer experience for adults watching with their children. It’s all woven into a magical quest full of laughter, danger, and excitement, ensuring that there is never a moment of Spellbound that is not entertaining, even though its almost two hour run time may be too long for its intended audience who often have a shorter attention span. Combined with its strong voice cast, and the scene stealing pairing of Lane and Burgess as the Oracles, Spellbound is great family entertainment to enjoy on streaming one night this winter.

Fans of Alan Menken’s music will no doubt be satisfied with Spellbound as he adds some great new songs to his songbook, letting the talents of Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, Nathan Lane, Titus Burgess and the rest of the cast soar. While the story and animation style does not break any boundaries, instead settling into the well established themes and styles of the genre, Spellbound weaves together a strong voice cast, resonate themes and the pairing of Alan Menken and Glenn Slater that delivers the music that viewers want for an animated princess film.