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An independent-minded young princess from a far-away enchanted land learns valuable lessons about life, love and the vulnerability of her parents in Skydance Animation’s beautifully animated feature Spellbound. Yes, the plotline may sound familiar, but the twists and turns, the eye-popping visuals and the catchy songs by Oscar winner Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater are highly original and should keep family audiences happy when the movie premieres on Netflix this month.

‘There was a concerted effort to not sugarcoat the depth and power of the emotions our characters were feeling. The last thing we wanted to do was Parent Trap the story!’

— Director Vicky Jenson

 

Directed by Vicky Jenson, a CG animation trailblazer who co-directed DreamWorks’ landmark movie Shrek over 23 years ago, Spellbound is the first title to debut on Netflix after the streamer made a multiyear agreement with Skydance in 2023. The modern fairy tale follows the adventures of Princess Ellian (Rachel Zegler) as she tries to reverse an insidious curse that turned her parents (Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman) into fumbling monsters.

Jenson says she was driven to the project when the story was first pitched to her by Skydance’s David Ellison and Dana Goldberg back in the fall of 2017. “The movie was called Split back then, and it spoke to me immediately because it was a story filled with emotion, relevance and heart. Generally, animated features begin with an idea of the world in which to set the movie. There is this old saying in animation during development, ‘The movie will tell you what it wants to be about,’ so it’s rare a story leads with so much meaning, so much to say right from the get-go.”

Not the Usual Song and Dance

There were several elements that stood out to Jenson right from the start. “The story didn’t have a traditional fairy-tale happy ending,” she recalls. “The princess at the heart of the story doesn’t quite get what she thinks she wants at the start. But through the experience of the story, moving through the question of what makes a family, she grows and discovers a different but still true happiness, one based on what ‘is’ as opposed to some idealized expectation of what ‘should be.’”

As is common in most studio animated projects, the story of Spellbound evolved quite a bit during its development time. “In the first script, there were three kingdoms — Ellian’s mother Queen Ellsmere’s kingdom, her father King Solon’s kingdom and the one they built together while they were happily married,” she explains. “While this was an attempt to re-create, in a fantasy world, the idea of a kid going back and forth between her separated parents and missing her childhood home, it quickly became unwieldy. We finally settled on one kingdom, Lumbria, which was originally Ellsmere’s home kingdom.”

The visual style of the movie is a seamless integration of stylized storybook ideals and aesthetics, as well as fantasy elements realized in a believable and grounded manner. “I have long been inspired by the artists of early Golden Books such as Mary Blair and Alice and Martin Provensen,” says Jenson. “There is a graphic but charming feel to their work as well as sophisticated way of handling a lot of rich color that I love. When I came across two of our main concept artists, the twins Elena and Olivia Ceballos, I recognized kindred spirits and quickly put them to work. They were vital in conceiving our Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness and the ephemeral Lake of Light.”

For the film’s production designer, Brett Nystul, one of the appealing qualities of the production was that it drew inspiration from Disney’s classic artists as well as an eclectic variety of real-world architecture and flora and fauna. “One of the cool things about Spellbound is that we had artists from all over the world on our creative team,” says Nystul, whose numerous credits include features such as Rise of the Guardians, The Croods, The Secret Life of Pets and Minions. “Of course, most of them are from Spain, as our studio is in Madrid, but we also have artists from South America, Eastern Europe and Italy. So, the overall look of the movie owes a lot to everybody putting their heads together and sort of evolving in its own special way.”

The Light in the Forest

“I think the movie’s emotional honesty makes it really special,” says story editor Brian Pimental, an animation veteran who has worked on many beloved films include Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, A Goofy Movie, Rio, The LEGO Movie 2 and Bambi II. “It doesn’t shy away from real emotions. I am also proud of the inventiveness of the story and the set pieces and the way it uses a fantasy world in a new way. I hope the movie will be remembered for the way it shows that life always doesn’t follow a straight line; that it’s futile to try to hold on to things and the way things were, because everything changes. In the beginning of the movie, Ellian looks at love from a child’s point of view, but later, she must accept that love is not always guaranteed. I also love the message that you should always look for the light, even when you are surrounded by darkness.”

Jenson echoes this feeling: “There was a concerted effort to not sugarcoat the depth and power of the emotions our characters were feeling. We worked very closely with clinical psychologist Dr. JoAnne Pedro-Carroll, who guided us through the issues, stages and truth of families going through this difficult time. The last thing we wanted to do was Parent Trap the story!”

Getting to the real heart of the story proved quite a challenge for Jenson and her team. “The idea that sometimes families don’t stay together but could still love one another was somehow still so controversial was surprising,” she says. “It seemed that a movie could more readily show a father brutally killed on screen, like The Lion King, rather than have a kid go on a journey with two living but warring parents. There was also a real challenge in visualizing and embodying Ellian’s inner journey as she moves from being a kid who wants her family back together [to] the one mature enough to see what really makes a family. The visual of Ellian facing her inner child, a child who just couldn’t let go of what used to be, was really important to me. Seeing Ellian comfort and encourage herself was a debated image that ultimately survived the cut!”

Pimental believes the movie has a lot to say about realizing that life has its share of ups and downs and surprises. “Things don’t always go as planned,” he says. “It’s sometimes futile to try and hold on to original plans, because things are always going to change and grow. The more you struggle to hold on to it, the more it deteriorates. The movie shows how Ellian’s understanding of love also changes and evolves. It also has this message about always seeking the light in the darkness of your situation.”

‘The movie shows how Ellian’s understanding of love also changes and evolves. It also has this message about always seeking the light in the darkness of your situation.’

— Story editor Brian Pimental

 

Jenson says she hopes Spellbound will spark a lot of interesting conversations. “I hope people will have more appreciation for their family,” she concludes. “It’s that connection that you will always have with your parents and your children. Yes, you can be at odds with each other, and there are times of alienation and separation, but there’s also a point where you begin to understand each other. I hope the audience will feel the story and recognize the truths at its core, that the love of family can be unbreakable, and the love we share is what keeps us ‘spellbound.’”

 

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Skydance Animation’s Spellbound premieres on Netflix on November 22.

 

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Building a Fantastic Realm

One of the appealing aspects of the movie is that it invites audiences to take a visual dive into Lumbria, the glorious bucolic realm of King Solon and Queen Ellsmere. The magnificent backdrop for the movie is described as the kind of destination in which you’d love to spend a rejuvenating holiday, early retirement or even a lifetime. Although the overall visuals of this realm were inspired by the geography and architectures of countries such as Spain, Greece and Morocco, animation fans will also notice the strong influence of iconic Disney artists Mary Blair (Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan) and (Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp).

As production designer Brett Nystul recalls, early in the development stages of the movie, the King and Queen each had their own separate castles and realms, and each world had its own unique style. “We took elements of each of those and combined it to one single architectural style,” he says. “Our director, Vicky Jenson, is a huge fan of some of the old Disney artists, and that was a huge draw for me. But it wasn’t just doing this for the nostalgic aspect of it: We were also bringing it to the modern age.”

Nystul adds, “One of the best parts of creating Lumbria was how the village grew and evolved as we brought in various Spanish and Moroccan elements. It’s a nice white village reminiscent of what you would see in Andalusia in southern Spain or the Greek islands — especially with the crystal-clear, green-blue water in its proximity. We had artists from all over the world working on the movie, and of course most of them are from Spain, and we drew heavily from that region, but we also had artists from South America and all over Europe. So as everyone put their heads and talents together, it created its own style and artistic flavor.”