Spellbound * A Heartfelt, Fantasy-Adventure Movie About Family And What Family Means
Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious princess who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents, the King and Queen of Lumbria, into monsters.
KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Kennedy P. comments, “Spellbound is a heartfelt, fantasy-adventure movie about family and what family means. Created with beautiful animation and fantastic songs, there is a lot to love here! I like that Spellbound shows unhealthy family dynamics, and the idea that many children view their parents as monsters. Yet for Princess Ellian (Rachel Zegler), a spell really did transform her royal parents (Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem) into monsters. In making this dark fantasy come true, this transformation makes for a good analogy with tweens and parents.” See her full review below.
Spellbound
By Kennedy P., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 10
Spellbound is a heartfelt, fantasy-adventure movie about family and what family means. Created with beautiful animation and fantastic songs, there is a lot to love here!
Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian (Rachel Zegler), the tenacious young daughter of the rulers of Lumbria, who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents. The movie is a modern take on a fairytale that uses familiar elements like a kingdom, princess, king, queen, and a spell to express the story of a family.
I like that Spellbound shows unhealthy family dynamics, and the idea that many children view their parents as monsters. Yet for Princess Ellian (Rachel Zegler), a spell really did transform her royal parents (Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem) into monsters. In making this dark fantasy come true, this transformation makes for a good analogy with tweens and parents. The movie is full of heart, laughter, and family — all created with vibrant, colorful animation. Every scene is so beautiful that I could not take my eyes off the screen.
The characters are all adorable. Spellbound features an all-star voice cast led by Rachel Zegler as Ellian — the perfect princess with a beautiful voice who is independent and optimistic. I like that in a princess. Nathan Lane voices Sunny the Oracle of the Sun and Tituss Burgess is the voice of Ludo the Oracle of the Moon – they are perfect together. Other excellent cast members are John Lithgow and Jenifer Lewis.
Spellbound addresses what it is that really makes a family — it is a modern fairytale that combines magical elements with a relatable story about family dynamics and overcoming alienation. I definitely related to this movie and think brings up good healthy conversations. It does tackle tough themes like parents’ separation seen through Ellian’s eyes and shows a child that blames themself and tries to ‘fix’ their parents’ relationship, but can’t.
I give Spellbound 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18, plus adults. It is available on Netflix starting November 22, 2024.
