Review: Spellbound 2024 Movies
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Spellbound is Skydance Animation's second official film after Luck (2022). Elian (Zegler) is the young daughter of the ruler of Lumbria, trying to keep secret that her parents, King Solon (Javier Bardem) and Queen Ellesmere (Nicole Kidman), have been transformed into monsters by a mysterious magic. To save her parents, Elian must embark on a daring mission to undo the spell before it's too late. She realizes that no matter what happens, her family may be changed forever. The film is full of potential, very well-intentioned and heartfelt, but has too many problems to be anything more than mediocre entertainment for the whole family.
The diverse voice cast, including Zegler, Nathan Lane (Luno) and John Lithgow (Bolinar), delivers an enjoyable production. The heart of this film is in the right place, and while the adult subject matter may come as a surprise, the underlying message remains important for younger audiences. However, it's a shame that everything around him is forgettable at best. As for the animation, it looks good for the most part, but it can feel unfinished at times, which is not what it is. Despite some fun character designs, the characters themselves are nothing special, with the exception of Zegler's Elion. The film sets the stage by bringing a promising fantasy world to life, but never really takes advantage of it or capitalizes on it from there. Rather, the film's plot and characters seem to be derived from and quoted from several excellent animated films.
Ultimately, Spellbound's biggest problem is the fact that it's a musical. Princesses, castles, and adventure usually go hand in hand in animated musicals, but for some reason the musical segments crafted here just didn't work. Still, some songs are better than others, with Zegler's solo performance and her beautiful singing voice standing out. The rest of the songs hit the right emotional rhythm, but are neither memorable nor downright catchy, no matter how hard the film tries to make them. There are way too many musical numbers, but what's worse is that they get worse and worse as the movie goes on, with many of them taking embarrassing turns. You can stream this movie on Afdah Movies.
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