A teenage princess has a legitimate reason to call her parents monsters in the teaser for Netflix’s Spellbound. The family-friendly animated film features the voice of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes star Rachel Zegler as the royal teen with complicated family issues.
“Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, 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 into monsters,” reads Netflix’s synopsis.
The voice cast also includes John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Tituss Burgess, and Nathan Lane. Being the Ricardos stars Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman reunite for the animated comedy.
“I hope that audiences will see how incredible the art of animation is when it comes to teaching tough lessons to the next generation,” said Zegler. “Spellbound handles delicate subjects with a lot of beautiful imagery, music, and an allegorical approach to real life issues that kids sometimes face.”
Shrek‘s Vicky Jenson directed from a screenplay by Lauren Hynek, Elizabeth Martin, and Julia Miranda. Producers include John Lasseter, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Bruce Anderson for Skydance Animation.
“For me, the story [of Spellbound] is even more universal than the specifics of this family dynamic. For me, it speaks to kids and their parents, to the kind of alienation that can happen as we grow up, and the steps we have to make towards each other to weather it together and come through the other side with better understanding,” explained director Jenson.
EGOT-winning composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast) wrote the score and Glenn Slater (Tangled) wrote the lyrics.
Spellbound premieres on November 22, 2024.
