Spellbound is a musical that follows a princess called Ellian (Rachel Zegler) whose parents have been turned into monsters. So she has to sort of become the parent figure and take on the role of the king and queen while hoping she will get her parents back and pretending her parents are not monsters to the kingdom. Ellian also misses having her parents as parents, She then finds a way to break the curse and cure her parents which leads her on a quest. 

Spellbound is a good film with fantastic, fun songs. The cartoon animation is bright, shiny, and colourful, with incredible attention to detail, especially in the hair and fur of both people and animals. Rachel Zegler has a beautiful voice and excels at voice acting, which was a pleasant surprise since I hadn’t seen her in a role like this before. What stood out to me about this film is how it touches on important real issues, something you don’t always expect in a film like this. I was surprised by a small moment towards the end—something I didn’t anticipate in this type of film. It felt fresh and significant, marking the first time I’ve seen a kids’ movie address this kind of subject. I found myself relating a very small amount to Ellian in this film. The story showed that family will always love and support each other, even if things don’t turn out as you might expect, you are still family. There were some chuckles throughout the film as well. Ellian had her funny moments but also came across as a strong character, while the oracles were comedic and made me chuckle a few times throughout. The soundtrack and instrumentals were great and I enjoyed most of the songs throughout the film. 

The story and script, unfortunately, felt more geared toward a much younger audience. While it does touch on important topics and themes, I wish it had explored these in greater depth, as they often felt underdeveloped. Sadly, the script lacked depth in its dialogue, and I found myself wishing the film had been crafted to appeal more broadly to older audiences as well as younger ones. I would have liked more to happen in the story. 

Spellbound is a good film but not fantastic. I enjoyed watching, despite the script and story being aimed at younger audiences. The plot deals with important and real issues that are relatable and has some beautiful songs, voices and laughs along the way!