Summary
Netflix has released the trailer for their upcoming filmSpellbound. Produced by Skydance,Spellboundis an upcoming animated musical starringThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesactor Rachel Zegler. It follows the story of a princess named Ellian who is sent on a raucous adventure when a spell turns her family into monsters. In addition to Zegler,Spellbound’s leading voice cast includes Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, John Lithgow, Jennifer Lewis, Nathan Lane, Olga Merediz, and Tituss Burgess.
Now,Netflixhas released the trailer forSpellbound.
The trailer begins by showing princess Ellian as she is sent two non-human beings who come to her via a giant frog. Ellian then explains thather parents went into a mysterious forest, only to come out after the areturned into monsters. Ellian tries to control her monster-parents' rambunctuous actions as wreak havoc in the city. Ellian must stand up for her family against an army that wants to capture them, all the while fighting to reverse the spell.
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There is a curious dissonance between howSpellboundis characterized in the video’s description and what the trailer conveys. In text, Netflix emphasizes the movie’s famous music team, includingThe Little Mermaidcomposer Alan Menken andTangledlyricist Glenn Slater.While Slater and Menken have created original songs forSpellbound, the trailer features none of them, offering only a background of “Don’t Stop Believing.” This choice aligns with the odd choices of musicalsWonkaandMean Girlsfrom recent times, though the reason for this marketing choice is unclear.
Given thatSpellboundis indeed a musical, however, it fits in with a small Netflix trend this year. Earlier this year, the platform releasedThelma the Unicorn, an animated musical starring Grammy award-winning singer Brittany Howard as a scraggly pony who becomes a pop-star after being mistaken for a mystical unicorn. BetweenSpellboundandThelma the Unicorn,Netflix seems to be riding the wave of animated musicalspopularized by Disney and recent film series such as theTrollsfranchiseandSingmovies.
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Thelma the Unicorn is Netflix’s new original musical wherein farm animals begin living the celebrity lifestyle after one is mistaken for a unicorn.
Spellboundis also latching onto Zegler as she rises to fame. After making her big-screen debut as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation ofWest Side Story, Zegler has been on the rise through performances in films such asThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. She is also set to start in the upcoming Disneylive-action version ofSnow White, makingSpellbounda good preview of the performer’s princess prowess. As a powerful vocalist, Zegler is a great choice for Princess Ellian, hopefully helping to elevateSpellboundto Netflix success.
