Coming to select theaters and Netflix November 22, is Skydance's beautifully animated, funny, and charming– Spellbound. Recently, I sat down with director Vicky Jenson to hear more about that surprising twist on happily ever after, what it was like working with Alan Menken, and more.
Spellbound Director Vicky Jenson Talks Fairytale Twist, Alan Menken, & More
Spellbound isn't just a beautiful animated, heartwarming story but it also puts a spin on your classic fairytale. This spin is something that we haven't really seen in mainstream animation and I think it's wonderful that a studio is taking the chance to show this family's journey because there are so many children all over the world that will relate to what Ellian is going through.
I have to say I really enjoyed the twist, slight spoiler, that mom and dad did not get the typical happily ever after. Was that always the plan for the story and how important was it for you to tell it knowing there's going to be so many families and children watching who are going to find themselves relating to what they're seeing?
Yeah, it was really important. It was always part of the story. Back when Skydance first pitched to me the idea, that was the point, that we represent families that are going through this […] and then it offered a great way forward for the family. [It's important because] my own stepdaughters have been through this. […] It's a lot of people's stories. It just seemed like it was a story worth telling and a dynamic that's so common that we need a fairy tale about it. Fairy tales are supposed to help us kind of move through these milestones in our lives and the timeless ones show you the guiding light through.
Alan Menken. You got to work the EGOT goat of children's animation I don't even know if I have a specific question, so honestly, whatever you want to share, I want to hear it.
It's an amazing dream come true. I remember seeing The Little Mermaid, I wasn't a little kid obviously, but I was new in the industry to some degree. And I said, oh, I love this. It just felt so timeless. If I could ever work on a movie like this, it would be amazing.
We met with him pretty early in the story process and we did a music retreat in Santa Barbara. We had our writers, my editor, head of story, the lyricist, [and] our music producer. [We started] just talking about the story. How's it moving forward? What about the I want song? How do you do that? So we would talk about what does she want? She wants her normal life back the way things were. So he had a piano in the room and he would just start to play this fairy tale theme he came up with at one point. We were weeping!
Watch The Full Vicky Jenson Interview
About Spellbound
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. Spellbound is directed by Vicky Jenson (Shrek) with original score from EGOT-winning composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast) and lyrics by Glenn Slater (Tangled). A Netflix Film from Skydance Animation, Spellbound boasts an all-star voice cast led by Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Nathan Lane, Tituss Burgess, with Javier Bardem, and Nicole Kidman.
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Spellbound releases in select theaters and on Netflix November 22. It is rated PG for thematic elements and some action/peril with a runtime of 109 minutes.
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