Charges of beastly parents take on a literal meaning in Spellbound, a moving if somewhat familiar animated fantasy musical from Skydance Animation. When protagonist Ellian (Rachel Zegler) describes her parents as monsters, she’s not echoing the clichéd allegation lodged by teens everywhere. She’s being dead serious. Nearly a year ago, while ambling through the forest, her parents were turned into unruly behemoths.
Few people in their kingdom of Lumbria are aware of this transformation, since, with the help of royal advisors Bolinar (John Lithgow) and Nazara (Jenifer Lewis), the princess has managed to keep her parents hidden away for the better part of the year. In a charming early sequence, Ellian cites the very normal adolescent desire to spend more — not less — time with Mom and Dad as the reason she can’t hang out with her friends. But the masquerade is not sustainable, and on the eve
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