Warning: SPOILERS for Spellbound.Spellboundis a traditional-feeling animated film with a message that is anything but. The second release from Skydance Animation follows Ellian, a young princess who sets off to reverse a mysterious curse that has transformed her parents into monsters. Ellian’s journey with her monster parents across a whimsical landscape turns into something more serious as new reVellations threaten to alter her family dynamic forever. The movie’s star cast includes Rachel Zegler, Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman, Nathan Lane, Jenifer Lewis, and John Lithgow.
Spellboundwas brought to the screen by veteran animation director Vicky Jenson, who also co-wrote the script. Jenson is well-known as the finishing director of the 2001 mega-hitShrek, and also directed 2004’sShark Tale. OnSpellbound, Jenson helmed her first movie musical, working with legendary songwriters Alan Menken and Glenn Slater on thesoundtrack.
Spellbound Borrows One Genius Part Of Disney Musicals That’s Defined 16 Of Their Movies Over The Last 35 Years
Skydance Animation brought in one of Disney’s most accomplished composers for its new movie Spellbound, hinting at future notable collaborations.
Screen Rantspoke with Vicky Jenson about her work directingSpellbound. Jenson spoke about the movie’s long journey to the screen, why she felt this story was so important to tell, and how she went about makingSpellbound’s endingfeel earned. Jenson also reflected on her time working onShrekand how that set up her eventual reunion with John Lithgow on this film.
Vicky Jenson Talks Spending Years Bringing Spellbound’s “Weirdly Taboo” Story To The Screen
It’s About A “Real Family Situation”
Screen Rant: It seems like this movie was in development for a long time, and it took a lot to get it to the screen. Was this harder than normal to finish, and if so, why?
Vicky Jenson: I think it was harder because the story hadn’t been tackled before. It’s funny how it was sort of weirdly taboo. We found that out later. Initially, I loved that the story was about a real family situation but set in this fantasy world, and that the parents don’t end up together, but it’s still a happy ending. That’s honest. That’s real. We lived through this. My husband’s divorced and [has] girls—I’m the evil stepmother now—and I hadn’t seen a story like this before. That was what was so important—getting that ending right.
When I came on the project, it was mostly this big fantasy world with two kingdoms at war, and it had a lot of interesting stuff about a princess who could save her world, but not her parents' marriage. There was a twist about it that was always there, but the storytelling and how to tell it was really what took a while to develop. It took us a little while to strip away the things that were maybe not as important, and then we hit upon this allegory of parents who are so caught up in their own animosity that they’ve turned themselves into monsters in the kid’s eye. Told from her point of view, she doesn’t know where the spell came from. It doesn’t seem breakable, but maybe she’s the one that can break it. [We were] taking our time to do that right, working with a therapist who works with families going through this exact situation—what it’s like for the kids, what it’s like for the parents—and using her expertise to make sure we were staying honest to that story.
Shrek was a long time [in development], too, before I came on the project. Most of these movies sometimes go through different filmmakers' hands trying to find a handle on it. And on Shrek, I was director number five. People would fall off, like, “Okay, I give up.” In this case, I stayed with this project, but even live-action movies take a long time to get to the point where they begin production, so we didn’t take an inordinately long time.
Were you worried at all about how parents would take this movie, and how they would react to it?
Vicky Jenson: The intention was never to vilify the parents, right from the get-go. I wanted to make sure that we weren’t picking one who was more at fault than the other, so getting into the specifics of their problem was not the point—just that this can happen. People grow apart. They stop bringing out the best in each other. [We knew] that if we could do it that way, you could feel the universal truth in the relationship. The parents wouldn’t be bothered, but they might take notice, like, “I wonder if I’m doing that.” Then, it helps them to evaluate. None of us were worried that parents would be bugged. We didn’t vilify them.
Jenson Reflects On Working With Alan Menken & Glenn Slater On Her First Movie Musical
“It’s A Different Way Of Telling A Story”
I was so struck by Ellian’s emotional journey because she starts out covering for her parents about something she doesn’t fully understand, and later you dive into her anger at that and at them, which I’ve never seen in a movie like this. In addition to working with therapists, how did you want to go about showing that?
Vicky Jenson: That song evolved pretty early on in working with Alan and the amazing lyricist, Glenn Slater. He really captured her very justifiable feelings of anger and feeling betrayed and feeling unloved. It’s like a teenage anthem. All of us felt that at one point. Even if our parents weren’t going through this, we felt unseen. And, in a funny way, it’s a natural part of life that you have to pull away from your parents to go out and make your own way. It’s almost biological that you have to start fighting, to some degree. I think teenagers just have to rebel, and even the way their mom breathes will bug them. It’s built into us.
Knowing that she had to voice these feelings came very early on, and Glenn, I thought, found the words so beautifully to do it. We hardly changed anything in that song from the moment that he wrote it and Alan put it to music. It became a goal that we had to earn that song.
And this is the first musical that you directed. What was the process like of figuring out where the songs were going to go and how you were going to work with Alan and Glenn? It’s a very different way to make a movie.
Vicky Jenson: It’s a different way of telling a story from telling a regular story—the way musicals are structured, or the way they work. Alan and Glenn, as well as our music producer, Chris Montan, who’s worked with Alan since The Little Mermaid, educated us on how these things work. You do want your “I Want” song early, just like you have a scene that lets the audience know what the character wants, and it’s key that the songs move the characters emotionally from one thing to another. You don’t just open the movie up, drop a song in, and then keep going. They have to work the way scenes work, and scenes are there to keep things moving. “And then this happens because of that, then that [happens,]” and the songs are doing it as well. “Step by Step” starts off with a problem, but then comes up with a deal and a solution between the three of them. It was really great to be seated at the feet of the master musical storyteller and learn how this stuff works.
Jenson Reveals How She Pitched The Movie To Javier Bardem
And Shares What It Was Like To Reunite With John Lithgow After Shrek
I’d love to talk about your cast, too. Rachel Zegler is amazing, Nathan Lane is a legend, and you got John Lithgow back into animation. What was your favorite moment in either finding or working with this cast?
Vicky Jenson: So many. It was so fun pitching to John after working with him so long ago. I went and saw him in a play or a musical on Broadway maybe 15 years ago, and he remembered me, and I was so happy about that. [When I was] pitching him the story and why we were making it—and at that point it was already COVID, so it was all through Zoom—he was just so into it. He’s such a delight, and he jumped on board right away and became very curious about how his character helps facilitate this journey for the family. And it evolved. His body switch let him be in the story more and contribute more to the evolution happening in the family. Even his song “I Could Get Used to This” speaks to the whole theme too. Every recording session was my favorite with John.
With Javier, there were a lot of scheduling issues. I couldn’t pitch to him for the longest time until just before the Academy Awards. I think Penelope was nominated for Parallel Mothers, so he was in town. [I] pulled him into the studio and, in this case, pitched it differently. [I] went from song to song and wove the story [by] how it leads to the next song, and how the parents are going from being monsters to slowly remembering who they are. He was so into it, looking at sketchy storyboards flying by, and he was following it all.
I don’t think he’d ever had that experience before. He hadn’t really done an animated movie before. He thought we would animate everything first and then bring him in. I said, “No, you’ve got to perform. We don’t know what you’re going to do. What if you laugh in the middle of a line? What if you burp? We might animate that.” Working with Javier again was a great experience. The cast was just… they all worked a little differently but were all equally committed. They understood what the movie had to say, and they wanted to be part of it.
Jenson Is Already Thinking Of A Spellbound Sequel
“I Love These Characters, So I Don’t Feel Done With Them Yet”
You directedShrek, which went on to become an empire. Did being involved at the start of something like that influence how you might think of a potential sequel for this movie?
Vicky Jenson: I am thinking of a possible sequel because there’s more to the story that can be told and more to explore about families as they grow and evolve. But I don’t think it really has to do with thinking of it as a franchise—for me, anyway. I’m not in marketing. I’m not in merchandise. I’m not a CEO, but I think there’s more story here that could be really fun [and] interesting. I love these characters, so I don’t feel done with them yet.
About Spellbound
Spellbound tells the story of Ellian, the young daughter of the rulers of Lumbria, who embarks on a quest to save her family after a spell transforms her parents into monsters. The movie is directed by Shrek director Vicky Jenson and features a score by Alan Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater. The movie’s cast includes Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Nathan Lane, Tituss Burgess, Javier Bardem, and Nicole Kidman.
Spellbound
Cast
Spellbound, directed by Vicky Jenson, follows Princess Ellian on her adventurous quest to rescue her family and kingdom. As a mysterious spell transforms her parents into monsters, Ellian must navigate this perilous journey to restore the King and Queen of Lumbria.
