Review by C.J. Bunce
Skydance Animation’s Spellbound is one of those jaw-dropping creations that reminds you not all great things get the attention they deserve. With a heroine as superb as the leads of Frozen, with songs by EGOT-winning composer Alan Menkin (Beauty and the Beast) and Glenn Slater (Tangled) that almost rival those of that movie, all in a beautiful, sweeping journey, Spellbound is the latest soaring Disney classic… that isn’t. The Art & Making of Spellbound (available now here at Amazon) takes you behind the scenes interviewing the writers, artists, and visual effects creators that crafted such a stunning movie and, more importantly, one of animation’s strongest and most appealing heroines with Princess Ellian, voiced by Rachel Zegler (Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Disney’s Snow White, West Side Story), who also sings the songs with gusto and verve.
The movie bridges fantasy–when a princess’s parents succomb to a curse that turns them into literal monsters–with hard realities, when audiences discover that they did it to themselves. Princess Ellian takes over the duties of King and Queen, difficult for anyone, especially a young woman hiding the status of her parents with only a few confidantes to aid her. Inasmuch as the story is an allegory of a child dealing with divorce, it finds its own success and hope in the concept of survival.
Surprisingly its plot often parrots that of the movie The Birdcage, especially with that film’s co-star Nathan Lane and Tituss Burgess as the voices of Oracles trying to help the princess. But Princess Ellian may be the first fuly-realize modern Princess, showing all the emotions of someone trying to live under impossible conditions. And like every Disney animated classic dealt with death or loss, the movie uses the medium to help young people who can relate.
Spellbound emerges as Skydance’s second animated feature film after the superb 2022 movie Luck (reviewed here, with its behind the scenes book reviewed here). The Art & Making of Spellbound features concept art, sketches, and 3D models of the characters, creatures, and locations in the fantastical world of Lumbria.
With a foreword by producer John Lasseter, writer Ramin Zahed pulls together commentary from director Vicki Jenson (Shrek), production designer Brett Nystul, editor Susan Fitzer, head of story Brian Pimental, character designer Guillermo Ramírez (animation hair designer for Ellian), character surfacing supervisor Adina Krause (animation costume designer), visual effects grooming lead Andres Corón (he worked on the feathers), and others.
The creation of each character is a key focus of the book, but it also looks into the grand settings, inspired by classic animated Disney movies Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, and Peter Pan.
The final chapter provides examples of storyboards used in the story’s climactic ending. Readers can look forward to several double-page spreads showing the key production artwork for all the landscapes.
For animation aficianados, fans of strong fantasy princesses, and anyone who loved the movie, The Art & Making of Spellbound is available now here at Amazon. Spellbound is streaming now on Netflix.
