Spellbound
Similar8 Women (2002), Aladdin (1992), Anastasia (1997), Asterix vs. Caesar (1985), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Chicago (2002), Chocolat (2000), Fantasia (1940), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Grease (1978), Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Mamma Mia! (2008),
Mary Poppins (1964) Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Mortal Kombat (1995), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), Scoop (2006),
Shrek (2001) Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Prince of Egypt (1998), The Science of Sleep (2006), The Wizard of Oz (1939),
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) StarringDee Bradley Baker, Nicole Kidman,
Sometimes, you end up respecting what a movie’s trying to discuss more than you enjoy the film itself. Case in point, Spellbound.
In the new animated feature, Princess Ellian (Rachel Zegler) is on the eve of her 15th birthday. Sadly, the celebration is a bit muted this time around. That’s because her parents, Queen Ellsmere (Nicole Kidman, eventually) and King Solon (Javier Bardem, after a fashion), aren’t quite themselves. A year earlier, they encountered a whirling black cyclone in the woods. It turned the couple from attractive royal types into big, brightly colored, childlike monsters. Ever since, Ellian has been struggling to find a solution to their conversion while hiding it from the kingdom of Lumbria. Growing desperate after a meeting with the Oracles of the Moon and Sun (Nathan Lane and Tituss Burgess, both as hammy as you please) goes poorly, the Princess decides to drag her parents back to the Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness, where the curse began.
As a plot goes, it’s fine. In practice, it often feels hobbled together from pieces of other films. There’s a bit of Brave here. A dash of How to Train Your Dragon there. If you squint, you can even spot some Frozen in its DNA. Fairy tales, by their nature, are remixed and rehashed from previous source material and other stories, so none of this is especially egregious. However, it isn’t what makes Spellbound interesting. Continue Reading →
Luck
SimilarCatwoman (2004), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Volver (2006),
Watch afterJurassic World Dominion (2022), Prey (2022), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), Top Gun: Maverick (2022),
MPAA RatingG,
As the likes of Doogal and Planes make abundantly clear, there is no secret formula for making a great animated kid’s film. But there are some key things to avoid if you want to make a movie aimed at youngsters that satisfies its target demo. Luck, the first feature from Skydance Animation, trips over several of these shortcomings, particularly overwhelming your young audience with too much expository dialogue. Adolescents want wonder and soaring emotion, not endless chatter about how a fictional world operates. Devoting so much time to lore is just one of the many ways Luck underwhelms compared to its potential. Continue Reading →