Spellbound (Netflix)- Can We Stop Asking Javier Bardem To Sing?
Quick Take: I had a lot to say. For a movie with Alan Menken working on the music, I had high expectations. Rachel Ziegler is voicing the main princess in this fantastical land, where she has to babysit her parents who have literally turned into monsters. She’s been trying to hide them, but on her birthday, things go awry, and she has to set off with her parents to try and break the curse.
There is one great song at the end, What About Me, but the rest feels like missed opportunities. The movie went and filled its cast full of Broadway stars, who rarely get to shine. Why is Jennifer Lewis here? She’s a Dreamgirl. where is her number? John Lithgow has appeared in several musicals, and while he does sing here a bit, he could have done more. The most egregious failure lies in the casting of Nathan Lane and Titus Burgess, both who have very limited screen time, and even less singing. The parents are voiced by Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem, because apparently someone here is a massive fan of Being The Ricardos. However, Bardem can’t sing. He was my least favorite thing in The Little Mermaid, and he’s the worst thing here. A fantastic actor who just needs to avoid musicals.
It is a mixed bag, but with some decent music, a cast that can sing when offered rather simple material, and audio description that fleshes out this world, Spellbound is perhaps the strongest animated feature by Netflix this year. Though, that doesn’t say much, as most of their films have Ben just OK. So this is just marginally above Ultraman Rising, The Sandy Cheeks Story, The Imaginary, Orion Ad The Dark, and Thelma The Unicorn. Just barely ahead. its biggest competition is the Christmas animated ensemble comedy That Christmas.
It will be on my animated Feature top list, because this is a weak year, and What About Me is something I’m voting for in terms of Original Song. So, not a complete wash, but I’d say walk, don’t run, to check this out. It has more potential than it is willing to tap into. For more, check out my video.
