Everything We Know About Netflix's SPELLBOUND Musical

A new feature musical is on the horizon- and no, we don't mean Wicked. Spellbound, a different fantasy musical, will be arriving on November 22, and BroadwayWorld has collected all the information available about the upcoming film- including who's lending their voices to the characters, who wrote the new songs, and where to see the movie when it's released.

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What is Spellbound about?

According to the official synopsis, "Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious young daughter of the rulers of Lumbria who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents into monsters."

The movie explores family dynamics and tackles themes of "alienation that can happen as we grow up," according to director Vicky Jenson. The film features recognizable fairy tale tropes including a "kingdom, a princess, a king, a queen, and a spell."

Who is the voice cast for Spellbound?

Rachel Zegler voices the heroine Princess Ellian in the film. Spellbound marks Zegler's first foray into voiceover, following her big screen appearances in West Side Story, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. She is set to play another princess in Disney's live-action remake of Snow White, which will release in 2025. Ahead of that film, Zegler will make her Broadway debut as Juliet in a limited production of the Shakepeare tragedy Romeo & Juliet. 

“I was obsessed with so many animated films as a child, including Beauty and the Beast, which had such a gorgeous, sweeping score by Alan Menken, who did the music for our film … Films like these made me fall in love with musical theater, which ended up changing my life entirely," Zegler previously told Tudum.

Ellian's sidekick in the film is Flink, a furry, purple animal voiced by Dee Bradley Baker (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Ellian's parents Queen Ellsmere and King Solon are voiced by Nicole Kidman and Javie Bardem, respectively. Primarily a film star, Kidman's sole Broadway credit is in the original production of David Hare's The Blue Room in 1998. Some of her film projects include the musical Moulin Rouge! and the big-screen adaptation of The Prom, released in 2020. Likewise, Bardem has achieved critical acclaim for his onscreen roles including Before Night Falls, No Country for Old Men, and Being the Ricardos, written by Aaron Sorkin. He recently appeared as King Triton in Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.

The character of Minister Nazara Prone is voiced by Jenifer Lewis, whose Broadway credits include Comin' Uptown and Hairspray, where she played Motormouth Maybelle. Onscreen, she has appeared in numerous films including Beaches, Sister Act, and The Preacher's Wife. In animation, she voiced the character of Mama Odie in Disney's The Princess and the Frog and Flo in the Cars franchise.

Tony Award winner John Lithgow voices Minister Bolinar in the film. Lithgow's stage credits span five decades, with roles in M. Butterfly, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and, most recently, Hillary and Clinton. He is not new to animation, having voiced the villainous Lord Farquaad in Shrek. He won an Emmy for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Netflix's The Crown.

Ludo, the Oracle of the Moon, is voiced by none other than Broadway legend Nathan Lane. He made his Broadway debut in 1982 in Neil Coward's Present Laughter where he starred alongside George C. Scott. His other credits include Guys and Dolls, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Producers, The Frogs, and Angels in America. He has won three Tony Awards. Previous voiceover work includes Timon in The Lion King franchise.

Tituss Burgess voices Sunny, the Oracle of the Sun. Burgess' Broadway credits include Good Vibrations, Jersey Boys, The Little Mermaid, Guys and Dolls, and Moulin Rouge! He also appeared onscreen in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and in the second season of Apple TV+'s musical parody series Schmigadoon!

The General is voiced by Olga Merediz, who is best known for her role as Claudia in Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights. Merediz was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway production and went on to reprise the role in Jon M. Chu's film adaptation. She also appeared in Broadway productions of Les Miserables, Mamma Mia! and Man of La Mancha.

According to IMDb, the supporting voice cast includes Dennis Stowe as a Soldier and Angela Grovey, Jessica Molaskey, and Isabelle McCalla as citizens of Lumbria. Stowe has appeared on Broadway in many shows including The Wedding Singer, Shrek the Musical, Annie, and Aladdin. Grovey's Broadway credits include Leap of Faith and Escape to Margaritaville. 

Molaskey's many Broadway appearances include Cats, Les Miserables, Chess, Parade, and Sunday in the Park With George. She also appeared in NBC's broadcast of The Sound of Music Live! as Sister Bertha. More recently, she played the role of Muriel in the MCC Theater production of Jason Robert Brown's The Connector. McCalla played the role of Alyssa in The Prom on Broadway. She has since appeared in Shucked and is currently starring in Water for Elephants.

Who's directing Spellbound?

Spellbound is directed by Vicky Jenson, a longtime animation veteran. In 2001, she co-directed the animated hit film Shrek, which spawned an enormous franchise that includes three feature sequels (with another on the way) and Shrek the Musical. Jenson's other directorial credits include Shark Tale (which she co-directed) and the live-action Post Grad.

Who's writing Spellbound?

The writing team for Spellbound is Lauren Hynek, Elizabeth Martin, and Julia Miranda. Hynek and Martin previously worked on the screenplay for the live-action remake of Disney's Mulan, and Miranda's credits include Descendants: Wicked World, and Trolls: The Beat Goes On!

Is Spellbound a musical? Why haven't we heard any of the music?

As of August, it seems that Spellbound is following in the footsteps of many other recent musical films- Wonka and Mean Girls, for instance- and is not being heavily marketed as the musical that it is. The original songs have been written by Alan Menken, who composed the music for many Disney animated classics such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and more. He has reunited with lyricist Glenn Slater, who he worked with on Disney's Tangled, who has written the lyrics for the film. Spellbound marks the first full-length animated musical from the duo since that time.

"We did a music retreat very early on when we hit on our initial fairy-tale idea,” Jenson said to Tudum. “And we had a keyboard there for Alan, and we were just weeping with the first melody.”

Which studio is making Spellbound?

This one may be a bit confusing, as Netflix is distributing the film on their streaming service. However, the film has been produced and animated by Skydance Animation, which is led by former Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter. The movie was originally set to debut on Apple TV+ before the decision was made to move it to Netflix last year. This is the second film from the animation studio, following 2022's Luck.

Where/when will Spellbound be available on streaming?

Spellbound will be released on Netflix on November 22, 2024- the same day as Universal's Wicked. However, there won't be any theatrical competition as Wicked is hitting theaters with Spellbound only available at home.

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BroadwayWorld will be sure to fill you in on additional changes and updates as we hear about them!