'Spellbound' Sneak Peek Reveals New Songs by Alan Menken

Skydance Animation is coming out swinging with their second feature film, Spellbound, which boasts an astonishing cast & crew of animation veterans from Disney, Dreamworks, and beyond. One of those individuals is the legendary songwriter and composer Alan Menken, who created music for several renowned animated Disney movies like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Tangled, and more. Now, Menken is making a welcome return to animated fairy tales with Spellbound, and fans in attendance at the 2024 Lightbox Expo recently got a brief taste of the songs that will be featured in Shrek and Shark Tale director Vicky Jenson's next feature film.

While lifting the curtain on the production of a massive animated film like Spellbound, Netflix showed a few early sequences from the upcoming musical. The first is a classic Disney-esque power ballad titled "The Way It Was Before", which has Alan Menken's fingerprints all over it. Taking place in the derelict remains of a destroyed castle interor, the sequence sees Princess Ellian (Rachel Zegler) reminisce about the happier times in her life before her parents, King Solon (Javier Bardem) and Queen Elsmere (Nicole Kidman), were turned into monsters. The more Ellian imagines images from her past where her family was happy, the more she wants to break the spell that binds them.

The second sequence shown for Spellbound shakes up the tone quite a bit, with a more upbeat song titled "Step by Step". The sequence follows the royal advisors, Bolinar (John Lithgow) and Nazara (Jenifer Lewis), as they musically explain how they can save the kingdom. It plays almost like a villain song, as they want Princess Ellian to take over as Queen. Still, the song is still very catchy, using a lot of the flamenco and Spanish inspiration that Vicky Johnson and the rest of the panel's crew spoke repeatedly about.

What is 'Spellbound' About?

Spellbound takes place in the magical kingdom of Lumbria, which is in a state of disarray after the kingdom's king and queen are transformed into monsters. Kept hidden from the outside world, their daughter, Princess Ellian, is desperate to get back her parents and return them to their ordinary selves. Ellian soon embarks on an epic quest alongside her parents to break this mischievous and problematic spell once and for all, all while learning that their bonds as a family are always what has kept them together.

Spellbound premieres on Friday, November 22nd, 2024.

Spellbound

Release Date November 22, 2024

Director Vicky Jenson

Cast Rachel Zegler , Miguel Bernardeau , Giovanna Bush , Dennis Stowe , Jenifer Lewis , Dee Bradley Baker , Susan Fitzer , Nicole Kidman , Javier Bardem , John Lithgow , Olga Merediz , Rich Moore , Nathan Lane , Tituss Burgess , John Ratzenberger , Vicky Jenson , Angela Grovey , Jessica Molaskey , Isabelle McCalla

Runtime 109 Minutes

Writers Vicky Jenson , Lauren Hynek , Elizabeth Martin