Shrek director tackles taboo in Netflix's new fairytale flick Spellbound
Los Angeles, California - Animated films tackling parent separation and divorce are few and far between.
While live-action kids' classics like The Parent Trap and Mrs. Doubtfire have used the concept as a launchpad for humorous antics, animation has tended to steer entirely clear of the issue.
"Isn't that funny... you can kill off a parent in a movie like Lion King, or Bambi," said Vicky Jenson, best known for co-directing Shrek.
"Disney moms are often dead – the only time anyone remarries is because the other spouse is dead. This topic of separation, of parents not being able to live together... it's taboo."
But in Jenson's new film, Spellbound, a princess' parents have been transformed by a dastardly spell into literal monsters.
It is an allegorical device that forces young Ellian to try to "fix" her mother and father, and their broken family.
"We encountered some resistance when we were looking for someone to help bring the movie to the world, a partner to distribute the movie," Jenson told AFP. "They all reacted the same way, like: 'What a beautiful movie, what a great message.' And then they ghosted us!"
The movie went through a number of different studios, including Paramount and Apple TV+, before ultimately landing at Netflix, which released the film on Friday.
"I credit Netflix for stepping up bravely and partnering with us on this," said Jenson. "In this environment, it does feel like stories that push the boundaries are more accessible on streaming."
"Theaters are kind of filled with superheroes right now... the big safe bets."
Spellbound dives into complex family dynamics
As the film starts, tenacious teen princess Ellian (voiced by Rachel Zegler) is desperately seeking a cure for the mysterious spell that has transformed her parents, Queen Ellsmere (Nicole Kidman) and King Solon (Javier Bardem).
To make matters worse, she must hide the whole mess from the oblivious citizens of Lumbria.
When the secret gets out, and panic spreads throughout the kingdom, Ellian is forced on a dangerous quest to undo the curse.
But even if she succeeds, she soon learns that her family may never go back to the way it once was.
To make Ellian's reaction to her – literally – monstrous parents believable and accurate, filmmakers employed the consulting services of a family psychologist and therapist who specialized in divorce.
"Kids feel like it's their responsibility to fix this. They don't understand that something happened to their parents – they're acting like monsters," explained Jenson.
The director, and cast and crew, also drew on their own experiences, "because we all know our parents are monsters at one point – and as parents, we're all monsters at one point," she joked.
Putting a fresh spin on traditional fairytale setting
The end result is a thoroughly contemporary parable, set in a magical fairytale kingdom.
That has clear echoes of Jenson's smash-hit directing debut Shrek, but with cause and effect reversed.
"Shrek was the modern take on fairy tales. This was a fairy tale take on a modern story," she said.
For Jenson and the filmmakers – including legendary composer Alan Menken of The Little Mermaid, Beauty, and the Beast, and countless more – it was important to bring this "truth about family life" to the screen.
It "is there for so many of us, but hadn't been approached as a myth or as a new fairy tale before," said Jenson.
"Now, a new fairy tale is out there for that experience that so many kids, so many parents, so many families need help through."
Cover photo: Netflix