Spellbound
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): November 22, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
8
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
ColliderIsabella SoaresNov 22, 2024
With a well-composed original soundtrack and stunning visuals, Spellbound is one of the best animations of the year. Read full review
75
IndieWireKate ErblandNov 22, 2024
Stories that are “timely” or “prescient” may be the norm these days, but Spellbound works a little magic to ensure that such messaging, as important as it may be, doesn’t get in the way of a good time for the entire family. That’s another thing we need now, more than ever. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeNov 22, 2024
In the end, Jenson’s most radical twist on fairy-tale tradition is the belief that a pat “happily ever after” isn’t nearly as helpful as providing an example of how to cope with unhappiness. Read full review
60
EmpireJohn NugentDec 2, 2024
A solid if fairly derivative attempt to steal Disney’s thunder. There’s enough pep and vigour here to keep kids interested, if not quite enough for the grown-ups.  Read full review
60
The TelegraphRobbie CollinNov 22, 2024
While the animation itself doesn’t quite match the dazzle of its inspirations, it’s energetic and bright, and springy with wit. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeNov 22, 2024
The film flaunts vivid animation and some pretty striking moments, captured with close-ups and unexpected angles — but similar to Skydance Animation’s debut venture Luck, Spellbound inspires a sense of déjà vu. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubB. PantherNov 22, 2024
The​​ disparate elements of a self-serious, straightforward plot and maximalist creature design keep Spellbound feeling kiddywampus, teetering between cloyingly obvious sincerity and confusing complexity. Read full review
50
Screen DailyTim GriersonNov 22, 2024
The sense of narrative deja vu — the nagging recognition that the film draws from disparate, familiar parts, rarely gelling into a coherent whole — cannot help but make the proceedings feel derivative. This is especially apparent in the humdrum animation style, which is bright and energetic but unspectacular. Read full review
50
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiNov 22, 2024
Compared to other, stronger animated films, Spellbound sits comfortably in the middle. Kids will likely be delighted with it — though at nearly two hours long the wait to get to the end might be a struggle — and it offers just enough for them to keep watching. Read full review
50
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergNov 22, 2024
It isn’t fair to say that “Spellbound” lacks musical or visual invention. Zegler can belt out a song, and the evil storm that transmogrified the royals is pleasingly lo-fi. (It looks like a scribble-scrabble twister.) But the magic feels distinctly, almost insultingly poached. Read full review
40
The GuardianBenjamin LeeNov 22, 2024
It never really feels like we’re on a journey anywhere we haven’t been before, with Spellbound far too bewitched with the past to create any of its own magic. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoNov 22, 2024
Some of the voice work elevates what could have been a total disaster, and the legendary Alan Menken drops a couple of entertaining compositions, but it's a largely forgettable venture that families will watch during Thanksgiving break before the Netflix algorithm buries it forever. Read full review
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