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. 

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 10, 2024

So, too, may viewers of "Spellbound" occasionally sense the enchantment zones of their brains lighting up, more as a reflexive response to dim memories of past animated features than as a genuine reaction to the derivative pastiche onscreen.

| Dec 9, 2024

Zegler puts her amazing vocal range to great use in a playbook of quality songs from Alan Menken and Glenn Slater.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 27, 2024

Spellbound largely conforms to the typical beats of a road narrative, albeit sprinkled with some surprising moments. Most striking are the visuals, rendered with vivacity and poignancy.

| Nov 26, 2024

Spellbound struggles to connect its somber emotional material with its whimsical and formulaic genre approach.

| Nov 23, 2024

It’s not quite Cocomelon but it exists in an entirely other universe far, far away from the many Disney films it’s trying to file itself next to.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 23, 2024

Trust that the eventual explanation is a smart one, with useful lessons to impart about how much kids can (or should even try to) control when faced with drastic family changes.

| Nov 22, 2024

Cute, creative setpieces do wonders to keep the story moving along, as do the wealth of new songs that firmly establish this as a musical with a capital M.

| Original Score: B | Nov 22, 2024

A largely forgettable venture that families will watch during Thanksgiving break before the Netflix algorithm buries it forever.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Nov 22, 2024

By recycling themes and genres, Spellbound fails to transform into a touching fable.

| Nov 22, 2024

It is without any wonder or whimsy, the animation all looking rather flat to the eye rather than bursting with depth that takes the breath away.

| Nov 22, 2024