SPELLBOUND: Alan Menken Animated Musical starring Rachel Zegler, Nathan Lane, Nicole Kidman, & John Lithgow. On Netflix November 22, 2024.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 9:51am

...but you wouldn't know it's a musical from the first trailer :)

Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Glenn Slater, directed by SHREK's Vicky Jenson, orchestrated in part by Michael Starobin. Produced by Skydance Animation, which is run by Pixar founder John Lasseter (no comment).

The billed principal cast is:

• Rachel Zegler
• Nathan Lane
• John Lithgow
• Nicole Kidman
• Javier Bardem
• Tituss Burgess
• Jenifer Lewis

Updated On: 7/30/24 at 09:51 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 10:01am

It's wild they have original music by Alan Menken... and the only song in the trailer is "Don't Stop Believin"

[BwayLB]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 10:11am

With this voice cast, it has to be good. It doesn’t look too bad. But I’m going easy just in case

[willep]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 10:14am

That is far from the full cast of the movie. It’s not even the full cast of Broadway related people.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 10:25am

Kad said: "It's wild they have original music by Alan Menken... and the only song in the trailer is "Don't Stop Believin""

I'm sure it's dictated by some stupid Netflix algorithm, but yes very weird that they led with all Lasseter's Pixar directing credits (he is not the director of this film, he's the producer/studio head) but did not include "from the songwriter of Aladdin, BATB, Little Mermaid, etc"

Also wild that this is coming out the same day as Wicked and a few days before Moana 2.

[Ke3]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 7:39pm

How I wish we'd give Alan Menken more interesting work.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 11:30pm

Imho, I think little of what Menken has worked on following Howard Ashman’s death has come close to their body of work. He’s had highlights, for sure, but nothing as cohesive and successful artistically as the work that came from that collaboration. 

[binau]

Posted: 7/31/24 at 7:07am

From renowned composer of LEAP OF FAITH, Alan Menken!!!!

[perfectliar]

Posted: 7/31/24 at 7:28am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Also wild that this is coming out the same day as Wicked and a few days before Moana 2."

lol I don't think there's anything "wild" about releasing a family animated film on your streaming service at Thanksgiving.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/31/24 at 5:33pm

Kad said: "Imho, I think little of whatMenken has worked on following Howard Ashman’s death has come close to their body of work. He’s had highlights, for sure, but nothing as cohesive and successful artistically as the work that came from that collaboration."

I don't know anyone who would disagree with this statement.  I do think the early works with Schwartz were very strong, and I'll always enjoy a Menken score but I definitely think, now in his mid 70s, he's just not the composer he was even 10 years ago.  Which is fine.

 

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/31/24 at 6:35pm

I think his scores for tangled, Hercules, and Pocahontas are some of his best work.  He did all of those without Howard Ashman.  I wish Disney would turn Pocahontas into a broadway musical. 

[BwayLB]

Posted: 7/31/24 at 7:06pm

My absolute favorite Alan Menken score has to be the stage version of Newsies!