New songs for Apple’s upcoming animated film Spellbound have been revealed. According to a report by Deadline, the musical film from Shrek (2001) co-director Vicky Jenson will see composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glen Slater team up for not one but several new original songs.
As part of the Work in Progress presentation shown at the Annecy International Film Festival on Tuesday, it was revealed that Spellbound will feature several original songs written by Menken and Slater. “You guys are going to be the very first to hear several of our songs,” Jenson (Shark Tale, The Road to El Dorado) told the keen audience at the festival. “They’re at the demo stage. Most of them are with the final singers, including Rachel Zegler. A couple of them are Alan Menken’s actual voice which no-one ever gets to hear.” Menken and Slater previously teamed up on Disney’s animated feature, Tangled (2010). Their hit song, ‘I See the Light,’ was originated for both an Oscar and Golden Globe award. Jenson was enthusiastic about their involvement with the new film, informing those present that the songs are “completely original.” “We haven’t heard anything from Alan Menken and Glen Slater in a long time. A lot of great movies have come out recently but a lot of it’s a couple of decades old,” Jenson said, adding, “I’m really excited we’re going to have brand new original music.”
One of the songs revealed is said to be a ballad. Quoted by Deadline as having the “same heartstring pulling potential of ‘I See The Light’,” one of the songs played was during the opening scene of the film. In the scene, the princess (Zegler) is lamenting her old life with her parents, who will be voiced by Nicole Kidman (The Northman, Being the Ricardos) and Javier Bardem (The Little Mermaid, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile).
Menken and Slater’s songs were not the only highlights of the presentation, with Jenson also showing her enthusiasm for Zegler’s role as the princess. “I kind of like to think we discovered her because we saw her videos on YouTube around the same time that Steven Spielberg did and he cast her… But we were right there, too.” Jenson said of finding Zegler before she starred in Spielberg’s West Side Story (2021) as Maria. “She is just fantastic. She’s a delight, she’s funny and such a pro.”
What is ‘Spellbound’ About?
Spellbound is a musical animation that will see the princess of a fictional kingdom Lambria set out to reverse a spell that has caused her parents to transform into rampaging monsters. The kingdom has been described by Jenson as being inspired by “the architecture of ancient Spain with its Moorish arches and domed rooftops.” Along with Zegler, Kidman, and Bardem, the film will also see John Lithgow (Killers of the Flower Moon), Jenifer Lewis (The Princess and the Frog), and Nathan Lane (Only Murders in the Building) in additional roles. Most of the production has taken place in Skydance Animation’s Madrid unit, with the film set to be distributed by Apple.
No release date has been given for the release of Spellbound. In the meantime, check out the trailer for Skydance Animation’s first animated film, Blush.