Plot Summary
Spellbound is the latest musical fantasy film released on Disney+, featuring the enchanting tale of a princess whose parents have been turned into monsters. Ellian, the princess of Lumbria, is on the brink of her 15th birthday.
Instead of celebrating with a grand party, she finds herself preoccupied with caring for her monstrous parents. Determined to reverse their transformation, Ellian seeks help from the Oracles of the Sun and Moon, arranging a meeting on her special day.
However, the monsters end up terrify the Oracles, who leave in a hurry. Ellian decides to forgo the advisors’ suggestions to send her parents away to the countryside and take up the throne. Instead, she embarks on an adventure into the Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness to meet the Oracles and find a way to save her parents.
What solutions do the Oracles give to Ellian?
Using the Oracle’s magical device, The Fob, Ellian sneaks out of the palace and makes her way to the Oracles’ home in the Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness. When she asks for help in restoring her parents, the Oracles reveal that they cannot directly undo the curse.
Instead, they suggest taking her parents to the Lake of Light, explaining that her parents were transformed into monsters because they had lost the light within themselves and succumbed to darkness. To reverse the curse, her parents must rediscover their inner light, allowing the Lake to restore them to their human forms.
Why do the monsters begin regaining their memories?
As Ellian journeys with her parents toward the Lake of Light, the previously voiceless monsters start to speak. At first, they have no recollection of their lives as humans or any memory of Ellian being their daughter.
However, as they draw closer to the Lake, seeing Ellian saving a gryphon baby trapped in quicksand and reuniting it with its parents trigger fragments of their memories. The monsters slowly begin recognizing Ellian, and their memories return in a flood, revealing their connection to her.
How did Ellian’s parents turn into monsters?
Upon reaching the Lake of Light, Ellian’s parents remember the events that led to their transformation. As an unhappy couple frequently quarreling, they had been arguing in the Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness when the forest’s evil energy engulfed them, transforming them into monsters.
At the lake, they finally acknowledge the truth—they no longer wish to be together as a couple but still want to support Ellian as parents.
Why does Ellian get upset at her parents?
When her parents admit they cannot rekindle their relationship and return to their old life together, Ellian becomes furious. She feels sidelined, as her parents make life-altering decisions without considering her feelings.
This triggers a deep fear in Ellian that their waning love for each other might extend to her as well. Consumed by anger and sadness, she becomes vulnerable to the dark forces, which seize the opportunity to engulf her.
What happens to Ellian and her parents?
Soon with Ellian retreating into a whirlpool of darkness, her parents are captured by the soldiers who’d been chasing Ellian to bring her back to the kingdom. While imprisoned, Ellian’s parents manage to prove their identity as the rightful King and Queen.
Once freed, they rush to rescue Ellian, convincing her that although they cannot stay together as a couple, their love for her is unwavering. Their heartfelt assurances break the hold of darkness over Ellian, allowing the family to step into the Lake of Light together.
As they embrace the light, Ellian’s parents are restored to their human forms. The film concludes with the family adjusting to a new normal—living separately within the castle but remaining a supportive and loving family.