Spellbound, a Netflix fairy-tale animation, came to break down the traditional "happily ever after" with a delightful story that mixes magic, difficult choices, and the pains of growing up. Daughter of King Solon and Queen Ellsmere, Princess Ellian is more than just a princess and heroine in a magical adventure—she's a young woman who discovers, most painfully, that not all love can be fixed.
When her parents are turned into monsters, Ellian doesn't hesitate. She sets off on a desperate mission to save them. She needs to save her family. However, she soon realizes that the real challenge isn't the magic. It's not the monsters but the naked truth that not every love can be fixed.
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Sometimes, the people we love the most need to separate to find peace. It's a painful blow, but Ellian understands. In the end, she doesn't save her family by restoring a perfect union. She saves them by accepting that love can exist, even on different paths.
A princess in search of answers
We can see that Ellian isn't an ordinary princess from the start. She stands out for her determination to save her parents, yes, but also for her vulnerability. Deep down, she fears she is the one to blame for what happened to her family—for not seeing the signs, for not doing enough.
While facing the Dark Forest and consulting the Oracles of the Sun and Moon, Ellian realizes that the curse did not cause cracks in the relationship between her parents. The magic only exposed what was already there—years of conflicts and silent hurt. When she finds this, her vision of family is shaken, and she is forced to question everything she once believed about what it means to love.
The parents' choice—The impact of divorce
Few animations dare to address something as complex as divorce, but Spellbound goes straight to the point. King Solon and Queen Ellsmere don't hide their mistakes—their relationship becomes toxic, full of fights that hurt them and affect Ellian. In a rare act of maturity, they decide that separation is best for everyone.
For Ellian, this decision is a blow—it's not the perfect ending she wanted. But it's also a powerful lesson. Her parents show that loving sometimes means letting go and that their love for her remains intact, even if they don't stay together. This message is as unusual as necessary, reminding the audience that happy endings come in many forms.
A rare modern fairy tale
Spellbound emerges as a breath of fresh air in a genre that almost always shies away from real family conflicts. While most animations bet on perfect happy endings, the film faces divorce head-on—something rarely seen in family productions. There are other examples, but none with the same boldness.
In the French comedy Operation Divorce (2016), the theme appears amid comic disputes and almost caricatural family chaos. Meanwhile, Children of Divorce (2013) dives into melancholy, exploring how an unresolved divorce still reverberates in adult children's lives years later. More recently, The Spell (2024), directed by Vicky Jenson (Shrek), used divorce as a backdrop in a fairy tale but without the same emotional impact as Spellbound.
What sets Spellbound apart is the balance between fantasy and reality. The film doesn't turn divorce into heavy drama or ignore it. It shows that happy endings don't always mean fixing what's broken—sometimes, it's accepting changes and finding peace in them. In a world of animations that still avoid touching on the complexities of real life, Spellbound delivers a narrative that moves, surprises, and makes you think.
An ending of courage and love
In the climax, Ellian finds her true strength. She breaks the curse by accepting the emotional reality hidden under the magic. Saving her parents doesn't mean reuniting them, but giving them the freedom to live separately—while still maintaining a connection as a family.
This courageous act defines the film's ending and Ellian's transformation. She emerges as a leader, not because she defeated monsters, but because she understood that true love is built on honesty and acceptance.
Ellian's Legacy
Spellbound isn't just about magic or adventures—it's about growing up, accepting, and loving amid imperfection. Ellian's journey is a powerful reminder that love, even when it changes form, can still be the force that keeps us together.
In the end, Ellian doesn't just save the kingdom. She saves herself, discovering that "happily ever after" doesn't need to be perfect to be real.
Spellbound is now playing on Netflix.
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