Spellbound Ending Explained: The Real Meaning Of The Curse & How It Was Broken (2024)

Princess Ellian and her family got an unconventional happy ending in Spellbound, as the curse on the king and queen was broken in an unexpected way. The animated fantasy adventure introduced the royal family of a magical kingdom, who, for a whole year, had been hiding a secret. The king and queen, Solon and Ellesmere (Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman), entered an enchanted forest and were turned into monsters. Their daughter Ellian (Rachel Zegler) took on the heavy weight of this burden, desperately searching for a way to free her parents from the curse and return their family to normal while pretending everything was okay.

Spellbound's monstrous king and queen seemed to have no memory of their daughter and did nothing but attempt to destroy one another and the surrounding castle. It was finally determined by the few who knew Ellian's secret that the monsters should be sent away and that the princess herself should be crowned queen and rule the kingdom alone. However, Ellian discovered one last shred of hope. She had to lead her parents through the Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness so they could find the Lake of Light and be restored to their old selves. However, the ending of Netflix's Spellbound didn't quite go that way.

How The Curse On Princess Ellian's Parents Was Broken In Spellbound's Ending

The Curse Wasn't Broken How Ellian Had Expected

As Ellian and her parents made their journey through the Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness in Spellbound, the king and queen slowly began to regain their memories. As monsters, they had been focused on nothing else but harming one another—constantly fighting and destroying everything around them with no thought or care for the girl they had no idea was their daughter. By the time they reached the Lake of Light, Ellesmere and Solon realized they had turned to monsters because of their nastiness toward each other. They had fallen out of love and lost the light they had once shared.

However, Ellian's parents were unable to simply walk into the Lake of Light and regain the light they had lost. Instead, at the end of Spellbound, the duo worked together to pour the glowing light of the pool onto their daughter, whom they have neglected for so long. Ellsemre and Solon admitted that they had forgotten that their love for their daughter was more important than their own conflict. When they again put Ellian first and the family embraced in the now empty lake, a brand new light—different from before—filled them and their surroundings, and the curse on Spellbound's queen and king was broken.

Princess Ellian's Vision & Younger Self Explained

Ellian Had To Let Go Of The Past

When the still monstrous Solon and Ellesmere turned away from the Lake of Light to focus on their problems, leaving Ellian out entirely, the princess began to fall apart. She had been keeping things together for a year, pretending that everything was okay and maintaining a hope that things would soon return to the way they had been before. She believed that her parents' true forms would be restored and their family would be normal again. However, even with their memories back, her monster parents continued to only focus on themselves, and Ellian couldn't handle it anymore.

Any negative thoughts in Spellbound's Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness summon a whirlwind of darkness, transforming the person within into a monster. This is precisely how Queen Ellesmere and King Solon were cursed to begin with. As this began to happen to Ellian, her parents finally began to snap out of it. They realized their daughter wasn't okay after all and put their differences aside to pour the contents of the Lake of Light over her. As the darkness faded away, Ellian saw a vision of her younger self, who attempted to pull her toward a vision of their family as they once had been.

Ellian gently told her younger self that things would never be as they had been. "Families don't all grow in one straight line," Zegler's musical character sang, emphasizing that it was time to close the door on the past. Ellian embraced the crying little girl, accepting that it was time to look forward to who she and her parents would be. The dynamics of their family were changing, but their love for one another would grow anew—filling the pool with fresh, brilliant light.

Why Queen Ellesmere & King Solon Couldn't Walk Into The Lake Of Light

Ellian's Parents Had To Create A New Light

Though the queen and king's curse was ultimately broken in the fantasy Spellbound, it wasn't in the way anyone had anticipated. They were supposed to walk into the Lake of Light and be miraculously returned to their prior forms, but the light subsided when they tried to enter it. As they kept trying, Ellesmere and Solon saw a vision of themselves just before they were cursed. They had been arguing with one another, shooting nasty insults, and behaving like monsters even before they transformed. They both immediately realized that they didn't want to return to that.

Queen Ellesmere and King Solon were cursed because they had lost their "light," which was Spellbounds effective metaphor for love. However, they couldn't simply walk into a pool and magically regain their love for one another. To break the curse, they had to build something new and redefine their relationship. They attempted to walk away from Ellian and figure out a way to do this by themselves. However, when their daughter began to transform into a monster herself, they realized they couldn't successfully rebuild unless they put their daughter first.

What The King & Queen's Divorce Meant For Ellian & Their Kingdom

Ellian's Parents Splitting Up Was An Unconventional Happy Ending

Though Princess Ellian believed that her happy ending would see her parents returned to precisely the people they had been before, this children's movie's twist ending reflected something entirely different. Once returned to their human forms in Spellbound, the King and Queen returned to their kingdom and were essentially divorced. They continued to rule and parent together but lived in separate castles. Ellian and the kingdom thrived under this new dynamic since Queen Ellesmere and King Solon always put their daughter first. Their family was different but more full of love than ever before.

The Real Meaning Of Spellbound's Ending Explained

Spellbound Has A Touching Message For Families Navigating Divorce

Netflix's Spellbound is all about the changes a family goes through as a marriage begins to fall apart. King Solon and Queen Ellesmere had lost their love for one another, and even before their curse, they had turned into monsters who had forgotten to put their daughter first. As these parents focused wholly on their anger at one another, the pressure fell entirely on Ellian. It's made immediately clear in Spellbound that Ellian was forced to grow up quicker than she should have. She was praised for being miraculously mature and gracious, but in truth, these were only burdens that Ellian had no choice but to carry.

In the end, Spellbound demonstrates the evolution of divorce in a family. Ellian feared that if her parents could stop loving one another, they would stop loving her. If one thing could change about her family, surely everything could. These are painfully common feelings for children of divorce, and the Netflix movie uses this to remind parents of the burdens they can unknowingly place on their kids. The lasting message of Spellbound's ending, however, is aimed at the children themselves. It's a reminder that they are loved and that, even though their family may not look the same, the light of their love can still be something beautiful.

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Spellbound

PG

Animation

Comedy

Fantasy

Musical

Spellbound, directed by Vicky Jenson, follows Princess Ellian on her adventurous quest to rescue her family and kingdom. As a mysterious spell transforms her parents into monsters, Ellian must navigate this perilous journey to restore the King and Queen of Lumbria.

Director

Vicky Jenson

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Studio(s)

Skydance Animation

Writers

Vicky Jenson , Lauren Hynek , Elizabeth Martin

Cast

Rachel Zegler , Miguel Bernardeau , Giovanna Bush , Dennis Stowe , Jenifer Lewis , Dee Bradley Baker , Susan Fitzer , Nicole Kidman , Javier Bardem , John Lithgow , Olga Merediz , Rich Moore , Nathan Lane , Tituss Burgess , John Ratzenberger , Vicky Jenson , Angela Grovey , Jessica Molaskey , Isabelle McCalla

Character(s)

Princess Ellian , Chilo , Orsola , Lumbrian Soldier , Nazara , Flink Dee , Old Maid , Queen Ellsmere , King Solon , Bolinar , The General , The Postmaster , Luno - Oracle of the Moon , Sunny - Oracle of the Sun , Milo The Monster Handler , Old Blue-Haired Woman , Lumbrian Citizen

Runtime

109 Minutes

Main Genre

Animation