There are very few animated films dealing with parental separation and divorce. While kids love live-action classics parent trap And mrs doubtfire The concept has been used as a launchpad for comedic antics, with the animation tending to stay away from the issue entirely. “Isn’t it funny…you can murder a parent like in a movie lion kingOr Bambi,” said Vicky Jensen, who is best known for co-directing shrek,

“The Disney moms are often dead – no one ever remarries only because the other spouse is dead. This theme of separation, of parents not being able to live together… it’s taboo. “

But in Jensen’s new film, mesmerizedA princess’s parents have been transformed into literal monsters by a dastardly spell. It is a symbolic device that forces the young alien to attempt to “fix” his mother and father and their broken family. “When we were looking for someone to help us bring the film to the world, looking for a partner to distribute the film, we encountered some resistance,” Jensen told AFP. “

“They all reacted the same way, like: ‘What a beautiful film, what a great message.’ And then they ghosted us!”

The film went through several different studios, including Paramount and Apple TV+, before finally landing on Netflix, which will release the film today. “I credit Netflix for bravely stepping forward and partnering with us on this,” Jensen said.

“In this environment, it feels like stories that push boundaries are more accessible on streaming. Theaters are filled with superheroes right now… big safe bet.”

demon

As the film begins, determined teenage princess Elyon (voiced by Rachel Ziegler) is searching for a cure to the mysterious magic that has transformed her parents, Queen Ellesmere (Nicole Kidman) and King Solon (Javier Bardem). . To make matters worse, he must hide the whole mess from the unsuspecting citizens of Lumbria.

When the secret is revealed, and panic spreads across the kingdom, the alien is forced on a dangerous quest to reverse the curse. But even if she succeeds, she soon realizes that her family will never be able to go back to the way they were.

To make the alien’s reaction to his – literally – demonic parents believable and accurate, the filmmakers employed the counseling services of a family psychologist and therapist who specialized in divorce. “Kids feel like it’s their responsibility to fix it. They don’t understand that anything happened to their parents – they’re treated like monsters,” Jensen said.

The director, cast and crew also drew on their own experiences, saying, “Because we all know our parents are monsters at one point – and as parents, we’re all monsters at one point,” He joked.

an inversion shrek,

The end result is a thoroughly contemporary illustration, set in a magical fairy tale kingdom. It has clear echoes of Jensen’s smash hit directorial debut shrekBut cause and effect were reversed. ,shrek This was the modern form of fairy tales. It was a fairy tale based on a modern story,” he said.

For Jensen and the filmmakers – including renowned composer Alan Menken the little Mermaid, beauty and the Beast And countless more – it was important to bring this “truth about family life” to the screen. “It’s there for a lot of us, but it wasn’t seen as a myth or a new fairy tale before,” Jensen said.

“Now, there’s a new fairy tale for that experience that so many children, so many parents, so many families need help with.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)