It appears that Apple and Skydance Animation are heading in different directions, as the two companies have decided to end their production and distribution deal, prematurely. The animation studio was founded in 2017 and only released 2022's Luck, for Apple. Spellbound was to be the next Skydance Animation project released on Apple TV, but that's no longer the case.
The terms of Skydance's new deal with Netflix will see the animated film released on the world's leading streamer in 2024. While the exact terms were not disclosed, it's reportedly a multi-year deal between Skydance and Netflix, with Skydance following up Spellbound with several in-development feature films.
In a press release, Skydance described Spellbound as, "a musical fairy tale that centers on a terrible spell that has turned a king and queen into monsters, leaving their daughter, Princess Ellian, to manage the kingdom on her own."
Vicky Jenson (Shrek, Shark Tale) directs from a screenplay written by Linda Woolverton (Mulan, Maleficent).
Said Jenson, "This is, at its heart, a story about a family for everyone in the family. I have a lot of experience storytelling with a modern take on a fairy tale, but this is a fairy tale take on a very modern story."
The film stars Rachel Zegler (Westside Story), Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom), Javier Bardem (Mother!, Dune), Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Dolemite Is My Name), John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun, Bombshell), Jennifer Lewis (Black-ish, Cars 3), and Nathan Lane (The Lion King, The Good Wife). The film will feature original music from Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin) and lyrics by Glenn Slater (Tangled).
After Spellbound, Skydance will release Pookoo, a film where a little woodland rodent and a bird of prey miraculously swap places and go on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in this animated buddy comedy. Nathan Greno (Tangled, Tangled Ever After) is directing the pic, with original music composed by Siddhartha Khosla.
Also in development at Skydance is the long-gestating Brad Bird animated pic, Ray Gunn, and an untitled Jack and the Beanstalk project directed by Rich Moore (Zootopia, Wreck-It Ralph).
The move makes sense as Netflix and Skydance already partner on several other live-action projects, including Charlize Theron's The Old Guard and Ryan Reynolds' The Adam Project.
The Skydance deal comes on the heels of Netflix announcing that it would be significantly downsizing its internal animation department and output of original animated features.