Magic Spells In Movies

Because the use of spell is as old as the history of our society, it is no doubt even the film industry has adapted several witchcraft stories into a movie. It has long been established that these kinds of stories have gained popularity among the youth and been accepted by the adult audience.

Fairy tale stories such as Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast are examples of spell-oriented plots made into a movie.

Sleeping Beauty is a Disney motion picture about Princess Aurora who is cursed at birth by the evil fairy Maleficent. To the dismay of the three good fairies who raised the girl to avoid the spell, Princess Aurora fell into a deep sleep that can only be awakened by a kiss from her betrothed Prince Philip. Several plots to separate the two ensued, but Prince Philip was able to save the princess from the spell at the end.

In 1959, the movie was nominated for Oscars for its musical score that featured adaptations of Tchaikovsky compositions. Sleeping Beauty is adapted and included into several motion pictures. The 1987 film used the original title Sleeping Beauty. In 1941, Sleeping Beauty was part of the Disney picture titled Dumbo. It was also adapted into ballet in 1964 and 1984. Jeremy Kagan also did his own version titled Faerie Tale Theatre: Sleeping Beauty in 1983.

Another Disney character is Snow White. Her story is adapted into several motion pictures, the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for one. Snow White is a beautiful princess who the Kings’ wife is jealous of because of her fair beauty. The queen’s magical mirror told her about Snow White. The queen abruptly instructed a huntsman to kill Snow White. Since the huntsman let her go, the seven dwarfs adopted her. There are several magic spells illustrated in this story. The magic mirror is an example.

Beauty and the Beast is another traditional fairy tale that involves a spellbound character. Belle is a beautiful daughter of a merchant. Before his father left for a trading journey, he had asked his daughters what they want when he get back. Belle asked for a rose and his father’s safety. During his way home, he was lost in a forest and found shelter in a castle. Upon leaving the castle, he picked a red rose for his daughter. The Beast who owns the house then punished him for picking his favorite flower.
In exchange for his freedom, Belle lived with the Beast. Belle’s pure love for the Beast later broke the spell. The Beast, who turned out to be a handsome prince, was just punished by a fairy.

This fairy tale story is also adapted into several motion pictures such as Jean Cocteau’s film in 1946, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise in 1991, Fielder Cook in 1976, to name a few.

Not only fairy tale stories have magic spells but also present-day motion pictures. The 1995 Practical Magic starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman is a story of sisters who grew up in a family of sorcerers. The blockbuster Harry Potter series is a fantasy adventure about Harry Potter who is a son of powerful wizards.