Daniel Spellbound

{{Short description|Canadian-American animated television series}}

{{Infobox television

| image =

| caption =

| genre = {{Plainlist|

}}

| creator = Matt Fernandes

| writer = Merrill Hagan

| director = {{ubl |Trevor Deane-Freeman|Matt Fernandes|}}

| voices =

| theme_music_composer =

| opentheme =

| composer =

| country = {{Plainlist|

United States
Canada

}}

| language = English

| num_seasons = 2

| num_episodes = 20

| list_episodes =

| executive_producer = {{ubl |Arthur Spanos|Tammy Semen|Matt Fernandes|Jon Rutherford|David Fortier|Chapman Maddox|Ivan Schneeberg|}}

| producer =

| editor = Merrill Hagan

| runtime = 22 minutes

| company = {{Plainlist|

}}

| network = Netflix

| first_aired = {{Start date|2022|10|27}}

| last_aired = {{End date|2023|01|26}}

}}

Daniel Spellbound is an animated television series made from Matt Fernandes of Industrial Brothers. It is produced by Boat Rocker Studios. The first season premiered on Netflix on October 27, 2022. The second and final season premiered on January 26, 2023.{{cite web|url=https://scpsassam.org/entertainment/daniel-spellbound-season-3/|title=Daniel Spellbound Season 3 - More Magic and Fun Coming Soon|date= September 23, 2023|website=scp magazine.Org}}

Characters

= Main characters =

Daniel Spellbound (voiced by Alex Barima) - is an Afro-Latino orphan teenage ex-tracker of the magical world hidden from humans. His job was to find ingredients for magicians. In season 2, he's no longer a tracker due to breaking the tracker code so he has to find an untrackable item to regain being a tracker again. In “The Tickle Pit”, Jayce manages to help Daniel by presenting the other trackers with an untrackable item and now he is back to being a tracker, but quits at the end of the season, joining Lucy on her quest around the world to seal Dread Magic.
Hoagie (voiced by Deven Mack) - is a human-turned-pig being who can sniff out magic and is Daniel's best friend and sidekick.
Lucy Santana (voiced by Chantel Riley) - is an African-American Dowser magician who works for the Bureau of Magical Enforcement and is one of Daniel’s friends. At the end of Season 1, she becomes the new head of the BoME. In Season 2, Lucy can become the new Primus if she finds The Primus's Scepter. At the end of season 2 Lucy became the new primus.
Shakila "Shak" Chinda (voiced by Saara Chaudry) - is a Bengali tracker and the younger sister of Jayce Chinda.

= Supporting characters =

Viktor Albright (voiced by Philip Craig) - the factor of Albright Worldwide and an alchemist who appears to be an old friend of Daniel's father, Duncan Spellbound. In the Season 1 finale, “Hold On Tight”, he got killed by Camilla. (as the Dark Mage).
Tyson (voiced by Dwayne Hill) a hotdog vendor who is one of Daniel's customers.
Hector (voiced by Sean Rey) a spider centaur who works at the Cheat Code.
Burden (voiced by Rainbow Sun Francks) both a tracker and wizard.
Bixby Prospero (voiced by Lynn Rafferty) a half-goblin tracker.
Nurenya (voiced by Ellen Dublin) - a mermaid queen from Shanghai, China.
Spanos (voiced by Joe Pingue) - a weapon forger and the younger brother of Nurenya.
Haruspex (voiced by Nadine Roden) - an oracle who knows anything.
Elyse (voiced by Julie Sype) - a former dowser and a rival of Lucy, she intends to be the new Primus of the Bureau of Magical Enforcement. In “The Scepter and the Sacrifice”, she got killed after a rock monster smashed on her.

= Villains =

Camilla Thomas/Dark Mage (voiced by Kyra Harper) - was the former head of the Bureau of Magical Enforcement. Her goal was to control all the magic.
The Pie Maker (voiced by Catherine Disher) - is an evil diminutive witch whom Daniel knew to be the most wicked in all of New York. She owns a pie bakery and masquerades herself as a harmless old lady.
Kel (voiced by Paul Amos) - is owner of Mystic Outpost who sells weapons and magical objects to buyers.
Jaisukh “Jayce” Chinda (voiced by Al Mukadam) - was a former Bengali legendary tracker and the older brother of Shak Chinda who got turned into a demon when he was corrupted by Dread Magic. His intention was to find the Coffer of the Spellbounds so he could unleash Dread Magic and corrupt the world.

Episodes

=Series overview=

{{Series overview

| caption = Series overview

| color1 = #942C2C

| link1 = #Season 1 (2022)

| episodes1 = 10

| released1 = {{Start date|2022|10|27}}

| color2 = #000000

| link2 = #Season 2 (2023)

| episodes2 = 10

| released2 = {{Start date|2023|1|26}}

}}

= Season 1 (2022) =

{{Episode table

|background = #942C2C

|overall =

|season =

|title =

|DirectedBy =

|WrittenBy =

|airdate =

|country = U.S.

|episodes =

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 1

|EpisodeNumber2 = 1

|Title = Dirty Hands

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|10|27}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman & Matt Fernandes

|WrittenBy = Merrill Hagan & Michele Cavin

|ShortSummary = To settle his debt with the evil Pie Maker, Daniel must track a rare magical item: the Fugu Rose. But not without the help of a talking pig named Hoagie.

|LineColor = #942C2C

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|EpisodeNumber2 = 2

|Title = D Is for Dungeon

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|10|27}}

|DirectedBy = Matt Fernandes & Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Merrill Hagan

|ShortSummary = During an unexpected visit to the Bureau of Magical Enforcement, the Primus offers to help Daniel out of his deal with Pie Maker — for a price.

|LineColor = #942C2C

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 3

|EpisodeNumber2 = 3

|Title = The Cheat Code

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|10|27}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman & Matt Fernandes

|WrittenBy = Kevin Burke & Chris "Doc" Wyatt

|ShortSummary = Daniel's on the hunt for a Boatman Token, which may bring him one step closer to the Gryphon's Egg... if he can find the right item to trade for it.

|LineColor = #942C2C

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 4

|EpisodeNumber2 = 4

|Title = Under the Open Water

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|10|27}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman & Matt Fernandes

|WrittenBy = Anne Mortensen-Agnew

|ShortSummary = In the wake of a close confrontation — and a narrow escape — Daniel, Lucy and Hoagie travel to Shanghai in search of a royal gem.

|LineColor = #942C2C

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 5

|EpisodeNumber2 = 5

|Title = I Will Win Your Heart

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|10|27}}

|DirectedBy = Matt Fernandes & Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Anne Toole & Chris Gentile

|ShortSummary = While Lucy distracts a salesperson at an illegal trading post, Daniel and Hoagie sneak into a vault to steal the heart of the Mermaid Queen.

|LineColor = #942C2C

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 6

|EpisodeNumber2 = 6

|Title = Look What I Got

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|10|27}}

|DirectedBy = Matt Fernandes & Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Akira "Mark" Fujita

|ShortSummary = After a run-in with a rival tracker, Daniel and Lucy must barter with gremlins to repair their ice cream truck and resume their magical journey.

|LineColor = #942C2C

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 7

|EpisodeNumber2 = 7

|Title = Big Fat Nope

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|10|27}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman & Matt Fernandes

|WrittenBy = Roni Brown

|ShortSummary = Daniel and Lucy storm the hive of the Insect King in search of the Key Staff, only to find that someone's already beaten them to it.

|LineColor = #942C2C

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 8

|EpisodeNumber2 = 8

|Title = How Dare You

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|10|27}}

|DirectedBy = Matt Fernandes & Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Anne Mortensen-Agnew

|ShortSummary = To hold up their end of the Tracker Code, the trio leads a rival tracker to the Gryphon's lair. But getting out alive? That's another story.

|LineColor = #942C2C

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 9

|EpisodeNumber2 = 9

|Title = A Sandwich of Evil

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|10|27}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman & Matt Fernandes

|WrittenBy = Kevin Burke & Chris "Doc" Wyatt

|ShortSummary = Lucy's quick thinking keeps the Gryphon's Egg out of the hands of the Dark Mage… for now. But Daniel worries the egg is too powerful for any one person.

|LineColor = #942C2C

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 10

|EpisodeNumber2 = 10

|Title = Hold on Tight

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|10|27}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman & Matt Fernandes

|WrittenBy = Merrill Hagan

|ShortSummary = In a final battle with the Dark Mage, Daniel, Lucy and Hoagie must defend the Gryphon's Egg. The fate of the magical world — and ours — depends on it.

|LineColor = #942C2C

}}

= Season 2 (2023) =

{{Episode table|background=#000000|overall=|season=|title=|DirectedBy=|WrittenBy=|airdate=|country=U.S.|episodes={{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 11

|EpisodeNumber2 = 1

|Title = Swing Batter Batter

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|1|26}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Merrill Hagan

|ShortSummary = To rejoin the Trackers' Guild, Daniel needs an Untrackable — and his new friend Shak knows exactly where to find one.

|LineColor = #000000

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 12

|EpisodeNumber2 = 2

|Title = A Secret for a Secret

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|1|26}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Anne Mortensen-Agnew

|ShortSummary = After coming across an unusual shrine in Jayce's hideout, the group travels to the most cursed place on Earth to look for the legendary tracker.

|LineColor = #000000

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 13

|EpisodeNumber2 = 3

|Title = The Hidden Island

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|1|26}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Kevin Burke & Chris "Doc" Wyatt

|ShortSummary = Daniel decides to help Jayce track an ancient coffer in exchange for an item he desperately needs... if they can make it off a mysterious island alive.

|LineColor = #000000

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 14

|EpisodeNumber2 = 4

|Title = The Tickle Pit

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|1|26}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Chris Gentile

|ShortSummary = At the illegal trading post, Jayce tries to make good on his deal with Daniel. But first, Daniel must play a sinister game to pay off his debt to Kel.

|LineColor = #000000

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 15

|EpisodeNumber2 = 5

|Title = Witches Only

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|1|26}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Roni Brown

|ShortSummary = In order to get their hands on Witching Silver, the gang infiltrates a secret forge. Meanwhile, Lucy and Hoagie pay a visit to the oracle.

|LineColor = #000000

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 16

|EpisodeNumber2 = 6

|Title = Break On Through

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|1|26}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Jacob Fox

|ShortSummary = The team astral projects into another realm to figure out the location of the Scepter. There, Daniel learns about his family from an unexpected source.

|LineColor = #000000

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 17

|EpisodeNumber2 = 7

|Title = Gizmos and Death Traps

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|1|26}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Anne Mortensen-Agnew

|ShortSummary = To repair his armor, Daniel will have to strike a deal with a tough-talking fish. Then, Jayce and Shak storm a volcano in search of the Scepter.

|LineColor = #000000

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 18

|EpisodeNumber2 = 8

|Title = The Final Trial

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|1|26}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Evan Narcisse

|ShortSummary = In Selcouth, the teams must pass four trials to win the Scepter — unless someone untrustworthy beats them to it.

|LineColor = #000000

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 19

|EpisodeNumber2 = 9

|Title = The Scepter and the Sacrifice

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|1|26}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Kevin Burke & Chris "Doc" Wyatt

|ShortSummary = A powerful item falls into unexpected hands, leaving Shak to make an impossible choice. Later, Daniel and his friends try to contain a dark force.

|LineColor = #000000

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 20

|EpisodeNumber2 = 10

|Title = You've Looked Better

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|1|26}}

|DirectedBy = Trevor Deane-Freeman

|WrittenBy = Merrill Hagan

|ShortSummary = Back in New York, the city's greatest magicians combine their powers to battle a formidable foe. But will it be enough to save magic as they know it?

|LineColor = #000000

}}}}

Production

In early February 2021, Daniel Spellbound was announced by Netflix.{{cite news |date=February 4, 2021 |title=Netflix Summons 'Daniel Spellbound' to Netflix in an All-New Animated Series |website=Netflix Media Center |url=https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-summons-daniel-spellbound-to-netflix-in-an-all-new-animated-series |access-date=February 4, 2021}} The series' production is handled by Industrial Brothers and Boat Rocker Studios, whilst the latter's parent company Boat Rocker Media is in charge of global merchandising distribution.

The first season has ten 22-minute episodes.{{cite web |last=Zorrilla |first=Mónica |date=February 4, 2021 |title=Netflix Expands Slate of Kids Animated Programs With 'Daniel Spellbound' Series |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/netflix-daniel-spellbound-series-animated-kids-1234900606/ |access-date=February 4, 2021 |website=Variety}}

The second and final season premiered on January 26, 2023.

Reception

Reviewer Riya Singh of Midgard Times said, "The show is suitable for all ages and is a must-watch for animation lovers. Apart from being an action-adventure series, Daniel Spellbound delivers the message of teamwork and the importance of friends in one’s life. Also, appearances can be deceptive!" {{cite web|url= https://moviesr.net/p-daniel-spellbound-netflix-series-review-a-noteworthy-addition-to-netflix-animation|title='Daniel Spellbound' Netflix Series Review - A Noteworthy Addition to Netflix Animation|date= October 27, 2022}}

The Envoy Web{{'s}} Rishabh Chauhan writes, "The leitmotif that drops in every time the sinister side of Jayce is on screen or acts up is pretty catchy and remains one of the only memorable parts of the music throughout the entirety of the season.

The pacing is one of the prominent strengths of Daniel Spellbound season 2, and it’s only more effective here as the story takes a lesser amount of detours and divergences than in the first season.

There’s a certain sense of warmth that is retained in the sequel and potential which while not tapped into, is certainly one that inspires speculation as to what may unfold next might actually be better."{{cite web|url=https://theenvoyweb.com/reviews/daniel-spellbound-season-2-review-a-smidge/|title= Daniel Spellbound season 2 review: A smidge below its predecessor|website= The Envoy Web.com|date= January 27, 2023}}{{long quote|date=March 2024}}

It's fun for kids and adults alike in season 2."{{cite web|url= https://moviesr.net/p-daniel-spellbound-season-2-review-fun-and-full-of-unique-mysteries|website= Moviesr.net|date=|title= 'Daniel Spellbound' Season 2 Review}}