Pratik Handore
Hulu’s ‘Spellbound’ is a fantasy drama series that revolves around Cece Parker Jones, a 15-year-old teenager who moved to Paris, France, and lives with her aunt while pursuing her dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. While Cece enrolls at the Paris Opera Ballet School, she also learns about her lineage as a witch, leading to an exciting, adventure-filled school year. The show’s basic premise, setting, and characters will remind viewers of ‘Find Me in Paris,’ another series about ballet dancers. Moreover, both shows come from the same creative team, making viewers wonder how ‘Spellbound’ and ‘Find Me in Paris’ are connected. SPOILERS AHEAD!
How Are Spellbound and Find Me in Paris Connected?
‘Spellbound’ follows the story of Cece Parker Jones, who is admitted into the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet School. Cece wants to become a professional ballet dancer and moves to Paris, France, to live with her Aunt Ginger, who runs the W Apothecary store in the city. However, Cece discovers she comes from a long lineage of witches known as Wizens and has magical powers. Therefore, Cece must learn to manage her magic powers while pursuing her dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer.
The premise of a female protagonist learning to juggle between her ballet dancing school and fantasy adventures is similar to that of ‘Find Me in Paris.’ ‘Spellbound’ and ‘Find Me in Paris’ come from the same creative teams, with Jill Girling and Lori Mather serving as creators on both. The two shows are connected through their primary setting as both take place at the Paris Opera Ballet School. Moreover, both shows revolve around a teenager at the center of a fantasy adventure. However, in the case of ‘Find Me in Paris,’ the fantasy element that drives the story forward is time travel. Instead, ‘Spellbound’ swaps out the time travel shenanigans for magic but retains the core teen drama element. Another major difference between the shows is the age difference between the protagonists.
‘Find Me in Paris’ premiered in 2018 and lasted for three runs with a total of 78 episodes. It follows Helena “Lena” Grisky, a Russian princess from 1905, training to be a ballerina. A piece of jewelry given to Lena by her boyfriend transports her to the 21st century, where she enrolls in the Paris Opera Ballet School. Therefore, there are some thematic and narrative similarities between ‘Find Me in Paris’ and ‘Spellbound.’ However, both shows feature a separate cast of intriguing characters, giving them a unique touch. Nonetheless, in ‘Spellbound,’ actor Rik Young reprises his role as Armando Castillo, a ballet instructor at the school from ‘Find Me in Paris.’
“After ‘Find Me in Paris,’ which enchanted our viewers for three seasons in the exceptional setting of the Paris Opera, the ‘Spellbound’ project appealed to us because it goes further in terms of diversity and inclusion,” Claire Heinrich, France Télévisions’ deputy director of children’s programs and head of acquisitions, said in a press release about the two shows. Ultimately, ‘Spellbound’ serves as a spin-off of ‘Find Me in Paris.’ However, it can also be viewed as a spiritual successor to the parent series. Both shows provide a fun and entertaining adventure for teenagers while contrasting everyday issues with world-ending fantasy situations.
Read More: Where is Hulu’s Spellbound Filmed?
