Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto,” tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a vibrant town called an Encanto. Mirabel discovers that the magic surrounding their home is in danger, and she might be her family’s last hope. Opening in the U.S. on Nov. 24, 2021, “Encanto” features Stephanie Beatriz as the voice of Mirabel and songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
This is a spoiler-free review of Encanto.
When you hear the word “family”, what emotion do you associate that with? You may feel love. You may feel anger. You may feel joy. You may feel anxiety. You may feel all of these emotions at once. But the important part is realizing that without family, you may feel entirely lost.
These are just a few of the range of emotions Mirabel (superbly portrayed by Stephanie Beatriz of Brooklyn Nine-Nine fame) experiences throughout her magical journey of self-discovery and acceptance in Encanto. The movie follows the Madrigal family in an ambiguously-timed Colombia, all of whom receive exceptional magical powers when they turn 5 years old. Everybody in the family has their own unique gift, except of course for Mirabel. This is the root of our heroine’s conflict; she struggles with her own identity when she ends up not receiving a magical power.
In traditional Disney movies, the protagonist typically is accompanied by an animal companion that is most often a sassy, quirky character foil to them. Encanto trades in the animal companion for a literal house, which Mirabel calls casita, Spanish for “cottage”. Despite Disney foregoing the tried-and-true animal companion, the house has much of the same sassy and quirky personality traits fans have come to know and love from these films. The core conflict of the movie is that the family’s magic is starting to weaken, and their home is starting to crack and break down, which becomes more emotional and difficult for the characters to witness due to the house being literally alive. Mirabel’s journey is about finding out what is causing the magic to fade, and how to stop it, and she does so by singing, dancing, and exploring her way through her mystical home.
Speaking of singing and dancing, it would be a crime not to mention the absolute home run of a soundtrack this go around. With music from Lin-Manuel Miranda, expectations were high, and boy where they met. With a stellar voice cast and songwriting, this is one of Disney’s best in terms of music. The opening number is a beautiful and catchy South American-influenced jaunt throughout the village and introduces each family member and their magical powers, in addition to providing exposition on other characters and plot threads.
After my time with this wonderful story, I came out of the theater more connected with Mirabel than I ever imagined I would have; if you’re somebody like me who has their own family issues (who doesn’t?), then Encanto is the movie for you. The metaphor of the house cracking due to a fractured family is a bit on the nose, but not without accuracy. Family can pressure us, anger us, and tease us, but family is also there to lift us up, help us through hard times, and provide a special kind of love not often found elsewhere in the world, and what Encanto has to say on the subject is a truly deep and meaningful lesson: there are problems that are big and small, and are usually just a matter of perspective. All it takes is a bit of patience, time, and understanding. Family is forever.
Encanto opens in theaters worldwide on November 24, 2021.
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