Encanto (2021)
"A young Colombian girl has to face the frustration of being the only member of her family without magical powers."
One of the main things that made me love this movie was the cultural representation. My "2nd family" is Colombian, so I was really excited to see their heritage come to life in a colorful, beautiful animated Disney movie with songs written by the Lin Manuel Miranda. I knew I would walk out of that theater feeling happy and I did. From the character design, world design, soundtrack, the way they danced, and even just sitting through the credits seeing all the Latino cast & crew that worked on this movie, I was just really impressed with how Disney treated the representation overall.
While this was a very wholesome Disney film, I don't think it even reaches top 50 Disney movies for me. Not saying I disliked. I literally cried three time because I related to Mirabel so much. I really don't think it'll be seen as a big hit like Frozen, Moana, or Coco. Though it has great elements that everyone should enjoy. The concept of the town and Madrigal family was very interesting. The unique gifts of the family were fun to explore. The themes of family rifts and struggling to live up to great expectations were themes I personally connected to the most. So through this story of magic, there was still a heavy story of family legacy and the struggles that come with that.
(Quick intervention to state my theory about Mirabel's gift. I believe her gift was the house. To me, it seemed that she had the deeper connection and communicated with the house more than anyone. During her ceremony, the door disappeared, as if she wasn't allowed to have her own magical room space disconnected from the house's essence. And in the end, when she placed the doorknob, it was Mirabel who returned magic to the house and made it come alive again. It was also her fallout with Abuela Alma that led to the crumble of the original house to begin with, which was what really made me believe in this theory. I don't know, let me know what you think.)
Both the soundtrack and the songs successfully captured the Colombian flare. At first, the songs weren't as memorable to me as Moana or Hamilton, but the more I listen, the more I can appreciate that this is in fact another Lin Manuel Miranda masterpiece. The Bruno song is the definition of fire. I can't get it out of my head.
I highly recommend this family film. It's a colorful celebration of Colombian culture. It's also a story of magic while also being a story about family. A modern Disney classic to be sure.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
**Post Edit**
So it's been a few months. I want to Emphasize that I said the soundtrack is another Miranda masterpiece. I still find myself loving the songs more and more. My family, like many others, have obsessively sang We don't talk about Bruno. And I love that the rest of the world enjoys it too.
I also want to say that the film has grown in popularity in a way I did not expect and I'm incredibly happy for all the people that worked on this movie. Oscars are coming up, I hope Encanto wins something.
Also, when I said I cried, I was definitely referring to the generational pressure that the next gen faces. I understand that very well. And seeing the internet analyze this theme in the characters is very appreciated. Check out this theory for example: Why didn't Mirabel get a gift?