Jared Bush Byron Howard Charise Castro Smith
Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
PG
99 minutes
Encanto tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charming (and enchanted) place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel (voice of Stephanie Beatriz). But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might be her exceptional family’s last hope. Mirabel will seek out her missing cousin, Bruno, to discover the truth that Abuela has buried away for all of their lives.
Though it can't quite break out of the Disney mold, Encanto is greatly aided by a unique story, a delightful cast of characters, and a vital message.
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Encanto is deeply emotional and touches on the roles in a dysfunctional family system. The songs are catchy and will easily get stuck in your head. The movie holds important messages about healing generational trauma. I find myself particularly empathetic towards Abuela because she's not the traditional villain, acting in destructive ways but with good intentions. However, that doesn't make her actions okay. Ultimately, the resolution at the end made me cry happy tears.
I loved the fact that Encanto chooses to mix the whimsical concept of magic with such a human conflict: generational trauma. Even if the Madrigals are "special," Mirabel and any other normal person can still be the key to healing without a specific gift. The songs are incredibly catchy and there's a good variety of them too. I do find that it's a film I like less when I rewatch it as I can really see the flaws in the pacing of the third act, but it deserves the hype it got at its release nonetheless.
Disney's animated output had fallen into a bit of a lull in of creativity, and the pandemic certainly didn't help matters, but with its gorgeous visuals and direction, engaging cast of well-developed characters, and a thoughtful narrative about generational trauma, Encanto was nothing short of a return to form for Disney. The film succeeds on all fronts, and overall, it's easily the best film they've put out in the past few years.
The story moves very awkwardly, like they planned out half of it and then had to throw in a bunch of songs and stopped worrying about the plot. But the animation is absolutely beautiful, and some of the songs are absolute earworms.
Encanto is a gorgeously animated musical with touching messages about family and love. So many of the songs are absolutely infectious and will get stuck in your head for days after initially watching the film.
Truly joyous and packed with earworms. Mirabel nails the 'awkward but likeable' archetype a lot of content for young viewers aims for and often misses, and well-drawn side characters make you feel like you understand the central family, even though in actuality you don't spend that much time with any of them.
As far as musicals for the whole family, Encanto is great. My two young sons really enjoy the beautiful animation style, the fun rhythms, and the exciting powers that the Madrigal family have. It also is one of the more enjoyable movies for parents to watch along with, which makes it a great pick for the whole family.
