When I first saw the trailer for Disney’s “Encanto”, I expected nothing more than a half-hearted Colombian rendition of “Moana”.
After so many Disney movies featuring cookie cutter protagonists who learn cookie cutter life lessons (such as, “your life is in shambles because you aren’t believing in yourself”), I didn’t have particularly high hopes for Disney’s newest movie.
However, 30 minutes into “Encanto”, I realized that this animated kids’ movie was actually pretty good. Scratch that, it was stunning.
The story is set in 1950’s Colombia and follows the extended Madrigal family. Years ago, the Madrigals were given a Miracle, a magical blessing that ensures that when each child in the family turns five, they receive a magic ability. A gift — as the family’s matriarch, Abuela is fond of saying — as special as the recipient.
The Madrigals live in the booming Casita, the enchanted smart house that provides for the family’s needs. Together, they harness their abilities toward serving the adoring townspeople.
Except for the heroine, Mirabel Madrigal. She didn’t get a gift.
However, Mirabel has spent the ten years since her failed ceremony burying her sense of insignificance underneath her pride for her family’s amazing talents. But when she notices cracks forming in the Casita and in her family’s powers, Mirabel has to embark on a mission to save their Miracle.
I could go on for hours (and I have, to family members and anybody else who would listen) about how gorgeous, warm and genuine this story is. Watching it felt simultaneously like running through fields of carnations and curling up by a roaring fireplace.
This is due to the movie’s limited setting. Mirabel does not go on a terrain-stretching journey, because saving the Miracle means exploring both the Casita and her family members’ psyches. However, the story still entertains because the Casita is impossibly large, containing systems of enchanted rooms and secret hallways.
The film’s color palette was vibrant, giving life to the featured Colombian flora and wildlife. To top everything off, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of “Hamilton” and “In the Heights”, wrote most of the soundtrack. His involvement is obvious in the songs’ depth and masterful blend of traditional Colombian music and smooth rap.
The soundtrack was also integral in unpacking each family members’ insecurities. The only crack in the Madrigals’ perfect facade was their belief that their value as people was directly correlated with the usefulness of their powers. They felt pressure from the rest of the town, and from themselves, to develop their abilities to the point of perfection. Some broke under the pressure.
The song “Surface Pressure” revealed the crushing obligation that Mirabel’s super strong sister Luisa felt to carry every physical and metaphorical burden. And “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, arguably the best song in the movie, was a whispery exposé on what happens to Madrigals who don’t fit into the family’s perfect mold.
The characters themselves were what made the movie so interesting. Each Madrigal was eccentric and complicated, with a power that complemented their personality perfectly.
But for me, the best Madrigal by far was Mirabel. Throughout the movie, everybody made her feel insignificant because she didn’t have powers. Her attempts to be useful to the rest of the family were scorned and misunderstood, no matter how much she tried to help.
Out of all the Madrigals, she definitely cared about the family the most. But because she didn’t have any special gifts to contribute, she was worthless in everybody’s eyes, even her own.
It was satisfying to watch Mirabel come to terms with the fact that she was not okay with being the only unspecial Madrigal. But despite her inner conflicts, she continued to be her family’s biggest cheerleader, even putting her life in danger to save what was important to them.
Like any other family, the Madrigals had their dysfunctions. But they eventually came together to learn that they were people outside of their abilities.
Despite the pressure that they put on each other, it was clear throughout the movie, and especially in the end, that they still loved each other. They were still bound together as a family.
“Encanto” was a love letter to the entire idea of people who loved each other growing up together, making it a perfect movie to go see with my own family. Its special blend of Colombian elements and its exultance of familial love made it one of the most unique movies of 2021.
