Encanto (2021)
7/10
Starring the voices of
Stephanie Beatriz
María Cecilia Botero
John Leguizamo
Mauro Castillo
Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard
I must be honest, it’s been a
while since I watched a Disney animated musical and genuinely enjoyed the
songs. In that area, Lin-Manuel Miranda delivered. Encanto is Disney’s 60th
animated production, and it doesn’t try to set itself apart from the familiar
fantasy stories we’ve all grown to know. It’s not like how Frozen
carved out its own unique narrative or the comedy masterpiece that Zootopia
delivered. Instead, Encanto is an average production with an easy-going story,
making it simple to enjoy as Disney continues to deliver family fun.
The movie is set in South America
and tells the story of the Madrigal family, led by Alma. During a tragic moment
while fleeing an attack on their town, Alma’s husband, Pedro, sacrificed
himself to protect her and their three children. His sacrifice brought about a
magical door that blessed Alma with a magical home and candle. The candle, in
turn, blessed her three children—and later, her grandchildren—with magical
powers. However, things took a surprising turn when it was Mirabel’s turn to
receive a gift: she didn’t get one. From this point, you can already sense
where the movie is headed.
The story follows a predictable
formula: the one person who isn’t blessed will be the one tasked with saving
everyone. As expected, even though her family loves her and the community
adores her for being cheerful, Mirabel is treated differently. She’s excluded
from many things and must navigate life feeling left out simply because she’s
different. The family’s fears grow when it’s time for her young nephew,
Antonio, to receive his gift. Everyone worries he might not get one either, but
he does—and Mirabel is once again sidelined. It’s during this moment of
separation that she notices something troubling: the magic in their home is
fading.
Now, Mirabel takes it upon
herself to figure out why (without anyone actually assigning her this task). In
her search, she reconnects with her estranged uncle, Bruno, who has been
shunned by the family. Bruno’s gift of seeing the future caused conflict because
people didn’t like the predictions he made, leading him to distance himself
from everyone.
With Bruno’s help, Mirabel must
uncover why the magic is fading and find a way to save it before the family
loses their powers entirely.
Encanto is a good, fun family
movie with musical numbers that are easy to enjoy. It’s not groundbreaking,
which is likely why it’s now available on Disney+ instead of dominating the box
office. The way the story unfolds is a little disappointing because it sticks
to a conventional plot. It could have been so much more.
Disney may have delivered a
musical wonder with a super simple story, but box-office hits often come from
the unconventional. Still, you should give this a watch—and find out why we
don’t talk about Bruno.
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