Honestly the short film, “Far From The Tree” is the best part of the movie; but, Disney’s “Encanto” is still really good on its own.
This week, Disney releases its 60th animated studio film, “Encanto,” a story about a family blessed with magical gifts and heavy expectations.
Summary: Mirabel is the lone person in her family, the Madrigals, who doesn’t have a magical gift. Her family members can talk to animals, control the weather, hear a pin drop a mile away, and heal people with their cooking. Their lives revolve around their magical casita and the community that has built up around it. The entire town looks to the family to lead the way, but when the house starts to crack and the magic starts to fade, how will Mirabel and her family confront it?
Basic review: I really enjoyed the movie. The trailers made it feel like this grand adventure, full of physical danger and challenges. And it is… but not in the way you might think. The challenges and whatnot are much closer to home, pun intended, for the main characters. Mirabel doesn’t have to go on some far-off quest to find the answers she seeks.
I wasn’t blown away by the music. It’s fine. Nothing to hum or tap your toes to on the way home. The voice performances all felt really good, and Stephanie Beatriz was the MVP. It’s honestly amazing to think it’s the same person who plays Rosa Diaz on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” The animation is beautiful; they really take advantage of the color palette, and the effects for the hair and sand look incredibly realistic. Props to the animators.
About 20 minutes in, I had a strong feeling as to where the story was going and what the resolution would probably look like. And honestly, I was right. Not in a “wow, Hollywood, you’re so predictable” sort of way. More in a “the story naturally built in that direction via thematic elements, parallels, etc.” sort of way.
Honestly, the movie is good. I want to see it again: partially because the “Far From the Tree” short captured such a complex topic in such a short and cute story that didn’t have any dialogue … and partially because “Encanto” itself is great. Perhaps I’ll appreciate the music more after a second viewing.
Overall, I recommend giving it a watch this Thanksgiving / winter holiday season.
Come back to read the rest of the review once you’ve seen Disney’s “Encanto.”
SPOILER-FILLED Review:
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(Warning: here be spoilers)
It occurred to me after I was driving home from the theater that this is kind of the same basic plot/conflict as “The Princess Diaries.” Grandmother, who everyone looks to as a leader in the family/community, has very high expectations of her family members. She pressures her granddaughter too much, so much so that her granddaughter feels like she can’t live up to her grandma’s expectations and, thus, doesn’t feel like she can properly be a part of the family. Granddaughter tries to run away from home at some point, and she and her grandmother reconcile when the latter realizes that her high standards as a leader have made her forget her duty as a grandmother. She spent so much time and energy focusing on the family’s public persona that she forgot that her grandkids are … kids.
In “The Princess Diaries,” Mia and Clarice have that beautiful conversation where Mia decides she doesn’t want to be a princess and Clarice tells her that she is “first and foremost” her granddaughter. And then Clarice drops her very formal manner and gives her granddaughter a much-needed hug. It’s probably my favorite moment in the movie, because it’s when Clarice verbalizes that, even though Mia (seemingly) won’t succeed her, it doesn’t matter because she’s still family.
We also see that same message more recently in “Moana.” When Moana is about to give up her quest and spirit-Grandma visits her. She says that she should’ve never put such a heavy burden on Moana’s shoulders and that if Moana wants to go home, she’ll be with her. It’s interesting that they took something that was a mere line in “Moana” and basically turned it into another Disney movie.
I really loved the themes in “Encanto” about being overworked, overburdened, and pressured to live up to family’s/society’s expectations. It’s probably best expressed in Luisa’s song, “Surface Pressure.” I appreciated Abuela’s message that the family is meant to use their gifts to better other people’s lives, but the family needed to find a balance in doing so. Luisa felt like she couldn’t stop for a second without appearing lazy, ungrateful, or weak.
The line that really sticks out to me — as I’m reading through the lyrics — is “I’m pretty surе I’m worthless if I can’t be of servicе.” Wow. Imagine how Mirabel felt hearing that, considering she felt “worthless” because she didn’t have a gift. Luisa also feels that, because she’s older than Mirabel, she has to take on more responsibility, more work. Also, pretty powerful. Sometimes the oldest sibling isn’t the most qualified for a given task, but because of familial pressure and whatnot, they might be forced into it regardless.
I think I clued into Mirabel stepping more into Abuela’s role by the movie’s end because for all Abuela talked about everyone having a gift, Abuela didn’t have one. Her family and her casita was her gift. So, it felt poignant that Mirabel’s “gift” manifested with the new casita — complete with magical door depicting her and her family. That was a great ‘full-circle’ moment.
Overall, this movie does have a few problems. As I said, I don’t the songs were particularly strong. They were just there — with the exception of “Colombia, Mi Encanto.” I can’t imagine kids 10 years from now bopping their heads to these songs as they fly around in their jet packs or whatever. They’re powerful in the context of the story, but they’re not really head-bangers on their own. (Side note: is Lin Manuel Miranda the only songwriter in Hollywood anymore?)
I honestly was surprised this was a musical. I hadn’t seen anything about it in the marketing, and so when they started breaking into “The Family Madrigal,” I had to adjust my expectations. I think sometimes the songs work with the flow and tone of the story, and other times they feel a little shoe-horned in.
I also felt like the pacing might’ve been a bit off. The third act feels a little too short and wrapped up too fast, but perhaps that’s me. I might feel differently after a second viewing.
Ultimately, I do want to see the movie again. I definitely think “Encanto” is far-and-away superior to “Raya and the Last Dragon” and I personally liked it better than Pixar’s “Luca.” Of all the animated movies I’ve seen this year, it might be the best… TBD. I’ll have to look over my list again. “Wish Dragon” was amazing, and “Vivo” had its moments. But, “Encanto” was a strong entry and I highly recommend it to everyone who hasn’t seen it.