Encanto (2021) Disney/Fantasy-Adventure-Comedy-Musical RT: 99 minutes Rated PG (some thematic elements and mild peril) Director: Byron Howard and Jared Bush (co-directed by Charise Castro Smith) Screenplay: Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith Music: Germaine Franco (songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda) Cinematography: Nathan Warner (layout) and Alessandro Jacomini (lighting) Release date: November 24, 2021 (US) Cast: Stephanie Beatriz, John Leguizamo, Maria Cecilia Botero, Dianne Guerrero, Jessica Darrow, Angie Cepeda, Wilmer Valderrama, Carolina Gaitan, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Ravi-Cabot Conyers, Maluma, Alan Tudyk. Box Office: $96.1M (US)/$256.5M (World)
Rating: ***
Another holiday season is upon us and with it comes the latest animated offering from Disney. This year it’s Encanto, a colorful magical realist tale that celebrates Colombian culture and all of its beauty. It’s nice to see diversity in a world that was predominantly white for its first 60 or so years. Inclusivity is one of the most important lessons children (and some adults) should learn these days.
Directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush (Zootopia), with an assist from playwright Charise Castro Smith, the enchanting Encanto is standard Disney fare featuring a young, misunderstood heroine who feels like she doesn’t fit in. You see, Mirabel (Beatriz, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) is the only member of the Madrigal family not gifted with special powers. She has relatives who can control weather, create flowers, shapeshift, hear the slightest sounds and talk to animals. She has no abilities and it makes her an outcast, especially in the eyes of family matriarch Abuela (Botero) who never has an encouraging word for the girl.
The whole Madrigal family lives together in a sentient house (“Casita”) with magical doorways to rooms specifically designed for their occupants. All the power of Casita comes from an enchanted candle obtained by Abuela after a major tragedy that occurs while she and her family flee from their homeland. Now, 50 years later, the magic appears to be dying. Mirabel is the first to notice something’s wrong, but everybody dismisses her concerns as more of her foolishness. Determined to prove she’s just as special as the rest of them, she sets out to find the cause of the disturbance and fix the problem.
In order to save her family and home, Mirabel will need the help of her Uncle Bruno (Leguizamo, Ice Age), an eccentric type ostracized from the family for his ability to see into the future. His visions weren’t always what they wanted to hear. In his room, she finds evidence of a vision indicating she might be the cause of the impending disaster. What’s a girl without powers to do?
First things first, Encanto does NOT need to be seen in 3D. I saw it that way only out of convenience. It has a few neat effects, but it’s not worth the extra $4, especially with the already high cost of admission. That being said, the movie has some great visuals. The animation, rich and vibrant, is spot-on as usual for Disney. The design of the house is cool with the moving floorboards and doorways to other worlds. The characters look great too. Mirabel isn’t a perfect beauty like many a Disney princess of old. She wears glasses and is socially awkward. It makes her an ideal heroine, one that most girls can more readily identify with.
The voice talents, especially Beatriz, do a fine job. Leguizamo adds nice comic relief as the oddball uncle who still cares about his family despite how they exclude him to the point of not even saying his name out loud. Encanto has a good amount of humor (the animals are fun), but it has its dramatic side too. The tragedy that brings about the family’s magic is particularly palpable. The contentious relationship between Maribel and her perfect older sister Isabela (Guerrero, Orange Is the New Black) also hits the mark. Who hasn’t had to deal with a sibling that can do no wrong?
The songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) are pleasant enough, but largely forgettable. I didn’t hear one song that has hit potential. The numbers that accompany them are nice to look at though. The thing about Encanto is this; it’s good Disney not great Disney. I have no doubt it’ll be a hit and the kids will want to watch it multiple times when it shows up on Disney+. Parents won’t mind watching it once or twice. It’s lively and fun, but doesn’t achieve the greatness of the classics.
