Review: Encanto (2021)

Encanto

Rating

Director

Jared Bush, Byron Howard

Screenplay

Charise Castro Smith, Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Jason Hand, Nancy Kruse, Lin-Manuel Miranda

Length

1h 42m

Starring

Stephanie Beatriz, Maria Cecilia Botero, John Leguizamo, Mauro Castillo, Jessica Darrow, Angie Cepeda, Carolina Gaitan, Diana Guerrero, Wilmer Valderrama, Rhenzy Feliz, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Adassa, Maluma

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Review

Disney has taken us to many strange worlds and new places over its 94 years as a feature animation studio. Once they transitioned from fairy tales, they took audiences to places only Pixar had taken them before. The tables have turned and Encanto proves to be one of the better Pixar-style tales Disney has produced in recent years.

In its third feature animation of the year, Disney/Pixar presented Encanto, which tells the story of a magical candle that has protected the denizens of a peaceful valley from violent intruders for decades. It imbues the house in which the Madrigal family lives, as well as the family itself, with special powers. That is everyone except Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). Mirabel is a considerate, passionate member of the family in spite of never having received powers. As her young cousin Antonio (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) approaches the age at which he should receive his magic, Mirabel wants nothing more than for it to be a success, but a strange vision that suggests the house is about to crumble sets the entire family off-kilter and their worst fears begin to materialize.

While not the Brothers Grimm, Encanto adapts the aesthetic of Colombian folklore to present its tale of family and the nature of its interdependency. Each Madrigal has a duty to provide to the house and to the surrounding village where their magical powers help keep life flowing with a buzz of activity. Mirabel’s sisters Isabela (Diane Guerrero) and Luisa (Jessica Darrow) provide beauty in the form of flowers and physical strength respectively. Her mother (Angie Cepeda) heals through her cooking while her aunt Pepa (Carolina Gaitan) can control the weather with her emotions. Pepa also has three children, two of whom already have powers: Camilo (Rhenzy Feliz), with the ability to shapeshift, and Dolores (Adassa), who has super hearing.

Strangely enough, the only other person in the family not to have a gift is Abuela Madrigal (Maria Cecilia Botero) who merely serves watch over the candle and acts as the ceremonial figurehead, though you wouldn’t know it from the way everyone treats her with deference. Of course, marrying into the family doesn’t grant powers, so Pepa’s husband Felix (Mauro Castillo) and Mirabel’s father Agustin (Wilmer Valderrama) are also powerless. Then there’s Bruno (John Leguizamo), who had the power of foresight, but we don’t talk about Bruno.

Lin-Manuel Miranda provides the songs for this film and they are some of his most catchy tunes so far on celluloid. From the song of caution “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” to the subtle lullaby “Dos Oruguitas” to the beat heavy “Surface Pressure,” there aren’t many songs in the film, but they are all magical in their own ways, like the film itself. The vocal work is likewise superb with Beatriz easily standing out, though Darrow and Cabot-Conyers are terrific in their supporting roles. Olga Merediz, who features in one of the year’s other Lin-Manuel Miranda joints, In the Heights, for which she was nominated for a Tony award in the Broadway version, provides Abuela’s singing voice. These actors bring life to the tale in an involving narrative that might seem slight in some ways, but which never overstays its welcome.

Encanto is the latest Disney effort that shakes off the tropes of the traditional fairy tale-inspired storyline in favor of searching for compelling meaning. By exploring the traditional and non-traditional nature of family, their most common modern go-to theme, they keep connected to their familiar and beloved roots while taking audiences on unfamiliar journeys. By also highlighting cultures that many viewers may not be well versed in, they create a foundation from which younger generations can become more accepting and tolerant individuals. That alone is worth the price of admission.