Encanto continues Walt Disney Animation Studios’ excellent run of diverse storytelling, reflecting a more realistic tone than its older fairy-tale cousins. Encanto is playing in cinemas nationwide now.
Over the past six years, Walt Disney Animation has expanded its cultural horizons. We had Moana’s exploration of Polynesian culture while Raya and the Last Dragon celebrated South Asia. It feels like a deliberate move away from the Eurocentric fairy tales of Tangled, Frozen, and arguably Zootopia. Those films are not deficient in any way; their worlds are more regionally reflective than global. Now, the studio has turned to Colombia with Encanto, from Byron Howard & Jared Bush.
Encanto introduces us to the Madrigal clan, a family gifted with magical abilities due to a mystical candle bestowed upon Abuela (Mariá Cecilia Botero). Here we meet mum Julieta (Angie Cepeda), whose cooking heals all; Aunt Pepa (Gaitán), whose emotions control the weather; eldest sister Isabela (Guerrero), who has Poison Ivy-like abilities, Luisa (Darrow), with the most enormous biceps ever seen in a Disney film, Dolores (Adassa), who has super-sonic hearing, and finally Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). However, Mirabel has no powers, unlike the others, which could be the undoing of the family’s magic.
Bush & Howard nail the extended-family culture of Latin America, with each member making a strong impression through their vibrant personalities and visual flair. Luisa is a standout favourite, mainly because of how built she is; for example, there’s a moment when she picks up an entire church like it’s nothing before gently placing it back down.
Encanto thrives on its vibrant Latin American energy, with the animation taking you to extraordinary places, and while the songs aren’t as memorable as Lin-Manuel Miranda may like, the backdrop and visual stories they embrace are. Here, a cornucopia of natural delights and beauty surrounds us, from Isabela’s grand hall of Colombian Roses and Sugar Flowers to Luisa’s Herculean attempts to keep everything under control. There is no doubt Encanto continues to embrace the animated beauty we have come to expect from Walt Disney.
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Part of Encanto’s charm comes from its seamless dovetailing of style and substance, as it embraces Colombian culture’s visual and sonic flair through the Madrigal family, sprinkling in country-specific elements along the way, such as capybaras and arepas. Encanto feels like a joyous celebration of Colombia and its heart, its culture and community. One that leaves you feeling warm inside.
There’s a noticeable effort to subvert the typical “leaving home to find yourself” story that Disney has become known for. In Encanto, Mirabel’s struggle cannot be solved by a nationwide quest, nor by magic or deities. Instead, Mirabel’s struggle to connect with her family is all too real as she suffers under the weight of the expectation the family carry. The magic bestowed on the family can almost be seen as a curse and a blessing. It’s a very Disney theme to promote the mantra of “be the person you want to be”, but the way it’s captured in Encanto is far more subtle and nuanced than in your typical family film.
Of course, this subversion comes with a few caveats. For example, it feels like Encanto spends most of its time setting up and exposing the problems at the heart of the family while never allowing itself the time to tie everything up. This may lead younger audience members to wriggle in their seats as the runtime feels elongated. This may stem from trying hard to subvert the audience’s expectations. I also found the songs slightly disappointing. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Moana songs remain in my head even today, but I couldn’t name a single Encanto song or hum its melody a few hours after leaving the cinema. This may be because the songs feel too busy, with five or six different vocalists vying for our attention.
Encanto continues Walt Disney Animation Studios’ excellent run of diverse storytelling, reflecting a more realistic tone than its older fairy-tale cousins. In addition, its subversion of the typical Disney formula is welcome, if slightly askew at times. But despite this, Encanto is undoubtedly a warming winter treat for the whole family.
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