In late November, Walt Disney Animation Studios released its 60th feature film, Encanto, which some would say is among the best.
The film follows a quirky and hilariously imperfect 15-year old girl, Mirabel Madrigal and her seemingly magical family. Each of the Madrigals hold a special “gift”, given to them at a young age. Mirabel however, is the only member of her family who was not given a gift, with the exception of the men married into her family.
The magic, or “miracle”, began with Mirabel’s abuela. Years ago, Abuela and her husband set out with many others to escape from danger. Abuela’s husband died while trying to protect Abuela and their three children: Pepa, Julietta and Bruno. Shortly afterwards, the Earth gifted Abuela a magical candle that provided her and those around her with a safe haven.
Taking place in Colombia, Encanto does an exceptional job at incorporating Colombian culture into each song and scene within the film. The Madrigals’ Casita (magical home), is set in Valle de Cocora, an actual place in the country.
Eventually, Casita finds itself in trouble and it’s up to Mirabel to save her family’s miracle.
But how can the girl without a gift save her family’s miracle? The answer to that is definitely not something any of the Madrigals would want to hear. Mirabel must set out to find her Tío (uncle) Bruno. The only problem is… Bruno disappeared from the family a decade ago.
Bruno’s gift is being able to tell the future has always ended with him in some sort of trouble with his family members, eventually he disappeared after having his last vision. However, his siblings considered his disappearance as him being exiled from the family.
One very important key of the film is the music. Encanto is a very musical film. Featuring songs such as: “The Family Madrigal”, “Surface Pressure” and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” which surpassed Frozen’s “Let it Go”, becoming the biggest hit from Disney in over 26-years.
Overall, Encanto is a brilliant and flavorful film filled with good music and a beautiful message about what it means to be a family. It’s definitely worth the watch.
