REVIEW: Encanto

It was around Disney's 50th animated feature, Tangled, that this critic first came into film discourse. A lot has changed within the House of Mouse in the years since, and we now find ourselves the recipient of the Disney canon's 60th feature film, Encanto, directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Charise Castro Smith. What does this latest entry contribute to the library? Turns out, quite a bit.

Nestled in their enchanted house, Casita, the Madrigal family dazzles their community with their fantastical gifts. Elegant Isabella makes flowers grow in her footsteps, young Antonio chats it up with the local wildlife, and Mirabel ... wishes she had a gift like the rest of her family. It's hard to feel important when you're the only one in your family without a superpower, especially with your grandmother constantly shoving you into the corner. But all is not right in paradise. The magic is fading from Casita, and Mirabel is the only one who can keep her family together, but only if she can discover for herself what no one else will offer her freely: her purpose.

There are something like a dozen Madrigals in this cast, a dozen points to this star, each of them distinct from not only each other but also character types as a whole. What precedent is there for a muscle-clad, dress-wearing, donkey herder with anxiety problems? Stereotypes appear only long enough to be dissected and subsequently dismantled, and the whole cast feels fresher for it.

Mirabel is herself a rarity among animated films of all brands. Nerdy teenage girls finally get their day with Mirabel, the rare animated heroine who doesn't look like she fell off the barbie doll shelf. Voice actress Stephanie Beatriz neither disguises nor exaggerates Mirabel's innate geekiness, instead carving a whole human who is insecure but not self-deprecating, warm but not saccharine. We also have Ms. Beatriz to thank for supplying our heroine with a beautiful singing voice, which we have the privilege of hearing across a full deck of musical numbers.

We may have heard catchier tunes from Mr. Miranda (then again I have been singing about Bruno-no-no-no for hours since my viewing), but we've seldom seen musical numbers staged so beautifully. Each number has the characters sliding between vivid stages that seem to be made from light itself. Remember how your jaw dropped watching Elsa dance among the clouds of living ice crystals? There's more where that came from. A lot more.

Where adventure quests are de rigeur for animated films, Encanto chooses to stage all of the action within the Madrigals' "Casita." The film takes a page from the likes of Hogwarts or the castle in Super Mario '64 and keeps all the plot's dungeons within a singular, magical house.

It is somewhat underwhelming that Mirabel never has to travel as far as her backyard to collect her Holy Grails. But even that frustration is thwarted by the quiet genius of this wrinkle. Sure, many of us might climb mountains or slay dragons to save the day, but going one door over to make amends with your sister? That's one ocean few of us are daring enough to cross.

In a way it's refreshing that the plot is propelled forward by Mirabel basically having little therapy sessions with her relatives. Mirabel challenges her family's schema for the perfect familial unit, but Mirabel's honesty and insightfulness may be just what her family needs to become the best version of it's self.

Much like Mirabel's contribution to her family is undervalued, Encanto's offering to the Disney family is a little hard to describe because the film's connection is tenuous. The songs aren't like your usual Disney songs. The story isn't like your usual Disney story. The heroine isn't like your usual Disney heroine. For that, a lot about Encanto is weird. Like an awkward youngest child of an extraordinary family of films, one that maybe we don't quite know what to do with yet. But each new discrepancy also carries something like revelation, something that might bring life and variety to the family. Given little time, I think we'll be happy to welcome this one to the clan.

--The Professor

Comments

ALGDecember 6, 2021 at 4:56 PM
My daughter is a Disney aficionado, and this one just didn't resonate with her quite like other Disney classics (e.g., "Alice in Wonderland") and recent Disney soon-to-be classics (e.g., "Coco") have. That may change with time but, like you, she found "Encanto" occasionally "weird." Interesting review, nonetheless! I haven't seen the film, but you've evidenced that it is worth at least a look.
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