The Celebration of Cultura Colombiana.
It’s been quite a year for Lin- Manuel Miranda. Does this man ever sleep? From a big-screen adaptation of his Tony Award-winning musical In The Heights in June to his directorial debut with the stellar triumph Tick, Tick… Boom! in November (plus an Emmy win in September for the Disney+ live recording of Hamilton), Miranda wraps up 2021 by collaborating with Walt Disney Animation Studios and the Oscar-winning directorial duo behind Zootopia.
Considering the mighty pedigree behind Encanto, expectations are naturally rather high for Disney’s canonical 60th animated feature film. The fusion of Colombian culture with the beautiful visual magic of Disney animation proves to be a real winner. One of the best family films of the year, Encanto is gorgeously animated and fueled by a story with so much heart. Its narrative may be familiar, but its heartwarming message is timeless and its characters are magical in more ways than one.
THE PLOT
Deep in the mountains of Colombia, in a secluded valley, lives the Madrigal family, lead by Abuela Alma. By the power of an ever - burning candle, the Madrigals have been gifted with a sentient "casita" as refuge after a terrible personal tragedy. To help protect the family and their neighbours, the candle also imbues each new family member with a special power. Alma's three children, for example, Julieta, Bruno and Pepa, are gifted respectively with the powers to heal with food, to see premonitions, and to control the weather with her emotions.
When the next generation of Madrigals each turned five, the casita would present a new door that reveals their gifts. Dolores has the hearing of a fox. Camilo can shape-shift. Antonio, the newest recipient, can talk to animals. Luisa is female Heracles. Isabela can make beautiful flowers blossom at will. And then there’s Mirabel, who stunned her entire family by getting the gift of, as my late grandfather would put it, sweet Felicity Arbuckle.
Thus Mirabel feels like an outsider and a disappointment all the time, especially to Alma. So when Mirabel starts noticing cracks in Casita's walls and floor, she realises the magic that’s blessed her family may be failing. Terrified at the very idea that her family may be losing their gifts, not to mention their home, Mirabel is determined to at least attempt to save both. But is Mirabel the answer to this problem or the cause??
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In many ways, Encanto is not typical animated fare. It’s comparatively low stakes are centred on a familial drama rather than some daring adventure. More concerned with exploring these characters than plonking them in bombastic set-pieces. There’s no surprise dastardly villain, nor sign of a gooey love story for our protagonist. As with most animated heroines of late, the decidedly “ordinary” Mirabel does not fit the archetypical Disney mould of yesteryear. She’s awkward, insecure, and feels wildly inadequate compared to her “perfect” sister, Isabela. Only decades ago, Mirabel’s gorgeous sibling would have the central character. Mercifully those days are over.
Though, of course, decades ago, no dang Disney movie would ever have been set anywhere like Colombia, and even if it were you'd never know, because the movie would never feature the locals anywhere but the background, to say nothing of the fact that the voice cast would be composed entirely of white people trying to sound Latinx. Mercifully, again, times have changed. As with Raya and the Last Dragon earlier this year, Disney is attempting diverse representation in animation by way of an authentic depiction of chosen set country, it's culture and people. And, like Raya, it sets another landmark moment for a studio with a questionable history that it has atoned for about three times over within the last ten years alone.
Obviously it is not for an ageing white man who knows next to nothing of Colombia to determine the accuracy and authenticity of what has been created here; but for the money of said ageing white man, Encanto is as joyous a celebration of Colombia as Pixar's Coco was of Mexico. They both almost literally leap out of the screen. It also shows how committed they are to presenting an accurate depiction of the country they present to the world when you see the different skin tones of all the characters; added again to that, the fact that these characters have no big names providing their voices, simply choosing the right actors for the right parts, most of them actually Colombian.
And then there are Lin - Manuel Miranda’s eight original songs that highlight his penchant for zippy wordplay. There’s only one immediate earworm of a song, but they all fit the typical roadmap that comes from the melding of Broadway sensibilities and Disney animation we’ve come to expect since the days of the late, great and powerful Howard Ashman. The toe-tapping opening number “The Family Madrigal” introduces us to the entire clan and their unique abilities. Mirabel and her sister Isabela are each given the staple “I Want” numbers in the forms of “Waiting On A Miracle” and "What Can I Do?" respectively. And everything wraps up with a lavish celebratory ensemble number in “All Of You.”
MY VERDICT
Encanto is a STUNNING creation. 84 years and 60 films since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, the magic of the kingdom and the house that Walt built is still clearly as strong today as it was then. This film is a joyful ode to the power and spirit of family and Colombian culture.
Is Encanto a Disney Classic? Now? I doubt it. Later? Only time will tell. For me? Without question.
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