Josh Reviews Encanto
In Encanto, we meet Mirabel Madrigal, who belongs to a multi-generational Colombian family. Every member of her family has been blessed with a special magical ability… except her. When circumstances force Mirabel to question the true nature and purpose of the magic that has protected her family for decades, she uncovers some long-buried secrets and cracks in her family’s perfect facade. But Mirabel might just be the perfect person to help bring her family back together to heal…
The second amazing Disney animated film of 2021 (the first being Raya and the Last Dragon), Encanto is a beautiful and moving story about family, about magic, and about the lingering effects of trauma. The film is fun and filled with joy while also containing an impressively nuanced and layered narrative. I loved it. It’s a pleasure to see Disney animation continuing to operate on such a high level these days!
It’s delightful to see a Disney animated film so centered on a multigenerational Latinx family; in particular a story steeped in Colombian culture. It’s nice to see the efforts that Disney animation has been making in recent years to spotlight different real-world cultures. Here in Encanto, it’s a pleasure to see not just a spotlight on a Latinx family, but the efforts made to show this family as incredibly diverse even within that Latinx setting. Each family member has different skin-tones and different hair-styles; we see a group of Afro-Latino family members; this attention to diversity is admirable.
The music, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is extraordinary — propulsive and memorable. Everyone’s going nuts these days, and rightly so, for “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, but for me the film’s showstopper is the first song, “The Family Madrigal”, a fast-paced earworm of a tune that spectacularly introduces the film’s huge cast of characters. (I’ve commented before that, wow, Lin-Manuel Miranda had a heck of a 2021. First there was In the Heights, an adaptation of Mr. Miranda’s musical. Then there was the animated musical Vivo, for which Mr. Miranda wrote all of the songs and voiced the title character. Then there was Mr. Miranda’s directorial debut, Tick, Tick… Boom! — a film that I loved and listed as one of my favorite movies of 2021.)
The animation is gorgeous (as always for Disney) and I was particularly impressed by the animation of the dance choreography, which was intricate and unique.
The voice cast was superb. I’ve been a huge fan of Stephanie Beatriz’s for years, for her very funny work as Rosa Diaz on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I was impressed getting to see her sing and dance in In the Heights… but that’s nothing compared to how blown away I was by her lead performance here as Mirabel Madrigal. Right from the film’s opening song, “The Family Madrigal”, Ms. Beatriz blows the roof off of the film. She’s a fantastic singer, and even more importantly than that, she gives a wonderfully affecting performance as the smart, brave, but somewhat lonely Mirabel.
Ms. Beatriz is supported by a wonderful ensemble. I particularly want to highlight: María Cecilia Botero, who brings dignity and grace to the role of Mirabel’s grandmother, Abuela Alma Madrigal; John Leguizamo, who is absolutely perfect as the outsider Bruno; and also Diane Guerrero (Orange is the New Black) who play’s Mirabel’s “perfect” sister Isabela, and Jessica Darrow, who plays Miravel’s super-strong sister Luisa.
Encanto is another triumph for Disney. I can’t wait to see this movie again.
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