Oh if those walls could talk...
No really. That seems like the obvious choice for a power in this situation from a writing perspective. Kind of glad they didn't go with that...
https://boxd.it/2ycL59
Love this film so much my favourite Disney film
As a movie it was great. Filled with a sorts of goodness. Great emotional character arcs. In spite of the ambiguous tragedy that starts the narrative it all feels real rather than just moralistic which is a fun thing to see in a children's movie.
As a musical it was… okay. The songs are great but they're a little too real. It just sounds like I'm listening to a sick Colombian radio station rather than a music with a song that I want to sing in the shower. All the songs are great to listen to, but nothing makes me want to remember any of them much less vocalize. My favorite musics had me singing the songs the next morning. Heck even ones that are decent I could sing a song to my sister and tell her which was my favorite. But this movie even though there are maybe three songs I know I liked. I couldn't tell you an hour after the film finished how they go.
The narrative is interesting but for a while I thought maybe Mirabel's power was going to be gift of song or making everyone sing. I think that's kinda says how disconnected the songs are from the film.
For all the talk I've been hearing about "We don't talk about Bruno" when it actually showed up it wasn't really all that… compelling. It was so quick and non specific I kept expecting it to come back. They say it like twice in the song and that's about it. The song was great but it missed that singable zip. Surface Pressure was a song with amazing lyrics and, honestly speaking, trash vocals, which is somewhat unfortunate because it might be the best song in the movie to the point where I was disappointed the movie wasn't about Mirabel helping everyone else realize that the picture perfect life wasn't working for them. One learns she's tired of the pressure of strength. The other learns she doesn't want to be perfect. Another learns to accept her emotions. I mean THAT movie was sitting right there waiting to happen. But the movie we got wasn't awful so I'm not torn up about it. Though Mirabel's power could have been the power whisperer.
But I did like the movie. I would even watch it again.
Watched Encanto with Stephanie Beatriz(Brooklyn 99) as Mirabel Madrigal, John Leguizamo(Ice Age) as Bruno Madrigal, Mauro Castillo(Good Boys) as Felix Madrigal, Diane Guerrero(Doom Patrol) as Isabela Madrigal , Adassa as Dolores Madrigal, Wilmer Valderrama(Larry Crowne) as Augustin Madrigal and Maria Cecilla Botero as Abuela Alma Madrigal.
I really enjoyed this movie loved its Aesop that things can be restored if they are lost also the film is heartwarming and a celebration of Latino Culture and Stephanie did brilliant in her voice acting debut also which is throwback to the Renaissance Disney Films of the '90s using semi-known as actors in the Voice roles with little or minimal notoriety no really big names were attached to the film also the animation was solid once again Disney Trademark Animation a 3D Version of there previous installments of The Disney Renaissance and Experimental Era.
Score By Germaine Franco (Coco) & Music By Lin Manuel Miranda(Hamilton) , Direction By Jared Bush(Raya And The Last Dragon) & Byron Howard(Zootopia) 10/10.
Beautiful animations, heartfelt story about how Latino conservativism, generational trauma, and tying people’s worth to their “gifts” can leave deep scars across a family
It’s interesting to me that many complain about this movie not having a “bad guy” when that’s a huge part of what makes it so special and so unique! I’m reminded of what I said I wished had been done differently in Frozen 2. Although, that one has my longest review to date and I understand not everyone wants to read it, so let me paste in what I’m referring to.
>Like, imagine that instead of the two characters falling off a cliff because one attacked the other, a character accidentally fell off the cliff and accidentally took the other with him, and others saw it, both believing that the other side had pushed their people; and then the fighting broke out. I guess that was a part of me wanting to believe that none of them had to be the bad guy for once.
I wanted to at least somewhat briefly attempt to have a say in what I felt made this movie worthy of a 10 in my book. There are other reviews that dive into all these things and explain them wonderfully already so I don’t need to try to do it all again.
There’s the strong nod to human nature and how past experiences and heartache and fear can do so much not only in your own life but to others around you.
It conveys how we’re all not perfect and we’re each (often) doing our best. We all have our very own struggles even if things seem great for us from an outside perspective.
This film shows much we can break each other without ever intending harm, even when we’re only doing what we feel we know is best in order to take care of others.
It beautifully communicates that conflict doesn’t have to come from someone being “bad.” Sometimes it’s just life, and it just happens. We all have our own experiences, our own grief, our own journey.
I know some don’t like the fact that they got their powers back in the end, but we did see that they were all happy and thriving together without them too. It was because of Mirabel they got them back and it was like her gift in the end was being able to put her family back together as it was, but better, when it had become broken "under the surface." She helped them build a new and stronger foundation. She didn’t have the “burden” or responsibility of some specific power to distract her from what she was lead to unearth and ultimately fix, so not receiving one was a blessing in disguise for the entire family, even the entire community.
Luisa’s song was my first favorite, but that “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is too freaking good too!
They really said silencio Bruno
feels like a heartwarming Gabriel García Márquez story for children
Another great catchy, emotional, lovely animation film from Disney that is nothing short of heart warming and really well made. Of course like most Disney animations, the music is incredible. The uniqueness of the plot about a Latina family who all have special gifts that keep the family thriving all while living in a magical house, is what makes this film a masterpiece, yet just average as it makes the typical Disney fan go outside their comfort zone a bit. But if you embrace the fact that Disney is embracing another culture you will find this movie surprisingly up amongst the Disney greats. The plot development was on point. The characters were of course worthy of falling in love with. The lesson that this film gives is very inspiring in that the value of family no matter who they are or provide is the most important key to success.
Cried my balls out. 10/10
This story felt too small. I'm not sure a central conflict which boils down to a family overcoming the stress of pressure/expectations is enough to carry a feature length film. Maybe I was just expecting a more traditional villain. I don't know. I also don't like how nebulous and manufactured the "losing the magic" feels. I like magic with rules and consistency, so having just a vague threat of "we're losing our magic because... we're all stressed and not united as a family?", generated a bit of an eye-roll. Perhaps my biggest issue came at the end when the movie completely abandoned what I thought was a central message: you don't need magic to be exceptional.. That seems like a worthwhile message for kids, but the movie rug pulls it away with a last minute "they get their magic back". Now watch as the Madrigals get to be really happy, even happier than without magic. Kind of lame. Unfortunately, none of the music really stuck with me either. It was all fine, but not immediately earworm catchy.
I do have some positives. Their were plenty of very cute moments and creative visuals. I quite enjoyed John Leguizamo's Bruno. All in all, not a bad movie, but not something that is going to stick with me.
I think I cried more this second time I watched it, after “Dos Oruguitas”… so moving.
From beginning to end, everything is so bright, the songs are amazing and it’s easy to let yourself get caught in the Madrigal family turmoil.
Great movie, watched it with my sis a couple times when it first aired and don't have any complaints. Memorable songs which will make you keep coming back to the movie's soundtrack time and time again, Characters are creative and spreads a nice little message about how we are all uniquely created with our own special gifts.
It is terrible! Disney is promoting lqtbp+ to the small kids! This is so wrong!
7.5/10 - A beautiful, enchanted movie. I love the bright particle effects, the living house, the animations, and the good vibes <3
The music was also nice but there are musicals that I like more.
I had a few wet eyes moments, especially towards the end, but I also couldn't really feel the story sometimes.
Overall it was certainly a nice movie but not perfect.
It’s a well done movie I believe, just not really for me.
The true gift is life.
The good: An appealing protagonist. Good visuals.
The bad: A lackluster and uneven script that starts out incredibly slowly and takes a VERY long time to get any traction. A soundtrack that, with only a couple of exceptions, is full of instantly forgettable and lightweight tunes.
It's okay but really forgettable. I didn't like any of the songs in this Disney movie and that barely ever happens. The story is nothing special and it misses really likeable or funny characters.
So Bad. We spend the majority of the movie meeting pointless characters that have nothing to do with the story. some were amazing but they do nothing with them. I was so excited for that sassy capybara but noooo, nothing creative animation wise. Then we finally get to an actual problem and they boldly decide to tackle mature feelings that don’t go away over night. Oh sorry they didn’t tackle them at all because we finally have a problem a plot and then they solve all their problems in two crappy songs. Bruh I was waiting for the infamous we don’t talk about Bruno, and then it’s just over I two seconds and it wasn’t even catchy. I enjoyed the drip song tho. Nothing memorable except how pissed I was.
The Abuela can fuck off and die. A beautiful movie almost completely ruined by a rushed and illogical third act when the antagonist suddenly has a change of heart and comes back to the light side with no repercussions. She deserved a tribunal not a celebration.
All my 6 stars go to Manuel Miranda for the amazing songs! The story was meh, too much drama for a simple trama
There are no "princesses" is a plus, catchy music is another plus, but the whole thing is average.
it's worth your time
Can we talk about Bruno now? Encanto takes place in a colourful setting, features catchy songs and teaches us some lessons about family communication. It is another triumph.
Cute, but nothing special. The songs are alright but not’s not an outright winner like previous Disney animations.
Didn't love it, didn't hate it. I really liked the character designs and one or two of the songs but that's about it.
I think the only reason I like this movie is because of LMMs music
A masterpiece and looks great on my 4k TV !
Before watching this movie, I didn’t know if Encanto was gonna do anything that remarkable or interesting seeing as Disney was coming from a strut of sequels that weren't awful but weren't as good as their originals. This film still proves that Disney can still make great original movies that have heart humor and musical vibrance. While I do have a few nitpicks with the storytelling and maybe one or two of the songs not being as good as the others, Encanto is nevertheless the best film Disney has put out since Moana and the reception from critics and audiences proves that. I don’t expect that I’ll be putting this in my top 10 favorite Disney movies, but this was still a movie that is way better than it had any right to be and chances are I may return to revisit the adventures of the Madrigal family for many more times to come.
Full Review: https://www.jake-s-entertainment-reviews.com/movies-and-televison/encanto-2021
Cute movie with fantastic animations. Disney didn't disappoint. I thought the storyline could have been more complex but overall a good movie. Loved Surface Pressure and the scenes going with it. Can relate!
Loved! Beautiful animation and a fun, non-smarmy story. https://boxd.it/2Hvg7H
The animation is beautiful. The music is rousing but the lyrics are lacking. I found the story to be fragmented and the point was often muddy. I’ve read that people who have lived through the conflict in Columbia find deeper truths in the plot and I respect that. I give the film a 6 (fair) out of 10. [Animated Musical]
The music, the animation, the costumes, the story telling... all that was beautiful. I have watch this movie too many times and I will probably do it again. My problem resides with the last part. The process getting there was magnificent. But what was all that "I went through a traumatic event which is why I'm a shitty person, I will justify it by letting you know what happened"? Didn't like that there was not an obvious evolution from Abuela Alma and that she never apologized to Bruno, non of them did. I know how dysfunctional families work, but that kind of was what I thought was the ultimate goal. Them achieving some sense of respect for each other. Didn't get that.
A fair and quite standard fairy tale. I do not think it has a particular deep meaning behind besides the standard expectations from such tales. It could be enjoyable and with a good animation but nothing more than that. The plot itself does not seem that Disneyan.
Damn, I watched this movie 5 times so far in theater, and I have been listing to the soundtrack on Spotify at least 3 times a week every week :joy::joy:
every single song in Encanto was a work of Art & the disney animation is getting better and better with each movie,
i loved this movie so much
A strong new entry into the Walt Disney Animation Studios canon.
'Encanto' is an enjoyable and meaningful 102 minutes. The animation, as you expect from Disney, is superb and the world really comes alive beautifully and vibrantly. I like the character designs and their story, with each one having something unique about them which is neat.
I had heard that some of the music from this 2021 flick has entered the charts here in the United Kingdom, though I purposely avoided listening to it as I wanted to keep it fresh for when I watched the film. Now I've done just that, I found the music to be very good - aside from "Surface Pressure" (no. 3 in UK), I don't think I'll be listening to any of it on my own time but - more importantly - it's impressively effective for the movie itself. "We Don't Talk About Bruno" might grow on me, mind.
The cast are fun. Stephanie Beatriz leads comfortably as Mirabel, while John Leguizamo is a great choice to play Bruno. The rest of the cast, though nothing extraordinary in my opinion, are all entertaining enough in their respective roles - namely María Cecilia Botero and Jessica Darrow.
I loved everything about this movie except the ending. I wish they kept it as a 'true magic comes from within' type of thing instead of everyone getting their gift back.
The story took longer to get going than I would have liked, but then the movie was really good as the conflict was building towards a climax, even with the writing not giving important plot details. The climax had a lot of good, but it again falls into the realm of "wait I think I missed something here..."
I like the ideas behind the plot and there are good moments, but at the same time the script could have used a few more passes before they started animating the movie. In the end it's not bad, but it's not great, either
The 2nd 'Silenzio Bruno!' of 2021 out of a Disney studio. Someone high up at the Disney company must hate someone called Bruno a lot
:laughing:
But great animated film. Music is decent and fun (although nothing legendary because it feels a bit overproduced at times) and animation is fantastic. Original story, and interesting characters. It is a bit rushed over here and there but that's ok.
Everytime they start singing I'm reminded "oh right, lin manual miranda was involved in this". they really are the worst. Other than that the plot was great and very cute. I just can't stand the music.
Might be Disney's best. 8/10
It’s uneven, but totally charming. Worth viewing. Luisa’s song is the best.
This movie is just wonderful. It's my favorite movie ever. I've watched it like 20 times in these 2 months of release
Great thing about animated films, and cinema in general, is that you will take from it whatever it tells you, personally. We each experience a film our own way and our interpretations and feelings towards it are inevitably influenced by our lives at the moment of watching.
Encanto to me is about the young-adult period of your life where everyone around you seems to have found their calling - some seem to have always known it even. A plan laid out out and a sense of purpose. Encanto deconstructs that idea by making the character with no gift its heroine, and by diving into the insecurities, the burdens and pressures of the characters who do have gifts. They have been reduced to their abilities or feel like they must never fail or complain, when really they just want to relax and be creative. That’s a powerful message - that it doesn’t matter whether you have a gift or not, your worth comes from who you are as a human being and your relationship with others.
I have to say, besides the colours, I found the animation pretty boring and alike a lot of Disney stuff we’ve seen for the past 10 years - it’s time for a change! The music was fun, the cultural and historical nods were great.
Solid effort by Disney!
It really is a good movie and I like the theme of a dysfunctional family and that the plot doesn't revolve around drug trafficking as they always do with Colombian movies/series. I hated that Mirabel was so quick to forgive the family and that there was almost no character development, it would be better if Encanto was a series and not a movie, the songs are good, the animation too and visually it is a beautiful movie but the plot is not the best of all.
pd: pepa and félix are the best couple, I love them.
Beautiful, high quality animation. However, compared to high calibre movies such as Moana this did not live up to the hype. In my opinion, this is mainly because of the lack of character development. I had to read the Wikipedia article of this movie ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encanto_(film)#Plot ) to understand the backstory and learn about some of the characters. There really isn't much of a story told in this movie.
It also looks like the Social media users have turned this movie into something entirely different. Not surprising, since those people live in an alternate reality dictated by corporate social media marketing teams :clown:. This isn't the only animated movie in recent times that featured what you smug woke social media intellectuals call "people of colour". Here, let me list out a few other awesome movies that were far more interesting. Soul (2020), Coco (2017) and my personal favourite Moana (2016). All of these are written better and looks amazing in 4K HDR.
Disney's going to have a hard time topping this one for me. O heard so much about this film going into it, I heard that We Don't Talk About Bruno had topped Frozen's Let It Go for the most popular Disney song and after seeing the film, I couldn't agree more.
But not just that song, every song brought something new to the table, two of my favourites being Surface Pressure and What Else Can I Do? All the characters were insanely loveable and relatable. in their own special ways.
Honestly, if you have not seen this film, what the hell are you waiting for. Watch it now.
Everyone told me I would cry. They told me the same about Up, Which did not make me cry even though I cry over everything. They also told me this about Coco, which definitely made me cry. But this made me cry even more. I see you, references to Brave. I hear you, Hamilton influences (which, you know. LMM. So makes sense.)
Prob best Disney movie ever. Battling with Moana. Music on point. Story on point. Great characters. I can't believe my people got a movie!
this movie was soo good omg! it was very inspiring and full of love and good morals. it was a very easy watch with the story being easy to digest. the music is easily listenable outside of the movie, and the characters were not out of place and were easy to relate to! overall, its just a great movie you should all go watch it besties. :)
I liked the movie and songs as well
:heart:x7
This is a perfectly enchanting movie. The story could have been a little stronger, characters built out a bit more, but still worth a watch.
How I rate:
1-3 :heart: = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 :heart: = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 :heart: = I expect you will like this too
9-10 :heart: = movies and TV shows I really love!
Encanto is a lovely movie that fails just a bit short on the way to being an instant classic.
The animation is top notch. That surely doesn't surprise anyone, but I really got the feeling the animators were flexing their skills with this movie. Many characters, but especially the protagonist, Mirabel, are dressed with big, floofy, flowing dresses that are just mesmerizing to look at. And Mirabel's hair! Incredibly well done. Since Tangled, Disney has nailed the animation aspect of hair. Honestly, they got everything right, from the fur of the animals to the light blonde hair on the characters' skin.
The whole scenery is also amazing to look at. I'm not Colombian myself (or Latino for that matter), but I've been told from someone who is that it really looks like a place in Colombia, from the way the mountains around look, to the style of the houses of the town.
The characters are honestly where this movie fails a bit short for me. They're all lovely, but since there is so many of them, they're not really that fleshed out. They feel shallow and one-dimensional, like they're there just to fill a bit of screentime instead of being functional to the story.
Speaking of the story, I really liked the premise of it. It started strong and it gripped me right away, but after a while I felt like it was missing a purpose a bit. Every time there was a conflict, it was almost immediately resolved, almost rushed. I liked that they did a movie without an obvious villain, though. It is a breath of fresh air. No evil character out for world domination, just the struggle of a family.
Of course, I have to say something about the songs. I enjoyed them a lot! Especially the introductory one and We don't talk about Bruno have been stuck in my head since I finished watching the movie. But they are all pretty catchy, though I have to say I didn't enjoy the choreography of all of them.
In conclusion, Encanto is a very enjoyable movie that I can recommend to any Disney fan. It has its funny moments and the more serious ones as well, like you would expect for Disney.
7/10
what a silly little rat man
Not as good as everyone hyped about it, everyone says lets not talk about Bruno tops the frozens let it go, i feel they should let that go because it wasn’t anything great or catchie or even rememberable but other than that, it had some magical moments and the animation was beautiful.
Wow WHAT A MISS-HIT. This is one of the weakest high budget animated movies I have seen. The dynamics were all over the place, the words hard to hear in the below average quality songs, very little to laugh at, the tension/drama was very lacking and all the whizz bang colours and dance seemed to be there to try make substance, but really it amounted to fluff... I absolutely love movies like Coco, which was a masterpiece... but this is a vacuous nothing. I gave it 2/10 because I chuckled at the expression of disappointment on the huge dog's face when the little boy told his dog not to eat the mice. Funny.
I loooooved this. I am not Colombian, but I am from the Caribbean, and so much of myself I saw. Representation matters! It was really beautiful!
And the message and music (while I have thoroughly outgrown Disney musical fare) made this a very heartwarming film. Being magical (in an Afro Caribbean way) the disaporic magical traditions are beautifully represented (much like Coco did before it for our ancestral veneration).
Representation really matters.
Finally, the animation is freaking exquisite. The modeling and texturing : chef’s kiss :
I found this was extremely well written, highly entertaining, clever, and quite hilarious. I am surprised at just how much I enjoyed this film! Felt a but rushed at the end but maybe that was me wanting more from the story.
Encanto is an incredibly overrated movie. Why this has such a huge fanbase, I will never know. That being said, it's still a good film.
I just never want to hear about Bruno ever again thanks to the fanbase.
Another nice Disney movie. The music was definitely the highlight here.
Overhyped dribble churned out for the masses
Watched this without expecting anything because as much as possible, I try to refuse reading reviews and since a lot of people are already spoiling it on TikTok, I decided to just watch it and OMG I am so glad I did! I have a lot of good things to discuss about this film and one of which is the animation since of course, it's an animation film and also, a PIXAR film. I recently watched LOCO and Disney never fails to provide us a better animation each time they release a new animation film!
I love the concept in which if we look at it technically, the setting is basically just within their community BUT because of their magical house, it brought us to wonderful different locations! The color is sooo beautiful and my favorite character by far is actually Isabela! I just loveee the part where she finally starts to realize that she isn't being true to herself and I just find the scene where she grew a cactus instead of roses so deep because personally, that's how I portray my life right now that I always seek validation from other people and that I am not allowed to make mistakes because of the expectations I set to myself from other people. The scene where her hair color changes and her clothes, omg it's just so beautiful! .
Let's not forget the songs in the movie as well. By far, my favorite was Surface Pressure! I love love that song and the meaning it has. It was really catchy and even hearing the songs once, it can kinda stuck in your head for a while.
I would say that this film was very timely and that this is really good not just for kids to watch this film but for adults as well because of the message it just wants to give. I also love the fact that the lead character doesn't have any powers and everyone around her does so for most of the movie, she just feels like she's not special and that everyone around her was given a purpose. You know some kids might think that maybe they're not special just because they can't do what their classmates can do or something like that. You get it but the point is, kids and adults can highly relate to this because of the different stories each character has.
I just knew that I was wrapped up in the story when I realize that I'm more than halfway through the story already but it felt like it's not yet even halfway. I really recommend this film. I do hope people, especially parents to check this out.
this is definitely the most i’ve cried at a movie. a little too relatable.
Both times I watched it, it felt rushed and shallow. But it's so beautiful and funny, and the songs are so good and the characters so captivating, that I fall in love everytime and end up wanting to watch it again.
Heard a lot about this movie so my expectations where insanely high and met. A touching, emotional tale of a family that I know a lot of people can recognize pieces of their own in. I could find myself in more than one character and I cried a LOT. The song Luisa sings hit me unexpectedly hard. Other than being an emotional rollercoaster the movie is also beautifully made. So many colors, a delight to watch. I was in awe of how the visuals where done, one of the prettiest animated movies I've seen.
Like most Disney movies this one had some greattttt songs! All I want to do is talk about Bruno to be honest!
A disney animation! I haven't watched one in a while but this one was heartwarming (by the end of the movie) and I can actually relate to some of the character's worries.
Abuela was just afraid of losing her home and family just like how she lost her husband. She always have this "everything needs to be perfect" mindset which makes everyone pressured including herself, thus slowly tearing the family a part. It's also the reason why the casita is self destructing and the magic is slowly fading away.
This is where Maribel comes in. She's like a glue that holds the family together. She's there to remind them that it's okay to feel vulnerable, it's okay not to be special, and it's okay to be just who you are. Maribel didn't receive a gift from the engcanto because i believe that her personality, attitude, and mindset /is/ the gift that the Madrigal's need.
[7.9/10] We have so many stories about the burden of being the chosen one. Everything from Harry Potter to Buffy Summers to Avatar Aang delves into the burden of carrying the world on your shoulder as the fabled champion. It’s a good thing, to humanize those fighting against a supernatural evil, make them recognizably human despite their heroic poses and incredible gifts.
But Encanto explores something rarer -- the burden of not being the special one, of feeling like you have something to give the world even if you haven’t been blessed by the divine or fate or random chance with the abilities of your fellow men and women. The movie celebrates the self-made miracles that follow in the wake of those individuals, who likewise struggle with self-doubt and certain hurts, but who also do the hard work of making things better without the magical boosts the chosen ones have in tow.
The center of the story is a young woman named Mirabel, the lone powerless member of the magical Madrigal family. Since her abuela first discovered the titular “encanto” (or enchantment), every Madrigal child received a wonderful “special gift” when they came of age. It could be super-hearing or the ability to speak to animals or even the power of prophecy. But whatever the gift, the family uses their collective talents to help build and protect their town.
The film is, effectively, a tug of war between Mirabel, who feels left out of the family due to the encanto mysteriously skipping her, and her grandmother, who is fiercely devoted to holding the family, the miracle, and the home and town both fuel, together at any cost. Mirabel labors to do good, to contribute, despite being the lone non-magical Madrigal under their roof. And Abuela Alma pressures everyone in the family, including herself, to use their powers to the peak of their potential in order to be worthy of the mysterious gifts they’ve received.
It’s a potent metaphor for the story of so many immigrant families. The older generation is acutely aware of the sacrifices necessary to scrape together what their family has, so well-meaning parents and older relatives push their progeny to climb higher, do better, to hold onto it and be worthy of their blessings. The younger generations, in turn, can mean well but crack under that pressure, feeling as though they’re not good enough or that if they stumble, even a little, they’ll be letting “the family” down. The resolution of those two sides, the harmony it finds in intergenerational understanding, is Encanto’s greatest strength.
But hey, the pure aesthetics and artistry of the presentation aren’t bad either! The family dynamics Encanto deploys are universal, but it’s a devotedly Colombian movie. Along with other recent Disney animated films, that cultural specificity gives it a greater flavor and a rich tradition to pull from when filling in the corners of its world. The colors, architecture, flora, fauna, food, and dance all have a distinctive flair, which make the movie an inviting and enervating experience.
To that end, the studios’ animators continue to outdo themselves. There’s an incredible amount of expression in the movements of Mirabel and her family, whether they’re salsaing or arguing or heaving donkeys around. In both traditional music numbers set within the heightened (and radiant) reality of the film, and in more impressionistic numbers with fantastical representations of the characters’ wishes and anxieties, the directors and animators catch the eye with fabulous movements and inventive imagery. As pure visual expression, the movie wows.
The same goes for the music. With original songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda, there’s an almost effortless sense of high quality melody and verse at play. Miranda’s trademarks, with fast-talking verbiage and a cacophony of parts stacked on top of one another, return here with the composer’s usual alacrity. But so too does his ability to stir the soul, in inspirational tunes and sentiments that could come off saccharine were the craft not so good and the harmonies not so piercing. The artist remains Disney’s cheat code, with songs that soar nearly as well as those in the Miranda-assisted Moana.
That film scans as Encanto’s closest predecessor, another tale of a young woman finding her place in the hierarchy of her family and village, grappling with how she differs from expectations. The film pulls from other pieces of Disney history, with a second act sequence that evokes the Cave of Wonders escape from Aladdin, and a delightful living house character that feels of a piece with Beauty and the Beast. But it’s Moana, with its similar musical stylings, comparable visual flair, and lack of a villain in favor of reconciliation and self-actualization, that proves the closest analogue.
And yet, in its own way, Moana is also a chosen one story, while Encanto marks new territory for the House of Mouse, in exploring how those less “burdened by glory” can still make the grandest contributions. In the end, Mirabel not only unravels the mystery (more or less) of what her missing uncle Bruno prophesied, but discovers that the family members she envied for their abilities struggle just as much as she does to live up to expectations, in a way that went unseen by their abuela. It reconnects her with the family members she bristled with or otherwise felt apart from.
More than that, though, when the miracle does fail, when the family home does crumble, when the town they support does crack, it’s Mirabel who gives everyone the strength to rebuild it, magic or no magic. In the absence of those gifts, she learned to be strong without it, to rely on herself, on hard work and empathy, to make the difference, which turns out to be exactly what the family needs. The town, rather than turning on the Madrigal, comes to help in the effort, completing the “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for” sensibility of the fable.
In the effort, Abuela Alma recognizes that Mirabel is the miracle, that her children and grandchildren matter far more as who they are than the gifts that they bear. It’s a lovely, life-affirming sentiment, where both generations truly see one another and recognize both their mutual struggles and the good intentions behind them.
The Madrigal family that reunites under a new banner is a slightly scrappier one, falling short of the standards of perfection both chosen ones and immigrant families hold themselves to. But it is also one which is more whole and full of acceptance, where all of the cousins and kin are allowed to relax and express themselves, where those who remain unblessed by the supernatural or fated still find ways to be extraordinary.
I just loved this movie so much! Triggered triggers in me that I didn't even know I had. The movie lasts 1h40min and I cried for 2 hours non-stop. Which leads me to think that maybe I have family traumas that I should deal with in therapy.
Wonderful. Just wonderful. A beautiful story, lush visuals and catchy songs.
Disney Animation Studio's mediocre attempt at a "Coco". A woke superhero family with a magic candle and a live house, probably Disney's most boneheaded premise since Brother Bear. A story so empty they had to fill it with like 20 annoying songs that use some of the worst current Pop trends and you want to fast forward through. House tragically broken but gets rebuilt to identical specs in what looks like two hours tops, and the movie ends with everything being right back to where it started.
"we don't talk about this thing" proceeds with complete song and dance about this thing. Not the worst thing I've watched recently. The main protagonist is likeable, which is a hard thing to achieve these days it seems. I love the setting but wish the songs were more appropriate to the location this is set in. Speaking of songs, I can't stand musicals so the songs weren't for me. Especially since so many of the songs involving the main character slowing down time, which made me think she did have a power. Defeating the purpose of why she's special. I do however love the animation, and especially the design of this movie. It's one of the first animated movies I've seen that has a cartoony style and still have sub-surface scattering and even some ray tracing (especially when the weather girl is on screen). And the movements are never out of the realm of possibilities. The set and clothing designs are excellent. The whole thing still has that annoying mouth movement/facial expression that's been normalised by Pixar. I wish they'd do something different for a change.
Boring & awful. Disney should really stop making these money machines and include some quality in their productions.
They're lucky kids now would watch anything, but this is not the Disney I grew up with.
I've seen a surprising number of comments about wanting to know more about why Mirabel didn't get a door/Gift. The film explained that just fine. Mirabel's "Gift" was that she was unburdened by not having one, it gave her the vision to see the problems from the outside. She was, in essence, the human extension of the Casita itself - as proven by the ending.
As far as I'm aware, I have no Latin blood in me, but for some reason stories from these cultures resonate on a level others don't. I love every second of this film and I really appreciate this film for its message. It's a surprisingly adult message and I won't if this will fall into the same under-appreciated section of Disney & Disney Pixar as Monsters University, which had a related message (I know Encanto is just Disney, just grouping the studios for comparison). You don't need to be perfect.
It was such a lovable movie, I loved how the gifts correlated to familial archetypes, the songs were so catchy and fun. Having family from Latin America I saw members of my family in each character especially abuelita and how she pushes unrealistic expectations onto her family believing it is out of love and for the greater good. Seeing all the different ways the family members express their love for the family especially Bruno was so heart touching because I have seen all those scenarios within members of my family. The songs also felt so natural, music is such a big part of Latin America and everyone from such a background can tell stories of the older family members randomly breaking into song or dance especially in the kitchen or while cleaning. The essence of the movie was on point the colors were gorgeous and the playful camera angels. My only issue is that the plot itself felt half baked? Like I was like 'oh that's it?' I loved the reconciliation of the grandma and the family needing to unite , but it just felt like something else was missing. The climax didn't feel like the climax. I left wanting more more more especially with other characters who barely got screen time. I hope this gets another movie or a series? Maybe even continued in book form. The run time was also awfully short for how ambitious it was do maybe that had to do with it feeling half baked? Longer run time would equal more time with characters and higher stakes? more emotional attachment? Either way I'm not even mad at the what ifs, the movie for what it is is amazing and such a fun watch! It's a feel good movie where you can turn your mind off and just vibe with the environment and songs! It's an inspiring movie, a movie where Latin American families can point to the screen and be like that's me. Thats my mom, that's my family. I love my family. It is just a movie of love.
I loved this! Vibrant colors, exciting scenes and interesting characters. I would have loved to get more in depth with each character, but maybe they'll spin it into a tv show or sequels. Anyways, it was really well done and has a very good message.
Encanto
The music is the best thing about the film, the setting and colors are beautiful. Otherwise, not the best disney movie, but not the worst either, I still found it a cute movie.
6/10
Boring, boring, boring… by the way… arepas ARE NOT Colombian. What a waste of time.
amazing visuals and music as usual. well, the storyline could have been better. especially the climax. 7.5/10
Turned it off after 15 mins. Not my bag baby. Seemed kinda boring.
Encanto is better than I initially expected it to be. It has lots of charm, the songs actually contribute to the story. Usually I despise Disney's tendency to provide some singing under any circumstances.
It's still "only" a 7/10 because the climax of the story couldn't keep up with the excellent rest. The general story buildup was great too though, as it left much room for the characters to develop depth.
Old people and putting expectations on everyone else unknowingly. Repeats every generation.
Story was predictable but enjoyable.
I'd give this an 5/10. It's kinda ok, just found it quite underwhelming.
Songs are really great, animation is also okay, but the story is nothing special.
Will your family really accept you for you? Those who visibly cannot conform to their family's expectations are rejected and the rest run themselves ragged trying to hide their perceived flaws from each other. I could go on forever on how Encanto uses the magic powers as metaphors for the generational pressure/family dynamics, and wow if it didn't hit hard!
Visually beautiful, interesting characters and great songs. Unfortunately parts of it are too reminiscent of other recent Disney animations for it to truly stand out. EDIT: I do think a second watch brings out the absolute best of the story (raised my score from 8 to 9) but really shouldn't have been necessary.
the movie is good, but something was missing. the script is kind of confusing and without climax, besides the characters are poorly developed, I wanted to see more of the rest of the family, mainly from Bruno, who should be more like a second protagonist. the songs are great and the animation is so beautiful. far from being a bad movie but it ends up being forgettable, i hope they make a series about the madrigal family
colorful but immemorial. conflict and magic are weak
Very enjoyable and good for kids.
A Magical musical movie loved this
I really liked the story and the characters but I absolutely hated every song
The music is the best part of the movie, Luisa's song is my favorite song.
A wonderful feel good film with a mostly coherent message. The soundtrack is good too!
We don't talk about Bruno.. no, no, no! This movie has a very sharp message for how much is going on. It's easy to miss the main message of the movie- which I thought was "You are special with and without 'Gifts', but be proud of the gifts you have as well" Or something along those lines. I also feel like the way they conveyed the message was a bit more catired to teens.
The best that can be said about this movie is that it has... "charm." But for the most part it seems like a loose repetition of already known elements: songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda that seem taken from "In the Heights", the colorful design that we have seen in "Moana"... But compared to the other Latin Disney movie, "Coco" (2017), is much less creative and the absence of a clear antagonist flattens the story too much.
Bright, colorful, and great animation... and what felt like 5 hours of singing that is really hard to understand and really ruined the movie.
I don't know who the target audience is... kids won't really get it. The songs are totally forgettable.
This adult hates five hours of singing in movies.
Overall I loved it. It was colorful and beautiful, the story was great. I wish we would have seen more of the different characters though? We didn’t even get to know some of them.
It was also very weird how Abuela‘s realization came so… sudden. The sisters should have had a moment with her. I don’t think Mirabel‘s words would have been enough.
I also think it would have been better if they wouldn’t have gotten their gifts back.
Personally I didn’t like the songs that much, especially the first two songs were just bad, melodically all over the place, horrible lyrics. I changed the language to Spanish for the rest of the songs, because I figured maybe they were written in Spanish originally? Anyway, it sounded way better, not so clumsy.
This was the most empathic, anti-boomer film Disney has ever made, and kudos to the filmmakers for that. It's a shame that most people didn't get it.
The only criticism I have is that they didn't need to get their powers back in the end. I think a non-magical happy end would've reinforced the humanist message.
Shout by Brian164BlockedParent2024-05-29T22:30:01Z
It's possibly the most underrated animated movie of the last few years. The songs are all excellent, and the story of being overlooked for not being good enough by someone you love is something I can identify with.