Review of ENCANTO: Fitting into a Family

December 8, 2021

The members of the magical Madrigal family had a special supernatural ability. The matriarch Alma (María Cecilia Botero, with Olga Merediz singing) possessed a magical candle that remained always lit, keeping their family in good fortune. Alma had three children: Julieta (who can heal with her cooking), Pepa (who can control the weather) and Bruno (John Leguizamo, who can foresee the future, and was presently estranged from his family). 

Pepa had three children with her husband Felix: Dolores (with super hearing), Camilo (a shapeshifter) and Antonio (who can talk with animals). Julieta had three daughters with her husband Agustin: Isabela (who can make flowers bloom), Luisa (with super strength) and then there's Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). While she was cheerful and well-loved, Mirabel had no special gift, a source of her lifelong insecurity.

This computer-animated film is the 60th feature film produced by Disney. Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard (the same directorial team behind "Zootopia" in 2017), this Latin-flavored fantasy family film is energized by its Latin-flavored musical soundtrack, with 8 original songs written by Lin Manuel Miranda, including my personal standout favorite song "We Don't Talk About Bruno." (His songs in Sony's "Vivo" felt more catchy though.)

The various powers of the characters make for a visual spectacle, especially the abilities of Isabela (with her colorful arrays of flowers), Camilo (when he switches identities with someone else) and Antonio (with his wonderful animal friends, including jaguar and capybara). Their beautiful house, their casita, also had its magic, with dancing floor tiles and stair steps that flow with the percussive beats. The scenes in Bruno's cave provided adventure thrills.

With so many characters and powers to keep track of, the first few parts were confusing, but you will soon get them straight. The concept of a big family and keeping it together is the main focus of this story. Of course, in true Disney formula that is bound to lead to some emotional confrontations in the middle and precious realizations in the end. The logic may be lost in the wordy explanations, but it assumes you know what it all means. 7/10.