Isabelle Bryson
Reporter
Encanto is a beautiful, relatable story about love. This movie had me dancing, laughing, on the edge of my seat, and crying. Encanto enchants not only children, but even adults are being caught singing “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”.
Written by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, who took one trip to Columbia and were inspired by the presence of magic throughout the country, Encanto tells the story of a Columbian family, the Madrigals, who each have a special gift from their “casita” except the protagonist Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz). This diverse family, with gifts from controlling the weather, super strength, healing, shapeshifting and more, live together in a magical home run by Abuela (Maria Cecilia Botero) and use their gifts to help each other and the townspeople. Mirabel struggles to fit in with her family, who seem so much more special than she is, so she waits on a miracle to help her become special but finds herself trying to save the miracle.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose music I began falling in love when Hamilton was written, has told a story so perfect with such beautiful music that brought the Madrigal family closer through the movie. Miranda worked with Columbian artists to create the soundtrack that brings this movie even more authenticity. The Encanto playlist was on repeat in not only mine but the world’s head days after the movie came out, and ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ has been named number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart being a first for Miranda even with all the other musicals he has written.
There are no words for the beautiful animation representing the Columbian culture, colors, and characters. The decision to make such a diverse set of characters in this movie was one of the best decisions Disney has made in a while. If you aren’t falling in love with each character, you will be overwhelmed and impressed by the gorgeous outfits, Isabela’s flowers, and the landscape. Although I cannot speak on behalf of the Columbian people, Encanto took us out of our homes and into this beautiful new culture that will make you want to learn more about.
The Madrigal family, although many had special gifts, each had their flaws, and it is for this reason we can love and connect to this movie more than some of the previous picture-perfect Disney characters. Being the eldest sister of three it was so easy for me to relate to Mirabel and her sisters’ imperfectly perfect relationship, which I might add was very well portrayed.
This movie is very different than most movies because it does not have a traditional villain, but it works because we do not live in a very traditional society, and it was amazing how the creators were able to use a diverse set of characters to tell a story about family unity.
If you love Disney, get your voice ready to sing along with the Madrigal family, because this movie is going to be bringing families together for many years to come.
Leave a Reply