‘Encanto’ Review: A Magical Tale of Family

Encanto, directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, tells the whimsical story of a magical family. This movie touched my heart in so many ways, showing parallels to experiences of children of first generation immigrants like me and complicated family dynamics. Above all, it’s a beautiful portrait of family. While the story is incredibly moving, the visuals and music (all written by Lin Manuel Miranda!), are an absolute joy. I would absolutely recommend this movie to anyone, but if you need a bit more to be convinced, keep on reading.

The Madrigals are tucked away in a fictional small town in Columbia called Encanto. The family possesses a magical candle which gives each member of the family a power; super hearing, healing through food, shape shifting, plant growing, super strength and the list goes on. Additionally, the candle gave the family a house, named Casita, which is magical in and of itself. Abuela, the head of the family, performs an elaborate ceremony when each young Madrigal comes to age where they receive their power and move out of the nursery into their own room, which Casita generates for them. Mysteriously, Mirabel, the protagonist, never received her power and as a result she feels like an outsider in her family “where all the people are fantastical and magical.” But when the magical forces holding her family together start to falter, she must grapple with some hard truths to restore the magic.

Following in the footsteps of the last few Disney movies, Encanto avoids romance, preferring to highlight the intense love and struggles of family. It strays from the others though, keeping viewers in the Casita and not on some long journey. Encanto seems to keep the best parts of the Disney movies we love while omitting overdramatic or cliché parts. For instance, Mirabel sings about her invisible pain but never broods by locking everyone away like we see Elsa do. She never faces a big bad villain and isn’t a princess - she’s not even magical. Encanto uses subtle imagery of immigration, starting the movie off with families crossing the river and fleeing from men on horses. However, it never conforms to the model immigration trope. Every Madrigal belongs, powers or no powers. Generational trauma touches every person in the family.

The movie is set in Columbia and it brought me so much joy to see such a diversity of characters in this movie in terms of skin colors and hair types. As someone from India, where there is a huge variety of skin color and a strong element of colorism, it was really nice to see darker skinned characters in a Disney blockbuster. And the CURLS! Straight to straight up kinky. There were many cultural nods, from the animals and flowers to the food to the music. Disney also consulted with Finatur Design, a Colombian company dedicated to the design, production, marketing and export of accessories, jewelry and decorative objects, on the design of traditional Colombian hats. They worked with six different Indigenous communities across Colombia to promote the vitality of Indigenous arts including woven bags, hats, and ceramics (according to Cultural Survival). While I am not indigenous and can in no way speak to the accuracy, I’m glad to see such a direct collaboration and celebration of culture. 

The characters in this movie are an absolute joy. Even the ones who don’t get much of a focus - Dolores, Antonio, Camillo, Julieta & Agustín - are all given memorable lines. Each character gets to shine in their own way. Their facial expressions reveal so much about their personality. And the ones who get a focus? Impossible to describe how amazing they are. 

Mirabel, of course, is the outsider in the family who has to keep up a happy face despite being the only one without a gift. Luisa, the strong sister, talks about how she feels as she will crumble under the pressure her family puts on her. In fact, her song, Surface Pressure, became a trending sound on TikTok as people resonated with her lines: “Give it to your sister, it doesn’t hurt, and see if she can handle every family burden.” 

Bruno is the oldest Madrigal triplet (Mirabel’s uncle) who can see the future. Because he sometimes sees negative things, he’s seen as a blight on the positive, magical influence of the family. To sum it up, the family doesn’t talk about Bruno. It is believed he left the town, but it’s revealed that he’s been hiding in the walls for ten years, in fear that Mirabel will be blamed for his visions. Heartbreakingly, he sits next to the wall where the family eats with a table set just for him to pretend he’s part of the family. 

Of course, we can’t forget Abuela. Abuela is the head of the family, and while at first she may come off as standoffish and cold, she has good reason to be so. She is  deeply worried about the magic, far before Mirabel was, and kept it all to herself, unable to show any vulnerability. Without her husband, who sacrifices himself to the men on horses to save his family, she’s been isolated in years and trapped in her position as the head of the family.

The movie moves through the story slowly at times, but because it doesn’t compromise anywhere else, it’s easily enough dismissed. The way Encanto describes the fear, guilt, and worry culminating into generational trauma, all while intertwining the matriarchal familial structure, is enchanting. For instance, Abuela is paralyzed in her fear of showing vulnerability but at the same time, forces her children and grandchildren in little boxes, directly relating their worth to their value to her. This is a pretty direct parallel to the experience of first generation Immigrants and their children, as the children are often used to symbolize their parents’ success in a new land to their communities back home. Mirabel brings them all together, demonstrating that no special skill is needed to be the hero of the story- just familial love.

Last but certainly not least, we have the visuals and the music. I honestly have no words to describe it. Disney outdoes itself every time they release a new movie. Encanto is vibrant, bold, and ever moving. The details are insane. The hair movement is done so well and it just makes my eyes so happy. Antonio’s room was absolutely incredible and Casita, with its magical chattering tiles, was so effortlessly charming. Lin Manuel-Miranda brings in his impeccable talent to craft a song for every moment and every character. What Else Can I Do? sung by Isabel solving the rivalry between her and Mirabel is as emotionally touching as it is visually gorgeous. The spoken word verses and the overlapping of singers at once quickly reveal the family dynamics, while including witty interludes. 

In summary, please watch this movie. I promise you, you won’t regret it. I watched it almost a month ago at this point, and I still think about it. What seems like just another Disney movie is a deeply moving piece about family. I know I’ll be rewatching it for years to come. 

by ATREYI BASU