My family put off watching Encanto for way too long. We finally watched it on Disney+ over the New Year’s weekend and I’m a little sad we waited so long.
Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) is a young girl living in Columbia with her family. All of the people born into the Madrigal family have powers, except for Mirabel. When the candle that supplies their magic begins to lose its flame, Mirabel decides to find out why the candle is dying and how she can save her family.
Ever since Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen, Disney Animation Studio has moved away from the romantic-based princesses stories. Yes, there is a romance plot in Frozen and that plot is brought more to the forefront in Frozen 2, but I would argue that they are not integral to the story. The story is about family and sisterhood more than it is about Anna and Kristoff. The same is true for Encanto.
Our main character, Mirabel, is a black sheep of the family. She is the only one without some sort of powers. Even the house has powers! However, she is still a part of the family and does what she can to help them flourish. Much like Frozen, there isn’t a villain character. Sure, Hans is a terrible person but you can’t say he’s really the villain of the story. The same holds true for Abuela Alma in Encanto. Like the Latina grandmothers in most pop culture entertainment, she is overbearing and demanding but that doesn’t make her a villain. And while both Hans and Abuela move the plot forward, they could both be removed from the movie with little change to story. Don’t get me wrong, both characters do fit into their stories well and have good reason for being there but they are also kinda unnecessary.
Before anyone comes at me saying that Abuela was the heart of the family and, as a result, was needed, I would argue that Mirabel was the heart. Even toward the end when Mirabel was finding out the true feelings of her sisters, the conflict could have been resolved there. Abuela’s outburst and resulting destruction of the family home wasn’t entirely necessary. It was more of a metaphor of breaking the family apart only to put it back together. Except that there wasn’t a reason to break them apart. Mirabel was getting them to recognize their true selves and what they really wanted from life. If Abuela had listened instead of screaming, the house would have never been destroyed.
I truly loved Encanto and I will most likely watch it again. (And again and again.) The music is catchy, the characters are interesting, and the story is something I think everyone can relate to. Even on the first watch, you will most likely walk away singing at least one of the songs. And don’t forget - we don’t talk about Bruno.