My Movie Review on Encanto (Plus, a Bonus) · 10:31pm Mar 24th, 2023
Bueno Dias, my friends.
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporting amigo here with another review.
Today, I'm gonna give you guys my take of Disney's "Encanto".
Here's the rundown of this tale:
Mirabel is a member of the Madrigal family, who were long ago blessed with a magical candle that, beginning with her mother Julieta, aunt Pepa, and uncle Bruno, grants a family member with a special supernatural gift. Every birth member has a gift, except for Mirabel, who for some reason didn't get one.
However, when Mirabel notices that the candle's magic is fading, and that her house is falling apart, she realizes that the rest of her family is on the verge of losing their gifts. Determined to find out why, she decides to conduct an all-out investigation on the matter and see if there's any way she can actually help her family for once.
I'm not gonna lie, I've been wanting to review "Encanto" for quite a while. I was even hoping to make my analysis of it around last year, but was unable to because of other commitments and a hectic year. Since things have started to settle down for me, though, I figured that now would be a good time to fulfill this desire of mine.
So, what do I think of "Encanto" in my own words?
Well, after seeing the movie for the 3rd time in my life recently, I'm proud to say that "Encanto" is truly one of Disney's best animated features. And for good reason.
For instance, the direction by Byron Howard, Jared Bush, and Charise Castro Smith, the story by them, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Nancy Kruse, and Jason Hand, and the screenplay by Bush and Smith, were fantastic!
Plot-wise, the film didn't feature Mirabel going on a humongous quest far from her home and village, but that's perfectly okay. The filmmakers did a brilliant job giving Miracle a huge adventure within her own home, and the overall mystery of the disappearing magic, and the twists and turns revolving around it, captivated my interest every step of the way. As a matter of fact, Disney and the "Encanto" film team did a way better job at tackling the "vanishing magic mystery" concept than Hasbro and Entertainment One did with "My Little Pony: A New Generation", and that's even despite the latter film being released before "Encanto". There was also a great sense of emotionally high stakes, because the movie actually gives reasons to care about the whole thing.
Plus, the film's humor and comedic-timings were hilarious to watch. Every joke constantly turned out to be something I'd find myself laughing at, and they carried an innocence that can easily appeal to all ages. The dramatic, emotional, and heartfelt moments were also quite delightful, because they were strong enough to tug at one's soul in the best way.
Likewise, the film's themes and morals about family, self-worth, and value were deeply well-done. Not only did they carry meaningful messages to live by, but there was a sense of something very personal about them that could help audiences connect with the character situations.
The animation was astonishing, if I may add.
Despite the overall style and visualization not being any different from the computer-animated films Disney made in the 2010s, it's hard to deny that the directors and animators were clearly giving their all and having fun in the process. Their work in creating the musical sequences was perhaps the team's most accomplished of aspects, because there was a liveliness that was exhilarating yet very enrapturing & easy to keep up with. The character animation was equally amazing to watch, including Casita the house; and the animators beautifully captured the film's Colombian setting and surroundings.
The music by Germaine Franco, and the songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, were magnificent as well.
Coming from a guy who never heard of Franco before this movie came along, I really must say that she truly knew how to make herself known in the best way through working on "Encanto". Every melody she created was enchantingly ear-catching, and they not only captured and reflected the film's Colombian setting but carried an emotional resonance and heart that helped the score sound all-the-more personal. The songs by Miranda were also just so marvelous to listen to that I often felt like transforming into a party animal.
The songs having a catchy beat and enjoyable lyrics weren't the only reasons I enjoyed them, though. The best part was that they meaningfully contributed to the overall story, especially to where the film would clearly suffer without them. In every scene the songs were featured, they helped progress the narrative along so naturally, and they encouraged genuine development from the characters who were either singing or just simply featured in them. Out of all the musical numbers, my favorites were "Waiting on a Miracle", "Surface Pressure", "We Don't Talk About Bruno", and "What Else Can I Do?".
Finally, the voice acting, characters, and character development were stupendous.
Every step of the way, I could tell that the performers were having a great time portraying their parts, and that they were giving their very best and wanted to capture who their characters were as people. Especially to where they were practically born to play their individual roles. The characters themselves had so much personality and depth that I couldn't not enjoy their company, they had qualities that made them instantly relatable, and their developments throughout the movie helped them be all-the-more compelling and distinct.
Among the performances, Stephanie Beatriz's portrayal of Mirabel was incredibly heart-stopping. The emotion and passion she incorporated, as well as her sense of humor and comedic-timings, showed that Beatriz was going all-out in giving an award-worthy portrayal. And boy, can she sing or what?!
Mirabel herself was truly a lovable and engaging protagonist. She carried the story forward with excellent gusto, and I've frequently related to her situations and sympathized for her; not to mention her development throughout the story practically strengthened Mirabel into someone who's human beyond compare. For me, these aspects are also why I've favorably compared Mirabel to Sunny Starscout from "My Little Pony: A New Generation", because even though I found Sunny to be one of the only enjoyable aspects of that film, I found that she was sorely lacking the elements I favorably commented on about Mirabel.
Another performance that particularly stood out to me was Maria Cecilia Botero's portrayal of Abuela Alma Madrigal. With "Encanto" apparently being the first American blockbuster film she starred in, Botero instantly proved herself to be someone with incredible talent. She played her part with an emotion and heart that was breathtaking, the authority she incorporated was powerful, and the way she translated her character as someone who's secretly a broken individual gave Abuela a sense of something incredibly real. Abuela herself was also the film's 2nd most developed of the characters, and it was amazing how the filmmakers made the fractured relationship between her and Mirabel the core of the story.
As an honorable mention, I'd like to say that the performances of Jessica Darrow as Luisa and Diane Guerra as Isabela were outstanding, and both aforementioned characters were also ones that I found to be well-developed and particularly relatable. Likewise, John Leguizamo was an instant scene-stealer with his portrayal of Bruno, and it was impossible not to love the character in general. His awkwardness, struggles with socializing, and shy personality were also aspects that I believe people could definitely relate with.
In conclusion, "Encanto" is without a doubt one of the best movies Disney released in the 2020s, as well as a welcoming addition to their filmography. The voice acting and characters were superb, the music and songs were exceptional, everything!
So, I rate "Encanto" a solid five out of five stars.
Before I conclude this post, I'd like to share with you guys another paint-by-number I completed a while back:
I worked on this paint-by-number of the Walt Disney Castle from June 20, 2022 to January 21, 2023. It was one of the most complex and intricate paintings I ever worked on, but I believe it was all worth it.
So, what do you guys think? Of this review? And this painting?
Pretty dope painting!
On the review: Splendid! I couldn't have summed it up better myself.
On the painting: Is it framed? If not, I'd suggest framing it. Also, did you know that in October, the Walt Disney Company will celebrate it's 100th anniversary?
5719679
It is.
I wasn't exactly sure, although I did think that must've been why they put up the "Disney100" logo.
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Excellent that it is framed. On the anniversary thing: October 16th, 1923. That's when the company began.
On the review: I agree on everything. The LAST truly non political disney film made till now. It should be revered as such.
On the painting: It should be sold in the Disney parks!!!
The painting
Oops! I meant.
On the painting...