Encanto (***1/2)
In which we don't talk about Bruno
The music wasn’t quite what I expected from Disney or Lin-Manuel Miranda, but the whimsical animation and heartfelt story made it a worthy addition to the Disney animated library.
Encanto is Disney’s 60th animated feature, which is a startling number to think about considering how many of those films are still household names. In classic Disney fashion, this film is about the healing of a family – and it’s told with music, comedy, and beauty. The animation is imaginative, colourful, and ambitious; particularly during the musical sequences, where characters are pulled out of their ‘real world’ to sing and dance in more dreamlike atmospheres. That was cool, and the vibrance of the world of the film really lent itself to this style of storytelling.
The story was really compelling as well, and a big part of that has to do with its near-universal applicability. Everyone cleans up when company is coming over, and to an extent, that’s what this film is about. This family of superhumans is trying their best to look like the perfect family, even though on the inside there are numerous cracks. My family in particular can relate to this strongly. When I was younger, my siblings and I consciously and unanimously agreed to create a “Perfect Family Illusion”, wherein we would give each other ‘X’s to prevent behaviour that didn’t support the illusion. We all knew we weren’t the Perfect Family, but if we could look like it, that might be enough. This movie was a reminder that that kind of strategy can really bite you in the butt. If you don’t acknowledge the problems in a family, they’ll only get worse.
The moment it became apparent that Bruno wasn’t something the family was keen on talking about, I knew that this film was headed for the idea of reconciliation within a family. And I think they did it wonderfully. Instead of making the matriarch a two dimensional villain, they navigated the emotional climax of the film in a way that brought the entire family together, flaws and all. It was heartfelt and resonant, and I loved it.
The one thing I didn’t overly care for in this movie was the music. Lin-Manuel Miranda knocked it out of the park (in my opinion) for Moana, and he obviously garnered a lot of praise for Hamilton. So I was a little surprised that I didn’t fall in love right away with the music for this film. I’m not sure what it was about it – did it feel too modern, perhaps? Not timeless enough? Whatever the reason, I reminded myself that music doesn’t always hook you on the first listen – sometimes you have to give it a few tries before you get into it. Then again, I didn’t have to do that with any of Miranda’s other music I’ve listened to. I guess time will tell.
Encanto is definitely worth it – especially if you have Disney+, in which case it’s free to begin with. I look forward to seeing what Disney’s animators have up their sleeve next.