Encanto
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Alright, so we’ve got a Walt Disney Animation Studios release here, and we know the drill by now: big character introduction; fantastical display of exposition; major thresholds get crossed in exactly the same spots that Joseph Campbell would teach you about; we all live happily ever after. Knowing this, it isn’t worth getting too cynical about the latest Disney outputs, especially when — let’s face it — the main animation studio has kind of had a better track record lately than Pixar has (almost as if the two studios trade places every so often). I say this because Encanto felt like a Pixar work through and through, particularly its ability to bring you to so many environments that will spellbind you. Astonishingly, you’re not really traveling very far throughout Encanto, as the vast majority of the picture takes place in the Madrigal household (the “Casita”) and its numerous rooms (that break the physical capabilities of our realm). This family have all been granted magical gifts during their stay in this living property (the Casita actually has a soul of its own, with window panels, floor tiles, and other domestic appendages in constant motion); all but lead character Mirabel have some sort of power, and the film starts off clarifying that the house never granted her a capability like her other family members.
Encanto feels like a black sheep tale rather quickly, as if this is a safe space for all of the misfits of the world (oddly enough it is the person without superpowers here that is the odd one out), but stick around and you will find the film’s true colours: a lush depiction of familial sacrifice within this fable context. What makes this film especially strong is that in this Disney-fied tale you’re expecting villains of some sort, and that’s kind of what happens with family sometimes: you grow grudges and point fingers. With some clarification and healing, these floods of resentment will spill into the riverbeds below and flow under the bridge, and Encanto presents this catharsis to us. We were so quick to blame and take sides. Encanto reminds us not to do that when you’re looking at family. Furthermore, the amount of character-based texture here is quite remarkable, and it makes the scope of this family and their predicament (the Casita seemingly on its last legs and threatening to strip all of its inhabitants of their powers) so much richer. The Madrigals help the nearby towns people with their chores and/or qualms, so their issues concern all. Each Madrigal family member’s capabilities — from weather control to superhuman hearing — get utilized nicely (either comedically, or as a functioning element to the film’s story). Nothing here feels wasted or cheap. These people were all made with love.
Encanto is rich with likeable characters, even those you feel led to initially resent.
Like the characters, Encanto’s actual story structure is full of returning motifs that feel so satisfying; you know exactly how this will end, but it’s how the film ends that is quite beautiful (particularly the concept of Casita’s doorways). In the same way that the story feels familiar but different enough to care, the music is the same way. You can hear Lin-Manuel Miranda’s thumbprint all over the original songs of this film, because of how rhythmic the majority of the tunes feel (with splashes of constant rhyming couplets or triplets to spice up each verse); it’s a bit refreshing to hear in the Disney songbook (without trying too hard to be different, of course). So much of Encanto is rooted in love, as I’ve been belabouring (additionally, the vibrant animation and the lively voice acting deserve shout-outs). As a result, Encanto may not feel as tense or exciting as some of the other Disney films that boast their hero-versus-villain climaxes, but that’s also nice in a way. This is something else: entire worlds within basic character development and one primary, actual setting. It is brimming with spirit in a field that too often feels vapid and rudimentary, and that alone is worthy of celebration. For a film to be this full of authentic adoration and care by those involved? It’s impossible to not feel swept away by Encanto.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.