ENCANTO (2021)

ENCANTO (2021)

Tagline: There's a little magic in all of us ...almost all of us.

(Comedy, Animation, A Giant House That Does Whatever You Want) [PG]

What's her problem with me, anyway? She's the one with roses coming out of her...

In this one, a family in the mountains of Columbia has a magical house and is settled in the mountains in a community called an Encanto. The magic in the village all comes from the Madrigal family and they pretty much use it to help enhance their own lives and the lives of the villagers. Every family member has a magical power except for Mirabel. There are a lot of hidden animosities and unspoken angst within the family and the magic in Encanto is disappearing. Is Mirabel the key to it all?  

First off, when I saw the previews for this movie I had zero intention of actually watching it. The subject matter just didn’t pique my interest and the previews looked almost boring to me. Then I ended up seeing a small featurette on the movie and Stephanie Beatriz (who is best known for the TV show “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and her voice work on “Bob’s Burgers”) and it piqued my interest. I didn’t even know she was involved in “Bob’s Burgers” before this review but did know that she often dives into other character voices on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” so I was very interested to see what she would do here with the movies main character Mirabel. 

The movie starts out with a fairly confusing and quick musical number sung by Mirabel explaining her family’s size and various powers. However after that, we get settled into how this thing is going to go and “wham”, we are hit with a few unexpected plot twists and ultimately there is no real villain in this thing. Unless misunderstanding and high expectations is a villain? Do not expect a lot of monsters and mayhem, but do expect a high amount of emotion. This movie had me crying at least twice and I am a man’s man. Like I fight centipedes, open really stuck on jars and I’m not afraid to shoot you in the ear on accident. 

Where this movie kind of falls flat for me and Disney’s other animated film this year had the same issue, was in the animation. These designs are very canned and just nothing all that special. There are some cool effects in the scenes involving water, but when animated water just looks like real water, I am not sure if that’s great animation or just real water. 

Where this movie succeeds again is in the emotional department. We actually start to care about these characters. Musical numbers in animated films are not always my cup of tea, but they really work here and add a lot to the story while keeping things visually entertaining. Which is something you really want to have is you are using “done before” animation in the majority of your movie. I also liked most of the characters which is always a plus. We want this family to work things out. 

Overall I have to give this one a 6 out of 7. Visually I would have liked some more eye-popping moments, but the storytelling is superb and the setting is absolutely whimsical. This was a fun movie with a lot of heart that didn’t feel in any way pc.  In a time where everything is so freakin serious, Disney did a great job with this.
 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

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