Encanto

The movie, “Encanto“, is one of my favourite Disney movies that demonstrated a shift in Disney’s method of telling stories. Instead of the traditional “knight and shining armour” movies, they focused more on a complex family dynamic that demonstrated that our strengths can come in many different forms.

“You’re exactly what this family needs. You just need to see it.”

– Bruno

The Story Spine of Encanto

Once upon a time, the Madrigal family found a hidden, magical oasis town in the mountains of Colombia called “Encanto”. It is a vibrant community that thrived because everyone in the Madrigal family were given a gift by the magic of Encanto, except for Mirabel. Some of the gifts include controlling the weather, super strength, seeing into the future, food that heals and talking to animals.

Every day, the family uses their gifts to benefit the town in different ways and they’re all trying to make their grandmother, Alma, proud. By healing ailments, growing different foods and plants, lifting heavy things and foreseeing potentially dangerous situations.

But one day, Bruno, the one who can see into the future, saw that the magic of Encanto was falling apart and the whole family was losing their powers. His family vilified him for his visions and blamed him for the outcomes causing him to run away.

Because of that, Mirabel didn’t know about the prophecy but saw the house was cracking and her family started to have troubles with their gifts.

Because of that, she started to investigate why this was happening and discovered that she is the one who had to save the family.

Because of that, tensions rose and Alma snapped on Mirabel and blamed her for the magic falling apart.

Because of that, an argument broke out, causing the house to break and fall apart and the whole families magical powers were gone. Mirabel runs away in tears.

Until finally, Alma finds Mirabel by the river and admits the reason they lost their powers is because she pressured the family and lost sight that their family was the gift. Not the magic.

And ever since then, the family came together, even Bruno, to try to repair the house together and the town joins them in the effort. Mirabel places the last doorknob and the house comes back to life and the magic returns!

My Takeaways

• We shouldn’t take our loved ones for granted.
• Our strengths come in different forms, some may be more subtle than others but they are just as important.
• There’s a strong matriarchal theme throughout this movie and highlights important feminist ideals.
• I feel many people can relate to familial pressures to succeed and how damaging it can be if you feel like you’ve disappointed them in some way.

It’s a beautiful story that is relatable, has a lot of character development and is enjoyable for all ages. This movie inspires the viewer with love, empathy and bonding, a method that encourages people to connect to the story and it’s characters. I encourage everyone to watch it!