Written by Sidney Lampayan and Rilke Arguelles
Disney Animation Studio’s first Latino musical and animated fantasy-comedy film Encanto dazzles universal audiences with the whole package: a spellbinding soundtrack, a quirky and lovable set of characters, and a wholesome narrative. Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, the film has received critical acclaim, wide commercial success, and various accolades such as the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, and the National Board of Review Award for Best Animated film.
The narrative follows the Familia Madrigal’s only giftless child, Mirabel Madrigal, in her quest to prove her place in her family, as well as to save the magic that protects and sustains the village they live in, which was situated within an encanto, a magical realm secluded by forests and high mountains. Mirabel, eager to find out what’s hurting the magic (symbolized by her grandmother’s wedding candle), starts interrogating family members, ultimately getting to know them better as the movie progresses. Her investigation eventually leads her to the forbidden tower in the Casita, their sentient home, and then to her estranged uncle Bruno, who helps her gain the insight that will aid her in saving the magic and bringing her family closer than ever.
The Familia Madrigal is made up of 13 characters. The oldest member is Abuela Alma Madrigal, the matriarch of the family. Her unwavering hope and determination led her village from the cruel soldiers that burnt down their original home to the safety of the encanto, but not without losing her beloved husband, Abuelo Pedro. She raises their infant triplets alone -- Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno, who upon their fifth birthday received their magical gifts. Julieta heals people with her cooking, Pepa can control the weather with her emotions, and Bruno is given precognition. Julieta marries accident-prone pianist Agustín, while her sister Pepa weds the charming and loving Félix. Both couples bore three children each.
Julieta and Agustín’s daughters are as follows: Isabela Madrigal (22) is Mirabel’s eldest sister and the family’s golden child, gifted with the ability to grow plants and flowers however she liked; Louisa Madrigal (19), the “brawn”, Julieta and Agustín’s middle child gifted with super strength; and lastly, Mirabel Madrigal (15), the protagonist and the only Madrigal child without magical gift.
On the other hand, Pepa and Félix’s children are: Dolores Madrigal (22), gifted with enhanced hearing, is their eldest kid and only daughter; Camilo Madrigal (15), their middle child who’s gifted with shapeshifting abilities; and lastly, Antonio Madrigal (5) whose gift ceremony is witnessed in the movie, whereupon he’s blessed with the gift of speaking to animals.
The songs in the film were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, mostly known for his work in Hamilton: An American Musical, among others. There are a total of eight original songs in the film, drawn from the styles of Colombian music. Welcome to the Family Madrigal, an upbeat introduction reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast's opening song Belle; Waiting on a Miracle, a gorgeous “I want” song that Mirabel sings about wanting a gift so that she can contribute to the family; Surface Pressure, a reggaeton song about the pressure Luisa faces from being the strongest in the family; We Don’t Talk About Bruno, an ensemble number that fuses different Hispanic musical genres, where the family warns Mirabel about Bruno and his prophecies which often seem to foretell disaster; What Else Can I Do, Isabela’s song about her own struggles with being the golden child of the family; Dos Oruguitas, a heartbreaking ballad written entirely in Spanish, which frames the emotional flashback of Abuela’s seeing her husband Pedro pass away; All of You, the final musical number of the film where the entire cast sings; and finally, Colombia, Mi Encanto, another Spanish song sung by Colombian singer Carlos Vives, and is a love letter to the country.
The Encanto soundtrack album hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 and stayed there for nine weeks, with all original songs charting on the Billboard Hot 100. We Don’t Talk About Bruno was the breakout star of the album, easily being the most popular song of the film. It sits at more than 300 million views on YouTube, and became the second Disney song to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, after A Whole New World from Aladdin. It also became the first Disney song to become #1 on the UK Singles chart. Surface Pressure followed closely behind, being #4 on Billboard and #8 on UK Singles, with 190 million views on YouTube. Dos Oruguitas, meanwhile, was nominated for an Academy Award for the category Best Original Song at the 94th Academy Awards.
The gifts that the Madrigal children possess have been interpreted by many as a metaphor for gifted children. Gifted children are often raised on a pedestal due to their “gift” — in the movie, it is a literal gift of magic — but this only serves to pressure the child to live up to great expectations which weren’t asked for. Isabela and Luisa, Mirabel’s sisters, sing about how their gifts, despite being praised by the town and Abuela, only make them miserable. The gifted children label also serves to ostracize children who don’t have the gift, which in the film’s case is Mirabel herself, who feels worthless when she is not left with one.
The film’s message can also be about generational trauma. Many people, especially the children of immigrants, feel this way about Encanto. In the story, Abuela is gifted the power of the encanto after being displaced from her home, in an event that seems to mirror real life Colombian war and displacement. The candle, and the gifts that it gives to the Madrigal children, are representative of the weight of the forced evacuation of Abuela’s home, as well as the weight of trauma that she carries on. Abuela is especially hard on her family and becomes narrow-minded on the gifts, which mimics how immigrants are hard on their descendants, to the point that they look past the emotional needs of their family, if only just to see them succeed.
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