Encanto is a fun and family friendly movie that will take you on a journey.

The Madrigals are a family that live in a secluded area in Columbia. Blessed by a miracle, family members are distributed gifts–-their house flowing with magic that brings it to life. Protagonist Mirabel, being the exception in the blessed family, must find a way to protect her family while also working through internalized conflicts.

I watched Encanto at home during Christmas break and quite enjoyed the utilization of colors, splendid animation, enthusiasm, and tearful scenes. However, while I enjoyed the majority of this movie, there were some unresolved conflicts that bothered me when the credits rolled. 

Encanto was released on November 24, 2021, which was the day before Thanksgiving. The creation of the movie itself was a five year process according to the director, Byron Howard. The creators have since released some of the video process that went into the development of the movie. Due to the time frame of its release it quickly became a popular film with a condoled and supportive theme centered around family and the pressures that arise.

For a movie that focuses so heavily on the struggles of individual characters, I didn’t see a direct resolution with any of them except for Mirabel, Abuela, and Bruno, who was immediately accepted back into the family upon his revelation after the destruction of their home.

The movie has received 90% of positive feedback on rotten tomatoes and 76% on Metacritic. In some of the more neutral and critical feedback, writers claimed that the ending seemed quite contradictory to the previous rejection of the family’s gifts identifying individual worth.

Watching Encanto was a far different experience compared to watching the trailers. I adored the empowering and fun songs that revealed the struggles and frustrations of individual characters in the Madrigal family. The pace of the movie, while a little fast for the plot, was quite energetic which was just as stimulating for me as it probably is for younger audiences. The unique gifts of each character were extremely relevant to the plot as their personalities were further expressed.

Encanto does an excellent job with twisting imagery to further present their expressive meanings in each song and scene of the movie. Currently, the songs hold the most impression on me, specifically “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” which has skyrocketed since its release. The song centered around “Bruno” surpassed the infamous Disney song, “Let It Go” from the 2013 movie, Frozen on Billboard Hot 100, according to Entertainment.

Many young adults have been speaking out on various media platforms, stating that they deeply relate to the issues brought up in the movie. Therapists have claimed that some of their clients that are children of immigrants find comradeship in the characters and songs according to CTV News.

Parents that watch this with their children could use the real situations in the plot as a reminder that everyone is an individual and we are all entitled to our own opinions, even if they don’t satisfy the family.

Perhaps the ending would’ve been more satisfying if the rest of the family was able to witness Abuela’s source of grief, just as Mirabel had, to resolve the pressures projected onto them. It’s implied that this happened but I believe the scene would have been more impactful if I were to see all the characters react and respond to Abuela’s story. An ending scene where essential characters can directly gain a resolution is far more emotionally satisfying than rushing to a happy ending, quickly followed by credits.

Encanto is an empowering Disney movie that shows the emotional struggles of old columbia, differences in culture, and the role of family. While my only issue with the movie was how rushed the ending was, the developers did a fabulous job presenting a serious topic to younger audiences. Overall, Encanto is not just another silly Disney movie with a nonsensical plot and its love from the community will continue to grow as it leaves a mark in the Disney fandom.