Encanto Spreads Love!
By Leslie Urena ('24)
When summarizing the Disney movie Encanto I can’t think of any other word that comes to mind other than its literal title. Encanto, which means an enchantment in English, came to theaters on November 24, 2021, and was put on Disney+ a month later. The cast is made up of familiar faces in the Latino community; Such as Stephanie Beatriz and Carolina Gaitán. Beatriz is an Argentinian actress best known for her role as Rosa in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Carla in the movie adaptation of In The Heights. Gaitán is a famous Colombian telenovela star. The soundtrack of this movie was composed by none other than the man who has given you some of your favorites. From Moana to In The Heights, to Hamilton. That’s right, the Encanto soundtrack was written by Lin Manuel Miranda!
The movie follows the story of the fascinating familia Madrigal in their secluded town in 1950s Colombia. Abuela Alma is at the head of the family, having witnessed the miracle given to them firsthand. Her triplets, emotional Pepa, superstitious Bruno, and loving Julieta are blessed by their magical casita(a house)with powerful gifts. Pepa was given control of the weather, Bruno was given the gift (or curse, depending who you asked) of prophecy, and Julieta could heal people through her food. Their own children went on to receive gifts as well.
Photo courtesy of Disney.
Pepa’s children, Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio have the gifts of super hearing, shapeshifting, and the ability to talk to animals. Julieta’s oldest daughters, Isabela and Luisa, have the powers to grow flowers and super strength. However, her youngest, and the movie’s main character, Mirabel, is giftless.
While watching the movie I noticed the roles taken up by various members of the Madrigal family, and how their gift contributes to the plot and their character. Abuela, though giftless, is the matriarch and the head of the family, so she manages them and keeps the family in check. Pepa being emotional makes sense for her character because she needs to suppress her emotions in order to keep the skies clear. With Bruno’s gift, it made him the black sheep of the family.He is superstitious and overall likes to avoid conflict. Julieta is a resolver of conflict which mimics her gift of healing powers and not doing any harm.
Isabela from Encanto
Photo courtesy of CBR.
Isabela is the first grandchild and her gift can also do no wrong in everyone's eyes. She’s able to grow flowers and plants. She’s seen as the family’s golden child. Her sister, Luisa, the third grandchild, has super strength and because of this she’s seen as this indestructible force.This all results in the family burdens falling to her, because they all believe she can handle it. However, this perfection and strength are mere masks for these two girls, hiding the pressure and anxiety they feel for supporting the family.
Dolores is the second grandchild, and she lives in señorita perfecta (Miss perfect), Isabela’s shadow. Her super hearing gift makes her seem like a chismosa(a gossip), since she has a hard time keeping her mouth shut after hearing some information shared from others. Camilo’s gift of shapeshifting makes him comic relief because he loves to use it in goofy ways. Antonio’s ability to talk to animals is truly a blessing because it proves that the magic didn’t end with Mirabel.
Luisa, Camilo, Julieta, Isabela, Dolores, Agustín.
Photo courtesy of SF Chronicle Datebook.
Mirabel.
Photo courtesy of Reddit.
This film is filled with amazing characters and does, in my opinion, a great job of representing Latino culture. The movie stars an all Latino cast and the wide range of characters represent the different skin tones and facial features possessed by Latinos. They also wear traditional Colombian clothing, eat Colombian food, and sing and dance to songs with Colombian elements. The movie also comes as a breath of fresh air to Colombians, who have had their country and culture depicted as violent and drug-ridden in the media. The history of the country is also an important part of the story, starting with Abuelo Pedro being killed in the Colombian conflict known as the Thousand Days War. Abuela never seems to recover from this tragic loss. As a result, she latches on to her family in a desperate attempt to make sure Pedro’s sacrifice was meaningful. While her intentions are good, she holds on too tight, and in turn, hurts her family. With this, the movie also tackles intergenerational trauma, something that plagues many Latino families.
With its beautiful storytelling, animation, and representation, I can’t help but watch this movie again and again! No matter how many times I do, siempre me enamora con el encanto! (I’ll always fall in love with the charm!)
Banner courtesy of Disney Movies.
Cover photo courtesy of The Glasgow Guardian.