In a magical area of Columbia surrounded by mountains; exists a magical town watched over by the Madrigal family. The family lives in a magical home that is the center point for the community and is loved by the community. In the new Disney film “Encanto”; audiences are told the story of how the family patriarch founded the community with a magical candle and how upon reaching a certain age; all members of her family receive a “gift” from the magical house which gives them an ability to help the community. From being able to heal with cooking to talking to the animals and super strength; the family Madrigal is the beloved pillar of the community. To every rule there is an exception and young Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz); is the only member of her family not to receive a gift of powers. As such she is seen as a pariah from the family and believes she is more tolerated than loved especially compared to her siblings who are endowed with amazing abilities. Things change when a new member of the family goes through the gifting ceremony; the first one since Mirabel was denied, and receives an amazing gift and basks in the love of the town and family. Mirabel has a vision of the house cracking and falling into ruin. She tries to warn her family but they see the house in its usual pristine condition and blame Mirabel for being jealous for not having a gift and wanting to take attention away from those who do. Mirabel believes in what she saw and learns that members of her family may know more than they admit and that they hold the key to saving the day. This leads to a quest to find the absent Uncle Bruno (John Leguizamo); who has been absent as many believe his gift of prophecy only leads to bad things coming to fruition and has gone into hiding as a result. Mirabel is soon forced to look deep inside herself and find her strength to overcome her own insecurities and save her family and community. The film has great animation and is awash in color as it brings the magical community to life. The music is lively and is what you would expect from Lin- Manuel Miranda as it brings joy and energy to the film that is in keeping with the Disney tradition of amazing music in their animated films. The biggest issue that I had with the film is that while fun and entertaining; the story never took the next step forward and at times dragged. This is not to say that “Encanto” is a bad film as it is lively, colorful, and fun; however it does not reach the heights of Disney classics like “Frozen” “Moana” and other classics. Think of it this way; “Lilo & Stitch” is a fine animated film but few would hold it in the same regard as “The Lion King”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “The Little Mermaid”. In the end “Encanto” offers a fun experience for the family and fans to enjoy and shows how even when they do not hit the top of the mountain; Disney is still the Gold Standard in animation. 4 stars out of 5

John Critic

Dec 11, 2021

Disney’s marvelous computer animated feature since Coco!!!

r96sk

Mar 4, 2022

8.0

A strong new entry into the Walt Disney Animation Studios canon. 'Encanto' is an enjoyable and meaningful 102 minutes. The animation, as you expect from Disney, is superb and the world really comes alive beautifully and vibrantly. I like the character designs and their story, with each one having something unique about them which is neat. I had heard that some of the music from this 2021 flick has entered the charts here in the United Kingdom, though I purposely avoided listening to it as I wanted to keep it fresh for when I watched the film. Now I've done just that, I found the music to be very good - aside from "Surface Pressure" (no. 3 in UK), I don't think I'll be listening to any of it on my own time but - more importantly - it's impressively effective for the movie itself. "We Don't Talk About Bruno" might grow on me, mind. The cast are fun. Stephanie Beatriz leads comfortably as Mirabel, while John Leguizamo is a great choice to play Bruno. The rest of the cast, though nothing extraordinary in my opinion, are all entertaining enough in their respective roles - namely María Cecilia Botero and Jessica Darrow.

Giovanni

Mar 7, 2022

8.0

Full Analysis at Spotamovie.com - **Intro** - Encanto is a movie for those looking for purpose and those families seeking the secret for true happiness. We know it! Discover it with us. Encanto won 16 awards and collected 89 nominations in total. In addition, it is worth mentioning that Encanto won “Best Motion Picture Animated” at the 2022 “Golden Globes” and received two nominees for “Original Score in Motion Picture” and “Best Original Song in Motion Picture. At the 2022 “Academy Awards,” Encanto will compete to win three Oscars. - **Story** - It’s the tale of a magical Colombian family where each member received a unique gift to be used to help and support their community, from strength to the power of healing people. But, unfortunately, just one girl didn’t receive her gift from the Encanto, Mirabel.So, why she didn’t get her superpower? Can this be dangerous for her family? And what are the ingredients to build a perfect family? - **All the answers at** https://www.spotamovie.com/encanto-movie-review-and-explanation-2021-movie/

Nice!!!

andrewtislercinephile

Sep 14, 2026

10.0

Disney's *Encanto* delivers what we expect from the beloved studio-Colorful animation, quirky characters, a respect for the culture it's honoring, powerful themes, and a great soundtrack-while giving the movie a Colombian twist. It might seem at first that the story, which is about Mirabel Madrigal, the 15-year old girl who lives in a family of magical humans, trying to save her family's miracle from dying to prove she is just as capable, has some issues, like with Abuela Alma, the matriarch, being a strict controlling parental figure who is forcing the family to be "perfect" or Mirabel being the only in the family with no powers being a plot hole because Alma, Felix, and Agustin Madrigal all lack powers too, but as you dive deeper into the narrative and watch more carefully, that starts to vanish. Alma's husband, Pedro, died years ago, and so her behavior is a coping mechanism to deal with her excessive PTSD. As for Mirabel, she is specifically the only *child* in the Madrigal family with no powers, as even her youngest cousin, Antonio, gets the gift of talking to animals. The movie has a brisk pace, so it never feels like it's rushing too fast or slowing down too soon, and the light tone allows for a good blend of emotional nuance and lighthearted comedy. Every joke or physical comedic punchline in the movie is a pure delight and makes me laugh every time I watch it. I also really liked how they animated the *Casita* like a person, as it shows that even though it is just a house, it has just as much personality as the people who live in it. The designs of the characters, which appear to be caricatured, also show vibrant expression and plenty of color, ranging from Isabela's pink dress to Mirabel's blue embroidered skirt. What I think really sells the movie, however, is the soundtrack. Lin-Manuel Miranda's signature writing style is on full display here, with every song in the movie being a banger, although my personal favorite has to be "We Don't Talk About Bruno". This song has the perfect combination of upbeat rhythm and dark, moody atmosphere, with the two styles clashing in a way that fits with how the Madrigals perceive Bruno as a character: A quirky, goofy man who unfortunately has led to some bad things happening with his ability to see into people's futures. I honestly cannot recommend this movie enough, as it deserves all the praise it gets. I really hope we get a sequel.