Ever since the release of “Coco” in 2017, most people and Disney fans have always wondered: What is next? Will there be more Latin representation, or more representation in general? Come 2021, Disney answered our questions.

PLOT

An armed conflict forces Pedro and Alma “Abuela” Madrigal (voiced by Maria Cecilia Botero; singing voice by Olga Merediz), a young married couple, to flee their home village in Colombia with their infant triplets Julieta (voiced by Angie Cepeda), Pepa (voiced by Carolina Gaitan), and Bruno (voiced by John Leguizamo). After the attackers kill Pedro, Alma’s candle miraculously attains magical qualities, blasting them away and creating a sentient house (the “Casita”) for the family to live within an Encanto, a magical realm bordered by high mountains.

Fifty years later, a new village thrives under the candle’s protection and its magic grants “gifts” to each Madrigal descendant at the age of five which they use to serve the villagers. However, Bruno, vilified and scapegoated for his gift of reading/ seeing the future, disappeared ten years earlier, while Julieta’s youngest daughter, 15-year-old Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz), has never been granted her own gift.

On his fifth birthday, Pepa’s youngest son Antonio (voiced by Ravi Cabot-Conyers) gains the ability to communicate with animals, and the family poses for a picture, unintentionally excluding Mirabel. Leaving the celebration, Mirabel suddenly sees the Casita cracking and the candle’s flame flickering, but her warnings go unheeded when the Casita appears undamaged to the others. After overhearing Abuela praying, Mirabel resolves to save the miracle’s magic.

The next day, she talks to her super-strong older sister Luisa (voiced by Jessica Darrow), who confesses to feeling overwhelmed by her near-constant obligations then suggests that Bruno’s room, in a forbidden tower in the Casita, may explain the phenomenon. There, Mirabel discovers a cave and recovers pieces of a slab of opaque emerald glass that depicts an image of her. Just then, the cave crumbles and she barely escapes. Outside, Luisa discovers that her gift is weakening. After her family reminds her why Bruno is vilified, Mirabel reassembles the glass, depicting a picture of herself standing unharmed in front of a broken Casita, surmising that she will destroy the family.

Later that evening, Mirabel’s oldest sister Isabela (voiced by Diane Guerrero), who can make plants and flowers grow at will, is scheduled to become engaged to neighbor Mariano Guzmán (voiced by Maluma). After an awkward dinner, Mirabel’s oldest cousin Dolores (voiced by Adassa), who possesses superhuman hearing, reveals Mirabel’s discovery to everyone, causing the Casita to crack again, ruining the night and Mariano’s proposal when the weather-controlling Pepa inadvertently conjures a downpour.

As everyone flees the chaos, Mirabel follows a group of rats and discovers a secret passage behind a portrait where she finds Bruno. He reveals that he broke the vision to avoid pitting Mirabel against the family and the townspeople and chose to exile himself within the walls to remain nearby. At Mirabel’s urging, Bruno reluctantly conjures another vision which initially resembles the previous one, but a golden butterfly then appears, causing the vision to show her embracing Isabela instead.

Mirabel reluctantly apologizes to Isabela, who abruptly confesses that she does not want to marry Mariano and is burdened by her image of perfection. Mirabel helps Isabela accept her own true, imperfect self and they embrace, strengthening the candle and healing the cracks.

However, Abuela sees the pair and accuses Mirabel of causing the family’s misfortunes out of spite for not having a gift. Mirabel finally snaps at Abuela, blaming her overbearing nature for weakening the family’s magic. Their argument weakens the candle again, creating a fissure that splits a nearby mountain and demolishes the Casita. Despite Mirabel’s efforts, the candle burns out in her hands. While the now-powerless Madrigals assess the damage, a guilt-ridden Mirabel leaves the town.

After several hours, Abuela finds a tearful Mirabel back at the river where Pedro died and explains how, determined to preserve the magic, she ignored how her own expectations were harming the family and finally accepts responsibility for what happened. After hearing Abuela’s tragic backstory, Mirabel responds that despite her flaws, Alma has united and protected the family all these years. They reconcile as a golden butterfly flits past; Bruno arrives and confronts Alma to defend Mirabel, but unexpectedly cheers her up with his return. They reunite with the Madrigals, and the townspeople help the family rebuild the Casita.

Finally, the Madrigals give Mirabel a new doorknob engraved with an M, representing both the entire family and her individually. She attaches it to the front door, restoring the magic of the Casita, the family, and the entire Encanto. They celebrate with another group picture that includes Mirabel and Bruno.

BOX OFFICE AND RELEASE

Disney held the film’s world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on November 3, 2021 and held a Colombia premiere at the Teatro Colón in Bogotá, Colombia on November 23, 2021.

The film was theatrically released in the United States on November 24, 2021, in RealD 3D and Dolby Cinema. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film had an exclusive 30-day theatrical run before being released on Disney+ on December 24, 2021. On February 16, 2022, the film was re-released in cinemas after its success on Disney+ and Academy Award nominations.

As of March 11, 2022, “Encanto” has grossed $95.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $153.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $248.8 million.

Factoring in both the film’s production budget and marketing expenses, along with the theaters’ share of revenues, “Encanto” was estimated to need to gross at least $300 million worldwide to break-even. Nevertheless, the film went viral over the 2021 holiday season and achieved wider commercial success after its digital release to Disney+ on December 24, 2021.

MUSIC

Lin Manuel Miranda had to dive headfirst into the project and ended up creating a cultural shockwave. For the fifth week in a row, the “Encanto” soundtrack has held steady at the very top of the Billboard 200, where it currently towers over releases like the Weeknd’s “Dawn FM”.

It has been Number One on Spotify’s Global Weekly Top Albums chart since January 27, and last week, it secured an Oscar nod for Best Original Score.

“We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the centerpiece that winds together with traces of cha-cha-cha, son montuno, and guajira, is a viral mega-hit and the most-streamed song in the country right now. The folk-inspired “Dos Oruguitas,” performed by Sebastián Yatra, was recognized by the Oscars Academy with a Best Original Song nomination, while the brawny bounce of “Surface Pressure” has spun off one of many Encanto TikTok memes.

No matter where or who you were, eventually everyone was listening to the “Encanto” soundtrack and everyone was absolutely vibing!

CULTURE

The fact that Lin Manuel Miranda is not Colombian frustrated some viewers, who saw his hiring as one of the ways in which Latin identities are often flattened and made interchangeable in entertainment.

“Why is a Puerto Rican writing music about Colombian culture when they’re not the same things?” one person asked on Twitter.

Miranda’s approach was to plan a two-week trip to the country, in which he visited regions such as Cartagena, Palenque, and Bogotá, among others, to come up with a musical language that balances specifics from Colombia with broader references from across the Spanish-speaking world.

“When we went down there in 2018, I believe, it was like going to your cousin’s house and seeing their family album,” he says. “There are things that are really similar to rhythms in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, and there are things that are totally distinct about Colombia and that part of the world.”

Believe it or not, but this is not the first time Miranda had to study up on a part of the world he was not familiar with. He notes that he went through a similar discovery process when he worked on Moana, Disney’s 2016 hit based on Polynesian mythology.

“That was a part of the world I really knew nothing about,” he says. “The fun is falling in love with this culture, falling in love with the rhythms, and then writing as you’re falling in love. And that was exactly what happened with Colombia too.”

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I really fell in love with the movie, both the heart and soul of the film really touched me and hit some things that hit close to home. I definitely recommend this as a must watch, so if you do not have Disney+, hurry and find a friend who does!

Rating: 4.7/5