I decided to see Encanto again, because I felt like I wanted to see it a second time to make sure that I got it properly to review and indeed, I did not have to see it again to confirm my initial feelings, yes I loved it, this is one of the greatest movie Disney has ever made and I'm not exaggerating about this
The story is about Mirabel Madrigal, a young girl who lives in a magical family, where each family member has a gift, a special power that makes him or her useful to his or her family and community except Mirabel, She's the only one that didn't receive anything on her gift day when they showed that part in the movie, and the movie doesn't forget to remind you of how that has affected her, and how she has been silently affected during the movie entirety, the whole time she plays her part in the movie, She smiles through it, she cheers them on, but there's a girl underneath all of that without one thing her family measures her worth by.
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What makes Encanto so great is that it's about a family dynamic and it's so touching, this isn't a story about an external villain trying to destroy the world, the battle is internally, family, the house, within Mirabel, The cracks that are forming in the magical casita aren't just a plot device but a metaphor for all the things that have been amiss with the Madrigals for years, the pressure, the silence, the way everyone tries to pretend everything is fine when clearly it's not.
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This time, Luisa's song about being burdened with everything on her shoulders had a different effect than the first time, and so did Isabella's, when she finally tried not to be perfect, and made something wild and imperfect and real for the first time, all of the characters in this family have something heavy on their shoulders and the movie won't rush by you.
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And then there's Bruno. We don't talk about Bruno, except we absolutely should, because Bruno's story is one of the most quietly heartbreaking of the entire film, A man who's been hiding this past several years in the walls of his own family home because his gift made people uncomfortable, who still roots around the corner, makes little rituals to try to protect his family, When he finally comes back out, the relief of it, for him and for the audience, is real.
Very impressive animation throughout, Colombia as a setting gives the film a color palette and a visual identity that feels fresh and specific in a way that a lot of Disney movies don't manage, everything from the architecture of the casita to the way the magic actually looks on screen feels considered and intentional.
Lin-Manuel Miranda's songs are a conversation on their own. We Don't Talk About Bruno made for a cultural moment in its own right, but Surface Pressure and What Else Can I Do are just as good, perhaps more so, given their specificity and personalness, These are not just only catchy songs, but they are also conveying a message about the characters singing them.
If I'm honest here, I'd say that the second half time pacing is a bit rushed, as the movie seems to feel that it's taken too long to develop the setting and characters that it's rushing to the resolution, but even that isn't enough to take away from what this film does right.
In Encanto, the more you see, the more you get, a look, a detail in the background, a lyric that has a different meaning now than it did before, this is a true sign of good craftsmanship and that is exactly what this is.
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