plugged in movie review encanto

Movie Review: Encanto

Disney’s "Encanto" revolves around a magical family, even as it reminds us that family might be the most magical thing. Read the Plugged In review: https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/encanto-2021/ If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: https://focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey/

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Finding something the whole family can watch during the holidays is a perennial challenge. It’s as much a part of tradition as turkey on Thanksgiving and Christmas carols on the radio soon after. This holiday season, Disney is serving up a warm, feel-good family friendly movie called “Encanto,” a Colombian magical realist tale of a family that received special powers after surviving a tragedy. Now, a few generations later, they live together in a magical house and each member develops their own talent, like the ability to control the weather, shapeshift into other people, and talk to animals. Their casita (house) responds to the family’s requests and responds to their moods. Each bedroom is magically tailored to the relative and their magical gift. All except for one, Mirabel ( Stephanie Beatriz ). 

“Encanto” follows the “girl with no apparent gift” Mirabel, who tries her best to fit in a family so extraordinary that her judgmental Abuela Alma ( María Cecilia Botero ) offers only her disappointment at every turn. For Mirabel, it’s tough to stand out when her mom, Julieta ( Angie Cepeda ), can heal wounds with her cooking—more specifically, her arepas con queso, her sister Luisa ( Jessica Darrow ) can lift the heaviest of objects with ease, and her sister Isabela ( Diane Guerrero ) can grow the most beautiful flowers without barely thinking about it. Mirabel notices the family’s casita is starting to show cracks, but no one believes her and downplays her worries as something her estranged eccentric uncle Bruno ( John Leguizamo ) would say. It’s up to Mirabel to find out what’s happening to save both her family and her home. 

Directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard (“ Zootopia ”) and co-director Charise Castro Smith (” Raya and the Last Dragon ”), who bears more than a passing resemblance to the movie’s main character, have created another kind hearted movie about misfits trying to do the right thing. Most notably, there’s no villain in this Disney movie, just a nebulous “unknown” threatening the family and their home. The conflict is minimal at best, which allows for Mirabel to spend more time learning about what she can do despite her lack of powers, but it also leaves the movie feeling a bit meandering. To make up for lost action, the movie shines in its animation and design, really making use of the house with doors to new worlds and musical sequences that allow for a little more abstract artistic freedom. 

Speaking of those musical sequences, I think it’s time Lin-Manuel Miranda takes a break. After knocking it out of the park with “In the Heights,” “ Hamilton ” and “ Moana ,” his 2021 offerings have been a little lackluster. For this review, I finally watched the movie “ Vivo ,” in which he voices the title character as well as handles the song writing duties. Those numbers sounded flimsy and forgettable. In one song, he rhymes “drum” with… “drum.” In “Encanto,” the odds are a little better, more songs fare better than others, but there’s still a sense that these musical numbers are the reheated leftovers from other projects. They sound like his work, but don’t offer anything new or exciting to get stuck in our heads. Isabela and Luisa’s disposable pop songs “What Else Can I Do?” and “Surface Pressure” are cloyingly repetitive. “The Family Madrigal” is a less effective version of the opening song from “In the Heights.” Only Carlos Vives’ rendition of Miranda’s song “Colombia, Mi Encanto” sounds like a memorable stand-out.

Unimpressive songs are an unfortunate thing to befall an animated musical like “Encanto.” Thankfully, there are other elements to enjoy like the movie’s boisterous voice cast that includes Carolina Gaitán , Rhenzy Feliz , Ravi Cabot-Conyers , Wilmer Valderrama , Mauro Castillo , and one-name Latin music stars Maluma and Adassa. It’s also impressive to see an animated Disney movie finally include varying skin tones and hair textures in the same family, while also incorporating Colombian fashion like ponchos, flowing embroidered skirts, colorful dresses and guayaberas as part of a character’s details. Beatriz is magnificent as Mirabel, embodying both pain and love in her voice throughout the film, yet never losing a sense of the goofy playfulness that makes her character so likeable. Abuela’s singing voice comes from the one and only Olga Merediz , another “In the Heights” alum.

Similar to how Pixar’s “ Coco ” paid tribute to Mexican culture, “Encanto” holds many nods to its Colombian roots, from the use of flowers and animals specific to the regions to crafting songs that incorporated their respective countries’ musical palette. In both stories, the matriarchal abuelas have to also go through an emotional journey just as much (if not more) than the younger protagonists in the movie. It’s an interesting development to see both Pixar and Disney Animation move into the world tour phase of their storytelling, but I hope they avoid repeating each other in thematic and narrative elements. 

One difference is that “Encanto” explores the Madrigals’ backstory beyond their household, showing the Madrigal grandparents fleeing their homeland for safety and Abuelo’s ultimate sacrifice in an artistic flashback. The story of a homeland lost and the family who rebuilt in a new land is not an uncommon one for many immigrant families, and by sensitively including it as part of a charming Disney movie, perhaps will give a new generation a better sense of belonging or at least the comfort that others have shared their experience. It may help kids who didn’t grow up with those stories of a “paradise lost” to understand those that did. Maybe that’s an optimistic view for a movie many will flock to in a post-turkey coma, but despite a few missteps, “Encanto” is one of the more charming animated movies to hit theaters this year. 

Exclusively in theaters today. 

Monica Castillo

Monica Castillo is a critic, journalist, programmer, and curator based in New York City. She is the Senior Film Programmer at the Jacob Burns Film Center and a contributor to  RogerEbert.com .

• Stephanie Beatriz as Mirabel Madrigal (voice)
• John Leguizamo as Bruno Madrigal (voice)
• María Cecilia Botero as Abuela Alma Madrigal (voice)
• Wilmer Valderrama as Agustín Madrigal (voice)
• Diane Guerrero as Isabela Madrigal (voice)
• Jessica Darrow as Luisa Madrigal (voice)
• Angie Cepeda as Julieta Madrigal (voice)
• Adassa as Dolores Madrigal (voice)
• Mauro Castillo as Félix Madrigal (voice)
• Rhenzy Feliz as Camilo Madrigal (voice)
• Carolina Gaitán as Pepa Madrigal (voice)
• Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Antonio Madrigal (voice)
• Maluma as Mariano (voice)
• Alan Tudyk as Pico (voice)

Cinematographer

• Alessandro Jacomini
• Daniel Rice
• Nathan Detroit Warner
• Byron Howard

Writer (story by)

• Charise Castro Smith
• Lin-Manuel Miranda

Co-director

Composer (original score composed by).

• Germaine Franco
• Jeremy Milton

Composer (original songs by)

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Disney’s latest animated musical revolves around an enchanted house and a family with magical abilities—except for a girl named Mirabel who doesn’t receive a magical talent. The result is a surprisingly resonant story about family, identity and acceptance. Read the Plugged In review: https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/encanto-2021/ If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: https://focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey/

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Movie Review: Encanto

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Vibrant visuals, catchy songs, moving messages.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Encanto is an animated Disney musical set in Colombia and featuring Mirabel Madrigal (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz), the youngest granddaughter in a family that protects their enchanted village with the magical powers they've had for two generations ... except for Mirabel. As she…

Why Age 6+?

Flashbacks to a confrontation with armed men who kill Mirabel's abuelo with thei

A married couple is affectionate: kisses, embraces, and partner dances in flashb

Mirabel calls her sister "stupid perfect."

Nothing on camera, but off camera, the movie has tie-ins to apparel, toys, figur

A kid drinks coffee even after being told it's for adults. Family toasts with an

Any Positive Content?

Lots of positive messages about value of empathy and teamwork, importance of hon

The Madrigals are helpful, strong, loyal. They love one another and want to prot

Depicts multigenerational, multiracial Madrigal family, as well as Encanto villa

Includes many aspects of Colombian culture, like traditional dress, dancing, mus

Violence & Scariness

Flashbacks to a confrontation with armed men who kill Mirabel's abuelo with their swords while her abuela watches, holding newborn triplets. The family's home begins to crumble, and a nearby mountain splits in two, posing a danger to the family and entire village. Bruno is frightening at first sight but is just lonely. A character dangles from the edge of a cliff, and it looks like they're plunging to injury, but they end up fine. The house eventually falls, and it's occasionally scary to see all the family members fail in their attempts to save the house and their magic candle.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A married couple is affectionate: kisses, embraces, and partner dances in flashbacks to their wedding and other occasions.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Nothing on camera, but off camera, the movie has tie-ins to apparel, toys, figurines, even instruments.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

A kid drinks coffee even after being told it's for adults. Family toasts with an unspecified drink (presumably water) at a meal/event.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Lots of positive messages about value of empathy and teamwork, importance of honesty and acceptance in families, the need to acknowledge various talents and character strengths of people you love.

Positive Role Models

The Madrigals are helpful, strong, loyal. They love one another and want to protect and defend their family, house, town. The family exhibits the pride of serving their community, learns to accept help later in the movie. Mirabel is selfless and wants to solve problems even as she's occasionally overlooked because of her lack of superpowers.

Diverse Representations

Depicts multigenerational, multiracial Madrigal family, as well as Encanto village that's full of residents who are Black, Brown, White. Women are strong, men are supportive (in this family, husbands don't have magical abilities, but their wives and children do), and a matriarch (Abuela) leads the family and village. Colombian culture is well portrayed in form of music, costumes, dance sequences, even food, but filmmaking team, including songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda , isn't of Colombian heritage.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Educational Value

Includes many aspects of Colombian culture, like traditional dress, dancing, music, even cuisine (arepas, a national food, are made and eaten several times).

Parents need to know that Encanto is an animated Disney musical set in Colombia and featuring Mirabel Madrigal (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz ), the youngest granddaughter in a family that protects their enchanted village with the magical powers they've had for two generations ... except for Mirabel. As she helps her cousin prepare for his coming-of-magical-age ritual, she begins to question her role in the family. Expect a few scenes of violence: Mirabel's grandfather is killed by armed men (the actual death isn't shown), and supernatural events and catastrophes threaten the characters. There's also mild name-calling and affection between married characters. Themes of empathy, teamwork, and courage are clear, and there's strong diverse representation on-screen, with White, Black, and multiracial characters all part of the same family and voiced by famous Colombian and Latin American actors. Colombian culture is also well portrayed in the form of music, costumes, dance sequences, and even food, but the filmmaking team, including songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda , isn't of Colombian heritage. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (135)
• Kids say (257)

Based on 135 parent reviews

This film is everything. Truly.

It was hard for my 4 yr old granddaughter to follow, to much singing, not easy story line. if it was not for all the movment i would have left with my granddaughter. she asked to leave 3 times, but i kept hoping it would get better, what's the story.

In ENCANTO, Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz ) is a member of the magical Madrigal family, who were bestowed with supernatural gifts emanating from a miracle candle that also created their village and magical house, la casita . Unfortunately for Mirabel, while her relatives have gifts as wide-ranging as controlling the weather, super strength, making flowers grow, healing with food, shape-shifting, super hearing, and seeing the future, she didn't receive a supernatural gift during her coming-of-age ceremony. As her youngest cousin approaches the day that a magical door will reveal his gift, the family nervously prepares. On the day itself, Mirabel has a vision of the casita cracking and crumbling, and she dedicates herself to saving the Madrigals' magical home -- even if it means looking for her mysterious estranged Tio Bruno ( John Leguizamo ), who could predict the future, and putting herself in dangerous situations.

Is It Any Good?

Disney's delightful animated musical is a tribute to Colombian culture, magical realism, and the power of multigenerational families. Encanto works on multiple levels. It's a kid-friendly musical with a magical house and relatives, most of them teens and tweens. Main character Mirabel is lovable and loyal, but also the family's beloved but underappreciated underdog, which makes her easy to cheer for and relate to as she tries to prove she's worthy of the family name. Deeper still, the movie's thematic elements are an homage to magical realism, the literary genre that legendary late Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez was famous for elevating, with magical golden butterflies reminding viewers of migration, change, and hope. Beatriz is terrific as Mirabel, and the cast of Colombian actors and singers does a great job with the Germaine Franco-composed/Lin-Manuel Miranda-penned songs, particularly "The Family Madrigal," "We Don't Talk About Bruno," and "All of You." Colombian superstars Carlos Vives and Sebastián Yatra are also prominent on the authentic, cumbia-infused soundtrack (listen for the accordion and percussion!). The movie's attention to cultural detail also includes traditional dress (the embroidered, ruffled tops and skirts and the black-and-white cane hats are iconic) and the making of typical foods like the healing arepas that Mirabel's mami (Angie Cepeda) feeds family and villagers.

Beyond the cultural sensitivity (and it should be noted that, behind the scenes, none of the writer-directors -- Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Charise Castro Smith -- are Colombian), this is a funny and deeper-than-it-looks family adventure. Audiences will laugh aloud at the animal cameos (Tio Bruno's pet rats are especially entertaining) and the chorus of three village kids who pop up at various key moments for comic relief. They'll also sing along to Miranda's toe-tapping choruses "We don't talk about Bruno-no-no-no" and the Anna-and-Elsa-like duets between Mirabel and each of her two sisters -- big-and-strong Luisa (Jessica Darrow) and perfect-and-pretty Isabela (Diane Guerrero). It's a joy to watch Mirabel bravely protect her family and her town. There's also a simmering truth to the idea that people are much more than what they initially seem. Everyone has gifts and strengths, whether they're obvious or subtle, and what's meaningful is how people use them.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Encanto 's messages about embracing differences, learning to rethink weaknesses and strengths, and the importance of family togetherness. What are some other positive themes in the story?

Talk about the family dynamics in the movie. Why does Mirabel feel like she has to prove her worth to her family? How does she display courage , empathy , and teamwork ? Why are those important character strengths?

What aspects of Colombian culture are highlighted in the story? How do costumes, music, dance, and food play a role in the movie? How is magical realism, which is associated with Latin American literature, a big part of the movie?

Why does representation behind the camera matter as much as in front of the camera? While most of the movie's cast and the soundtrack's performing musicians are Colombian, the filmmakers themselves aren't. How could a Colombian filmmaker have enriched the film?

Movie Details

• In theaters : November 24, 2021
• On DVD or streaming : February 8, 2022
• Cast : Stephanie Beatriz , John Leguizamo , Wilmer Valderrama
• Directors : Jared Bush , Byron Howard
• Inclusion Information : Gay directors, Female actors, Bisexual actors, Latino actors
• Studio : Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
• Genre : Family and Kids
• Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Brothers and Sisters , Music and Sing-Along
• Character Strengths : Courage , Empathy , Teamwork
• Run time : 99 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG
• MPAA explanation : some thematic elements and mild peril
• Awards : Academy Award , Common Sense Selection , Kids' Choice Award , Golden Globe - Golden Globe Award Winner
• Last updated : August 30, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Encanto review: Disney's magical realist take on superheroes is charming but breezy

The new animated musical is set in Colombia and features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Christian Holub is a writer covering comics and other geeky pop culture. He's still mad about 'Firefly' getting canceled.

The latest stop on Disney Animation Studios' world tour, following Raya and the Last Dragon 's riff on Fantasy Asia earlier this year, is Colombia. The most famous work of art to come out of Colombia (and a strong contender for the designation of greatest novel ever written) is Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude , and the studio's new film Encanto pays homage to that magical realist masterwork with its story of a multi-generational family blessed by wonderful enchantments.

It's hard to miss the rhyme between "Encanto," which is both the title of the film and a word often used by its characters to refer to the miracle that made a home for them deep in the mountains, and "Macondo," the town founded by Marquez's unforgettable Buendia family in the middle of the jungle. Of course, One Hundred Years of Solitude delves deeply into sex, politics, and the bloodstained history of imperialism in Latin America — none of which are quite suitable subjects for a Disney kids' movie. So for its structure and rhythm, Encanto leans on more familiar U.S. media touchstones.

Like the X-Men, almost every member of the Madrigal family is blessed with their own unique power: Luisa (Jessica Darrow) is strong enough to lift anything, while Isabela (Diane Guerrero) can make beautiful flowers bloom all around her. But like The Umbrella Academy , the story of Encanto focuses on the only family member who doesn't have an evident superpower: Mirabel ( Stephanie Beatriz ), the younger sister of Luisa and Isabela who desperately wants to prove she can support her family and community just as well as they can. Her lack of power seems to suggest that the family's enchantment is fading, so Mirabel decides to try investigating the source of this decline and see if it can be fixed.

Maribel embarks on a search for her prodigal uncle Bruno ( John Leguizamo ), who exiled himself from the family after his precognitive visions were dismissed as self-fulfilling doomsaying instead of helpful warnings against coming troubles. Mirabel's quest to find the truth involves reaching out to various other family members for help as well. Through charming songs, we learn that Luisa is starting to crack under the pressure of always needing to be strong, while Isabela actually possesses the spirit of a colorful, rebel artist beneath her golden child facade.

Encanto is directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush, but the film's original songs were composed by Hamilton maestro Lin-Manuel Miranda . Together with Netflix's Vivo and Tick, Tick...Boom! , that makes Encanto the third film to heavily feature Miranda's touch in as many months (to say nothing of In the Heights earlier this year). It's no crime to be such a prolific artist, especially with COVID-19 delaying releases, but it also doesn't feel like the Encanto soundtrack is Miranda's best work. The songs are breezy and fun, they communicate the character beats they need to, but they probably won't be stuck in your head for days afterward.

It's not easy squeezing a multi-generational magical epic into an hour and a half, and some gaps in Encanto 's mythology might leave you scratching your head (if it's true that Mirabel doesn't have a power of her own, then why does she seem to possess such a unique level of affinity and control over the family's living house…?). But a smiling tale about familial reconciliation and learning to see your relatives for who they are rather than who you wish they were is never unwelcome. In this story, sometimes families condemned to 100 years of solitude do get a second chance on Earth. B

Related content:

• Lin-Manuel Miranda's Disney animated musical Encanto reveals enchanting first trailer
• Vivo review: Lin-Manuel Miranda's rapping kinkajou movie could use a little less rapping kinkajou
• Tick, Tick...Boom! review: Jonathan Larson's story shines in a musical that sings from the heart

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Movie Review: Encanto

Disney’s latest animated musical revolves around an enchanted house and a family with magical abilities—except for a girl named Mirabel who doesn’t receive a magical talent. The result is a surprisingly resonant story about family, identity and acceptance. Read the Plugged In review: https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/encanto-2021/ If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: https://focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey/

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‘Encanto’ Review: Disney’s Lush and Lovely Animated Fairy Tale, Fueled by a Tasty Batch of Lin-Manuel Miranda Songs

Like a follow-up to "Frozen," it's a magical fable of girl power, in this case about the only member of her Colombian family who feels like she doesn't have it.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

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“ Encanto ” is a lively, lovely, lushly enveloping digitally animated musical fairy tale. It’s the 60th animated feature produced by the Walt Disney company, and to borrow a phrase from the old Disney TV series, it’s set in a wonderful world of color — a rapturously imagined, rainbow-gorgeous village tucked inside the misty green mountains of Colombia, where the members of the Madrigal family lead a magical existence. The ornate designer tiles of La Casa Madrigal, their idyllic mansion, turn into a synchronized army of domestic helpers, and each family member is endowed with his or her own superhuman gift. Actually, one of them has no gift. That would be the heroine, Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz), who is just like us — which means, within her family, that she’s the odd girl out.

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Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard (the co-writer and co-director of “Zootopia”), with Charise Castro Smith as co-director, “Encanto” has been visualized with a vivacious naturalistic glow (swirling flower petals, eye-candy pastels) that, at moments, is nearly psychedelic. The songs, by Lin-Manuel Miranda , are syncopatedly infectious, word-weavingly clever, and unabashedly romantic; they keep the film bopping. And the whole picture is intricate and accomplished enough to make the era when your average Disney house animated feature was several tiers below that of Pixar seem like ancient history. Yet for all the dazzle on display, none of it would mean much if “Encanto” didn’t present its heroine’s moving journey in a way that kept surprising you. That’s the key to enthralling animation — it stays one jubilant beat ahead of the audience.

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It may be ironic, but it’s certainly undeniable that a key force that turned girl power into an engine of popular culture was Walt Disney Studios. You could, if you wanted, date the age of contemporary girl power back to two Disney films: “The Little Mermaid” (1989), with the self-actualizing retro moxie of its title heroine, and then, the following year, “Pretty Woman,” which put its stamp on the age of hip princess feminism as surely as “Sex and the City” did eight years later. The Disney animators kept the girl-power torch burning in everything from “Brave” to “Sofia the First,” but it was in “ Frozen ,” the 2013 global megasmash, that Disney forged a girl-power epiphany. Elsa, the princess who could freeze anything in her orbit, was like a superhero endowed with powers she experienced as too strong; she was a primal metaphor for the doubts a girl can feel about unleashing the fullness of her own being.

“Encanto,” while neither as grand nor as haunting as “Frozen,” is very much a follow-up rhapsody on what it feels like for a girl to reach for abilities that will unleash her true self. Mirabel, with laughing saucer eyes and the vibe of a brainy freshman at Stanford, is kind, spunky, and self-sufficient, and she accepts her place within her family — or, at least, works awfully hard to. But she’s like the only mortal in a clan of X-Men, and for her that’s dispiriting.

Her mother, the doting Julieta (Angie Cepeda), has the ability to heal people’s ailments with her cooking, but Mirabel’s siblings and relatives tend to be self-obsessed superstars of their own imaginations. Like, for instance, her comically hulking, low-voiced sister Luisa (Jessica Darrow), who has super-strength but defines her existence entirely through that attribute, or her Aunt Pepa (Carolina Gaitán), a tempestuous sort who carries a mini rainstorm over her head, or her shape-shifting cousin Camilo (Rhenzy Feliz), who suffers from a weak identity, or, most prominently, her sister Isa (Diane Guerrero), a haughty “perfect” princess who can make flowers bloom anywhere, which means that she never loses an opportunity to flaunt her flowery narcissism.

All these powers and personalities will come into play, and we’ve seen enough fables of superheroism to presume that Mirabel will ultimately locate her own magical destiny. But “Encanto” is subtler than that. The magic of the Madrigals is real, but it’s got a dark backstory (they were refugees whose fate was changed by a miracle and is now sustained by a precarious burning candle). Their magic flows into the town, infusing and protecting the entire community of Encanto. It’s a kind of utopia. Until, quite literally, it starts to come apart at the seams.

When the candle begins to flicker, and the Madrigal house starts breaking into fissures and cracks, Mirabel, now under the suspicious eye of the family matriarch, Abuela (María Cecilia Botero), takes it upon herself to investigate, and the movie turns into a domestic psychological detective story. A key figure is Bruno, Mirabel’s uncle, voiced with winningly insecure aplomb by John Leguizamo. His ability to see the future got him ostracized — because he kept getting blamed for the tiniest bit of bad news. But Bruno holds the key to what turns out to be an emotionally engrossing puzzle.

An important clue, Mirabel is told, lies in her trying to get along with the obnoxious Isa. But why would that solve anything? Their spiky and rousing duet, “What Else Can I Do?,” gives us a rapturous hint. That’s one of eight original songs Miranda wrote for the film, all of them good, several of them gems, like the strong-woman Luisa ripping through the exhilaratingly knotty wordplay of “Surface Pressure” or the ensemble number “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” which has a riff catchy enough to rival Camila Cabello’s “Havana.” The whole movie has a mercurial, mood-hopping free-form vibe that, at its best, suggests Disney with a touch of “Yellow Submarine.” When Isa begins to see the light, instead of beautiful flowers she produces a cactus. Prickly, but at least it’s her. That’s the kind of movie “Encanto” is. Is there a villain? For a while, it sure seems like it. But it turns out that the most dastardly thing in this canny and touching fairy tale is to ignore the love under our noses.

Reviewed at AMC Lincoln Square, Nov. 8, 2021. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 99 MIN.

• Production: A Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release of a Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures production. Producers: Yvett Merino, Clark Spencer. Executive producer: Jennifer Lee.
• Crew: Directors: Jared Bush, Byron Howard. Co-director: Charise Castro Smith. Screenplay: Charise Castro Smith, Jared Bush. Camera: Alessandro Jacomini, Daniel Rice, Nathan Detroit Warner. Editor: Jeremy Milton. Music: Germaine Franco, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
• With: Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, Diane Guerrero, Angie Cepeda, John Leguizamo, Jessica Darrow, Wilmer Valderrama, Carolina Gaitán, Maura Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz.

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Disney and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Encanto is a musical masterpiece

The studio’s latest animated feature uses magic and songs to bolster a story about family

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by Petrana Radulovic

Encanto , Disney’s newest animated movie, is a fantasy musical — exactly the kind of thing that made the studio’s name over the past 80-plus years. But while the film uses a typical Disney setup of a young misfit finding her way in the world, it focuses on a tighter, more contained story than previous Disney movies, and it’s one of the most emotionally compelling films of Disney’s Revival Era. From Zootopia directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush, with a script from Bush and playwright Charise Castro Smith, and music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Encanto is a masterpiece that makes the Disney musical-with-a-splash-of-magic formula soar.

[Ed. note: This piece contains some light setup spoilers for Encanto. ]

Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz) is the only member of her family who wasn’t blessed with a special ability. Each Madrigal has a unique power, from super-strength to shapeshifting, gifted to them by the family’s magical house when they came of age. Except for Mirabel, each Madrigal opened a new door the house created just for them, and received an ability that they then used to help their community.

All the Madrigals look to family matriarch Abuela Alma (María Cecilia Botero) for guidance. Without any powers of her own, however, Mirabel struggles to impress her stern grandmother. On the night of her younger cousin’s gift ceremony, Mirabel notices the house begin to shake, as cracks appear in its walls. When she alerts her family, however, the house appears fine and stable. But Mirabel, sure that she has seen something amiss, sets out to discover what’s wrong, and ultimately save the family’s magic.

While magic is certainly a fun and important part of Encanto , the film is about complex family bonds first and foremost. The potential of the Madrigals’ magic vanishing is the catalyst that pushes Mirabel on her quest, but every clue she finds leads her back to her family. The magic is a metaphor, in a way that goes deeper than past Disney movies.

Each character’s ability more or less correlates to the role they play in the family. For instance, Mirabel’s eldest sister, Isabela (Diane Guerrero), is the perfect golden child, and she makes flowers bloom with just a wave of the hand. Overly emotional Tía Pepa (Carolina Gaitán) brews storms whenever she gets upset. So when Mirabel seeks the cause of the threat, she isn’t out to confront a nefarious villain, or even a traitor in the midst of her idyllic community. She must interrogate her relationships with her family in order to find the root of the problem.

Disney animated films have historically pitted bold heroes against scheming villains, but this is a new type of story, one where the conflict stems from real family scenarios that just happen to be bolstered by magic. Recent Disney movies have shifted away from classical cackling villains in favor of more nebulous threats , but still, those threats were posited as big, bad things to conquer. In Encanto , the threat is smaller and more specific, which shifts the story from that typical good vs. evil dynamic into something more grounded. Using animation, magic, and music to explore more complicated and relatable themes points to an exciting new direction for Disney.

In order to balance the large cast, the Encanto team smartly does away with extra characters, elaborate settings, and cutesy animal sidekicks. (There are a few cute animals, but they don’t commandeer scenes.) The focus is on one family, in one house, dealing with one specific problem. But that doesn’t make the movie any less complex than Disney movies that trek across multiple locations, like Judy and Nick city-hopping across Zootopia, or ones with sneaky villains, like Frozen ’s Hans.

In fact, because it’s so tightly centered on the Madrigals, the family’s complicated dynamics — including Mirabel’s relationships with her relatives, and their dealings with each other — have more space for fuller explorations. This is a story about family members who love each other, but can’t fully understand each other, leading to beautifully realistic interactions built around affection, expectations, and dysfunction, all bolstered by the magical metaphor woven throughout.

The family story is strong on its own, but the visuals and the music help the movie reach new heights. The Madrigal family gifts lend themselves neatly to gorgeous visuals, like the elaborate pocket dimensions family members use as rooms in the house, or the physical manifestations of their powers. Those splashes of fantasy are especially effective when compared to Mirabel’s relatively small and plain room, and her completely regular non-powered self.

But even without the magic, the Madrigal house is lovingly rendered with specific detail, from the tiles to the family dining set, which solidify the home’s coziness and the family’s closeness. Additionally, each member of the family has a distinct character design, from super-strong Luisa (Jessica Darrow), with her bulging muscles, to cousin Dolores (Adassa), who has super-hearing, and thus tiptoes around like a careful cat. This is a family where everyone looks related, even though they don’t look like exact clones of each other. (Cough, Frozen , cough.)

As for the music, all the songs are infectiously catchy, but they also all serve significant storytelling purposes. While Disney makes a lot of musicals, not all of them use music in this way (cough, the Frozen troll song , cough). But from the get-go, the music in Encanto is deliberate. The first song, for instance, introduces every single member of the Madrigal family and their powers, personalities, and what Mirabel thinks of them, with an infectiously catchy Latin pop beat and fast-paced lyrics that set the stage much like the opening song of Hamilton .

Disney has returned over and over to heroes’ journeys and plucky, bright-eyed protagonists looking out on the horizon, dreaming of adventure or romance. Encanto is not that. It’s something new and dynamic: a movie about relatives who love each other very much, but have a hard time understanding one another. It’s a movie about trying to hold up a legacy, a movie about one misfit who just wants to make her grandmother proud. It’s a movie where saving the day doesn’t mean questing across a magical land, or defeating a bad guy. But most of all, it’s a movie about family where the hero doesn’t set out on her own, and instead must actually look inward to bridge those family relationships. It’s a rare Disney movie that’s about a family but is also about family.

Encanto is out in theaters on Nov. 24.

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Encanto Reviews Are In, See What People Are Saying About Disney’s Latest

The first reviews are in for Walt Disney Animation Studios' 60th feature film.

Encanto marks the 60th feature film for Walt Disney Animation Studios. F rom Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs through to today, it’s not a stretch to say Disney has created some absolutely iconic films. But does Encanto rank with the best? The reviews for Encanto are here, and based on the first batch of critics, it looks like most fans of Disney Animation will enjoy Encanto . While not everybody loves the film, most find good things to say about it and found it to be enjoyable and worth checking out. 

Some, however, absolutely loved the new Disney film. I was one of them. I reviewed Encanto for CinemaBlend and while Encanto ’s plot is going to sound pretty familiar to anybody who has ever seen an animated Disney movie before, I thought that the way Encanto make changes to that story really helped it shine… 

Encanto isn’t a revolutionary film for Disney, but the places where it makes changes to the formula make it stand out from the crowd.

And I’m not the only one that gave Encanto raves in the review department, Polygon also felt the new film is one of Disney’s best, that does something very different with it's traditional female protagonist...

Disney has returned over and over to heroes’ journeys and plucky, bright-eyed protagonists looking out on the horizon, dreaming of adventure or romance. Encanto is not that. It’s something new and dynamic: a movie about relatives who love each other very much, but have a hard time understanding one another.

Encanto is the story of the Madrigal family, which has been blessed with magic, all except Mirabel, who for some reason was never given a magical gift. However, when the magic itself is threatened Mirabel tries to find a way to fix it.

While some critics felt that Encanto did enough to break up Disney’s regular formula , others, while they still enjoyed the film, felt the movie was ultimately still more of the same from Disney. Slashfilm finds Encanto to be well, fine, but it never gets out from under the traditional storytelling beats of a Disney movie...

Encanto partly has the misfortune of utilizing a mishmash of formulaic elements seen in plenty of other Disney and Pixar films, without being able to avoid those elements being noticeable.

A similar review comes from ScreenRant , where the review seems to be complimentary in spite of itself. Yes, Encanto is largely what you expect from Disney these days, but sometimes you just can’t help but enjoy it anyway... 

Though it can't quite break out of the Disney mold, Encanto is greatly aided by a unique story, a delightful cast of characters, and a vital message.

So the general consensus on Encanto is that, if you tend to enjoy most modern Disney movies, you’ll probably enjoy Encanto, as it has a lot in common with them. However, you might just find something truly special within that tried and true formula. Encanto arrives in theaters November 24.

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CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.

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Encanto review: disney animation is familiar, but still heartwarming & magical.

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Over the course of 59 animated movies, Disney has worked out the perfect formula for tugging at an audience's heartstrings: create an earnest and relatable main character, weave equal amounts of joy and melancholy into the story, and sprinkle in some catchy tunes. The studio's 60th feature,  Encanto , follows this formula down to the letter, making for a familiar tale. And yet, it's hard to resist the charms cast by directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush, as well as co-director Charise Castro Smith (Bush and Smith wrote the screenplay, based on a story from all three directors, Jason Hand, Nancy Kruse, and Lin-Manuel Miranda). This original tale, which already holds plenty of magic within its plot, is the perfect dose of comfort food for families at the end of this trying year. Though it can't quite break out of the Disney mold, Encanto is greatly aided by a unique story, a delightful cast of characters, and a vital message.

Encanto starts out with a helpful bit of exposition to introduce viewers to the eccentric Madrigal family. Years ago, matriarch Abuela Alma (María Cecilia Botero) was blessed with a miracle in the form of a magical house, a practically sentient building that gifts special abilities to each of Abuela's descendants. Abuela's children and grandchildren all received gifts with no issues... until Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), a plucky, eager girl who just longs to make her family proud. For some inexplicable reason, Mirabel is the only Madrigal without any special gift, thus making her an outsider within her close-knit family. Her efforts to be useful to Abuela sometimes lead to more problems than intended, but when the Madrigals' house starts to lose its magic, Mirabel just might be the only one who can save it.

Related:  Byron Howard, Jared Bush, & Charise Castro Smith Interview: Encanto

In many ways,  Encanto resembles another recent Disney animated feature: 2016's  Moana . Not only do both movies center on a vibrant young girl eager to save her home, but they also include music from  Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Plot-wise,  Encanto manages to stand out on its own. The Madrigals are fascinating characters and their magical existence seems to extend out into the real world too; as an audience member, it's easy to be enamored with their house and powers. The filmmakers clearly had a lot of fun developing each Madrigal gift, which range from super-strength to the ability to talk to animals.  Encanto is bursting with bright colors and beautifully rendered visuals, particularly when it comes to the house at its center. With tiles that drag people along like conveyor belts and stairs that turn into slides, Howard, Bush, and Smith have implemented plenty of clever quirks with the help of art directors Camille Andre and Mehrdad Isvandi.

Encanto also scores some points by not having a traditional villain. Mirabel's conflict — her desire to prove her worth even when she has no powers to speak of — is compelling, but feels similar to other unlikely protagonists. However, in trying to work out what's wrong with the house, Mirabel pulls other internal conflicts out of her family members, most notably with her sisters Luisa (Jessica Darrow) and Isabela (Diane Guerrero). Both girls seem pleased with their gifts, but the pressure to be perfect and useful rankles. By digging into that,  Encanto  finds some real-world relevance that is bound to hit home for some viewers, despite all the magic that surrounds the story.

With a songwriter like Miranda on board, it was a given that  Encanto 's music would be catchy. And indeed, the rapid-fire lyrics and toe-tapping beats fit in quite well with Miranda's past work. At the same time, it's hard to say if any of them will fit in among the best in Disney's history. Certain songs will elicit stronger emotions than others from audiences, and Howard, Bush, and Smith have done well in crafting fun montages for each song.  Encanto 's music is good, but not entirely necessary. There's plenty of heart within the story itself, and save for a few exceptions, such as the song that plays during flashbacks to Abuela's past, the musical element doesn't add much to the movie. Nevertheless, younger audiences will get a kick out of the familiar Disney song-and-dance routine, and even some adults will probably bob their heads along.

On top of everything else, each voice actor for  Encanto rises to the occasion to make a truly memorable cast of characters. The MVP of the movie is, expectedly, Beatriz, who once again proves herself to be incredibly skilled at voice work. She brings a lively, kindhearted touch to Mirabel. It's easy to root and care for her in her journey of self-discovery. Each member of the Madrigal family has at least one moment to shine, though John Leguizamo also deserves a shoutout for his work as black sheep Bruno. Botero also nails the fine line Abuela walks in caring for her family and wishing absolute perfection from everyone. All told, Disney likely has another hit on its hands. With  Encanto arriving in theaters just in time for the holiday season, it should be the perfect bit of entertainment for families looking for something to do. Everyone could use a bit of magic these days, and  Encanto certainly fits the bill with its heartwarming, if still familiar touch.

More: Watch The Encanto Trailer

Encanto   arrives in theaters on Wednesday, November 24, 2021. The film is 99 minutes long and is rated PG for some thematic elements and mild peril.

Encanto tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charming (and enchanted) place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel (voice of Stephanie Beatriz). But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might be her exceptional family’s last hope. Mirabel will seek out her missing cousin, Bruno, to discover the truth that Abuela has buried away for all of their lives.

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“Wept Like a Baby” – First Reviews Are In For Disney’s ‘Encanto’!

in Disney , Movies & TV

Disney fans have a lot of eagerly-anticipated movies and television shows to look forward to this holiday season.

From Marvel’s  Eternals (2021) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), to  Olaf Presents  and Hawkeye  streaming on Disney+, Disney has entertainment covered for families this Christmas.

And on November 24, 2021, we can look forward to Walt Disney Animation Studios’ next feature film , Encanto (2021). Now, the first reviews are in for this animated musical movie based in Colombia.

Disney’s 60th animated feature film will follow the story of Mirabel, a Colombian teenager who is the only member of her family who does not have any magical powers.

Encanto  will follow Mirabel as she tries to navigate the world and save her family from danger. The film will feature music by Hamilton  creator Lin Manuel Miranda and the voices of Stephanie Beatriz, John Leguizamo, and Wilmer Valderrama.

The world premiere of the movie happened November 3 at Hollywood Boulevard’s El Capitan Theater, set on a purple carpet, with the Encanto voice cast and crew gathered for a magical Disney evening.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the cast and production team were meeting in person for the first time to celebrate the family, music, and culture of Colombia.

The initial reviews of the Disney animated movie are positive, with many of the critics calling the movie “stunning. Variety’s Clayton Davis writes:

#Encanto is magnificent! Afro-Latinos present, our culture alive, a story of ours told. Relates to anyone fighting to live up to expectations. Wept like a baby. The 60th Disney feature is one of their best. Loved it to bits. “Family weirdos get the worst rap.” Line of my life.

#Encanto is magnificent! Afro-Latinos present, our culture alive, a story of ours told. Relates to anyone fighting to live up to expectations. Wept like a baby. The 60th Disney feature is one of their best. Loved it to bits. "Family weirdos get the worst rap." Line of my life. pic.twitter.com/pt1WdS6G3X — Clayton Davis (@ByClaytonDavis) November 4, 2021

Journalist Courtney Howard celebrated the joy of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music , calling the movie a “marvel”:

#Encanto / @EncantoMovie  is a joyful, jubilant ode to family with the perfect blend of heart & humor. Enchanting, hugely entertaining, awe-inducing & dazzling. A must-see magical marvel. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs will make you tap your feet & make tears fall.

#Encanto / @EncantoMovie is a joyful, jubilant ode to family with the perfect blend of heart & humor. Enchanting, hugely entertaining, awe-inducing & dazzling. A must-see magical marvel. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs will make you tap your feet & make tears fall. pic.twitter.com/IILzBDj6ro — Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) November 4, 2021

Michael Lee revealed what many other reviewers also mentioned – that this new Disney movie is a “tearjerker”:

#Encanto enchants w/ its beautiful Colombian cultural specificities, colorful visuals, and emotionally resonating themes of family. 60 films in, Disney still finds ways to captivate its audience with their animated musicals. This one is a real tearjerker but also such a joy!

#Encanto enchants w/ its beautiful Colombian cultural specificities, colorful visuals, and emotionally resonating themes of family. 60 films in, Disney still finds ways to captivate its audience with their animated musicals. This one is a real tearjerker but also such a joy! pic.twitter.com/b56JeTW6dF — Michael Lee 🍥 (@IamMichaelJLee) November 4, 2021

While Andres Cabrera found the movie to simply be “stunning”:

Encanto is stunning! A colorful display of the visual and cultural wonder of Colombia. The film is filled with life, vibrant colors, lively music and memorable, charismatic characters. It warms my soul to see a Disney film celebrating Colombia. Que se escuche mi gente! #Encanto

Encanto is stunning! A colorful display of the visual and cultural wonder of Colombia. The film is filled with life, vibrant colors, lively music and memorable, charismatic characters. It warms my soul to see a Disney film celebrating Colombia. Que se escuche mi gente! #Encanto pic.twitter.com/mNQt11Bgg0 — Andres Cabrera (@SquadLeaderAce) November 4, 2021

We cannot wait to see  Encanto this Thanksgiving with our own families, and now we know to definitely bring a box of tissues to the cinema!

Back in August, we reported that Disney is already preparing to bring some  Encanto  characters to life at Disney Parks. According to the official website for Disney Auditions, Disney was casting for a  young woman to play Mirabel at the Disneyland Resort in California.

With these amazing initial reviews, let’s hope Mirabel gets lots of Park appearances in Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World in Florida this holiday season and beyond.

More on  Encanto

The official site of the brand-new animated film by Disney reads:

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto” tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel (voice of Stephanie Beatriz). But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope. Releasing on Nov. 24, 2021, the film features all-new songs by Emmy®, GRAMMY® and Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “Moana”) and is directed by Byron Howard (“Zootopia,” “Tangled”) and Jared Bush (co-director “Zootopia”), co-directed by Charise Castro Smith (writer “The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez”), and produced by Clark Spencer and Yvett Merino; Bush and Castro Smith are screenwriters on the film.

Are you excited about the release of Disney’s next animated movie? Let us know!

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‘Encanto’ Review: A Terrifically Unconventional Disney Toon

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Encanto  marks Walt Disney’s 60th (not counting Pixar) theatrical animated feature. As much as we might discuss Disney’s live-action reliance on nostalgia and/or whether Marvel is “responsible” for throttling the marketplace’s interest in non-tentpole titles, the Mouse House’s animated output has been on a relative winning streak. Sure, I didn’t love the sequels to  Frozen  and  Wreck-It Ralph , and I found  Raya and the Last Dragon  formulaic to a fault, but they’ve been flying relatively high at least since  Meet the Robinsons  in 2007. That time-traveling sci-fi comedy stood out even then as something quite different from the conventional Disney formula. In time, it came to represent a parable for Walt Disney Animation struggling to get its groove back in the post-Katzenberg era of Pixar domination and DreamWorks’ emergence as a serious competitor. Since then, they’ve rediscovered their fairy tale princess itch while dipping into comparatively unconventional narratives like the Oscar-winning (and $1 billion-grossing)  Zootopia . 

Encanto  splits the difference. Directed and written by Byron Howard, Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith,  Encanto  is a comic musical adventure about a young woman on a quest to save her family. That may sound like yet another riff on  Moana  (little wonder considering how successful  Moana  was both in theaters and over the first two years of Disney+), but this is no  Raya -style retread. It quickly shows its intent to play a different game. The mysteries to be solved are painfully intimate and the new lands to be discovered are, well, not as far from home as you might guess. Even the set-up, a small village where every person eventually gains a specific magical superpower, is mostly seasoning for what turns out to be a psychological thriller more than an action comedy. The compelling and absorbing mystery that Mirabel (a spectacular Stephanie Beatriz) must solve is not one of external peril but of internal pain.

On the surface, Encanto tells a conventional story once again combining old-school fantasy folklore with a “But these folks have superpowers!” hook. The core outline, a young girl who’s the only one in her community without superpowers must find the strength within to save her village when the walls start crumbling and her relatives lose their respective powers, will be familiar to fans of Disney’s ahead-of-its-time Sky High . Just as Pixar’s wonderful Soul began as a familiar riff on Inside Out before revealing itself to be a far smaller-scale adventure of the well, soul, so too does Encanto ’s familiar first act lead to a what turns out to be an intimate journey and more of a mystery than a quest. No spoilers, but Mirabel’s superpower turns out to be not super strength, healing wounds with food, controlling the weather or talking to animals, but (like Anya Taylor-Joy in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split ) a surplus of empathy.

We open on a grim prologue which tells of a new home being formed in the aftermath of political violence and exodus. The present-tense narrative begins with Mirabel’s “The Family Madrigal,” an energetic song which introduces the early-20th century Colombian town and its extra-special inhabitants. It starts the picture on a formulaic note and becomes redundant even within itself. Save for a third-act heart-wrencher and the very last number (both of which tell story and/or develop character through song), Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs offer up redundant reexaminations of already-dispersed onscreen information. Complaining about a musical having songs for the sake of songs may be  counterproductive, but the “explain what we already know” songs feel like commercial breaks just after the latest cliffhanger. It’s not a deal breaker, and Diane Guerrero’s “What Else Can I Do?” is a stand-alone bop. It’s also the only qualm I have with the picture. When it’s not singing and dancing,  Encanto  mostly rocks hard.

Even with some grim undertones and periodically downbeat thematic elements, it is a generally joyful and thrillingly colorful fantasy that’ll once again make us realize how much visual wonder we take for granted in modern animation. The voice cast is a joy, with John Leguizamo (as an exiled uncle whose ability to see the future may have precipitated the newfangled doom) standing out in a performance equal parts comedy and misery. The overreaching arc works as a companion piece to Trolls: World Tour, Thor: Ragnarok or Frozen II , telling a lively tale rooted in the lingering wounds of a happy homestead created in the aftermath of unspeakable horror. The shoe is obviously on the other foot here, but the implications are not dissimilar. The notion that Mirabel is indirectly responsible for the crumbling infrastructure and her relatives losing their powers becomes more and more plausible, adding a fatalistic undertone to the fantasy proceedings.

Encanto uses the commercial freedom of being a big-scale Disney Animation release to both exist as a triumph of demographic representation *and* to not use that representational milestone as an alibi to tell an otherwise generic story. Mirabel joins the ranks among one of the more realized Disney heroines, partially because she’s not required to hit “bad-ass female warrior who isn’t your everyday princess” notes. If anything, the awkward misfit is who would usually be a supporting character in a conventional animated epic, and that adds to her universal relatability. While the “misfit makes good” story isn’t that much less conventional than the “warrior princess saves her kingdom” yarn, the specifics of its story, in terms of raw storytelling and psychological nuance, makes Encanto stand out from every crowd. Disney’s 60th animated feature is among their best, sitting proudly alongside the misfit likes of Emperor’s New Groove, Zootopia and Meet the Robinsons .

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In Theaters

• Biography/History

Content Caution

• August 30, 2024
• Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan; David Henrie as Young Reagan; Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan; Mena Suvari as Jane Wyman; C. Thomas Howell as Caspar Weinberger; Amanda Righetti as Nelle Reagan; Jon Voight as Viktor Petrovich; Alex Sparrow as Andrei Novikov; Robert Davi as Leonid Brezhnev; Olek Krupa as Mikhail Gorbachev; Justin Chatwin as Jack Reagan; Kevin Dillon as Jack Warner; Kevin Sorbo as Reverend Cleaver; Xander Berkeley as George Schultz; Lesley-Anne Down as Margaret Thatcher; Jennifer O'Neill as Older Nelle Reagan; Nick Searcy as James Baker; Marshall R. Teague as Eduard Shevardnadze; Dan Lauria as Thomas “Tip” O'Neill; Pat Boone as Reverend George Otis; Scott Stapp as Frank Sinatra; Elya Baskin as B.E. Kertchman

Home Release Date

• Sean McNamara

Distributor

• Showbiz Direct

Positive Elements   |   Spiritual Elements   |   Sexual & Romantic Content   |   Violent Content   |   Crude or Profane Language   |   Drug & Alcohol Content   |   Other Noteworthy Elements   | Conclusion

Movie Review

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

President Ronald Reagan issued that challenge to Mikhail Gorbachev, the last General Secretary of the Soviet Union, on June 12, 1987. Just two years later, on November 9, 1989, the wall between East and West Germany did indeed come down, the beginning of the end of the Iron Curtain.

Under Reagan’s leadership, America had won the Cold War.

Those of us who lived through the decades of that chilly conflict remember (depending on how old we are) the specter of nuclear annihilation: Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD, as it was known. We remember the uncertainty of that critical inflection point in history. We remember Ronald Reagan’s prominent role in staring down the threat of the Russian “Evil Empire,” even as controversies in other areas swirled about his presidency’s second term.  

For those born later, though, perhaps Reagan is just another presidential name that means little 35 years after he left office. To those who didn’t live through those years, Reagan might not seem too different from other dead presidents who presided over tumultuous eras and events, such as John F. Kennedy or Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln or George Washington. That is to say, ancient history.

But whether you’re young or old, whether you lived through the tumultuous latter days of the 20 th century or not, Reagan , the movie, reminds us why courage and vision, tenacity and faith remain vitally important character qualities in our leaders.

And even though I did live through a portion of that era, Dennis Quaid’s portrayal of Ronald Reagan here shines a light on chapters of this actor-turned-politician’s life that I had little knowledge of myself.

Along the way, we see how the faith of a mother and the love of a devoted wife played huge roles in shaping the heart and soul of a failed actor into a president whose tenacity arguably bent the course of history.

Positive Elements

It’s impossible to do full justice to the high points of a historical figure’s entire life in the course of two hours. But Reagan nonetheless gives it a good shot.

In the early 1940s, Ronald Reagan seemed to be a rising star in Hollywood, but the film tells us that his career stalled out, with him being considered a “B-list” actor. And it’s possible, the story hints, that outcome was due in part to conservative philosophical and political aspirations that surface early in Reagan’s career. Jack Warner warns Reagan that Communist infiltrators are seeking to influence the actor’s union, known as the Screen Actor’s Guild, and he tells Reagan he’s going to have to choose a side.

But his first wife, Jane Wyman, finds Reagan’s flirtation with politics disdainful. “Is there anything worse than an actor with a cause” she quips. And then she adds, scornfully, “You are an actor . That is your job. Not politics.”

Given that discrepancy of values, it’s no surprise that Reagan’s first union doesn’t last. His marriage skids toward the rocks about the same time his career does, prompting Reagan to tell his mother, “I lost a child, I lost my marriage, I lost my career.” That’s one of the points at which she encourages him with strong spiritual counsel (which we’ll unpack in the next section).

Despite those struggles, Reagan serves two stints as the president of the Screen Actor’s Guild, staunchly resisting Communist influence.

Near the end of his acting career, when he’s more involved with SAG than actually making movies, Reagan meets Nancy Davis. As their connection deepens, he says of himself, “I’m what you call damaged goods,” noting that he’s divorced, broke and has children from a previous marriage. Nancy gently counters, “We’re all damaged goods, Ronnie.” That prompts him to say, “I just want to do something good in this world, to make a difference.”

In the years that follow, of course, Reagan seeks to make good on that desire, with Nancy constantly encouraging him at his side—first in his run for the governor of California, then his first failed presidential campaign in 1976 (where he lost the Republican nomination to Gerald Ford) and finally in his sunset years as the specter of Alzheimer’s disease looms.

Still, Reagan perseveres, winning the presidency and, ultimately, challenging Communism on a much bigger scale than just Hollywood. Along the way, we get something of a “greatest hits” glimpse at some of Reagan’s best-known speeches and bon mots. “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” he asks. “Do you feel safe? Are we as strong as we were four years ago?”

“It’s morning in America,” he tells us. As well as, “Freedom is only one generation away from extinction.” And, of course, this iconic line: “We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness.”

The movie unpacks Reagan’s unorthodox nuclear arms negotiations with his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Gorbachev. It shows how Reagan’s invitation for the two of them to go for a walk together paved the way for a relationship that yielded real change and mutual respect.

Spiritual Elements

The spiritual themes in Reagan are not too plentiful, but they’re certainly shown to be foundational in this man’s life.

During Reagan’s youth, we see that his mother, Nelle, takes him to the First Christian Church in Dixon, Illinois. In one service there, we hear 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” ( KJV ).

Nelle drills into her young son a sense of divine purpose and calling on his life—lessons that form the bedrock of Reagan’s sense of identity in some tough moments. “God has a purpose for your life,” Nelle instills into her impressionable boy. “Something only you can do.” Elsewhere she reminds him, “Remember to listen to that small, soft voice” when he’s alone and quiet, and to give it his “full attention.” She offers this exhortation as well: “Remember who you are and Whose you are.”

Nelle’s husband, Jack, has succumbed to alcoholism (as we’ll see below). And when Reagan later asks his mother, “Did God have a plan for his [dad’s] life?” Nelle replies, “Of course He does. Unfortunately, he [Jack] has other plans.’

Young Reagan reads a book about baptism that leads him to be baptized himself.

When Nelle dies much later, in 1962, Reagan says, “Thank you, Lord, for my mother.”

In a conversation with Democratic Senator Thomas “Tip” O’Neill, a Catholic, we hear Psalm 23 quoted. There’s a reference to “the joy of knowing God,” as well as a verbal nod to C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters . Someone talks about praying for atheists. A character exclaims, “God help me.” A prayer at Reagan’s funeral talks about God’s blessings.

Sexual & Romantic Content

Reagan kisses Jane Wyman. Later, we see his first passionate kiss with Nancy Davis. There are a few other kisses along the way.

As a young man, Reagan served as a lifeguard. He’s depicted as being so “hunky” that women kept feigning drowning so that he’d dive in and rescue them. As such, we see a few modest bathing suits of that 1930s era, as well as Reagan in a singlet-style suit.

A few women wear some outfits that are a bit revealing or accentuate their features. We see some scantily clad dancers when Reagan briefly has an ongoing show in Las Vegas.

Violent Content

We see John Hinkley Jr. shoot Reagan shortly after he gives a speech in 1981, just weeks after Regan’s first inauguration. The scene is dramatic, but not graphic. We hear how the bullet miraculously missed Reagan’s heart. Nancy laments that she wasn’t by his side at the moment, but Reagan counters that she likely would have been shot instead if she had been.

A brawl breaks out between Hollywood actors with different takes on unionizing and the influence of shadowy Communist interlocutors. Later, we see footage of a full-on riot over those issues on a Hollywood set.

A historical montage during the opening credits speeds through the conflict and threat of nuclear war in the decades prior to Reagan entering politics, including World War II, the invention of the atomic bomb, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the deepening geopolitical stalemate of the Cold War.

We hear about (and see the explosive results of) the Soviets shooting down a Korean commercial airliner full of people in 1987.

Crude or Profane Language

I suspect that the language used both in Hollywood and Washington, D.C., is generally spicier than what the film depicts. That said, this PG-13 take on those two worlds does include enough language to warrant that rating. We hear five uses of “h—,” two of “d–n,” and one each of “a–,” “b-gger” and a misuse of God’s name. Someone jokes about getting “undies in a wad.” Another person uses a crude hand gesture.

Drug & Alcohol Content

Various characters smoke (cigarettes and cigars) and drink (beer, hard liquor) throughout the film.

Reagan’s father, Jack, is depicted as an alcoholic who was immensely popular at the pub but completely absent at home. A young Ronnie asks his mother earnestly, “Why does dad drink so much?”

Nelle responds in resignation and weariness, “It makes him forget.”

“Forget what?” Ronnie presses.

“All that he wanted to be. All he knows he never will be.”

Other Noteworthy Elements

Despite his influence, not everyone sees Reagan’s accomplishments in as positive a light as the film depicts them. A montage of news stories very briefly references the Iran-Contra controversy, but definitely doesn’t dive deeply into the details, for instance. Some might say that the depiction of Reagan’s character here is thus overly flattering. That said, the film does acknowledge that scandal in particular, even if it doesn’t dig into the nitty-gritty claims against Reagan and some of his closest confidants.

It is a great irony of our age that despite having virtually the sum total of human history a click away on our smartphones, we so often forget what has just happened; what it took to get to where we are today.

Reagan reminds us. This glimpse at one flawed-but-determined man’s leadership reminds us that good and evil exist, that faithfully confronting the latter matters, and that failing to do so has dire consequences.

Indeed, the idea of evil almost seems passe in our world today. It’s not something to be confronted, but a historical idea to (perhaps) be deconstructed.

Reagan, the man, wasn’t perfect. He himself admitted as much in quiet and reflective moments. But his spiritual foundations led him to confront Communism and to fight for freedom. The movie underlines what Reagan’s many admirers believe: He was fueled by optimism and, yes, hope that tomorrow could be better.

In a contemporary political landscape that—no matter where you sit on that spectrum—can easily fuel cynicism and scorn, this depiction of one man’s courage reminds us that character and courage matter, and that we must cling to those virtues.

Some minor content speed bumps, mostly in the form of language as well as some drinking, turn up occasionally. But for mature tweens on up, Reagan offers families a rich opportunity to talk about the intersection of character, faith and politics.

To hear more about actor Dennis Quaid’s experience portraying Reagan, be sure to check out Focus on the Family president Jim Daly’s interview with him here .

Adam R. Holz

After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.

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