Why Everyone's Talking about Encanto

Spoilers: Because it's great, but also some less great stuff...

This video's content falls under critical or film studies. Predominantly containing discussions, deliberations, examinations, essays and analyses of the thematic integrity of works of visual artistic expression by ways of some subpar comedy.

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[davidrancibia]

Definitelly a latin grandma admiting her mistakes and apologizing is the biggest miracle in the movie

Edit: Just in case, it's very common that families in latin america have either a Grandma or Grandpa who is usually super involved with the family but is also VERY stubborn and very prideful, and refuses to change some behaviour or being open to learn the things their children or grandchildren want to teach them. I know this isn't just a latin american thing but it's something we know very well

[Cookies__]

Encanto actually feels like a Disney movie that SHOULD get a series. Because, as you said, it has too much potential to be contained in one movie. I also think it will help with the story’s pacing and give us more depth to the characters. Let’s be honest, the characters really are the drive of the narrative being told

[onlyoneme]

Honestly, I loved the Bruno room scenery. It shows how big and empty and isolating his room is. It built up to the mystery of his then he turned out to be a lovable nerd who watches rat soap operas. I think that was intentional. They were building him up just for him to be a tiny dork. They wanted us to expect something different than what we got. And it was hilarious.
And Mirabel going for the candle symbolizes that she is willing to put her life in danger to save the magic immediately after Abuela accused her of hurting the family. She immediately turned around and did the opposite of what she was accused of. She's basing her worth on saving the magic, and is willing to risk death to do so. Abuela got to witness that, and realized how wrong she was.

[ginkiba]

This is 100% headcanon, but considering that Luisa can tone down her strength to hug Mirabel and Pepa can control the weather if she can get the right headspace, it's probably fair to say that Dolores can change how sensitive her hearing is. Especially, considering, she lives in a family involving two married couples that clearly love each other and *haven't stopped having kids* for nearly twenty years straight.

[KiwiNinjaBlast]

I’d argue that the rest of the Madrigals not getting their gifts back would undercut the point that Mirabel is special without a Gift the same way that her receiving one would. It kind of implies that Mirabel IS just as special as the rest of her family… but only when they’re cut down to the same level as her.

[KitsuneGB-hczb]

Does this count as a “reverse twist villain” where everyone in the family vilifies him but he’s actually not?

[crystalfairy]

My only concern when it comes to more Encanto content is focusing more on the lore/magic than the family. I don’t want another Frozen 2 out of this. I don’t care where the magic came from or what determined each Madrigal’s gift. I want to see more simple interactions among the family and their community. How is Bruno adjusting after ten years inside walls? Do the grandkids attend school or have friends outside the family? I’ll take backstories on Augustin and Felix before I take any more save the magic stories.

[Ani]

I'd go so far as to say the "ch, ch, ch" from Dolores' part *alone* is more pleasing to the ear than a lot of modern movie songs

[lorendaemon]

13:50
I thought her retrieving the candle seemed perfectly reasonable. She's been raised her entire life to view the candle as the most important object in the world - of course she had to try to save it.

[elfpi]

I've said this before and I'll say it again: You have to be really careful with the messages your art ends up expressing. If Mirabel had gotten a gift in the end, the message would switch to "You deserve acceptance when you become special" and if the rest of the family hadn't regained their gifts it would switch to "You'll be accepted once you don't stand out anymore". I think Disney made the right call on these particular decisions.

[NobodyC]

There are theories that Abuela favors Isabella not because she views her granddaughter as a "babymaker" but because she is projecting the life she could've had onto her. The movie concludes that Abuela's choices were motivated by her husband's murder, and that she's grooming Isabella into the perfect woman, with the perfect life, and the perfect marriage to the perfect man of the village because she's trying to recreate the life that was robbed from her. It should be noted that Abuella, when she was young, looked uncannilly similar to Isabella, which maybe why she gravitated toward her granddaughter and trying to set her up with Mariano, who looks like a hunkier version of her late husband (right down to having similar personalites as they're both good men who are nice, dorky, creative romantics; because Dolores mentions Mariano writes poetry as a hobby and Abuelo Pedro was a writer). It was only until Mirabel got Abuela to reconcile with her trauma and to start seeing her family past their utility and as people, that she finally realized it was very wrong of her to try and live vicariously through her grandchildren.

[mayahope]

I loved so many of the minor subversions in this movie, especially how it doesn't throw them in your face or pat itself on the back for them (unlike, say, Frozen).

-Bruno not being a villain, despite his excellent villain song
-Abuela not being a villain either: she's the source of the conflicts, but she isn't portrayed as evil, just hurt
-Mariano not being an abusive, misogynistic jerk, just not Isabela's type, and nice enough that she couldn't turn him down without ruining everyone's view of her
-Luisa being feminine, and very emotionally expressive
-The amount of creative visuals in the musical numbers! I really hope this becomes a trend for CGI animated movies going forward.

[xxTC-xx]

I'd love to see a series that just follows the family's daily life, like the Tangled series minus the grand adventure, I'd be just as happy with normal stuff they have to go through

[noahlucas]

As someone with ADHD, being able to constantly hear everything would be a literal nightmare.

[Silas_Kow]

I have to say that the scene with the house falling down was very emotional for me. Throughout the entire movie, I treated the house as a character in itself, and at the end of that scene I ended up in tears. The house, despite being the one that suffered the most, had to silently accompany the sadness of each one, and in the end, did not measure efforts to ensure everyone's safety. Honestly more than anything else it was a character's farewell scene.

[arellajardin]

The scene to save the candle is relevant as more than just an action scene. Mirabel is also thinking in superficial terms of “saving the miracle”, which she thinks she must do to matter to the family. It’s her role, her chance to make them proud. Of course, the house has to collapse, because saving some wax isn’t what’s going to fix the cracks. It’s understanding and reconciliation.  

It also plays into the “rushed” turnaround of Abuela. Yelling at someone doesn’t change their minds. And long talks are…. not what kids films do. So, for her to be snapped out of her mindset, she needs to lose everything, at the exact moment she’s confronted by her guilt in the problem. There’s no more argument with the magic gone, no more trying to save face. And she just witnessed Mirabel risk her life to try and save the candle. It all works to give her the emotional smack to admit her failings and apologize.

[DonniedrakoE]

Encanto is one of the most refreshing Disney movies I’ve seen in a while with some of the most unorthodox musical numbers in the show. I think the combination of the bouncy dialogue of the songs combine with the imagery perfectly matching the unique problems the characters face make it very unforgettable.

[lordfelidae]

13:45
I think it’s because the Miracle is SUCH A BIG DEAL to the family, that she legitimately feels that the risk to her own life is worth POSSIBLY saving the candle, since saving it MIGHT mean the magic can be saved. All the years and years of the magic being the most important part of her family makes the possibility of losing it a threat worth RISKING HER LIFE to her. It’s a sign of how badly she has been affected to her very core, and how badly Alma’s attitude has damaged the self image of her children and grand children.
I’m willing to bet that seeing Mirabel nearly get herself killed, and Isabella and Camilo also put themselves in danger for the candle was a part of the wake up call Alma experienced. She was told that she was breaking the family, then as her home begins to fall apart around her, instead of getting out and finding safety, her grandchildren run as fast as they can into the MIDDLE OF THE HOUSE to save a dying candle. Not just Mirabel, who’s self worth has clearly been hurt, but also Camilo and Isabella. The jester without any way to keep himself safe and the beautiful, successful, powerful golden child who just got what she wanted more than anything NEARLY GOT THEMSELVES KILLED trying to get the candle.
She realized Mirabel wasn’t just talking about herself. Alma saw the proof when Camilo was desperately shape shifting to avoid being crushed by debris and Isabella almost broke her neck swinging towards the candle. She saw with her own eyes that the seemingly most secure grandchildren from both sides of the family thought their own safety was less important than a candle.
She saw Mirabel was right.

[John-uwje]

One aspect I really liked is how Mirabell and Bruno have a lot in common, the whole family unconsciously pins their problems on them rather than accept reality.

[obedhernandez]

I actually DO believe that mirabel and Casita are way closer to each other because of mirabel permanent stay in the nursery.
From the very first scene of the movie we can see that Casita can influence every built in feature within mirabel's room; later we also learn that said influence ends just in front of the magic doors.
I can imagine that this constant cohabitation is what make Casita just DO stuff for mirabel without her constantly giving commands like abuela does.