I went into Encanto knowing absolutely nothing about it. I’ve only heard it’s a new Pixar movie, seen the poster, and that was it. I didn’t know who was voicing the characters, what the story/themes were, nothing at all. And maybe that is why I loved it.
I like the approach Disney/Pixar seems to be taking lately, focusing on stories from all around the world, exploring different cultures and giving actors from that culture/part of the world the chance to voice the characters. I am 100% behind this, and Encanto proves; why this is a clever move from Disney. Because if you strip everything down to its bare bones, it’s a pretty simple story about family and the pressure facing kids, specifically if your parents (or in this case, pretty much everybody around you) has something you don’t have. How that can make you feel self-conscious, wrong and how hard it is to “live up” to somebody else’s standards. In this case, it’s more mysterious, as this film deals with magic and how everyone in this big family has magical powers except her.
Strangely enough, this might be one of the most light-hearted Pixar films we’ve seen in quite some time, even despite these pretty weighty themes. The movie is colourful and, for lack of a better term, living. Maybe that is why I haven’t had issues as others had (given by IMDb’s rating of “only” 7.3/10). Yes, Encanto isn’t going to crack my TOP 3 or even 5 of Pixar films. But the thing is, it doesn’t have to. Sometimes it is fine having the conflict resolved fast as we can focus on the family part of the film and how important forgiveness is. To realize just because you aren’t doing what your family thought you might do with your life, that is fine. As long as you are happy, they are (hopefully) happy for you, and more importantly, with you.
I need to go back to the animation style. I know saying: “Look how gorgeous it is” might seem like a waste of time, letters and data on the Internet, but I need to say it because not only this movie looks stunning, it feels alive. I think that is something people are not talking about enough – the magic here doesn’t just serve to “shame” our main protagonist, who has none of it. Everything is magical, including the house. And the animators had a lot of fun with that, and in turn, I had a lot of fun watching this film. I loved how playful everything felt, how the colour tone felt warmer and more personal, and everybody’s powers were unique.
Also, let’s talk about voice casting. I will never get used to the fact Stephanie Beatriz sounds like this. For those of you unfamiliar with her, she played Rosa Diaz on Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013 – 2021, my review here), and she decided for the entirety of that show to lower her voice registry, unbelievably. So every time I hear her actual voice, whether it’s in interviews or here, I can never recognise her. And she’s nailed the performance. I was not familiar with María Cecilia Botero, but I thought she was perfect. Why? Because I believed/wanted her to be my grandma. She seemed to put a lot of warmth in her performance, even in the scenes where it didn’t necessarily show and even though I am not Colombian, I think we could all relate to having a grandma like her. And Diane Guerrero, one of the most stunning women on this planet, portraying a flawless character? Simply a great decision to have her, and her voice is also pleasant to listen to.
I will show my cards here – I have seen the “other” Pixar film that came out in 2021, Luca. And to a degree, you could say they are identical. Not regarding themes or stories, but both are more light-hearted in tone, despite their stories still dealing with some heavier themes. But seeing Luca a few days after Encanto made me realise that Encanto did this better…? Or maybe it’s fairer to say I connected more to this film and the family theme more than with Luca? Yes, I think that’s a bit fairer. And don’t worry, I liked Luca, and a review is coming your way.
Overall, Encanto is a stunning and heartwarming movie about the importance of forging your own path, forgiveness and most importantly, family. How yes, where you come from is important, but at the same time, it’s not everything, and if you want to forge a path of your own, you need to embrace yourself. It also serves as a reminder to stop comparing ourselves to others; it does not matter if they are your friends or family. I will happily revisit this movie as I have enjoyed spending time with this magical family.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke
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