Isn't it annoying to not be special?

★★ 1/2 out of ★★★★

Encanto (2021)

Runtime: 102 minutes

MPAA: Rated PG for some thematic elements and mild peril.

Edit: Encanto just won Best Animated Feature at the 94th Annual Academy Awards. I predicted it to not win, but alas it did. Nevertheless, I still stand strong with my opinion and will not change the star rating. Feel free to convince me otherwise.

Join me, as I rebel against the majority of audiences and critics in favor of Disney's newest release, Encanto. Though good entertainment for little children, though visually wonderful, though vibrant and lively through its numerous songs, it doesn't succeed as a whole. Encanto starts off generically familiar, stirs emotions halfway, then rushes to the final act so quickly that the payoff doesn't feel earned.

Encanto tells a story about an extraordinary family, called the Madrigals, who live in a house situated in Colombia, called Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every family member, except Mirabel. Frustrated, she desperately tries to help out in the family, though overshadowed by everyone. When she discovers that the magic surrounding Encanto is in danger, Mirabel attempts to help discover the fault and fix it. To do that, she must first visit a cast-out family member, Bruno, whose powers are seeing the future and sealing people's fates.

I have to give praise to the wonderful and dazzling colors presented in Encanto. They make the film more lively, and has appeal to younger audiences. Another thing that might catch other people's attention are the songs, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Though it is used to tell the story, it feels like the words in the song were literally extracted from dialogue that should have served as exposition, rendering it slightly weird and forgettable. Perhaps the song that attracted most audiences was the song "We Don't Talk About Bruno", a song that has been surfacing all over the internet of late.

One more thing that surprised me was the voice cast; even though they assembled random people, including: Stephanie Beatriz (Mirabel), María Cecilia Botero (Abuela Alma), John Leguizamo (Bruno), and many others, the voice quality is first-rate. They do their best to make Encanto a fun ride, one that rarely bores younger audiences, and it succeeds, with the help of the carefully controlled pacing (until the third act arrives).

However, deep in the core of the film is where most of the problems lie. As a movie reviewer, besides a film thrilling us from start to finish, it has to present material worth watching. Encanto boasts some great on-the-surface substance, like the family's powers and what they can do, but the narrative is lacking. The biggest problem is, it doesn't directly answer how the family comes in terms with Bruno, or why Mirabel has no powers, or how the miracle given to them originated in the first place. Instead, it blandly rehashes story formulas, expecting us to already know why this happens, so they excuse themselves for not explaining it.

The one particular thing that frustrated me was the payoff. Let me thoroughly explain. Thanks to Bruno for spoiling the film halfway, Encanto moves in predictable fashion, and hurriedly reaches the end. I'm sorry for spoiling it, but the payoff is when Abuela Alma realized that the most important thing of the Encanto is the family, not the gifts, and that she had been too focused on maintaining her family members' powers. Her character development is satisfactory, at best, but this potentially great turning point (and message to the audience) is skimmed so quickly that we're immediately back to re-building the house and everyone regaining their powers.

However, there's a redeeming point before the payoff arrives. Mirabel is able to condemn Abuela in a scene that stirs our emotions and is powerful in the build-up to the payoff. On the other hand, I quickly realized another thing after the film ended. Mirabel was here to help characters realize themselves and their purpose. Did Mirabel's character change or undergo an arc in the film? I don't think so.

The ending sees the house being rebuilt and everyone regaining their powers (like said two paragraphs before). Every family member is back to their normal lives, a now new-realized Abuela looks at the place in joy, but Mirabel still has no powers. Here's to hoping that she doesn't get too upset about it, and here's to hoping that the intriguing premise truly takes flight.

Trailer: