Review of Encanto (2021) by Gilberto — 27 Nov 2021

Encanto has some of the most beautiful visuals I have seen o an animated movie, the screen is filled with life and color and its just a joyful thing to witness. Furthermore the songs are quite good, although not quite memorable dare I say, and its premise at its core is interesting. Yet the movie still fails to captivate compeletely.

I wanted to love this movie, I am from Colombia and the idea of an original Disney movie inspired on my country is quite exhilarating, the moment I heard the theme of the movie from Carlos Vives filled me pride and happiness and seeing some of the references like the food they ate made me giggle. Furthermore the animals, the enviroment, the salsa-like music all sell the Colombian countryside quite well. In terms of represantion I couldn't be happier.

Still, quite unfortunately, the story doesnt quite flourish in the same way. While it has a great premise, I thought that the constant singing diminished the experience. Some of the more key moments, like finding out the emotional weight that a certain character feels in regards to her position in the family is told through singing and rampant visuals and most of the more sentimental parts are managed this way. In this regard I thought the movie never had a moment to truly breath and explore its characters.

Ultimately this led to a very unsatisfying conclusion where it seemed like the movie wanted you to be emotionally compromised, but the investment wasnt there. I honestly felt like the solution to everything came out of nowhere. A better balance between music and storytelling could have served this one way better.

Nontheless, the message to it all is still there, and its still a valid lesson for anyone to understand, specially the kids. Plus, the visuals, the music and some of its funnier moments still make for an entertaining watch.