Encanto
Directors: Byron Howard, Jared Bush
Cast: Stephanie Beatriz, Maria Cecelia Botero, Jessica Darrow, Diane Guerrero, Renzi Feliz, John Leguizamo, Angie Cepeda, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Wilmer Valderrama
Disney’s newest animated film, Encanto, follows the story of the Madrigals, an extraordinary family who live deep in the mountains of Colombia, in a charmed place called the Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift -- every child, that is, except Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). Mirabel may be the Madrigals last hope, when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is now in danger and it is up to her to restore her family’s hope.
Family is a powerful theme in this film, and nowhere is family illustrated more vividly than in the Madrigal family, and how each person in this family has a special Gift that makes them unique in the family…and Mirabel’s Gift, while it might be the hardest to recognize, is, by far, the most important Gift of all.
If you look very closely at the characters, you will see their "Gifts" reflected in the embroidery on their outfits. Abuela has the candle flames sewn into her dress. Luisa has weights because she's the strong one in the family. Isabella's dress has flowers because she's beautiful and can create flowers as her Gift. The Mom has a mortar and pestle on her apron because her gift is cooking with love to heal her family. Although Mirabel doesn’t stand out like the rest of her family with a super-special gift, the design on Mirabel’s dress is butterflies. And the symbol on the special miracle candle that Abuela is so protective of is also a butterfly. And as the story reaches its climax, and Mirabel and her Abuela are talking by the river, the butterflies appear once again. This is Mirabel's special Gift. I think that's why she didn't get a special door when she was a child, like the rest of her family did. Mirabel’s unique Gift wasn't quite ready yet...when she touched the doorknob, the magic went into her, like it was in a cocoon, and she became a butterfly in the end, when she understood what her Gift truly meant. That is why Antonio gives Mirabel the doorknob to make the house magical again. And notice how this moment reflects the moment when they were celebrating Antonio’s Gift. In that moment, Mirabel went with him in this moment, and when she placed the doorknob on the new house, Antonio was the one who was with her. We see Mirabel in the shadows at the beginning. She doesn't "shine" like the rest of her family. She's not super strong, like Luisa, or super perfect and beautiful like Isabella or a healer like her Mom...but in every single moment when her family was in need, it was Mirabel’s hand who reached out to them.
This is illustrated in how Mirabel helps her family. When Antonio is feeling extremely nervous and scared about receiving his special Gift at his ceremony, Mirabel is the one who comforts Antonio in their bedroom, and she gives him a stuffed animal, so he won’t be lonely in his new bedroom. When Antonio says to Mirabel "I need you." when he's about to walk out to join his grandmother for his special ceremony, Mirabel holds his hand, and together, they walk up the stairs, to his grandmother, to receive his Gift. Mirabel’s love shines once more, with her sisters, Luisa, and Isabella, when they are struggling with their special Gifts. Mirabel is the one who helps them to understand that while they each had a special Gift, those gifts don’t define them…they are each special and unique, just for being who they are. (and notice, when the house was cracking, it was because the family was fighting and at odds.) I think, in the end, Abuelos’s love and sacrifice is the catalyst which created the hope in the candle flame, and the magic of the Casita for his family to live together in peace…and Mirabel's hope is what allowed the candle and the house's magic to be restored. Like her Abuela, Mirabel shares a special connection with the Casita, and that is why the house is restored when she places the special doorknob on the house. In the end, the family lost sight of what was profoundly important (their love, family, and hope) because they got so caught up in having to live up to their Gifts....and Mirabel's purpose was to remind the Madrigals of their most precious Gift of all...their family.
It has been a minute since I have so thoroughly enjoyed one of Disney’s newer animated films. Encanto is easily one of the most beautiful and unique films that Disney animators have produced in the last 5 years. The story is very heartfelt, and I found myself having a very deep and emotional connection to the characters…especially Mirabel…having felt that pain and humiliation of being the one who was, for lack of a better word, “different”, myself. The songs are very catchy, and add another layer of emotional nuance to the story. The casting is stellar (particularly for Stephanie Beatriz who voices Mirabel. Overall, I would highly recommend this film.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Directors: Byron Howard, Jared Bush
Cast: Stephanie Beatriz, Maria Cecelia Botero, Jessica Darrow, Diane Guerrero, Renzi Feliz, John Leguizamo, Angie Cepeda, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Wilmer Valderrama
Disney’s newest animated film, Encanto, follows the story of the Madrigals, an extraordinary family who live deep in the mountains of Colombia, in a charmed place called the Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift -- every child, that is, except Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). Mirabel may be the Madrigals last hope, when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is now in danger and it is up to her to restore her family’s hope.
Family is a powerful theme in this film, and nowhere is family illustrated more vividly than in the Madrigal family, and how each person in this family has a special Gift that makes them unique in the family…and Mirabel’s Gift, while it might be the hardest to recognize, is, by far, the most important Gift of all.
If you look very closely at the characters, you will see their "Gifts" reflected in the embroidery on their outfits. Abuela has the candle flames sewn into her dress. Luisa has weights because she's the strong one in the family. Isabella's dress has flowers because she's beautiful and can create flowers as her Gift. The Mom has a mortar and pestle on her apron because her gift is cooking with love to heal her family. Although Mirabel doesn’t stand out like the rest of her family with a super-special gift, the design on Mirabel’s dress is butterflies. And the symbol on the special miracle candle that Abuela is so protective of is also a butterfly. And as the story reaches its climax, and Mirabel and her Abuela are talking by the river, the butterflies appear once again. This is Mirabel's special Gift. I think that's why she didn't get a special door when she was a child, like the rest of her family did. Mirabel’s unique Gift wasn't quite ready yet...when she touched the doorknob, the magic went into her, like it was in a cocoon, and she became a butterfly in the end, when she understood what her Gift truly meant. That is why Antonio gives Mirabel the doorknob to make the house magical again. And notice how this moment reflects the moment when they were celebrating Antonio’s Gift. In that moment, Mirabel went with him in this moment, and when she placed the doorknob on the new house, Antonio was the one who was with her. We see Mirabel in the shadows at the beginning. She doesn't "shine" like the rest of her family. She's not super strong, like Luisa, or super perfect and beautiful like Isabella or a healer like her Mom...but in every single moment when her family was in need, it was Mirabel’s hand who reached out to them.
This is illustrated in how Mirabel helps her family. When Antonio is feeling extremely nervous and scared about receiving his special Gift at his ceremony, Mirabel is the one who comforts Antonio in their bedroom, and she gives him a stuffed animal, so he won’t be lonely in his new bedroom. When Antonio says to Mirabel "I need you." when he's about to walk out to join his grandmother for his special ceremony, Mirabel holds his hand, and together, they walk up the stairs, to his grandmother, to receive his Gift. Mirabel’s love shines once more, with her sisters, Luisa, and Isabella, when they are struggling with their special Gifts. Mirabel is the one who helps them to understand that while they each had a special Gift, those gifts don’t define them…they are each special and unique, just for being who they are. (and notice, when the house was cracking, it was because the family was fighting and at odds.) I think, in the end, Abuelos’s love and sacrifice is the catalyst which created the hope in the candle flame, and the magic of the Casita for his family to live together in peace…and Mirabel's hope is what allowed the candle and the house's magic to be restored. Like her Abuela, Mirabel shares a special connection with the Casita, and that is why the house is restored when she places the special doorknob on the house. In the end, the family lost sight of what was profoundly important (their love, family, and hope) because they got so caught up in having to live up to their Gifts....and Mirabel's purpose was to remind the Madrigals of their most precious Gift of all...their family.
It has been a minute since I have so thoroughly enjoyed one of Disney’s newer animated films. Encanto is easily one of the most beautiful and unique films that Disney animators have produced in the last 5 years. The story is very heartfelt, and I found myself having a very deep and emotional connection to the characters…especially Mirabel…having felt that pain and humiliation of being the one who was, for lack of a better word, “different”, myself. The songs are very catchy, and add another layer of emotional nuance to the story. The casting is stellar (particularly for Stephanie Beatriz who voices Mirabel. Overall, I would highly recommend this film.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.