Directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush, Co-directed by Charise Castro Smith
Written by Jarred Bush, Charise Castro Smith
Starring Stephanie Beatriz, John Leguizamo, María Cecilia Botero
Rated PG
Runtime 1 hour 39 minutes
In theaters November 24, on Disney+ December 24

by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring

Touted as the 60th animated feature film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Encanto also has a notable pedigree in being co-directed by Jared Bush. As part of the team responsible for the studio’s bounce back in quality–and shift from hand drawn to computer imagery–with Bolt, Tangled, and Zootopia, he has become a staple of the studio’s tone over the last fifteen years. While Encanto is slighter than many of the studio’s recent offerings, it is nonetheless a heartwarming story with dazzling animation.

Set in the mountains of Columbia (in an ambiguous time period), Encanto centers on young Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz), the only girl in her family without magical powers. Her grandmother (María Cecilia Botero) was granted a miracle as she fled from her home to the valley Encanto, and each of her children and grandchildren have a special gift. The house they live in, Casa Madrigal, is also a literal character, granting each family member a special room in the house that reflects their magical power in some way. Mirabel loves her family but often feels in the way because she does not control the weather like her aunt Pepa (Carolina Gaitán) or heal people with her cooking like her mother (Angie Cepeda). However, she is one of the only people to recognize that their family’s magic may be in trouble, and takes it upon herself to find the problem and solve it.

Encanto boasts songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda, a fact that would feel more special if it wasn’t being released in the same year as the In the Heights film adaptation, Vivo, and his directorial debut Tick, Tick,...Boom! A boon time for Miranda superfans, while I keep an eye on oversaturation of his signature style. The songs, all of which feature the usual Miranda pitter-patter lyrics, work to varying effect. The opener, “The Family Madrigal,” in which Mirabel introduces us to her family and each of their special powers, relationships, and Casa Madrigal is the most memorable song. It is energetic and illustrative, but none of the other songs in the film ever reach that level.

While it is always admirable when a fairy tale story is engaging without a strong presence of evil, the lack of an outright villain was felt here. Yes, it puts the focus on the family dynamics and there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but it takes so long for the conflict here to boil over that the third act was over before I noticed it had begun. That’s not necessarily a negative, but there’s a reason fables typically cast things in terms of outright good and evil. “Grandmother has high expectations that you’ll never fulfill” is of course a worthy conflict for a story, but it doesn’t truly fit the fairy tale genre. Combining that with the structure of the film, in which Mirabel is trying to prevent a disaster, not revert one that has happened, it leaves Encanto feeling small. 

Still, the characters are charming, with most of them at least getting a few moments to reveal that there is an inner life beyond the distilled character types of “strong” or “pretty.” The choice to keep the family around for most of the runtime pays off, and it is easy to imagine this as a pilot for a spinoff animated series as Disney was fond of doing in the Eisner era (Aladdin being the most notable example). The welcoming designs of Casa Madrigal and the magical valley, constantly filled with bright colors and warm tones, Encanto is undoubtedly a fun place to spend some time, even if it feels as though there’s something missing that would make it resonate even more.