Ever since "Zootopia", Disney Animation hasn't really been putting their biggest effort in their films. "Ralph Breaks the Internet" and "Frozen 2" were insulting follow-ups to respectable films and "Moana" and "Raya and the Last Dragon" had their moments, but didn't have a sharp script or strong enough theme to complement the film. Much like "Raya and the Last Dragon", I barely noticed the advertising of the latest film from Disney and expected something that was going to be average, but was pleasantly surprised by the time the credits rolled. In a rural town, the Madrigal family are the most talked-about, mainly due to their magical house and candle that grants each member of the bloodline a special gift. One member of the family though, Mirabel, never received a gift and is treated like the black sheep because of it. When Mirabel starts to notice signs of the house losing its magic, it's up to her to learn what's causing it and the true nature of her family's struggles. Throughout the story, I was sucked in to the growing mystery and narrative from a lost family member to uncertain outcomes to the themes of the story about families needing to work through toxicity and not holding the status quo. While the story did hold my interest for the entire runtime, it sadly falls by the very end. Not only does the film never explain why Mirabel doesn't receive powers whatsoever or if her being the only one without powers has a greater meaning, but the ending actually makes everyone loses their powers and magical house only to give everything back to them by the final minute, just for the sake of a happy ending for children. The ending really needed to have been changed or expanded upon in my opinion. And while I like the more mature tone that fits with the themes and storytelling along with the solid emotional and character moments, the comedy is pretty mixed in the use of good and bad jokes. I watched it in theatres with a good amount of families and the laughs are very uneven to say the least. When the humour is focused on the family dynamic, it's pretty good. When it's focused on animals or outsider characters, it's not.
Mirabel, voiced by Stephanie Beatriz, is on the same level as Judy in regards to loveable Disney protagonists. She's quirky, wholesome, a bit of a klutz and just has a great range of personality and emotional range. Her acceptance of embracing herself despite lacking a gift is a great arc, even if that whole plot point can be frustrating to me. Abuela Alma is a very interesting character that I'm surprised a Disney film would cover. While at first a supportive, if stern, grandmother, Alma reveals her true colours at revealing her vile side in making both Mirabel and Bruno the black sheep of the family in order to hold that perfect reputation for her family. She's extremely realistic in how much she loves her family to the point that it starts to hurt them, but is not evil or completely unredeemable. She's just a toxic family member that needs to be put on the same page as others. Uncle Bruno, voiced by John Leguizamo, is a bit of a retread of Hector from "Coco", but he's such a fun and tragic character that I honestly wouldn't have minded if the film copied that whole plot-line from the Pixar masterpiece. The rest of the family are also well-developed and have their moments of chemistry and growth with Mirabel for the most part with the muscle-bound Luisa, the super-hearing Dolores, and the innocent, animal-loving Antonio along with more minor, comic-relief family members, particularly the male characters. However, not everyone of the family is as fleshed out as they could have been or even likeable. Julieta, Mirabel's mother, is the typical supportive mother who doesn't have a unique conflict with her own mother, which is something that felt oddly left out. Tia Pepa is just the stressed-out and annoying family member that never really connects with Mirabel or even her own son. Lastly, Isabela, Mirabel's sister, is far too mean to Mirabel for literally no reason when the film could have made her envious by making her wish that she lacked her gift and be in the background like Mirabel. Still, the cast is very enjoyable with many characters competing for being a favourite, much like the conflict of the film.
The animation is fantastic as usual coming from Disney. Not only is the film bursting with vivid colour and even a moody atmosphere on occasion, but the detail is just spectacular. The character designs are a nice balance of cartoonish and realistic with a touch of exaggeration, but they look just like how they act like real people. The songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda are pretty good with "The Family Madrigal", "Waiting on a Miracle", "Surface Pressure", "We Don't Talk About Bruno", "What Else Can I Do?", and "All of You" being respectable numbers on their own right. Although his work on "Moana" is probably more memorable, the songs he writes here are inherently better as it not only feels like Miranda wrote them, but it ties a lot more into Columbian and Latino music as a whole. Overall, the animation and songs are top-tier in Disney's line-up.
"Encanto" manages to get up to the top ten best that the studio has offered, but could have easily been in the top five or even three. The ending, along with unsatisfying aspects of the plot and characters, just hold the film back from being a masterpiece, but that doesn't mean it's not a strong effort. The story did a great job in unfolding a mystery, the themes and morals are resonant, the more mature tone is balanced off with the more juvenile humour, Mirabel is a fun protagonist, Alma is a unique deuteragonist, the rest of the family member mostly add to the fun or even have some great development with Mirabel, the animation is beautiful, and the songs/musical numbers Miranda and Disney has offered for a while. I was very pleased to know that this film was as good as it was, flaws and all.
Verdict: 8.5/10. A great Disney classic in the making, but so close in being their next masterpiece. Looking forward for their next project to come...
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