Disney, and animation for that matter, have come a long way from their very
first full length animated motion picture Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
back in 1937. Now for its 60th animated feature Walt Disney
Animation Studios brings us Encanto a tale of a family called the Madrigals
who, when fleeing persecution in their Columbian village, end up in a
magical village called Encanto.
Cut off from the outside world the village bestows on its inhabitants, when
they reach a certain age, one magical power. That is except for Mirabel
(Stephanie Beatriz) the youngest of three Madrigal sisters, whilst her
sister Luisa (voiced by Jessica Darrow) possesses superhuman strength and
her sister Isabela (Diane Guerrero) is perfect in every way, so perfect in
fact that she can make flowers burst into bloom, poor Mirabel is given
nothing but self-doubt.
The secret of the village’s power is a magical candle which has to be kept
burning or the village and all the villagers powers will disappear. When
the candle begins to dim and the family start to split it’s left to Mirabel
to keep the flame and in turn her family together.
Encanto owes a lot to previous Disney films and it’s probably no
coincidence that it has similarities to the likes of Frozen and Moana.
Beautifully animated and with some of the best songs, written by Lin-Manuel
Miranda of Hamilton the musical fame, since the aforementioned Frozen,
Encanto is a delight from start to finish and comes highly recommended.
