Encanto (2021)
Directed by Byron Howard
The tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family—every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family's last hope.
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21 films that influenced Encanto
What critics say influenced Encanto
The lineage of Disney castles goes all the way back to Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs — but there’s never been one like La Casa Madrigal in Encanto .
84 years and 59 films since Walt Disney Animation Studios first changed the very landscape of cinema with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , the studio deftly proves the magic is still alive and well in the house that Mickey built.
From Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs to Raya And The Last Dragon , Walt Disney Animation Studios has spent the past eight decades perfecting its signature riff on the classic hero’s journey.
“Encanto,” Walt Disney Animation Studios’ latest computer-generated confection, is the studio’s 60th feature-length production (there’s even a special version of the Steamboat Willie logo that plays in front) and the first since 1945’s post-war package film “The Three Caballeros,” to take its inspiration from the people and culture of South America.
Thank the voice talent I just recited, the sincerity of the Mouse House’s intention, and screenwriter Charise Castro Smith for imbuing Encanto with soft tones of regional folklore or fairytales, much like writer Adrian Molina did for Coco while touching on different themes.
There has been a distressing amount of discourse as of late charging that Disney’s latest animated musical, Encanto , is nothing more than a carbon copy of Pixar’s 2016 offering Coco , as if the mere presentation of cartoon characters with darker complexions amounts to retread.
See Adrian Molina‘s work on Coco.
The animation is a riot of colors wrapped around the graceful sway of South American dancers, some of the most glorious animated dance since Walt Disney’s “Fantasia.”
When muscular Luisa (voiced by Jessica Darrow) sings “Surface Pressure,” a song about carrying hidden burdens, it’s accompanied by a kaleidoscopic, “Fantasia”-like dream sequence.
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Encanto no evita jamás ese folclore y singularidad colombiana aunque pueda parecer que cae en la postal turística de clásicos de la productora de Walt Disney como Saludos Amigos (1942) o Los tres caballeros (1944).
The whole movie has a mercurial, mood-hopping free-form vibe that, at its best, suggests Disney with a touch of “Yellow Submarine.”
Miranda's prolificacy brings to mind Howard Ashman, the Disney lyricist who delivered hit after hit for a trifecta of Disney classics — "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Aladdin" — until his death at the age of 40.
You could, if you wanted, date the age of contemporary girl power back to two Disney films: “The Little Mermaid” (1989), with the self-actualizing retro moxie of its title heroine, and then, the following year, “Pretty Woman,” which put its stamp on the age of hip princess feminism as surely as “Sex and the City” did eight years later.
The approach also allows for some of the most distinctive and imaginatively conceived animated sequences since 1997’s Hercules .
The character designs and animation style are most reminiscent of The Princess and the Frog , but brought to life in 3D whilst still capturing the bounce and rhythm of 2D animation; even some of Disney’s best CG-animated films don’t recreate that feel as well as they do here.
Manuel's effervescent songs recall his "Hamilton" work, especially a finale that sounds like a sequel to "Satisfied," and they're almost as satisfying.
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Their large, colorful home, lovingly called La Casita, feels as if it operates according to the same charming magic that enchanted the objects in 1991's "Beauty and the Beast."
But seeing reminders of all those films, while celebratory on the surface, also highlighted how similar “Encanto” is to those dozens of other films, from “Meet the Robinsons” to “Beauty and the Beast.”