If you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a golden age in animation,
Alright, alright, relax It is physically impossible to relax!
led by what I believe to be is Disney's second renaissance. I already did a video
on the best of this renaissance, and now I'll explore another top entry: Encanto.
I like Encanto, a lot. The music is great,
♪♪ We don't talk about Bruno no no ♪♪
as are the visuals, and so is the mystery, the location, the characters. I almost love it,
but for one thing: the swing and miss on the metaphor, on what the film is about.
Spoilers ahead.
Metaphors are a great way to achieve depth in filmmaking, particularly genre filmmaking,
particularly Encanto's genre: magical realism. Examples include:
Pleasantville and racism and civil rights,
Beasts of the Southern Wild and facing the unknown,
or Life of Pi and:
The hyena is the cook, the sailor is the zebra, your mother is the orangutan, and you're the tiger.
Note to filmmakers: never explain your metaphor. Doing so treats your audience like they're stupid.
In Encanto, the miracle is the metaphor, it saving a family, protecting a community,
bringing life to a home. And what the miracle represents, what Encanto is about, is:
what holds families together, what allows them to survive and thrive and grow.
In most Disney movies, the answer to this is love,
I love you Daddy. ♪♪ Now we can walk, now we can run, now we can stay all- ♪♪
but not Encanto, where Abuela and Abuelo
clearly love each other, yet are torn apart, one killed, the other broken. It is at this point,
where love fails, that the miracle steps in, allowing the family to survive and grow.
Sort of. For while Abuela survives, she never recovers, never even addresses her trauma at all.
I mean, look at how she explains what happened
And your Abuelo was lost
compared to what she actually went through.
Because of this, Abuela is cold,
The best way for some of us to help is to step aside.
judgmental,
Mirabel! What are you doing?
unaware of those around her,
I knew you could do it. A gift just as special as you.
and constantly filled with negative emotions.
We cannot lose our home again.
Even worse than all this, she also passes her trauma on,
Bruno didn't care about this family! He loves this family.
not just to one but to two generations.
I will never be good enough for you.
For most of the Madrigals, this translates to the miracle not being a gift but a burden:
Luisa burdened by her service,
♪♪ I'm pretty sure I'm worthless if I can't be of service ♪♪
Bruno by being the bearer of bad news,
Every time...
Isabela by her perfection,
I've been stuck being perfect my whole entire life!
and also by the need to keep the miracle growing.
He wants five babies. Wonderful!
And then there's Pepa, the miracle driving her crazy,
and Dolores, the miracle turning her into kind of a weirdo.
I know.
And finally, let's talk about Julieta, who we never see burdened, but shouldn't we?
♪♪ Whoa! The truth is she can heal you with a meal ♪♪
Can heal you with a meal? Shouldn't she be, like, mass producing meals,
offering them to people all over the world?
Kids are dying of cancer Julieta! What are you doing? Serving appetizers to healthy people?
As you can see, the miracle is not doing a good job keeping this family together:
if nothing else, it drove Bruno away, alienated Maribel, and made Luisa and Isabella miserable.
This all culminates in total collapse: Casita cracking then falling apart,
No! No! No!
multiple family members almost killed,
Antonio!
and at the end of it all: the miracle gone.
So if a miracle can't keep this family together, if superpowers or magic or even love can't, what can?
Well, look at the first part of the miracle that broke.
And then, listen to this:
♪♪ Look at this home, we need a new foundation ♪♪
Foundations are what keep families together,
strong foundations built on positivity, hope, and love.
When Abuelo was killed and Abuela broken, the Madrigals foundation was destroyed.
A miracle stepped in but the foundation was never fixed,
never even addressed at all. This is how their gifts became burdens and trauma got passed on:
their foundation was broken, there was nothing positive for them to build on.
And then, finally, after the Madrigals were destroyed a second time,
the foundation was finally addressed.
It was worked on and rebuilt, allowing them to come together like never before.
♪♪ Home sweet home. I like the new foundation. It isn't perfect.
Neither are we. That's true ♪♪
Heck, I'll take it a step further, for it's not just the Madrigals, the entire community got involved,
the same community that previously was only concerned about the miracle itself,
Last gift ceremony was a bummer! Last one being your's that, that did not work.
the same community who are descendants of those who originally allowed the foundation to break,
who allowed a father of three newborns to sacrifice himself so they could continue on.
This community came together, rebuilt the foundation, and in doing so,
made not just the Madrigals but their own lives stronger as well.
All this is fantastic and very powerful, so why did I say I liked but didn't love this film?
Why did I say the metaphor was a swing and a miss?
I say this because in the end,
after the family and community rebuild their foundation, after they do what it takes to come
together in a strong, positive, and healthy way, after all that, the miracle comes back.
First off, let's talk about how this makes no sense based on the world the filmmakers created.
For the miracle came from a candle, not a house, and the miracle was lost not when the house was
destroyed but when the candle went out. The house wasn't a miracle, it was the result of a miracle,
a miracle that was harnessed in a candle and powered by Abuela's anguish and loss.
Rebuilding a house is completely different than this, it really has nothing to do with it.
And so, while it is nice to see Casita back, in the world of the film, it makes no sense.
But even worse is how, by bringing the miracle back, the filmmakers undercut everything they
achieved to that point in the story.
The entire movie is about the importance of foundations;
it's about how strong foundations keep families together while the
lack of one drives them apart. As so, when the Madrigals finally have their strong foundation,
when they are closer and more secure than they've ever been before, they no longer
need their miracle. This is true for the family as a whole and also as individuals
♪♪ I think it's time you learned, you're more than just your gift ♪♪
♪♪ The miracle is not, some magic that you've got, the miracle is you, not some gift just you ♪♪
yet here's your gift back, because...
Because Disney. Because the film has to be kid friendly,
because it has to have a happy ending. They did the same thing with Maui in Moana (same writer).
Without my hook, I am nothing!
I'm sorry about your hook. Well hook, no hook, I'm Maui.
Look, I get it, movies are entertainment and also a business, meaning you have to
make the audience happy, give them what they want so they keep giving you money.
Well it's not about the money [clears throat]
and that's just for this? Mmm-hmm. Disney had a very good year.
And with kids movies that means happy happily-ever-after endings.
And I even agree that sometimes, even if it weakens the overall story,
delivering a happy happily-ever-after ending is the right thing to do.
Eva?
But personally, I don t think Encanto was one of those times,
for with or without the miracle this film has a happy ending, and kids could handle
the miracle not coming back. They could handle it because it sends a more relatable message:
that miracles, which those watching this movie don't have by the way, aren't necessary when
you have a strong foundation. That miracles and gifts aren't necessary when you have a great family.
That a great family with a strong foundation: that's the only gift you need.
In the end, Encanto is still an excellent movie, as most movies, particularly kids movies,
don't even have this sort of message to begin with. I just wish the film had the
full courage of its convictions, that it took its message and went all the way with it,
for I believe doing so would've elevated this film to a level only achieved by Disney's absolute best movies.
Instead, what we have is an excellent, almost best Disney movie.
♪♪ But the stars don't shine they burn, the constellations shift,
I think it's time you learned, you're more than just your gift ♪♪