The strongest character in "Encanto" is middle sister Luisa — but if this movie had been
made in the ‘90s, that probably wouldn't have been the case.
The reason why is something only adults will notice.
When you think about Disney, you usually think of princesses -- especially when it comes
to Disney's animated films.
But unlike the title characters in recent movies "Raya and the Last Dragon," "Moana,"
and "Frozen," Mirabel isn't even technically a princess, and the Madrigal family isn't
royalty.
That fact is obvious to anyone.
But what kids may miss is that even though they don't live in a castle or sit on thrones,
the magic granted to the Madrigals gives them an exalted status in their community.
So while they may not officially be considered royalty, by acting as their community's leaders
and protectors, the Madrigals are the closest thing to it.
In fact, the Madrigals check many of the boxes for royal status, including a birthright to
power that's passed down through the generations and an unspoken understanding that they should
put the needs of the family ahead of their own personal desires.
Mirabel's lack of a gift excludes her from some of these requirements, but she grapples
with her own disappointments over being the only non-magical Madrigal.
"I call it the 'Not Special Special,' since you have no gift."
"Uh, thanks?"
Ultimately, though, Mirabel's determination to help those she loves is what makes her
most like Disney's other modern, nontraditional princesses.
Given all this, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Mirabel join Disney's princess lineup
sometime soon, regardless of whether or not she's officially royalty.
"Sleeping Beauty" has Maleficent, "The Little Mermaid" has Ursula, and "Frozen" has Hans.
Ever since Disney's first animated feature "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was released
in 1937, almost all Disney animated films have had a noteworthy antagonist.
Many of those antagonists have become as revered as their movies' main characters, but "Encanto"
won't be adding to the Disney villain ranks.
There is no character in "Encanto" who could be considered a typical bad guy.
Sure, Mirabel is often at odds with her seemingly perfect sister Isabela, and Abuela Alma discounts
and dismisses Mirabel due to her status as the only Madrigal without a gift, but these
are just family squabbles between people who love each other and want to get along.
The real antagonist of "Encanto" is less obvious: It's the fear that keeps the Madrigals from
being honest with one another, and the pressure to fulfill their obligations, that threatens
the magic powering their home.
So while kids may not notice the movie lacks a traditional bad guy, many will still be
able to relate to the way their role within their families may limit what parts of themselves
they can show, even to the people they love the most.
Mirabel's middle sister Luisa was given the gift of strength, and ever since, she's used
her powers to help the members of the community with all their heavy lifting.
Whether it's single-handedly rounding up an escaped herd of donkeys and carrying them
back to their enclosure or moving the local church to a more optimal location, Luisa is
constantly busy lifting, hauling, and fixing.
For children growing up now, the fact that Luisa is a woman may seem perfectly natural.
But grown-ups know that if "Encanto" had been made by Disney a few decades ago, there's
no way this story's physically strongest character would have been developed as a woman.
The idea might never have even occurred to the filmmakers -- or if it had, Luisa likely
would have been ridiculed and ostracized for her strength.
Thankfully today, not only can Luisa be a woman, her strength is taken seriously, and
accepted as the gift it is.
Countless people wear glasses, just, not in movies, and that's particularly true when
it comes to Disney's animated movies.
While glasses-wearing kids will appreciate seeing Mirabel sport eyewear onscreen in "Encanto,"
what they may not know is just how rare it is to see a main character with glasses leading
a Disney film.
Characters with glasses haven't been part of the company's features since the beginning,
but it's rare that a main character of a Disney movie has worn them, making Mirabel one of
the only main characters with glasses in the Disney animated canon.
That Mirabel is a young woman makes her glasses-wearing even more unique.
In fact, if she were to join the Disney princess lineup, she'd be the only one with glasses.
So while Mirabel's glasses are unusual for a movie character like her, they're also part
of what makes her special in a family full of special people.
"Gift or no gift, I am just as special as the rest of my family."
"Frozen" is one of the most successful Disney animated films in recent memory, and between
the winning performances, touching story, and memorable songs, it's become a cultural
touchstone.
Consequently, adults may find themselves automatically comparing the Disney movies that have come
after "Frozen" to the earlier film, especially "Encanto," which has multiple moments with
obvious parallels.
First, when Mirabel attempts to patch things up with Isabela in an effort to save the family's
magic, she makes her sister so angry that Isabela loses her tight grip on her flower-generating
powers and creates a prickly cactus.
Isabela is so excited by the realization that she can use her gift in less-than-perfect
ways that she sings "What Else Can I Do?" one of the movie's most inspiring songs.
Later, when Abuela Alma finds Mirabel after the Madrigal home collapses, the pair have
a revealing conversation that enables Abuela to finally admit that she needs to loosen
her grip on her family so all of their lives can improve.
The way the moment plays out, including Abuela finding Mirabel and their reconciliation by
a body of water, is reminiscent of the climax of "Frozen" where Elsa realizes love is the
answer to all of her problems.
Perhaps the most famous name associated with "Encanto" is that of someone whose voice is
never heard onscreen: Lin-Manuel Miranda, who not only composed the movie's songs but
helped develop its story.
Adults will recognize Miranda as the creator of the Broadway hit "Hamilton," and while
some lucky kids may have seen the musical in person or caught the recorded version on
Disney+, they may not know they've already heard Miranda's work in another Disney animated
film, "Moana."
Yet, while "Moana" included showstoppers like "How Far I'll Go" that uphold the Disney film
tradition of accessible, moving songs, adults will notice Miranda uses the opportunity provided
by "Encanto" to take things in a different direction with several of its tunes.
In particular, Miranda employs a style more like the one he used in "Hamilton" in numbers
like "The Family Madrigal" and "We Don't Talk About Bruno," which include fast, rhythmic
lyrics that unpack a lot of information in a short amount of time as well as overlapping
melodies that blend and harmonize.
This approach makes the songs in "Encanto" a bit more theatrical and less cinematic,
but Miranda's evocative lyrics and catchy song structure ensure the soundtrack adds
joy and color to the film.
"Encanto" reveals that the Madrigal family has a ritual for receiving their magical gifts.
On the fifth birthday of each Madrigal child, the whole town gathers in the family's courtyard
to watch as the child approaches a door that has been newly created by the house for them.
The child recites some words in front of the candle that's the source of the Madrigal magic
and then is imbued with a gift that soon reveals itself.
They then open their door, unveiling a new personalized room just for them that's based
on the gift they received.
This is demonstrated in the movie when Mirabel's cousin Antonio is granted his gift: the ability
to talk to animals.
Immediately after Antonio receives his gift, he's approached by a toucan who asks Antonio
a question that only he can understand.
When Antonio agrees to the toucan's proposal, a gang of animals large and small enter the
house and run into Antonio's new room, which is a magical animal paradise.
However, the animals that populate Antonio's room and now accompany him everywhere aren't
just any animals — they're animals that are native to Colombia.
In addition to the toucans, they include raccoon-like coati, capybaras, the world's largest rodents,
macaws, tapirs, and a jaguar.
In fact, the production even made sure the tapirs are specifically mountain tapirs to
match the mountainous terrain of the area the Madrigals call home.
As the family member imbued with physical strength, Luisa is perhaps the most put-upon
Madrigal.
While she never complains, her services seem to be in constant demand by the people who
live in the Encanto.
And when Mirabel realizes the constant work may be getting to her sister, Luisa admits
to the stress she's feeling in the song "Surface/Pressure."
In the course of the song she references things that are likely to go over kids' heads.
Not only does she compare herself to a ship trying to avoid an iceberg, a clear reference
to the sinking of the Titanic, there are also two references to Greek mythology.
First, Luisa wonders if Hercules ever felt the same weight of expectation she feels when
he went up against Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the Underworld in Greek mythology.
As she sings, the image shows Luisa taking on Cerberus herself.
What she is referring to, however, is the twelfth labor of Hercules in which the demigod
fought and subdued the mighty beast.
In addition, during the song, there's an image of Luisa holding up the globe, a reference
to the Titan Atlas who, after failing to win a war against the Olympian gods, was condemned
to hold up the heavens for eternity.
If there's one thing "Encanto" makes abundantly clear, it's that the Madrigals don't talk
about Bruno, Mirabel's uncle who supposedly left the family.
However, in the course of the film, Mirabel discovers that Bruno hasn't gone as far as
everyone thought.
For years he's secretly been living between the walls of the Madrigals' house with only
rats to talk to.
Needless to say his circumstances have made him a little eccentric, and part of that eccentricity
is shown in the actions he takes to ward off bad luck.
When Mirabel first encounters Bruno, he knocks on the wood all around him, a familiar gesture
to bring good luck that even kids will probably recognize.
However, Bruno quickly follows that up by tossing a pinch of salt over his left shoulder,
a gesture he repeats later in the story after agreeing to use his gift to help Mirabel see
her future.
And while kids may have seen this done before, they may not realize what adults likely will:
that throwing salt over one's shoulder is an obscure bid to drive away bad luck.
Bruno's reliance on these superstitious gestures speaks to just how nervous and paranoid he's
become during his isolation from his family.
While the story told in "Encanto" is universal, the filmmakers have also included many elements
that are specific to Colombia, the country where it takes place.
One of the most obvious ways they achieve this is through the use of yellow butterflies,
a motif that's repeated throughout the movie and is a reference to the work of revered
Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez.
In particular, yellow butterflies appear in Márquez's beloved novel "One Hundred Years
of Solitude," where they symbolize love and conflict and the way the two can come together,
a theme that's important to "Encanto" as well.
The filmmakers also took care to ensure the architecture, costumes, landscape, dance,
and music incorporated into the film are accurate to Colombia.
This can be seen in the traditional costumes worn by the characters and the texture of
the materials that were created to design the Madrigals' house.
Moreover, songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda said he immersed himself in the music of Columbia
so he could create songs that felt authentic to the setting.
He did this by, for example, incorporating the accordion into the film's opening number
because of the instrument's importance to Colombian music.
In fact, the accordion is so essential to the music of Colombia, Mirabel is seen playing
it during the song.
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