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Encanto

154 replies

stayathomer · 27/12/2021 01:11

Yesterday we watched Encanto on Disney +. Three out of four loved it, the other hated it. Personally I thought it was one of the weakest Disney movies I've seen (althoughI didn'tsay it and faked well!!)- the storyline was weak, the music sounded that little bit off and the ending wasn't great. I don't know, I think I'm just annoyed that because something is advertised/pushed and trending we always jump for it. Family movie time is so limited and we could have been watching something 10 times better! Has anyone else seen it? Do I just have really bad taste?

OP posts:
IKissedSantaClaus · 27/12/2021 10:08

Our family loved it (5 and 3 yo) and we've been playing the soundtrack for weeks. Surface Pressure is my favourite but the kids love the Family Madrigal and We don't talk about Bruno.

We didn't manage to sit all the way through Soul, Luca or Onward, but they've watched Encanto 3 times so far.

Plumedenom · 27/12/2021 10:10

I also think a lot of the depth is maybe lost if you do not live in an intergenerational house, but the matriarch defining propriety and duty, the constant opening of each others' doors, the jealousy and jostling for position, the importance of showing a united and happy front to the outside world..all this will resonate massively for a big chunk of the world.

Umbongoumbongo999 · 27/12/2021 10:16

The story was Meh but the animation was beautiful, I just loved the colours

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Echobelly · 27/12/2021 10:18

Nothing special on story front, but like @Umbongoumbongo999 I thought the animation (the colour and the lighting) was really lovely. Kids (13 and 10) and I enjoyed it.

WoodenReindeer · 27/12/2021 10:18

I can't remember a single song and only watched it 2 days ago. I get the "more than our gifts." But want to say yes, and... I am quite aware of intergenerational trauma/ it just seems very superficial to me.

WoodenReindeer · 27/12/2021 10:19

It was very pretty though! I can see young children loving it for the pretty. (I quite liked trolls for the pretty/songs but wasnt expecting more from that. Maybe I was just hoping for more!)

blinder · 27/12/2021 10:27

We loved it. It’s a story of unconditional love and how escaping trauma can lead you to make rules that traumatise the generations after you. And it can cause you to control rather than connect with the people in your life. Also, Mirabel (Rosa from Brooklyn Nine Nine!) has a bisexual rainbow badge, so she’s a message of positivity for bi girls as well.

We loved the story, the songs, the animation, and the message. My daughter keeps telling me Easter eggs she has discovered within the film as well. 10/10!

WoodenReindeer · 27/12/2021 10:30

Wow its amazing how the same film can be viewed so differently.

Thickasmincepie · 27/12/2021 10:52

Thought it was a bit Disney by numbers. Better than soul music and had the edge on luca. But watching on boxing day morning, it worked. I liked the magical realism being set in South America and the nod to the constant upheaval.

minipie · 27/12/2021 11:02

I thought the plot and music was weak.

It has some good ideas in it - especially about everyone in a family being expected to fit into their “box” and be defined by one aspect of themselves. But other aspects, like the magical house, helping the village and why the miracle happened are never developed. And there isn’t a good explanation for why Mirabel’s door disappeared.

I thought LMM music was too clever clever. The lyrics are great if you really listen but most kids won’t. The tunes aren’t that catchy and don’t have the emotional impact of the big ballads from other Disney movies. I think LMM is amazing but if he’s going to do Disney he needs to simplify it right down and work on the emotion of the melodies more.

GatoradeMeBitch · 28/12/2021 20:39

On the positive side the film looks beautiful. Disney is great at delivering visuals.

Weak - everything else. The main character Mirabel was dull, she didn't have the appeal or voice of a main character, particularly when singing. Early on she sings her big power ballad, but it didn't work. The music reached a crescendo, but the singing stayed flat. In the first song where she introduces the characters, it's in an annoying fast-talky way with a group of little kids shouting over her so it's hard to make out what she's talk-singing about.

The whole soundtrack is weak and lazy. I got to the point of cringing when the music started. Luisa's song was the weirdest, it really didn't fit with the film at all. I think Lin Manuel Miranda needs a creativity break, because his work is getting very samey and uninspired.

The story is weak too. Are the magical powers a good thing or a bad thing, the plot can't really come to a decision on that. It also seemed very small in comparison to other films.

Some of the powers seem borderline useless. Sprouting flowers? Shapeshifting as a type of hiccups? The mother healer who doesn't bother to heal her daughter's eyesight? (Odd decision.) And Luisa is treated very badly as the village dogsbody which I don't recall being addressed. Why did she have to collect someone's escaped donkeys? They were barely moving!

And there's no real villain. The sudden animosity between Mirabel and her vain sister seemed forced. But it couldn't be too bad because sister power is one of Disney's main brands these days.

I feel like Disney started this as a loose interpretation of 100 Years of Solitude then actually read the book and realized how little they could actually use!

wineandchocolateforthewin · 28/12/2021 20:42

Loved it

GatoradeMeBitch · 28/12/2021 20:44

I should be honest and say that I was only half watching by the end, it just couldn't keep my attention, my phone won. So maybe I missed some points. I wouldn't go back and watch it again to find out though. Life's too short...

MaryAndHerNet · 28/12/2021 20:49

@GatoradeMeBitch

I should be honest and say that I was only half watching by the end, it just couldn't keep my attention, my phone won. So maybe I missed some points. I wouldn't go back and watch it again to find out though. Life's too short...
I've watched it 3 times now

The layers are incredibly deep.

The treatment of Mirabel by Abuela.
Mirabel and her glasses.
Mirabel and her song tempo.
Bruno behind the walls, patching cracks.
Delores hearing Bruno for all those years but not telling anyone.
Butterfly symbology and Dos Oruguitas.

I think I could watch it 20 times more and still find things that point to deeper meaning.

Sleepyquest · 28/12/2021 20:59

I loved the songs Grin and so did my two year old!

Thickasmincepie · 28/12/2021 21:04

Dd has watched it twice. She's spent most of it trying to work out who's related to who. She likes the Bruno song.

MaryAndHerNet · 28/12/2021 21:09

@Thickasmincepie

Dd has watched it twice. She's spent most of it trying to work out who's related to who. She likes the Bruno song.
We dont talk about Bruno... Abuela (whose name is Alma) at the top

Abuela Kids: Weather woman + Bruno + Mirabel's mum

WW married black guy and had kids - Animal talker + Delores + Shape changer

Mirabel's mum married tall bee allergic guy and had kids - Luisa + Flower girl + Mirabel

(That's how me and my 8nyear old figured it out btw..)

Doomscrolling · 28/12/2021 21:14

While it’s not up there with the greats, we really enjoyed it both at the cinema and today on Disney+.

Visually gorgeous. Great to not have an Anglo-centric story. Fab to have the heroine as a practical crafter - go Mirabelle!

The trauma of becoming a Displaced Person inflicting damage on subsequent generations. The overlooked family member, the dutiful one who thinks the only reason she’s loved is because she’s useful, the perfect one who wants permission to make her own imperfect choices, the mum desperately trying to support her unhappy daughter.

No big epic battles, just messy, painful family misunderstandings that it takes courage to address.

Luisa’s song broke my heart, We Need To Talk About Bruno made us all laugh, and we had no complaints.

As for the miracle, I took it as a blessing from a willing sacrifice for love - like Harry Potter’s Mum’s willingness to die to protect her baby.

GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal · 28/12/2021 21:17

My DC loved it, and so did I. I thought what it had to say about the roles we get forced to play by our families was fascinating - the strong one, the pretty one, the weird one, the average one. At one point Mirabelle even calls her "perfect" sister, the flower growing one, the "golden child".

Luisa's song, about being terrified she's going to crack under the pressure of being the "strong one", actually brought tears to my eyes because I related to it so strongly.

Figgygal · 28/12/2021 21:21

Watched it boxing day
Very underwhelming nothing happened imo
Actively disliked onward and luca agree with a pp that if feels like disney animation has gone off the boil

escapingthecity · 28/12/2021 21:24

It looked beautiful but there was no motivating quest or villain to defeat. 'Learning to believe in yourself' without actually leaving home felt really quite lame.

WoodenReindeer · 28/12/2021 21:26

But why didn't mirabelle get a door?

cakegoblin · 28/12/2021 21:27

I loved it. The story was no sillier than any of the other Disney films. There was an interesting range of characters, lots of funny moments. My kids (9 and 7) have hummed the tunes since and played them on Amazon music. We saw it in the cinema and the animation was so detailed, it was fabulous and full of tropical colours. I totally thought there would be more positive comments!

MaryAndHerNet · 28/12/2021 21:31

@WoodenReindeer

But why didn't mirabelle get a door?
Same reason Abuela doesn't have one. Mirabel is Abuela Alma's replacement, the glue that holds the family together. Mirabels way is empathy and understanding, Abuela is more strict with a tighter grip, so tight it causes rifts.. or cracks..

At the end, Mirabel gets a door, the front door to the house, it has everyone on it.

GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal · 28/12/2021 21:31

@WoodenReindeer

But why didn't mirabelle get a door?

My theory on this was that she didn't get a gift because she was already so gifted. Kind, loving, talented, brave, and with incredible emotional intelligence. The house, which "talked" to and listened to her a lot, knew she already had everything she needed.

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