'Encanto' interested me straightaway and was seen without hesitation. It is a milestone Disney film, its 60th. It had positive word of mouth, online and offline from people with not too dissimilar taste to me. It really interested me seeing an animated film exploring Columbian culture, something not seen by me before in animation (speaking as a long term fan of the medium), having really appreciated seeing Disney and Pixar explore a wider variety of cultures over the years.
Finally seeing it, part of me enjoyed 'Encanto' a lot and there is a huge amount to like about it. Having said that, for a milestone Disney film (which on paper promises greatness) part of me was expecting something more. 'Encanto' was something that could easily have been great, considering how interesting the story sounded on paper, but it was more to me one of those good films with many great elements but not quite enough of the extra magic.
There is certainly a lot that is done right. The best thing about 'Encanto' is the animation, which is nothing short of spectacular. The character designs are some of the best for all the Disney films post-'The Princess and the Frog' and the colours are so gorgeously vibrant. Absolutely loved the Madrigal family home, some very inventive and at its best dazzling animation there. Another major standout is the soundtrack, which is full of exuberant life and very catchy in an infectious way. "We Don't Talk About Bruno" is held in very high regard for good reason, one of the most infectious songs of any film in some time, while "Columbia, Mi Encanto" does such a wonderful job at transporting one to Columbia.
Had no issues either with the voice acting, which had the whole cast voicing with nuance and enthusiasm and doing well at not becoming stereotypical. Stephanie Beatriz and John Leguizamo especially excel. Mirabel is a winning lead character and loved how all the characters had strong individual personalities. The humour amuses, the energy seldom stops and there is a good deal of heart. The family values are relatable and sincere while not being heavy handed, and the cultural element was illuminating and fun and done tastefully.
By all means, 'Encanto' is far from perfect. The story is over familiar and doesn't really break any ground, also did think that the backstory was rushed and could have gone into a lot more depth rather than having the choppy jumping around it had and the ending was indicative of the writers not being sure how to end it so decided to treat everything with the magic after so much tension beforehand as too much of an abrupt shrug and end the film in a convenient and too pat way.
As catchy as the end number was, considering what came before it it was slightly tacked on perhaps. The weakest song though is the bizarre "Surface Pressure", that was the one song that didn't stick in the mind afterwards and felt oddly staged and didn't feel placed easily within the film.
Overall, many enchanting things but could have done with more magic. 7/10.
