ENCANTO: The Miracle of Acceptance
Every family has its flaws and problems, but only the love of family can heal and solve all the agonies. The fun fact is that people of all ages watched this movie and found themselves having kinship with the characters in Encanto. The characters introduced in the Disney movie appeared relatable to the viewers, making this movie truly remarkable.
Encanto is an American animated movie that touched a lot of hearts internationally. It was released on November 24, 2021, and directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard. The movie and its animation were remarkable. I admire every detail the movie gives to its audience, especially the values and the essence of the family in the film. The movie is not just about love, comedy, and family. It also shows the pressures and problems arising from the different generations. Some parents let their children watch this movie to assure themselves that they are now breaking the cycle of generational trauma.
Alma Madrigal, or “Abuela” (Marรญa Cecilia Botero), the mother of triplets (Bruno, Pepa, and Julieta), is the source of the miracle and acts as the head of the Madrigal Family.
Bruno Madrigal (John Leguizamo), the youngest of the Madrigal triplets. He was the only son of Alma Madrigal and Pedro Madrigal. He is also the only child that chose not to get married. His gift is seeing into the future, and whenever he foresees tragic or unpleasant events, the townspeople tend to accuse Bruno of making bad things happen. He developed habits such as throwing salt over his shoulder and knocking on wood, which are both superstitions to avoid undesirable misfortunes.
Julieta Madrigal (Angie Cepeda), the oldest of the Madrigal triplets, is married to Agustin. She is the mother of Isabela, Luisa, and Mirabel. Her gift is to heal the injuries with her cooked meals. “Arepa” is one of her famous remedies.
Agustin Madrigal (Wilmer Valderrama) is Julieta’s husband and the father of Isabel, Luisa, and Mirabel. He may be prone to accidents, but he doesn’t pressure his wife to heal his injuries more often. Also, Julieta is the one who shoves the arepa into his mouth. He is also known for his sweet personality and always makes sure that he is the best father. An interesting detail about his outfit is that he wears a purple flower made by Isabella and mismatched socks; one has a dumbbell design that signifies Luisa and a butterfly design on the other that symbolizes Mirabel.
Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz), the youngest daughter of Julieta Madrigal and Agustin Madrigal. She is the only Madrigal who has no gift at all. Despite the unfair treatment from her Abuela, she still wanted to make her proud. Being ordinary in a world full of exemptional beings is challenging. Regardless of not having a gift, she always gives her best to save Casita and restore the family.
Isabela Madrigal (Diane Guerrero), the golden child of the Madrigals and the oldest daughter of Julieta Madrigal and Agustin Madrigal. Her gift is producing beautiful flowers and plants. Her family and community always expected her to be all-time perfect, and as a result, she unconsciously restrained her true self.
Luisa Madrigal (Jessica Darrow), the middle child of Julieta Madrigal and Agustin Madrigal. Her gift is super-strength, and she always helps the community to carry heavy things such as bridges, churches, and donkeys. She may look strong on the outside, but she has a fragile heart. Ironically, no matter how strong she could be, there was this time when she felt weak, which made her feel useless, powerless, and like someone she was not.
Pepa Madrigal (Carolina Gaitรกn) is the middle-born child of the Madrigal triplets and is known for her ginger hair. She is the wife of Felix Madrigal and the mother of Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio. Her gift is that her mood and emotions affect the weather. She has the habit of saying the phrase “clear skies” whenever she feels overwhelmed or anxious as an indicator for her to calm down.
Felix Madrigal (Mauro Castillo) is the husband of Pepa and the father of Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio. He is known for his warm personality, and he always makes sure to calm his wife.
Camilo Madrigal (Rhenzy Feliz), the middle child of Felix and Pepa. He has the gift of shapeshifting. He uses it to entertain young kids and sometimes shapeshifts to any mother in their community for them to rest and for him to be able to babysit the babies properly.
Antonio Madrigal (Ravi-Cabot Conyers) is the youngest child of Pepa and Felix and has the gift of talking to animals. He is also the one that is closest to Mirabel since they shared a room until his ceremony.
Dolores Madrigal (Adassa) is the first daughter of Pepa and Felix and has the gift of hearing a pin drop. She is known for her almost whispering voice. She often covers her ears during Antonio’s ceremony since she has a sensitive set of ears.
Encanto is a movie that focuses on familial love. It showcases how much a person can go to such extreme lengths for their family and how much they are willing to do for them. Aside from the Madrigal family; the movie is said to be inspired by Colombian history, which can be seen and observed throughout the show. The movie also showcases family dysfunction and generational trauma. It also shows the effects of pressure and uneven treatment on a person. It shows how much a person can tolerate unfavorable treatment from their family and that, at some point, there will be an unpleasant outburst of emotions.
As aforementioned, people are now using this movie as an indicator of whether they have done a great job of raising their kids. The youth are showing this movie to indirectly show their parents the effects of the mistreatment they have received. Also, they were hoping that parents might acknowledge the things that were pressuring and causing hardships for them.
Familial love is undeniably beautiful, and thanks to movies like Encanto, the future generation will continue to end the cycle of trauma and promote positive impact. I would rate this a 10 out of 10, which is highly recommended to all ages, not only to learn and appreciate familial love but also to show appreciation and love amidst diverse races and cultures.
