By Abigail Haber, Staff Writer

Encanto. n. “the allure of something or someone is the pleasing or exciting quality they have.” 

This definition encaptures the movie “Encanto”, released on Disney+ in December, and is Walt Disney Studios’ 60th film, featuring a Colombian cast and setting.

“Encanto” tells the story of the magical Madrigal family, granted a miracle when their Abuela faced a tragedy three generations ago. The Madrigal family was given a magical house where, when each member comes of age, a gift or power is given to them — except for main character Mirabel. When the door that was supposed to grant her a gift disappears, she is left judged by her Abuela, who values her family’s gifts more than who they are as people. 

Years after becoming known as “the only Madrigal to not have a gift,” Mirabel becomes the only one to notice the magic in their house fading. She sets her goals on going to find her estranged uncle Bruno to get answers, save the magic and save her family. She finds the rifts inside of and between her family members and works to unite them, together, as a family.

“Encanto” covers the struggles of intergenerational trauma and family pressure. It shows how Mirabel fights against it to bring her family together. This is a struggle that many can relate to and the way the characters work through these issues is inspiring. My favorite part was that in the end, although Mirabel was not granted a super-crazy magical power, her true gift was healing her family and pulling them back together.

Aside from having an intriguing plot, Encanto’s visuals are fluid and colorful. The animation is incredibly detailed and lively. Many artists at Disney came together to create the amazingly detailed animation seen in the movie. You can tell that each piece of the animated attire is made especially for that character and is meticulously crafted.  The setting and characters are immersed in Colombian culture, evident in the cultural details the animators included about the region of Colombia including fashion, food, dance and music

The soundtrack for Encanto is especially exceptional. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit song, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” promises to be Disney’s biggest hit since “Let it Go” from Frozen. Each song is imbued with a passion, giving them depth and rhythm. Miranda stated that the ending song, “Colombia, Me Encanto,” was what he called “a love letter to Colombia itself.”

The joy of seeing someone like you on the big screen — someone who looks, acts, or shares some of the same traditions — is amazing, especially for those of the more underrepresented populations. It is one of the greatest moments for people of all ages to see their likeness in the media. That’s why representation of different races and cultures is so important — it brings happiness to people of different origins everywhere.

After the movie came out, many people flocked to social media to share their likeness to a character and how happy they were about it. Sophomore Annalisse Castillo found out about the movie from some friends who noticed their similar looks. 

“It was a bit jarring at first,” Castillo said. “I realized how uncanny the resemblances were.”

Castillo is one of many that show how important representation on the big screen is. Castillo has first-hand experience with Colombia, having traveled there a few times herself. Many people in Castillo’s family live in Colombia, connecting her closely to the country. To hear about a movie that encompassed a country so close to her, naturally, Castillo had to watch “Encanto.”

“My first thought was how (accurate) they got the mannerisms of the characters, in that specific type of culture,” Castillo said. “The way people act and speak was pretty similar. They did a good job with it.”

Castillo’s Disney doppelganger is sure to be a memorable occurrence for herself and for others. The portrayal of all different kinds of people is something that should become common so everyone can experience being empowered or inspired by characters in all forms of media. 

“I genuinely was very happy,” Castillo said. “It’s nice that Disney has created another main character of a different culture.”

Sophomore Abigail Haber can be reached at 24haberab93@daretolearn.org.