Encanto

Encanto premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on November 3, 2021, and was released in the United States on November 24 over a 30-day theatrical run. It was also released in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, 2D and D-BOX formats. Although it underperformed at the box office, grossing $256.8 million worldwide against a $120–150 million budget, it achieved wider commercial success after its release on Disney+ on December 24, 2021. The film received acclaim for its characterization, music, animation, voice acting, emotional depth, and cultural fidelity; reviews named magic realism and transgenerational trauma as the film's core concepts. Publications have described Encanto as a cultural phenomenon. The film was nominated for three awards at the 94th Academy Awards, winning Best Animated Feature, and received numerous other accolades, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature & the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film.


The film's soundtrack also became a success, reaching number one on the US Billboard 200 and UK Compilation Albums charts; "We Don't Talk About Bruno" and "Surface Pressure" were its two most successful songs, with the former topping both the US Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart for multiple weeks in a row.

Plot[edit]

An armed conflict forces Pedro and Alma Madrigal, a young married couple, to flee their home village in Colombia with their infant triplets Julieta, Pepa and Bruno. The attackers kill Pedro, but the candle Alma is carrying becomes magical through a miracle, repelling the attackers and creating Casita, a sentient house for the family located in Encanto, a magical realm bordered by high mountains.


Fifty years later, a new village thrives under the candle's protection, with its magic granting "gifts" to each Madrigal descendant at the age of five, which they use to serve the villagers. However, Bruno, who was vilified and scapegoated for his gift of seeing the future, disappeared ten years ago. Julieta's youngest daughter, 15-year-old Mirabel, did not receive a gift, and no one knows why.


In celebration of Pepa's youngest son, Antonio, being gifted the ability to communicate with animals, the Madrigals pose for a photo showing off their powers, but inadvertently exclude Mirabel. Mirabel suddenly sees Casita cracking and the candle's flame flickering, but Casita temporarily repairs itself when Mirabel attempts to show her family the damage. After overhearing Alma praying, Mirabel resolves to restore Casita's magic. The next day, Mirabel's 19-year-old sister Luisa, who has the gift of superhuman strength, confesses to feeling overwhelmed by her near-constant obligations. Luisa then suggests that Bruno's room, located in a forbidden tower in Casita, may hold the secret to why the magic is being threatened.


Upon entering Bruno's room, Mirabel discovers a cave, and barely escapes with the pieces of a tablet of opaque emerald glass in hand. Outside, Luisa discovers that her gift is weakening, and Mirabel reassembles the tablet and sees a picture of herself with Casita cracking behind her.


Later that evening, Mirabel's 21-year-old sister Isabela, who can make plants and flowers grow at will, is scheduled to be engaged to neighbor Mariano Guzmán. Amidst Mariano's proposal and an awkward dinner, Pepa's daughter, Dolores, who possesses superhuman hearing, reveals Mirabel's discovery to everyone. Casita begins to crack again, and everyone starts to lose control of their gifts.


Amidst the chaos, Mirabel follows a group of rats and discovers a secret passage behind a portrait, where she finds Bruno. Bruno reveals he never left the house, and that the vision he had alternates between Mirabel saving and destroying the Casita, leading him to believe she is the key to the fate of Casita's magic. Not wanting Mirabel to be hurt, he broke the vision's tablet and isolated himself. At Mirabel's insistence, Bruno reluctantly conjures another vision that at first resembles the previous one, but then depicts Mirabel embracing Isabela, with whom Mirabel has a strained relationship, and strengthening the candle.


Mirabel reluctantly apologizes to Isabela, who confesses she does not want to marry Mariano and is burdened by her image of perfection. Mirabel helps Isabela use her powers more freely and they embrace. However, when Mirabel attempts to explain her findings to Alma, she lashes out at Mirabel, accusing her of causing the family's misfortunes out of spite for not having a gift. Finally fed up with her grandmother's treatment of her, Mirabel calls out Alma for her unreasonable expectations, saying that no one is good enough for her and that Alma is the reason for the miracle's fading. The ensuing argument creates a fissure that splits the nearby mountain and demolishes Casita as the candle extinguishes, leaving the Madrigals powerless. A heartbroken Mirabel runs away from the family, who scramble to find her.


Several hours later, Alma finds a tearful Mirabel sitting beside the river where Pedro died. Alma realizes she was so determined to preserve the magic, she ignored how her expectations were harming the family. Alma expresses remorse for her actions, reconciles with Mirabel, and reunites with Bruno. The three return to the village and assemble the other Madrigals to rebuild Casita, with the townsfolk joining in. Mirabel installs a new doorknob to the main door, restoring the family's gifts and reviving Casita. She and Bruno then join the family for another photo.