Encanto

[Avaitor]

I just got around to seeing this- I actually went to see it in theaters on Sunday, and it was totally empty- but I liked the movie, albeit didn't exactly love it. Like the majority of you guys, I do agree that Disney's recent films have had a problem with confusing messages for stories. Honestly, I kind of blame that on Jennifer Lee, as she's just not a very good storyteller- even before the hype on Frozen became excessive, I was having serious problems with its narrative- but I at least appreciate that she's trying to move their films away from the Lasseter buddy comedy format, especially as Pete Docter only seems to double down on them. The characters were decent, but I can't say that I have a favorite among the cast, but I'll admit that I thought the family had more personality than anyone in Coco did.

The music is fine, but there aren't too many standouts. I'm not a LMM hater, but he hasn't really impressed me with anything I've heard or seen from him. I do think that Moana had the better soundtrack, but there also wasn't anything I really had no use for. And the art style was generally on point during the musical sequences, as well as during the film as a whole.

I think there's a better version of the film in here somewhere, but I'd at least rank it above Raya. That one I still feel would have worked better as a miniseries.

[Disney's Divinity]

I'm not getting the argument about Frozen starting a "message film" trend.... I don't even think of *Frozen* as a message film. And Big Hero 6, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and Moana are all nothing like Frozen (to their detriment). TBH, I don't think Zootopia, Frozen II, Raya, and Encanto are much like Frozen either. The only similarity I might agree with is the ending of Raya with the characters turning to stone being similar to Anna turning to ice...but that's one scene. Zootopia is probably the only recent film of theirs I'd come anywhere close to describing as a "message" film at all.

Unfortunately, no matter who is in charge at WDAS, they will be hated, that much is obvious. That's how Lasseter probably got away with so much for so long, because even people who are actually good at the job like Lee and Docter become immediately despised to the point Disney probably can't discern between complaints that have merit and complaining for complaining's sake when it comes to the fans.

[D82]

I'm sorry for breaking a dam, I was afraid my comment was too negative, to balance things out I didn't hate the film, but I was disappointed and I guess it's not my thing, my 13 year old nephew loved it, especially Luisa's song. My brother, who's older than me, liked some of the songs and the movie, but didn't care the resolution of the film, he thought it happened too quickly, and he thought the emotional moments in Moana and Coco were handled better (which I agree with), but my sister didn't care about anything, she even liked Raya better and she doesn't hold that much of a high opinion about that film.

You don't have to be sorry. You've been disappointed by two WDAS movies this year, so it's understandable your comment was quite negative. Plus, it's your opinion and there's nothing wrong with it. I agree with some of your criticisms about the film and the revival in general, but I was still able to enjoy this and most of the other films in spite of them. I'll talk more about this in another post.

The members of my family who have seen the film, didn't like it as much as I did, though. They preferred Raya and Luca and all had the same complaint; that there were too many musical numbers. Though, I think that could be partly due to the fact that they saw the dubbed version and the lyrics weren't too easy to understand in it. I've heard that complaint from other people as well. It's not that it was difficult to make out what the characters were saying, but the information in the songs wasn't very clear sometimes, and that's a problem especially because there's a lot of exposition in some of the songs and if you don't understand them, you miss details about the story. The dialogue is usually well translated in the Spanish dubs, but the quality of the lyrics is sometimes quite worse. I guess it's understandable, though, as it's not easy to say the same as in the original and still make it rhyme, especially when you need to use fewer words in each verse, as Spanish words are usually longer. In this case, the problem was also accentuated by the singing being quite fast at times. My sister loved Mirabel, though, and said she identified with her a lot, which surprised me a bit, as she's more like the Isabela of my family.

Something I'm surprised hasn't been commented on more here is that "Encanto" seemed to move away from two devices that were common when Lasseter was in charge and even showing up a little bit in the Lee era via "Raya and the Last Dragon." It wasn't a big road trip as, like I said, a lot of the story was kept in the house and surrounding village. And it didn't involve two characters that appear to be opposites teaming up. It seemed like it might head a little bit in the latter direction when Mirabel meets Bruno, but they don't actually share much screentime together.

I appreciated that too, it was quite refreshing.

Spoilers starting here.

If everyone's gift is "supposed" to be of use to the community, how does Pepa's gift help others?

I think Pepa's gift is actually one of the most useful, as weather is very important for crops and things like that. In the movie, she's usually shown with a small cloud over her head, but I think that's just because she's trying to control her powers; she can make a much bigger impact on the weather if she wants to, as shown at her wedding day.

TBH I found all their gifts with the exception of Julieta and Luisa pointless, why wouldn't Isabela grow wheat or vegetables? Seems more helpful than pretty flowers.

I don't think the powers are only meant to be useful for the community. Alma is the one obsessed with that, but the candle actually gave them things that are useful to survive in the encanto, but also some that are just for them to have fun with, like Antonio's room, for example, which is like a theme park attraction. Also, Alma seems to find Isabela's flower decorations beneficial for the community.

It reminds me that I had several minor nitpicks:
1. Why doesn't Julieta heal Mirabel's eye sight?
2. Why does Luisa carry the donkeys? Donkeys don't need to be carried.
3. How come Dolores didn't ear Alma talking to Pedro at night but could hear Luisa's eye twitching?
4. Why don't they change their clothes for the celebration and the next day?
5. Why did they present a scene where Mirabel is motivated to fix the magic only to realize that she needs Dolores? Did she go back to her pajamas and back to bed or did she wait like that until it was morning?

Those are interesting observations. I think some of them could have an explanation, though. I'll try to answer them below.

1. That's a really good question. Maybe Julieta can only heal certain kinds of injuries and diseases, but it's also likely the filmmakers didn't think of this or expected the public wouldn't notice it.
2. I agree with blackcauldron85's point. I also think they did it because it was funny. Well, I didn't find it particularly funny myself, but some people at my showing laughed at that part.
3. Maybe Dolores was sleeping at that moment. I don't think she hears everything the others say at night. She says Luisa's eye had been twitching all night, but she probably just woke up a couple of times during the night and still heard her make that sound and that's why she assumed Luisa had been doing it all night.
4. They probably should've given everybody different clothes for Antonio's ceremony. Antonio himself is the only one who seems dressed up for the occasion; the rest seem to be wearing their everyday clothes. It's not a big issue for me, but I understand why it may be for you.
5. I think she did go back to bed and waited until the next morning to start her investigation.

I had other nitpicks of my own, though. I'd be grateful if someone could give me an explanation for any of them.

1. Why didn't Bruno try to tell Pepa what he said to her at the wedding wasn't a prophecy before? He didn't leave until Mirabel was 5 years old, so several years passed between Pepa and Félix's wedding and that moment in which he could've done that.
2. Why was Pepa still so upset about what happened at the wedding? Shouldn't she had forgotten about it and started to miss her brother? Well, this one was an issue for me the first time I saw it, but now I think I know the answer to it and it's that deep down Pepa is not really upset about the wedding but at Bruno leaving them.
3. Aside from Dolores, how could no one notice Bruno was living hidden in the house all those years? I know it's a big house with magical rooms to boot, but still.
4. Like some of you have mentioned, it seems Dolores knew Bruno hadn't left the house or at least suspected it. It doesn't make much sense to me that she could keep that a secret for so long, when it's shown at the dinner with the Guzmáns that she can't keep a secret. By the way, that scene was hilarious and I love Dolores, but I don't understand that about her.

I think I had more, but I don't remember them right now.

After seeing the film a second time yesterday (I saw it for the third today), and listening to the soundtrack after rewatching the film, i wondered why Dolores told the secret of Mirabel discovering Bruno's vision, but didn't share the fact that she knew Bruno was living in the house. The Disney Wiki speculates that Dolores was sensitive to Bruno's issue ("is possible she felt sympathy for his case since she describes his gift to be humbling and seemed to understand his predicament during the song "We Don't Talk About Bruno."")("Due to their sensory powers, Bruno and Dolores are the only family members that their doors depict with eyes open. The similarity in their powers could explain Dolores' particular sympathy towards Bruno.").

I've read this after writing the rest of my post. I see you had the same doubt as me. Maybe it's true that she felt sympathy towards him and that's why she didn't reveal his secret, but it's still surprising to me she could resist the temptation to do it for so long.

Speaking of that, has anyone else noticed Dolores' room is right next to the entrance to Bruno's hideout? That can't be a coincidence, right? I've also noticed that Bruno's door is not like the rest. The others are next to the corridor, while to get to Bruno's you have to go through a small tunnel with some stairs. Maybe it's because his room is a tower, though I guess it's also possible they wanted the entrance to be a bit hidden and mysterious.

[unprincess]

NOTE: D82 I wrote this right before you submitted your last post but ended up posting it after yours b/c I had to fix a bunch of typos, Ill address some of your last post later b/c its kinda late.

My brother, who's older than me, liked some of the songs and the movie, but didn't care the resolution of the film, he thought it happened too quickly, and he thought the emotional moments in Moana and Coco were handled better (which I agree with),

yeah I agree like I had posted previously i felt it was too rushed at the end, with the whole family making up a bit too quickly(especially Pepa) and while I really wanted more heartbreaking angst from Bruno (like when he tells Mirabel in his room that he loved his family but wasn't helping) either as more of dialogue or as part of the lyrics of All of You but dammit I did not need another awkward rapid-rap exposition whatever its called, I wish they would have just let John Leguizamo sing(can he? I think he did in Moulin Rouge but I haven't seen it in ages.)

I was never about headcanons or fanfics, etc..

I know what you mean, although I have read some interesting head cannons, but yeah I get sick of having to constantly scroll past all the "here's my list of all the characters and their matching gender/identity labels" posts or those cringey XOC or Xreader fics. But Ive also read some interesting commentary and viewpoints too. BTW I wasnt directing my previous post at anyone specifically. Its totally fine if you didn't like the film(and you certainly dont have to apologize), I know I didn't get the fuss over Zootopia even though it seemed quite popular here when it came out. I only mentioned being sad b/c i did love it so much and wasnt expecting so many negative or indifferent reactions.

Something I'm surprised hasn't been commented on more here is that "Encanto" seemed to move away from two devices that were common when Lasseter was in charge and even showing up a little bit in the Lee era via "Raya and the Last Dragon." It wasn't a big road trip as, like I said, a lot of the story was kept in the house and surrounding village. And it didn't involve two characters that appear to be opposites teaming up.

oh yes that was a really welcome change of pace! Although with Mirabel on her own I did find her fearlessness a bit OTT (considering she's just an ordinary girl without powers)when she was in Bruno's room, especially since Casita couldn't help her there...like there's a deep wide crevice, let me just swing over to the other side, not like I can fall to my death or anything. I wouldve been like f@&! the miracle and noped the hell back out of that room. (Yes I know, but what about Moana Raya and Anna? Moana was desperate b/c her island was dying and had the Ocean helping her(sometimes), Raya's probably been learning martial arts since she was a toddler and Anna was a naive sheltered princess who thought it was a good idea to trek to the mountains in an evening gown in -0 degree weather.)

1. Why doesn't Julieta heal Mirabel's eye sight?
2. Why does Luisa carry the donkeys? Donkeys don't need to be carried.
3. How come Dolores didn't ear Alma talking to Pedro at night but could hear Luisa's eye twitching?
4. Why don't they change their clothes for the celebration and the next day?
5. Why did they present a scene where Mirabel is motivated to fix the magic only to realize that she needs Dolores? Did she go back to her pajamas and back to bed or did she wait like that until it was morning?

1- I read speculation that she can only heal injuries
2-Donkeys are stubborn
3- maybe she was asleep when it was happening?
4-yeah I would've liked more outfits too, but I figured they avoided it to not confuse viewers b/c of the large cast
5- probably the 2nd option, she probably couldn't sleep anyway.

about the powers, that's one of the reasons this really needs a series, so they can really delve into stuff like this. I have so many questions about how many of the powers work especially Dolores', Julieta's, Bruno's and Camilo's.

[Farerb]

After seeing the film a second time yesterday (I saw it for the third today), and listening to the soundtrack after rewatching the film, i wondered why Dolores told the secret of Mirabel discovering Bruno's vision, but didn't share the fact that she knew Bruno was living in the house. The Disney Wiki speculates that Dolores was sensitive to Bruno's issue ("is possible she felt sympathy for his case since she describes his gift to be humbling and seemed to understand his predicament during the song "We Don't Talk About Bruno."")("Due to their sensory powers, Bruno and Dolores are the only family members that their doors depict with eyes open. The similarity in their powers could explain Dolores' particular sympathy towards Bruno.").

I've read this after writing the rest of my post. I see you had the same doubt as me. Maybe it's true that she felt sympathy towards him and that's why she didn't reveal his secret, but it's still surprising to me she could resist the temptation to do it for so long.

Speaking of that, has anyone else noticed Dolores' room is right next to the entrance to Bruno's hideout? That can't be a coincidence, right? I've also noticed that Bruno's door is not like the rest. The others are next to the corridor, while to get to Bruno's you have to go through a small tunnel with some stairs. Maybe it's because his room is a tower, though I guess it's also possible they wanted the entrance to be a bit hidden and mysterious.

I thought that the reason for could be that Dolores wanted to sabotage Mariano and Isabela's engagement. Though I don't understand why Mirabel gets all the blame and Dolores doesn't.

[Farerb]

yeah I agree like I had posted previously i felt it was too rushed at the end, with the whole family making up a bit too quickly(especially Pepa) and while I really wanted more heartbreaking angst from Bruno (like when he tells Mirabel in his room that he loved his family but wasn't helping) either as more of dialogue or as part of the lyrics of All of You but dammit I did not need another awkward rapid-rap exposition whatever its called, I wish they would have just let John Leguizamo sing(can he? I think he did in Moulin Rouge but I haven't seen it in ages.)

Moreover I'd say that the rap doesn't really fit his character, he seems to be more of an introvert so it felt kind of off when he started rapping.

[Farerb]

This deleted scene shows that Isabela had a love affair and wanted to run away with him, why is it so much better?!
https://youtu.be/mOSnb-EYjP0

[D82]

NOTE: D82 I wrote this right before you submitted your last post but ended up posting it after yours b/c I had to fix a bunch of typos, Ill address some of your last post later b/c its kinda late.

Oh, OK. By the way, the first quote you replied to is by Farerb, not mine. But don't worry, it's easy to make these kinds of mistakes, especially when there are several quotes in the same post. It has happened to me more than once.

4-yeah I would've liked more outfits too, but I figured they avoided it to not confuse viewers b/c of the large cast

That's a good point. By the way, I see we had the same thoughts on several of our responses. Great minds think alike!

I thought that the reason for could be that Dolores wanted to sabotage Mariano and Isabela's engagement. Though I don't understand why Mirabel gets all the blame and Dolores doesn't.

Oh, that's a good explanation! It would make sense she's actually good at keeping secrets, since she doesn't reveal many during the movie, and that scene was an exception because it was beneficial for her to tell what she knew on this occasion. Although, why did Mirabel and her father think she would tell everyone about it then? Did they suspect she was in love with Mariano?

EDIT: Well, on second thought, maybe she has a reputation of being a gossip because she hears so many things and sometimes reveals some, but they're actually wrong about her.

[Farerb]

Have you ever noticed that this version of "All of You" has a different beginning than what's actually on the film and the soundtrack?
https://youtu.be/kQB6fyBumAU

This is the version of the film:
https://youtu.be/JyvyUi30bD0

[D82]

Have you ever noticed that this version of "All of You" has a different beginning than what's actually on the film and the soundtrack?
https://youtu.be/kQB6fyBumAU

This is the version of the film:
https://youtu.be/JyvyUi30bD0

You're right. It's really curious. I guess the first track is probably an earlier version of the song that was uploaded by mistake instead of the final one. I prefer the beginning of the soundtrack version.

Speaking of songs, Disney has released the full "We Don't Talk About Bruno" song clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvWRMAU6V-c

[Disney's Divinity]

re:estefan's comment about this not being a buddy roadtrip--I believe this was known a long time before the film was even out and celebrated then. Not that it's not worth continual celebration, but it's not like it hasn't been mentioned... People probably just forgot it had been talked about because it happened it a long time ago.

[blackcauldron85]

Potential spoilers below!

I think Pepa's gift is actually one of the most useful, as weather is very important for crops and things like that. In the movie, she's usually shown with a small cloud over her head, but I think that's just because she's trying to control her powers; she can make a much bigger impact on the weather if she wants to, as shown at her wedding day.

I like your explanation. So they only get watered crops when Pepa is angry? Or when she has control over her emotions she can just create a rainstorm when she's happy?

1- I read speculation that she can only heal injuries

That makes sense.

I thought that the reason for could be that Dolores wanted to sabotage Mariano and Isabela's engagement. Though I don't understand why Mirabel gets all the blame and Dolores doesn't.

Because Abuela thought that Mirabel was the cause of everything, no one else could be at fault, right? (Ugh, Abuela.) But that's an interesting viewpoint on Dolores' reasoning.

This deleted scene shows that Isabela had a love affair and wanted to run away with him, why is it so much better?!

I think because the filmmakers wanted to fix the sisterly relationship, which helped fix the family's relationship. By having Mirabel be the one to "see" Isabela, that she's more than just "perfect," to keep that in the family...I can't explain it but I like that it was Mirabel seeing Isa for who she truly is.

[D82]

I like your explanation. So they only get watered crops when Pepa is angry? Or when she has control over her emotions she can just create a rainstorm when she's happy?

Maybe she has to read a sad story, for example, to make it rain like she does in this commercial. I don't think she can create a rainstorm when she's happy. I think she has to get in the right mood to produce the desired results in the weather. But I guess the weather gets weird every once in a while, as the songs says, due to her mood changes. In spite of that, I really think that's what makes her gift useful for the community. I don't think it's a coincidence there's a cornfield in the background when she's introduced in the opening number. There's also a piece of concept art of her watering crops in the artbook.

I think because the filmmakers wanted to fix the sisterly relationship, which helped fix the family's relationship. By having Mirabel be the one to "see" Isabela, that she's more than just "perfect," to keep that in the family...I can't explain it but I like that it was Mirabel seeing Isa for who she truly is.

I think it's that, plus the fact that they ultimately decided limiting the story to the encanto and not showing or talking much about the outside world. According to the artbook, Isabela's suitor from that deleted scene came from there:

"At one point Isabela had a suitor named Bubo, that came from the city with a much more modern look compared to the rest of the town. It was a really funny idea: he was a true fish out of water with a dorky personality." - Bill Schwab, Art Director, Characters.

The other three deleted scenes can also be found on Youtube. It's interesting that in the last one, the one titled "Back to the Mural", Pedro was a famous writer or poet. I'm glad they changed that element, though, because it reminds a bit too much of Coco.

[Disney's Divinity]

This deleted scene shows that Isabela had a love affair and wanted to run away with him, why is it so much better?!

I think because the filmmakers wanted to fix the sisterly relationship, which helped fix the family's relationship. By having Mirabel be the one to "see" Isabela, that she's more than just "perfect," to keep that in the family...I can't explain it but I like that it was Mirabel seeing Isa for who she truly is.

It makes sense for Mirabel to be the only one who could break Isabela out of the frame of mind Abuela insisted on, because Mirabel is the only person who makes Isabela angry. It took making something out of a different emotion aside from her constant feeling of "perfection" / "ego" for her to realize she can make more than just flowers. And it makes sense that she probably wouldn't know how to make crops or anything like that, if she felt like her whole role was to be "perfect" for the sake of the family. Flowers to me are a very vain thing that would be associated with the pure ego she was being instructed to express, something for display and with no practical use, whereas crops and so on would probably require a different emotion the same way that making a cactus required her to be angry.

It makes me wonder what she would grow out of a feeling of sadness. Weeping willows maybe?

[blackcauldron85]

So Pepa + Isabela having a super emotional day could feed the whole village!

[Widdi]

Finally got around to watching this last night. After HATING Raya and the Last Dragon and Luca earlier this year, I haven't been in a hurry to view any new Disney projects. Honestly, I went into Encanto having only seen the original teaser trailer (which didn't do anything for me) and not really knowing anything about what the plot was. I think that may have helped me enjoy it more, though I will say I still wasn't wowed by it by any means.

The story is incredibly weak. Any tiny bit of thought into it makes it all fall apart. It was all just magic for magic's sake without any real rules. I can't believe they didn't tell us why Mirabel didn't receive a gift. It could be argued that no gift was her gift, but I find that to be a bit of a cop-out. The whole candle's origin was a bit of cop-out too if I'm being honest, "bad thing happens so magic suddenly appears" is a weak premise.

The music was too busy. Why did every song need to be a round? I couldn't tell what was being said through huge chunks of the movie and that loss of exposition probably contributed to my disinterest in the story.

I am so sick of the new Disney-CGI face. Can we please try out some different art styles?

Can we also please stop making "let it go" jokes. The horse is just a bloody pulp at this point.

I dunno, maybe I've become to cynical for these types of movies. I haven't been the target audience for a long time now, but I usually am able to still find enjoyment in viewing the newer films, or at least I had been up until Frozen II. Everything Disney and Pixar have released since then just hasn't resonated with me.

I will at least say the characters were enjoyable this time, although I would have liked them to be fleshed out more.

I'd give it a 5.5/10. It was watchable, but not memorable, and it won't be a movie I seek out to re-watch any time soon.

[Thumper_93]

In my opinion this movie is bad. The story is very plain, the music is not very good and some songs don't have importance in the film, they don't help the story to advance. The characters are very plain, they don't have good stories behind and that's a pitty because with a good script they could have been amazing characters. Dolores could have had a great love story behind, they could have showed us more deeply the problems that Isabela and Luisa have because of the pression and expectations that are deposited on them. About Mirabel I don't have anything to say about her, She doesn't cause me any feelings because I knew all the time was going to happen next.
Disney needs to risk more. I can't believe that in the 90s we had movies more complicated than today's. Esmeralda is much complex than Mirabel and we're talking about a movie that has more than 20 years. I know that they're trying to be more inclusive but maybe is time to risk more in the scripts, the cultural aspects can be developed later.

[Sotiris]

Even though Encanto is the highest-grossing animated film of the year domestically, it's still considered as having underperformed by the industry.

Despite its positive reviews, the film has underperformed at the box office, grossing $88 million in the U.S. and $194 million globally so far. It ran for a month in U.S. cinemas from Nov. 24 before its release on Disney Plus on Dec. 24.

Source: https://variety.com/2021/film/news/enca ... 235144025/

[DisneyEra]

Here are the latest numbers for Encanto after yesterday. Needs only $9.7 million domestic to hit the century mark. I think Disney will just leave it playing in theaters til it does. It's already passed $200 million worldwide, & will get it's Chinese release next Friday "January 7".

https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Encan ... box-office

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/enca ... 235144025/

https://preview.redd.it/s2vm7vq6y7881.j ... 0425393db2

[Disney's Divinity]

Even though Encanto is the highest-grossing animated film of the year domestically, it's still considered as having underperformed by the industry.

I don't get it, how are they able to tell? I feel like only sequels right now have a chance of doing better numbers than this got. I'm glad Frozen 3 won't be around for several years yet then.