The House of Mouse Does it Again! – ‘Encanto’ Review

I’m not going to lie. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first saw trailers for Disney’s Encanto. Disney animated films always have a certain level of standard, but there are definitely tiers to those levels. I really thought Encanto was going to be a standard affair, another world jaunting adventure to save the magic of the house and other characters by the one with no powers. Nothing special. I’m happy to say that this movie surprised me. It wasn’t what I was expecting and brought a breath of fresh air to the Disney catalog. Welcome to Family Madrigal Encanto revolves around the family Madrigal, living in their magic house hidden within the mountains of Colombia after a tragic event witnessed by the matriarch Abuela Alma Madrigal (Maria Cecilia Botero). Alma is given a magic candle that gives her three children, and in turn their children, special gifts. All except for our heroine, Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). Mirabel is a quirky and caring girl who does her best to support her family even though she feels a bit like an outcast. Beatriz knocks it out of the park here. There’s always an underline empathetic sincerity to her portrayal. And she’s got the pipes to really empathize the joy, pain, and worry with her songs.

There are her two sisters, Luisa (Jessica Darrow) and Isabela (Diane Guerrero), who have super strength and plant growth respectively. Then there’s her cousins Dolores (Adassa) who has super hearing, Camilo (Rhenzy Feliz) who can shape shift, and little An…