Encanto (2021)

[nilyank]

5 hours ago, SeanC said:

Richard Rodgers and Marvin Hamlisch also did that.

Ah but did they ever get a MacArthur Fellowship aka "the Genius Grant?"

[NUguy514]

I've watched this three times already; I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.  Gorgeous animation, amazing songs (MUCH better than Moana's songs – outside of "How Far I'll Go," they're not interesting or memorable to me), interesting and entertaining characters, and a powerful story – I did not expect to cry, but dammit, Disney, you got me!

I will say that my only real criticism is how easily Mirabel and Isa hugged and made up.  Isa was so shitty to Mirabel for so many years, and Mirabel had become so resentful of that treatment, but one song and everything's fine?  That was too easy, and Isa never apologized to Mirabel for her terrible treatment of her.  At least with Abuela, there was an actual apology and a reckoning with her past behavior.  That's nowhere near enough of an issue to blight my enjoyment of the film, but it was noticeable.

[Spartan Girl]

47 minutes ago, NUguy514 said:

I will say that my only real criticism is how easily Mirabel and Isa hugged and made up.  Isa was so shitty to Mirabel for so many years, and Mirabel had become so resentful of that treatment, but one song and everything's fine?  That was too easy, and Isa never apologized to Mirabel for her terrible treatment of her.  At least with Abuela, there was an actual apology and a reckoning with her past behavior.  That's nowhere near enough of an issue to blight my enjoyment of the film, but it was noticeable.

I can’t disagree, but I don’t think that scene was meant to be an “everything’s fine now” resolution, just a step in the right direction. Mirabel resented Isa for being a spoiled snotty princess who was hailed as the “perfect one” in the family, but it wasn’t until then she realized that, like Luisa, Isa was chafing under the family’s expectations, which kind of explained without excusing why Isa treated her the way she did (because Mirabel was the only person she could take it out on) It was a moment where they started to actually see each other—not as the prima donna and the family oddball, but as two sisters that were both hurting (albeit in different ways) from Alma’s perfectionism.

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I can’t disagree, but I don’t think that scene was meant to be an “everything’s fine now” resolution, just a step in the right direction. Mirabel resented Isa for being a spoiled snotty princess who was hailed as the “perfect one” in the family, but it wasn’t until then she realized that, like Luisa, Isa was chafing under the family’s expectations, which kind of explained without excusing why Isa treated her the way she did (because Mirabel was the only person she could take it out on) It was a moment where they started to actually see each other—not as the prima donna and the family oddball, but as two sisters that were both hurting (albeit in different ways) from Alma’s perfectionism.

I also think Isa treated Mirabel that way because she resented that Mirabel didn’t have to perfect. No one expected Mirabel to do anything. She was living the life Isa thought she wanted and Isa was living the life Mirabel thought she wanted. Mirabel did get more direct abuse from Alma but she also got more care from their parents.

It is a pattern I see in nearly every sibling relationship in my family with a 5+ age gap. Isabela would have already had her gift and felt the full pressure of being perfect before Mirabel was even born. Then Mirabel would have spent her entire life dealing with her perfect older sister. It’s amazing how true to life the dynamics of the whole family felt. 

[Spartan Girl]

Is it weird that I disliked Dolores more than Isa? She just came off as a nosy little blabbermouth—just because she can hear everything didn’t mean she was entitled to spill Mirabel’s secret to everyone at the proposal, and I can’t help feeling she did that on purpose because of her secret love for the would-be fiancé.

Mirabel’s parents get credit for being supportive and sticking up for her against Alma. That’s more than Miguel’s parents ever did in Coco.

[Sakura12]

I finally got around to watching this. 

This movie wrecked me. It was amazing, the colors, the characters, the songs, the exploring of family dynamics. They were all hurting and putting on a front for the family. I think Abuela's apology was a start, she understands what her obsession with the miracle did to her family and now they can all start to heal and be who they were truly meant to be. 

I also thought Maribel's door disappeared because the whole Casita was her room. She was the next candle guardian. Abuela had to know she wasn't going to live forever and needed someone to take over when she was gone. 

These songs are going to be stuck in my head. That's why we don't talk about Bruno because now I'll be stuck forever singing about him. 

[scarynikki12]

18 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Is it weird that I disliked Dolores more than Isa? She just came off as a nosy little blabbermouth—just because she can hear everything didn’t mean she was entitled to spill Mirabel’s secret to everyone at the proposal, and I can’t help feeling she did that on purpose because of her secret love for the would-be fiancé.

I don't think Dolores spilled because of Mariano. Hearing that Mirabel was apparently the reason the magic was fading scared her and the resulting anxiety was so strong that she couldn't keep it in. Even Mirabel and Augustin knew she was going to spill what she'd just heard hence the hard stare at the table. Dolores had no reason to think that Isabella didn't want to marry Mariano so there wouldn't have been a point to messing with the proposal since anyone could see his crush on Isa and they could have just gotten engaged after the dinner anyway. When Isa yells at Mirabel that she never wanted to marry him it seemed like it was the first time she'd said it out loud. I can imagine that she liked Mariano just fine as they looked to be close in age and probably grew up together but she just didn't want to marry him. She did want to please Alma and the family so she never voiced her true feelings until that moment with Mirabel. 

Of the minor characters the capybara is my favorite and I love Bruno just going around him when making his sand circle. I would do the same.

[Spartan Girl]

12 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

I don't think Dolores spilled because of Mariano. Hearing that Mirabel was apparently the reason the magic was fading scared her and the resulting anxiety was so strong that she couldn't keep it in. Even Mirabel and Augustin knew she was going to spill what she'd just heard hence the hard stare at the table.

True, but she still came off as a nosy blabbermouth. And it’s not like she kept in to the point where she was going to burst: she told every single person at her side of the table before letting it rip to Alma—okay, she technically told it to one person, but that person told another person and so on and so on…

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

True, but she still came off as a nosy blabbermouth.

And yet she kept Bruno a secret for years so I don’t think it was her being a gossip. It seems like she generally didn’t spill secrets since she had to know things about all of the town. Overall she was pretty circumspect with information. Which is why I do think she told because it freaked her out. 

Dolores is a difficult character in regards to her power. They used it to move the story forward but she had to know a lot more than was implied. 

[Brn2bwild]

The one moment that felt a bit off to me was when Mirabel was left out of the family photo at the beginning.  Even if Abuela wanted her out of the way, her parents still seemed to love and value her.  If non-magical people like her dad and Felix could be in the photo, there was no reason to exclude Mirabel.

[SeanC]

55 minutes ago, Brn2bwild said:

The one moment that felt a bit off to me was when Mirabel was left out of the family photo at the beginning.  Even if Abuela wanted her out of the way, her parents still seemed to love and value her.  If non-magical people like her dad and Felix could be in the photo, there was no reason to exclude Mirabel.

Mirabel wasn't excluded from the photo, she hung back and didn't enter it.

The point of that scene is that nobody in the family noticed she wasn't there.

[SeanC]

In addition to the expected Oscar nominations for Animated Feature and Original Song, Encanto got an Original Score nomination for Germaine Franco.

[Trini]

Agree with all the praise mentioned already; great, catchy songs, and gorgeous animation.

My only nitpick: They made it a throwaway line, but I wish they explained a bit more about how Dolores knew about Bruno the entire time(!!) and told no one. To me, it implies a special relationship between the two that could have been explored. (Perhaps they had a common bond with how each of their powers allowed them to have certain knowledge, and the responsibilities that come with that.) The best way it makes sense to me is if Bruno specifically asked Dolores not to tell anyone; but there was no reason given in the film.

[Llywela]

24 minutes ago, Trini said:

My only nitpick: They made it a throwaway line, but I wish they explained a bit more about how Dolores knew about Bruno the entire time(!!) and told no one. To me, it implies a special relationship between the two that could have been explored. (Perhaps they had a common bond with how each of their powers allowed them to have certain knowledge, and the responsibilities that come with that.) The best way it makes sense to me is if Bruno specifically asked Dolores not to tell anyone; but there was no reason given in the film.

Dolores would have known he was there because of her super hearing. There's no way he could hide from her. She could hear him. I would imagine she didn't tell anyone because it was clear he was hiding for a reason, and growing up with the whole 'we don't talk about Bruno' thing would have helped her understand why!

[Trini]

Yeah, I get how; the 'why' is my question. I feel there's a story there we didn't get; but it's not a huge nitpick.

[BetterButter]

 

[Ohiopirate02]

25 minutes ago, BetterButter said:

 

Disney's "Haunted by Our Tragic Past Mansion"  They are not wrong.  Whoever wrote those lyrics about Bruno has got to have kids who listen to this soundtrack on repeat.  

[scarynikki12]

3 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Whoever wrote those lyrics about Bruno has got to have kids who listen to this soundtrack on repeat.  

The cast and crew did a Twitter watch a few weeks back and Lin’s son told him it’s the favorite song of his whole class.

[Ohiopirate02]

6 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

The cast and crew did a Twitter watch a few weeks back and Lin’s son told him it’s the favorite song of his whole class.

My 7 year old niece and 5 year old nephew cannot get enough of the soundtrack.  I spent last weekend with them and we did not talk about Bruno over and over and over again in English, Spanish an French.  My niece wanted to hear it in French for some reason, so nous parlons pas de Bruno.  

 

[angora]

2 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

The cast and crew did a Twitter watch a few weeks back and Lin’s son told him it’s the favorite song of his whole class.

In fact, Lin has said that his sons went through their "We Don't Talk about Bruno" phase back when he wrote the score in 2020, since they were all at home due to the pandemic and so they heard him playing/tinkering with all the songs ad nauseum. So now that it's JUST becoming a hit with other kids their age, they're completely over it. I can't find which interview it was, but Lin shared a story about his son coming home from school and saying (in a completely-exhausted tone,) "Daddy, EVERYONE'S singing it."

[A.Ham]

Fun fact: The overlaying of lyrics/harmonies at the end of Bruno’s song is called—wait for it—a madrigal.

[Brn2bwild]

One thing I noticed on rewatch was how influential the dads seemed to be on their kids' mindset. Augustin is very mild mannered and eager to please; the only time he pushed back was when he said "I was thinking of my daughter" to Abuela Alma.  Put him with Julieta, whose personality is about giving and nurturing, and their daughters might feel like they have no space to resist being constantly at other people's service.

By contrast, Felix seems very chill, and that attitude appears to have rubbed off on his and Pepa's children. They don't seem as pressured to perform as Julieta and Augustin's kids.

[A.Ham]

Saw a commercial for the Oscars this Sunday and the announcer mentioned the first live performance of "We Don't Talk about Bruno" and I, for one, cannot wait. I won't be home so I will be dvr'ing it, but thought I'd share it for those who would be interested.

You're welcome.

[angora]

LMM won't be attending the ceremony--his wife tested positive for COVID, so he's quarantining as a close contact.

Good on him for doing the safe/responsible thing, but it'll be such a bummer if he finally completes his EGOT and he's not there to accept the award.

[roamyn]

Just saw this on Disney+, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised.

It’s not Coco, one of my all time favorite Disney movies, but it’s not Frozen either, which I can’t even watch, it’s so boring.

But the vibrancy of the colors, the details in the special effects, the catchy songs (like ‘Bruno’ and ‘Waiting for a Miracle’), plus the depth of the story telling, and layered characters, make this an enjoyable interlude.  I had nothing to do (I’m disabled and can barely leave my house), so turned it on out of boredom.  And Alma is a much better antagonist than Imelda.  In fact, there’s really no stereotypical bad guy in this movie (other than the persecutors who killed Pedro).  And Mirabel is so likeable, just as Miguel & Moana & Belle & Aladdin etc were.

Definitely one I would watch again to pick up on the details. 

[JustHereForFood]

I only watched it now and I liked it a lot. The songs were great, I especially liked Luisa's song. But with all the talk about We don't talk about Bruno, I expected something more from that one song. It's good, but I didn't find it any better than the rest, probably one of the weaker ones even.

I like houses that seem to have a mind of their own, and this one was great. I also loved how Mirabel from a story perspective went on a typical quest, but her getting ready montage was just her putting on her regular clothes and the whole quest was withing the house, that was an interesting subversion of that trope.

The flashbacks in the end were heartbreaking, but we could see how important it was for Alma to finally tell the whole story and to visit that river again.

Also a great scene was at the end when all the villagers came to help them rebuild the house, after all those years when the family was helping everyone else. 

[hiisa]

I'm only just watching this for the first time. Can I tell y'all I started weeping from the moment little Antonio pleaded with Mirabel to walk to the door with him and kept weeping off and on until the very end of the movie? 

As a person currently having a hard time with "perfect" siblings who I am CONSTANTLY being compared to I found Mirabel entirely too relatable. 

[truthful]

Ok movie. Some good songs. I liked all the different characters and their different powers the best. I think this movie lends itself well to a spin off tv series exploring life in the area.

[Sarah 103]

9 hours ago, truthful said:

I liked all the different characters and their different powers the best. I think this movie lends itself well to a spin off tv series exploring life in the area.

I would love a series about the Madrigal family. It would be a great ensemble show, and could feature supporting characters from the town.  

[truthful]

7 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I would love a series about the Madrigal family. It would be a great ensemble show, and could feature supporting characters from the town.  

I want to know more about Dolores. How does her super hearing affect her? How can she isolate many different voices she's hearing from far away? Does she wear ear plugs to bed or is her whole room soundproofed? 

Spoiler

Why didn't she tell anyone in the family that she could hear Bruno in the walls? 

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by truthful

[Browncoat]

7 hours ago, truthful said:

 

  Reveal spoiler

Why didn't she tell anyone in the family that she could hear Bruno in the walls? 

 

We don't talk about...

[truthful]

My new theory is the reason they don't talk about Bruno is not because of Abuela but because Pepa would get upset whenever someone talked about her brother that she would produce storms so fierce that it would ruin crops and parts of people's homes.