Encanto has changed Disney films forever

Over the years, with its beloved movies, parks, and magical immersive storytelling, the Disney brand has evolved in many ways.

If you have been keeping up with the recent trends and new releases of all Disney movies, you might have watched Encanto, which follows the Madrigal family in a rich Colombian town where every street and person is as vibrant as the next. With catchy songs and a heartwarming story, this movie will tug at your heartstrings even if you don’t normally like Disney movies.

Viewers follow Mirabel, the only person in the magical Madrigal family without a special gift, who goes through great lengths to save her family and their home, all while people tell her she isn’t “special” enough. It helps shine a light on how everyone is special and gifted in their own way.

Disney has stepped up their game with the amazing representation of diverse Colombian culture and lifestyle while touching on deeper topics, it’s a refreshing take and shows promise for future projects.

Directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore, many fans argue that this film breaks a few conventions that Disney films have stuck to before. 

Good representation is something that is crucial for a story, using iconic cultural landscapes and accurate depictions of characters and their lifestyles. Encanto does just that. From the diverse set of characters to the costumes, foods like the Colombian cheese arepas, and colours used within the film, all of it was researched in-depth and viewers can see the effort clearly. 

For those who are not Colombian, it can be a perfect opportunity to learn and evolve your knowledge on places around the world that people wouldn’t have heard of. 

Other great examples of this can be seen in Raya and the Last Dragon, which was inspired by the beautiful cultures of Southeast Asia, or Moana where the story and characters are based on the real heritage and history of the Polynesian Islands. 

Encanto also stands out as a Disney film that digs deep on topics such as the weight of family pressure or having to be perfect. 

The song “Surface Pressure” talks about dealing with feeling worthless if you begin to fail at something you are good at. It can make someone scared that their role may be of no use and their worth dwindles as well

The song “What Else Can I Do?” is about getting rid of the need to always be perfect, and hits the nail on the head with its message to just be yourself. This pressure to be perfect, especially today, falls so heavily on us it can be hard to get out of that mindset. 

These topics, along with this idea of generational trauma passed down within a family shine through in this film. All these topics are crucial for children, and even adults, to be able to address in their lives. Encanto gives audiences a piece of art they can relate to and help them feel better about themselves. That’s why it was a win for everyone that this movie was as amazing as it is.

Disney has always done a good job with their movies and their stories, but Encanto seems to be the start of a new era, and it’s exciting to think that we may start seeing more diverse and heartwarming movies like it in the future.