BY KELSEY PURCELL, FEATURES ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
In September Disney released the second trailer for the new animated film, “Encanto.” It is about a family, the Madrigals, who live in Colombia and are from a small magical village called an encanto.
The Madrigal’s live in a magical house and members of the family each have a magical gift. Mirabel Madrigal is the only member of her family who does not possess any special powers. Her mother Julieta can heal people with her cooking, her sister Luisa has super strength and her cousin Antonio can talk to animals.
One day the house starts breaking and the magic is in danger. Mirabel needs to save her family, their house and their magic. Even without powers Mirabel is determined to save the day. She does not let the fact that she lacks powers stop her. Mirabel is the only one who can stop the family and house from losing the magic capabilities.
Mirabel is voiced by Stephanie Beatriz who is known for her roles as Detective Rosa Diaz in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” Other actors starring in the film include Wilmer Valderrama who is the voice of Agustin Madrigal and Diane Guerrero who is the voice of Isabela Madrigal.
Disney is adding more diversity to their collection of films with the movie “Encanto” which celebrates Hispanic heritage and culture. Disney’s “Coco” is also focused on sharing Hispanic traditions. “Coco” was released in 2017. The movie is about Mexican culture, specifically Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead.
Other recent Disney animated films centered around a diverse culture include “Raya and the Last Dragon” which was released in March of this year and “Moana” which was released in 2016. “Raya and the Last Dragon” is inspired by southeast Asian cultures and “Moana” is based on Polynesian culture and history.
“Encanto” is directed by Byron Howard who co-directed “Bolt,” “Tangled” and “Zootopia” and Jared Bush who is also a co-writer of the movie, he co-directed “Zootopia” and wrote the screenplay for “Moana.” Charise Castro Smith is the co-director, she is the writer of “The Death of Eve Sofia Valdez.” The music is by Lin-Manuel Miranda who wrote the musical “Hamilton.” He also wrote the music for “Moana.”
In an interview with Disney News Bush said, “This is a story about family. We began this journey wanting to tell a story about this large, extended family, the joys of family and the complexities and challenges of family.”
Castro Smith talked about Mirabel’s journey and how she figured out that she doesn’t know her family as well as she thought she did. She eventually learns about the fears, insecurities and more about members of her family.
“So, I hope that audiences will take that as an invitation to think about their own families differently, to ask questions and get to know them better, sort of move beyond the personas of the family roles that they think they know. And I hope that’s something that people will take away from this movie,” said Castro Smith.
“Encanto” is the sixtieth animated Disney film. It is set to be released on Nov. 24, 2021, just in time for Thanksgiving. It will be released strictly in theaters for a month before it becomes available on Disney + on Christmas Eve in time for Christmas.
