Disney studios is diversifying its animation and a prime example is Encanto.  Not only is the studio employing a strong Latin flavor, it is telling this story from a primarily female perspective.  Sure, many Disney tales are female-centric, but most of them follow princesses.  Here, the primary character is a bookish girl who has no magic power whatsoever, at least until the end.  It is also a mini-musical, with eight songs contributed by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Co-directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard and Charise Castro Smith, the story centers on a Colombian family, all of whom have magic powers except for Mirabel (voice of Stephanie Beatriz).  As the occasion approaches for her younger brother to obtain his magic, Mirabel is forced to recall the disappointment when hers did not appear, and she is concerned that their magical house shows signs of losing its magic.  This leads to confrontation and the revelation of a family secret that changes everything.

Encanto is a charming adventure that could have been even better had it avoided a few pitfalls.  One is that a couple of the songs are performed at such a rapid pace that I could not follow them.  This is the case with the first song, “The Family Madrigal,” in particular.  But I really like “We Don’t Talk About Bruno;” it’s a show-stopper.  Another pitfall involves the role of magic in the world: the Madrigals use it for everything and take it for granted, while no one else in the community has any.  And that leads to what I feel the biggest mistake is — the ending.  Spoiler ahead: the ending could have eliminated the presence of magic altogether, and made the Madrigals just as ordinary as everyone else (this is what I prefer; it’s more democratic and realistic), but instead it presents Mirabel with her magic door and revitalizes the family’s and the house’s magic (thus resetting the Madrigal family’s dominance over everyone else in their village).  Is that really the happy ending?  Not for me it isn’t.

That said, or revealed, I have to say I really enjoyed the film up to the ending choice.  It’s a fun story, with a dramatic underbelly of sacrifice, told with quick, pointed cleverness and a lot of charm.  It moves a bit too fast, in my opinion, but that is the trend in animated entertainment.  Gravity doesn’t seem to be important, nor is logic or believability.  Still, we have a plucky heroine who needs to prove herself solving a genuinely engrossing mystery, surrounded by intriguing characters and some catchy songs.  This could have been a real classic, but it’s still a very enjoyable musical adventure.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  31 December 2021.