Encanto came out this year and it is possible the most relatable movie for teens. While parents might not understand the feelings of their children the writers of Encanto did a good job summing it up. Plus the songs are very catchy. 

The actors in Encanto are all of Hispanic descent, while not all of them are Columbian they don’t appropriate the culture. Each song gives a different insight into the ideas and feelings of the characters. The writer of the songs is Lin-Manuale Miranda. He is known for his amazing musical creations, such as Hamilton and Moana. 

Encanto is about the madrigal family. The family was blessed with a miracle candle that gave them a magic house and magical powers. The movie is set in Columbia. The Madrigal family often helps the townspeople fix what's broken. Abuela was blessed with the candle after her husband gave himself up to protect the ones he loved. She had three children each had a special gift, Pepa has the power to control the weather, Bruno could see the future, and Juanita could heal others with her cooking. Pepa and Juanita each had three kids. The main character is the youngest daughter of Juanita, and her name is Mirabel. Mirabel didn’t get a gift, she felt excluded by her family. You can feel the loneliness in her song “Waiting on a miracle”. As someone who relates to her feeling this song really touches me. 

The main problem is that the magic is dying. Mirabel is the one to notice it first and she made it her goal to heal the dying miracle. While searching for an answer she finds a profficey that Bruno had seen before he disappeared. It focused on her and her involvement with the dying miracle. While trying to find answers about Bruno, Pepas family gives different opinions in the song “We dont talk about Bruno”. 

After watching this movie only once it has truly become one of my favorite movies. The songs and beautiful animation make this movie into the hit it is. I love how diverse the cast is and how it touches on the traditionality of Hispanic culture. My only negative comment is how unfair Abuela treats Mirabel, the story tries to redeem her by showing her backstory which was sad, but that does not give her the right to treat anyone the way she treated Mirabel. It’s very hard to forgive her actions.