Review: Encanto

Producing a 60th feature film should be commended, and it hasn't been the easiest ride for Walt Disney Animation Studios.

But despite a few moments in its almost 100 years of history where it almost went out of existance, it continues to bring smiles to people of all ages and give that sense of wonder and imagination.

This current era of Disney animation is pretty strong. Since its resurgence in the late 2000's, almost every feature film release has been an instant classic. So that expected quality and satisfaction can bring an almost unfair amount of pressure. Especially when we get to its 60th feature. Like myself, there are many dedicated fans that want that Disney magic that Walt himself would still approve of.

It felt a bit of a chaotic start for me. There is a lot to introduce in the opening act. But if you can keep up, it will give you a rather interesting concept with a lot of potential as the accompanying visuals are so dazzling and help us understand our characters. The songs also add some strong positive vibes to what is a very vibrant production design.

The development gives us some solid depth, we've got lots of characters to know about, there all having a good enough amount of screen-time to at least give us an idea and I felt pretty invested and intrigued with this idea.

Plus, the themes of empowerment within yourself, family, community, pressures of family expectation I felt would resonate well with its target audience. I felt on the whole it was well executed. But also a bit on the nose and predictable on some occasions.

Towards the end of the second act and the whole of the final act was where it was partially losing me as I was starting to feel unsure about the story as being a complete package. The threat and stakes involved felt a bit rushed and just there for the sake of seeing our main characters at a low point. I felt I never had time to feel the impact as before I knew it, it was resolved, we were back to the bright colours and music and the credits rolled.

But with even with my issues, there's still a good amount to like that I feel audiences will eat up.

It truly amazing to look at. The colour palette is so bright and the animation is wonderfully creative and the level detail continues to amaze me. With how animation is right now, I cannot believe it continues to still up its game. How far can this genre go?

The voice work is solid. They all gave great personalities to their characters. There's plenty to find a favourite in and the added singing will give this film a soundtrack that will be on repeat in many households.

So while I'm not calling this an instant classic in my book, it's still an entertaining piece of work that the studio can be proud of. I like ideas it has and the mix of South American culture and fantasy worked well. I can see crowds enjoying this. This is pleasant viewing with a lot of positivity to warm your heart. 

If I ranked it with other films from the studio that were released over the last 10 years, I would honestly put it near the bottom. That just shows how successful this studio has been lately and this release I feel will continue to keep the momentum going.

I must mention that like a lot of other recent releases, there is a short before the main film. It's a delightful story that teaches you the dangers and rewards of parenting.

Rating: 7/10