Encanto - anyone else obsessed?

[alisoncooks]

My kids are obsessed with Encanto, lol. We’ve watched it nearly every day this week (or at least parts of it) during lunch. 

(For the record, my kids are teens, haha. It’s been a while since we were this taken with a movie…)

[Forget-Me-Not]

My kids yes.  Me, not so much.  Super cute movie, but I found the music highly annoying (I didn't like Hamilton either, for the record.  I think I'm the only person on the planet).

[JustEm]

My kids love it but I haven't watched it. 

[Pam in CT]

OMG IT IS THE PERFECT MOVIE.  I've seen it twice, all 3 kids at least 3 times each-- my kids range from 18-27 -- I've raved so much about it that all my ESL students, who are all of them grown @ss adults, have seen it, it hits some cylinder in the most cynical of souls of any and all ages, it.is.perfect.

[JustEm]

Just now, Forget-Me-Not said:

My kids yes.  Me, not so much.  Super cute movie, but I found the music highly annoying (I didn't like Hamilton either, for the record.  I think I'm the only person on the planet).

Well I did hear all the music in encanto  and didn't really care for it. Hamilton was just meh to me.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

I. Don’t. Care. About. Bruno.

(I’ve had to limit viewings to twice a day during my kids’ quarantine the last week. I am losing my mind.)

[Forget-Me-Not]

6 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

Well I did hear all the music in encanto  and didn't really care for it. Hamilton was just meh to me.

They're both done by Lin Manuel Miranda.  I just don't love his style I guess.

[vonfirmath]

Yes. Everyone I know is obsessed. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD so I can see it! We've already heard lots of the songs because my daughter saw it at school.

[Slache]

It's a movie about generational narcissistic abuse that encourages unhealthy behaviors like rugsweeping and communal scapegoating.

[JustEm]

3 minutes ago, Forget-Me-Not said:

They're both done by Lin Manuel Miranda.  I just don't love his style I guess.

I did not know he did Encanto. 

[Spryte]

Love it. I love, love, love magical realism a lá Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and can totally see bits and pieces of that in Encanto.

[Sneezyone]

18 minutes ago, Slache said:

It's a movie about generational narcissistic abuse that encourages unhealthy behaviors like rugsweeping and communal scapegoating.

Encourages or exposes? I have the complete opposite impression.

[Slache]

8 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

Encourages or exposes? I have the complete opposite impression.

In the end they all pretended to be one happy little family as if nothing happened. The behaviors were not addressed and there's no reason to think that there will be any sustained change in behavior.

[JustEm]

6 minutes ago, Slache said:

In the end they all pretended to be one happy little family as if nothing happened. The behaviors were not addressed and there's no reason to think that there will be any sustained change in behavior.

This is what a friend of mine has said about the movie. It does make me want to watch it and see if that is an accurate analysis

[Sneezyone]

7 minutes ago, Slache said:

In the end they all pretended to be one happy little family as if nothing happened. The behaviors were not addressed and there's no reason to think that there will be any sustained change in behavior.

Interesting. Those weren’t my take-aways, especially when the lyrics say, I guess we should talk about Bruno and stars burn.

Edited January 22, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Terabith]

My kids refuse to watch it, but *I* am pretty obsessed.  

[Terabith]

8 minutes ago, Slache said:

In the end they all pretended to be one happy little family as if nothing happened. The behaviors were not addressed and there's no reason to think that there will be any sustained change in behavior.

I will admit that I felt like Abuela's transformation/ apology was not earned, narratively speaking.  It seemed to kinda come out of nowhere.  

[Sneezyone]

4 minutes ago, Terabith said:

I will admit that I felt like Abuela's transformation/ apology was not earned, narratively speaking.  It seemed to kinda come out of nowhere.  

I’d agree with that. The resolution was certainly rushed. I don’t think it’s a celebration of their family dynamic tho. It’s a pretty biting critique.

[Terabith]

1 minute ago, Sneezyone said:

I’d agree with that. The resolution was certainly rushed. I don’t think it’s a celebration of their family dynamic tho. It’s a pretty biting critique.

Right, I would agree.  

[Lawyer&Mom]

I liked it right until the end.  Traumatized matriarchs don’t suddenly change.  They don’t even see the need.  These stories don’t get happy song and dance endings.  Tap dancing over that reality was pretty bleak for me. 

[chiguirre]

6 minutes ago, Lawyer&Mom said:

I liked it right until the end.  Traumatized matriarchs don’t suddenly change.  They don’t even see the need.  These stories don’t get happy song and dance endings.  Tap dancing over that reality was pretty bleak for me. 

I'll agree that it was rushed, but of course Abuela sees the error of her ways. Mirabel turned out to have the greatest gift of all. She's the one who finds Bruno and figures out what's happening. It's Disney, you can't expect more than pretty butterflies and the whole town rebuilding Casita. It has to have a happily ever after.

[Slache]

The music was fantastic, the graphics were amazing, cute story, but toxic message.

[rebcoola]

The kids from 3 to 15 all like it 

[KSera]

9 minutes ago, Slache said:

The music was fantastic, the graphics were amazing, cute story, but toxic message.

I took it more like Sneezy did, as a critique rather than supporting that dynamic. But besides that, we loved that this was a Disney movie that centered primarily on female characters but had nothing to do with their appearances, with a heroine who didn't look like a Disney princess and we loved Luisa as someone completely different for Disney as well. Can not get the Bruno song out of my head, though! I read an article today that broke down the reasons why that particular song invades our brains.

Edited January 22, 2022 by KSera

[MrsMommy]

The heroine wears glasses!!!

We love it. Not just for the glasses, but that is a part of it. 🙂 

[Lawyer&Mom]

39 minutes ago, chiguirre said:

I'll agree that it was rushed, but of course Abuela sees the error of her ways. Mirabel turned out to have the greatest gift of all. She's the one who finds Bruno and figures out what's happening. It's Disney, you can't expect more than pretty butterflies and the whole town rebuilding Casita. It has to have a happily ever after.

I wasn’t expecting narcissistic abuse in my Disney movie, but once it was there I was disappointed to have a happily ever after that didn’t involve the heroine moving away and breaking free.  That said, I really really loved her hair. I could watch that part all day. 

[Pam in CT]

re treatment of intergenerational trauma

1 hour ago, Terabith said:

I will admit that I felt like Abuela's transformation/ apology was not earned, narratively speaking.  It seemed to kinda come out of nowhere.  

 

54 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

I’d agree with that. The resolution was certainly rushed. I don’t think it’s a celebration of their family dynamic tho. It’s a pretty biting critique.

 

50 minutes ago, Lawyer&Mom said:

I liked it right until the end.  Traumatized matriarchs don’t suddenly change.  They don’t even see the need.  These stories don’t get happy song and dance endings.  Tap dancing over that reality was pretty bleak for me. 

 Agreed. 

In real life, I absolutely do not believe in sudden one-off epiphanies.

Even in literature, I find sudden one-off epiphanies irritating.

But

40 minutes ago, chiguirre said:

...It's Disney, you can't expect more than pretty butterflies and the whole town rebuilding Casita. It has to have a happily ever after.

 

And for me the core point, both character and plot, of the whole narrative is that

40 minutes ago, chiguirre said:

...Mirabel turned out to have the greatest gift of all. She's the one who finds Bruno and figures out what's happening. ...

Her mom is a magical-realism healer, her dad is a Regular; and she brings both to the table.  It's beautiful.

[happi duck]

I've only seen it once but loved it.  

Seeing a family affected by trauma made me feel seen 

 

[Condessa]

I thought it was pretty disappointing when the family got their magic and powers back at the end, instead of having to learn to recognize their self-worth independent of abilities (both their own and everyone else's).

[KSera]

7 minutes ago, Condessa said:

I thought it was pretty disappointing when the family got their magic and powers back at the end, instead of having to learn to recognize their self-worth independent of abilities (both their own and everyone else's).

I agree with this. I wasn’t expecting that to happen and was disappointed in that aspect. 

[Terabith]

Something that raised a question with me....several of the Gifts seem like curses.  Mirabelle's aunt whose feelings change the weather doesn't control the weather.  She was under crazy pressure to always be in a good mood so the weather would be good.  And Dolores with the super hearing?  That would be so painful and awful!  

I also have to think that the villagers would be kind of terrified of most of the Madrigal family.  No secrets from super hearing cousin.  Shape shifting cousin would be pretty alarming; how do you trust who anyone is?  And the dang weather thing.  Plus a five year old who can convince a jaguar to eat anyone who upset anyone would be concerning.  

Edited January 22, 2022 by Terabith

[Alte Veste Academy]

I haven't seen it yet, but I'm very eager after stumbling across this TikTok..

 

[Lilaclady]

My kids have seen it  and love it. I was surprised 2 days ago when I heard the song about Bruno has surpassed Let it go as the most downloaded Disney song. I had not heard about the song and then played it , it was a nice song but I didn’t think it was in the league or let it go. I felt let it go was e.Very.where when it came out but that’s just me. I may see it in the next weeks or so to see what the fuss is all about. 

[Slache]

55 minutes ago, Terabith said:

Something that raised a question with me....several of the Gifts seem like curses.  Mirabelle's aunt whose feelings change the weather doesn't control the weather.  She was under crazy pressure to always be in a good mood so the weather would be good.  And Dolores with the super hearing?  That would be so painful and awful!  

I also have to think that the villagers would be kind of terrified of most of the Madrigal family.  No secrets from super hearing cousin.  Shape shifting cousin would be pretty alarming; how do you trust who anyone is?  And the dang weather thing.  Plus a five year old who can convince a jaguar to eat anyone who upset anyone would be concerning.  

Dolores can be seen covering her ears frequently. Yes, I agree they're curses. Except Antonio. I want that! And Juanita's, obviously. Quicksilver is the same way. He can't just BE fast, he IS fast. He has to be slow to interact with other people. Awful.

[fraidycat]

DH and I watched it tonight.

Where some see narcissism and abuse, I see a family matriarch under tremendous pressure to serve and save the.whole.dang.town.

Was she always respectful and perfect? No. Was she straight up self-serving and evil? Also no. 

The message I got was we need to learn to accept ourselves and each other with our gifts AND our flaws. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Edited January 22, 2022 by fraidycat

[KSera]

47 minutes ago, Lilaclady said:

My kids have seen it  and love it. I was surprised 2 days ago when I heard the song about Bruno has surpassed Let it go as the most downloaded Disney song. I had not heard about the song and then played it , it was a nice song but I didn’t think it was in the league or let it go. I felt let it go was e.Very.where when it came out but that’s just me. I may see it in the next weeks or so to see what the fuss is all about. 

I think the main thing with that song is that it is just SUCH an ear worm. It won’t go away! I read this about it today and it made me more impressed with the musical structure of it (I’m not skilled in that area). I need to listen again to see if I can pick up Delores’ quiet lines. 
https://slate.com/culture/2022/01/encanto-soundtrack-we-dont-talk-about-bruno-tiktok.html

One part from that:

”The song’s repeating bass line also constantly teases our expectations; of the 30 notes that make up this lick, only two align with the beat! This pervasive off-the-beat-ness is precisely why we can’t help grooving to this song; when music evades the beat, it evokes a feeling of motion in listeners, tugging on our own centers of gravity as it narrowly avoids coinciding with where we expect it to land.”

Edited January 22, 2022 by KSera

[Sneezyone]

“Bruno” has quickly become a stand-in for any taboo subject or person families don’t want to talk about. It’s a lot more relatable than Let It Go.

[Wishes]

I mean, it’s Disney. There’s always problematic elements in most of the movies. In little mermaid her dad literally blows up all of her stuff in front of her. Beauty falls in love with the guy who is her captor. Frozen has no people of color and Arendale in the first movie and the parents basically hide the child away and make her completely anxious about her abilities. Mothers in most Disney movies are either absent or sidelined. I thought at the end of Encanto there was change and whether it was easily bought that’s not surprising. But at the end Isabella has done she doesn’t have to be perfect and she’s becoming comfortable with that. Luisa has learned that she doesn’t always have to be the strong one and  her worth doesn’t just come from doing things for everyone. And Mirabel understands that she has an extremely important role in the family.

Bruno was not my favorite song. But I enjoy Luisa’s pressure song, I adore the caterpillar song, and I love the Colombia song.

My kids still prefer Up and Moana but this one is definitely climbing into the top five.

[Laura Corin]

I thought it was .... fine. I much preferred Coco, which I  also saw recently. 

[Elfknitter.#]

It’s a decent Disney film. I’m more a fan of Vivo, also with music by Lin, on Netflix.

[Pam in CT]

re Abuela: narcissicist, or stretched-too-thin collapsing under Pressure of her own

10 hours ago, fraidycat said:

DH and I watched it tonight.

Where some see narcissism and abuse, I see a family matriarch under tremendous pressure to serve and save the.whole.dang.town.

Was she always respectful and perfect? No. Was she straight up self-serving and evil? Also no. 

The message I got was we need to learn to accept ourselves and each other with our gifts AND our flaws. 🤷🏻‍♀️

There's definitely evidence that Abuela is suffering Luisa-like pressure of her own. She's certainly suffered her own sorrows and losses. She *knows* the casita has cracks. She begs her dead husband to guide her. That doesn't excuse what she lays down on the rest of the family, but narratively we *understand* where she's coming from.

I wish the family lived and struggled a little longer -- a few years maybe -- before they got their powers back. Had the chance to really understand and believe that they could function on their own.  My *favorite moment in the whole movie* is a completely throwaway line, that Isabela tosses off in the brief moment after the house is rebuilt but before they get their powers back, and she's laboriously placing a small plant into a container, and she says "I'm so excited to try soil and sun" ---  [ breaks heart ].

But it's Disney: once we're passed the narrative climax, there are only 10 minutes allocated to falling action before tidy resolution.  I mean, kids have bedtimes, LOL.

 

re Bruno

9 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

“Bruno” has quickly become a stand-in for any taboo subject or person families don’t want to talk about. It’s a lot more relatable than Let It Go.

Yeah, this is HUGE.  It's given language to the phenomenon.  We now have a code, for taboo subjects that lie beyond the Restricted line.

I don't underestimate that. It's psychologically huge.

Edited January 22, 2022 by Pam in CT

[chiguirre]

7 hours ago, Wishes said:

Bruno was not my favorite song. But I enjoy Luisa’s pressure song, I adore the caterpillar song, and I love the Colombia song.

There are lots of very famous Colombian singers in this movie. Here's a link to Carlos Vives (Colombia Mi Encanto)'s hit La Tierra del Olvido made with a who's who of Colombian singers, including Maluma, who voiced Mariano.

 

Here's one with Sebastian Yatra (Dos Oruguita)'s hit Robarte Un Beso with a bonus appearance by Carlos Vives:

Colombia has been punching above its weight in Latin Pop music for a while now. There are lots of really excellent musicians beyond just Shakira. I'm a big fan of Carlos Vives, Fonseca, Jorge Celedon, Juanes, Sebastian Yatra, los Aterciopelados, etc. They're easy to find on You Tube if you want to explore more.

Edited January 22, 2022 by chiguirre

[Soror]

I watched this with my youngest and really enjoyed it. I don't usually care for musicals. I went into it knowing nothing about the movie but I was thinking the songs are better than usual musicals- then at the end I noticed that LMM had done the music and I wasn't surprised (and thought perhaps I would enjoy Hamilton after all). I felt that the story was an original and I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen like so many kid's movies. Yes, it had some problems but compared to Disney's films of the past I thought it did a good job of acknowledging those problems (even if it did gloss over the effort in fixing things). The heroine was not cookie cutter pretty. She stood up for herself and in the end the g'ma acknowledged the pain and hurt she had caused. I was ok with them getting their powers back in the end b/c they came to a place of appreciation of their powers and realizing they were not as important as they thought. I think going forward it would be a healthier dynamic between the family and the town, albeit not perfect.

[Lawyer&Mom]

14 hours ago, fraidycat said:

DH and I watched it tonight.

Where some see narcissism and abuse, I see a family matriarch under tremendous pressure to serve and save the.whole.dang.town.

Was she always respectful and perfect? No. Was she straight up self-serving and evil? Also no. 

The message I got was we need to learn to accept ourselves and each other with our gifts AND our flaws. 🤷🏻‍♀️

That’s the thing about narcissism and abuse.  It *is* a response to trauma.  The abuser doesn’t have to be remotely evil.  They can feel tremendous pressure, stemming from their trauma, to save the whole town.  (The eldest daughter covert narcissist martyr is a totally a thing.)  But the resulting demands for exceptionalism and perfectionism can suffocate their kids.  I thought the depiction of Abuela was super realistic, right up to the magical epiphany.  My heart aches for the Abeulas of the world, and I wish a musical number and a magic wand could save them. 

[Carrie12345]

I only watched it once, but I’m obsessed with the two big songs. They’re just brilliant.

The movie itself… I think there are generational, cultural, and experiential differences at play.  Yes, I liked it. No, I don’t relate to everyone dissecting their own trauma.  And I don’t think I’m supposed to.

I found it difficult to pick up on The Who, what, and whys (autocorrect insists I’m trying to write about the band) of the town and family, which was a huge distraction for me, but  not enough for a re-watch.

All of the “what character do you identify with” annoys me. I know what I’m expected to say, as the eldest sister, but I rebelled against that role for the most part, and I think it disappoints my millennial baby sister that I don’t claim it, lol.

It was visually and musically beautiful. And I adore John Leguizamo. 

[Slache]

9 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

I only watched it once, but I’m obsessed with the two big songs. They’re just brilliant.

The movie itself… I think there are generational, cultural, and experiential differences at play.  Yes, I liked it. No, I don’t relate to everyone dissecting their own trauma.  And I don’t think I’m supposed to.

I found it difficult to pick up on The Who, what, and whys (autocorrect insists I’m trying to write about the band) of the town and family, which was a huge distraction for me, but  not enough for a re-watch.

All of the “what character do you identify with” annoys me. I know what I’m expected to say, as the eldest sister, but I rebelled against that role for the most part, and I think it disappoints my millennial baby sister that I don’t claim it, lol.

It was visually and musically beautiful. And I adore John Leguizamo. 

If you watch it again there are two married couples, two of the three original babies, and their clothes always match. Husband and wife are both blue or both yellow. Maribel has the two sisters, beauty and bronze, and the other 3 are siblings of the other original baby.

[katilac]

13 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

I know what I’m expected to say, as the eldest sister, but I rebelled against that role for the most part, and I think it disappoints my millennial baby sister that I don’t claim it, lol.

If you mean Luisa, she's actually the middle sister. 

[Carrie12345]

40 minutes ago, katilac said:

If you mean Luisa, she's actually the middle sister. 

Oh, interesting. I can use that in my argument, lol. 

[Sneezyone]

On 1/21/2022 at 11:15 PM, fraidycat said:

DH and I watched it tonight.

Where some see narcissism and abuse, I see a family matriarch under tremendous pressure to serve and save the.whole.dang.town.

Was she always respectful and perfect? No. Was she straight up self-serving and evil? Also no. 

The message I got was we need to learn to accept ourselves and each other with our gifts AND our flaws. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think it's one of those things where, if you come from a family where these patterns run deep, as I do, the references are obvious. What we were shown of the family was only part of the story, the public part. I have generations of traumatized matriarchs (who traumatized their kids) in my family but most of that abuse happened where no one ever saw. Were they under pressure to keep things together, yes. Were they self-serving, pursuing a goal/aim of their own making? Yes. And evil? Not in their minds but to those on the receiving end of criticism and expectations? Debatable. Scapegoats aren't always what they seem. Strong people have weak moments and need a break. Silent people are too often neglected. Perfect people tire of that role. In a narcissistic family, these roles are VERY clearly defined and hard to escape. I could tell you exactly who these people are in my family going back three generations with "Maribels" consistently becoming abusers themselves. It has nothing to do with birth order.

Still, the happy ending, while rushed, FELT GOOD. The idea that someone could change, that families can change, was comforting (if idealistic...b/c DISNEY). It's not the resolution most will ever get.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Pam in CT]

re arguably-simplistic/rushed endings to complex problems presenting as unrealistic but nonetheless FEELING GOOD

8 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

I think it's one of those things where, if you come from a family where these patterns run deep, as I do, the references are obvious. What we were shown of the family was only part of the story, the public part. I have generations of traumatized matriarchs (who traumatized their kids) in my family but most of that abuse happened where no one ever saw. Were they under pressure to keep things together, yes. Were they self-serving, pursuing a goal/aim of their own making? Yes. And evil? Not in their minds but to those on the receiving end of criticism and expectations? Debatable. Scapegoats aren't always what they seem. Strong people have weak moments and need a break. Silent people are too often neglected. Perfect people tire of that role. In a narcissistic family, these roles are VERY clearly defined and hard to escape. I could tell you exactly who these people are in my family going back three generations with "Maribels" consistently becoming abusers themselves. It has nothing to do with birth order.

Still, the happy ending, while rushed, FELT GOOD. The idea that someone could change, that families can change, was comforting (if idealistic...b/c DISNEY). It's not the resolution most will ever get.

And this is why I am a hopeless sucker for redemption stories, in film, in literature, in art, and

ever so rarely

but it happens

in life.