By Britt Cannon, Illustration: Neto Junior, Collider, February 12, 2022
Disney is no stranger to exploring some heavier aspects of life. Many of their releases from the last couple of decades have reputations for being tear-jerkers. More recently, films like Tangled, Inside Out, and Soulunpack emotional abuse, gaslighting, trauma, and even consciousness and death. Encantois another incredible addition to a long line of animated features that carry a deeper message.
Encanto is receiving rave reviews, and it seems to be appealing to adults as much as it is to kids. The message of familial generational trauma is striking a major chord for people across all demographics. The story chronicles the Madrigal family’s journey of escaping from their hometown in Colombia, which results in the sacrifice of the life of their patriarch Pedro. His love surrounds his family in a protection spell, creating a beautiful and abundant magical realm for them to live in. The magic also endows each of his children and subsequently their children with supernatural gifts, which are meant to be used to serve the community of townspeople that escaped with them. This puts pressure on Alma (María Cecilia Botero), the matriarch of the family who, in turn, pressures her children and grandchildren to live up to the legacy bestowed upon them. The co-occurrence of systemic trauma and generational trauma, the pressure that comes from living up to impossible expectations, and the conclusion that the characters are worth more than their gifts are what makes Encanto a captivating story and a very resonant and healing piece of art.
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