Encanto is a 2021 American animated musical fantasy comedy film directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, and written by Charise Castro Smith and Bush. Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, its original songs were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the original musical orchestral score, composed by Germaine Franco. The film stars the voices of Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, John Leguizamo, , Jessica Darrow, Angie Cepeda, Carolina Gaitán, Diane Guerrero, and Wilmer Valderrama. The film follows a multigenerational Colombian family, the Madrigals, led by a matriarch (Botero) whose children and grandchildren—except for Mirabel Madrigal (Beatriz)—receive magical gifts from a miracle, which they use to help the people in their rural community, called the Encanto. When Mirabel learns that the family is losing their magic, she sets out to find out why and save the family and house.
Encanto premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on November 3, 2021, and was released in the United States on November 24 over a 30-day theatrical run. It was also released in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, 2D and D-BOX formats. Despite underperformance at the box office, grossing $261.3 million worldwide against a $120–150 million budget, it was a ratings success after its release on Disney+ on December 24, 2021. The film received acclaim for its characterization, music, animation, voice acting, emotional depth, and cultural fidelity; reviews named magic realism and transgenerational trauma as the film's core concepts. Publications have described Encanto as a cultural phenomenon, and executives had begun referring to it as a "franchise" within a year of release. The film was nominated for three awards at the 94th Academy Awards, winning Best Animated Feature, and received numerous other accolades, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature and the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film.
The film's associated merchandise has seen significant success, and its soundtrack became a breakout sensation, reaching number one on the US Billboard 200 and UK Compilation Albums charts; "We Don't Talk About Bruno" and "Surface Pressure" were its two most successful songs, with the former topping both the US Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart for multiple consecutive weeks. A theme park attraction based on the film is set to open at Disney's Animal Kingdom in 2027.
Plot
An armed conflict forces young couple Pedro and Alma Madrigal to flee their home village in Colombia with their infant triplets, Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno. Pedro is killed, but the candle Alma carries gains a magical power that repels the attackers and creates Casita, a sentient house located in a magical realm bordered by mountains.
Fifty years later, a new village thrives under the candle's protection, which grants "gifts" to each Madrigal descendant when they turn five, which they use to serve the villagers. Bruno, who was vilified and scapegoated for his precognition, disappeared ten years earlier, and Julieta's youngest daughter, Mirabel, inexplicably did not receive a gift.
On his fifth birthday, Pepa's youngest son, Antonio, is granted the ability to communicate with animals. During the celebration, the Madrigals unwittingly exclude Mirabel from being in a family photo. Mirabel sees Casita cracking and the candle's flame flickering and alerts her family, but Casita repairs itself, causing disbelief in Mirabel. After overhearing Alma lament the candle's fading that night, Mirabel resolves to restore Casita's magic herself. Her older sister Luisa, who possesses superhuman strength, confesses to Mirabel that she feels overwhelmed by her constant obligation to help the villagers using her strength, which has been faltering. She suggests to Mirabel that Bruno's room, located inside a forbidden tower in Casita, may hold the secret to the fading magic.
Mirabel finds a cave in Bruno's room that holds pieces of his last vision made of opaque emerald. Alma and the family warn Mirabel not to investigate further, but she reassembles the pieces and sees herself with Casita cracking behind her. Mirabel's father Agustín accidentally discovers Mirabel and warns her to keep the vision a secret, but they are overheard by Pepa's daughter Dolores, who possesses supernatural hearing. Mirabel's oldest sister Isabela, who can make plants and flowers instantly grow at will, is scheduled to be engaged to the Madrigals' neighbor Mariano Guzmán. Amidst Mariano's proposal, an awkward dinner, and Dolores telling everyone about Mirabel's discovery, Casita begins to crack again, and everyone loses control of their gifts.
Mirabel follows rats carrying the pieces of the vision to a secret passage behind a portrait, where she finds Bruno, who reveals he never left Casita, and his visions alternate between Mirabel saving Casita and destroying it, leading him to believe she is the key to the fate of Casita's magic. Not wanting Mirabel to be hurt, he destroyed the vision and isolated himself. At Mirabel's insistence, Bruno conjures another vision that depicts Mirabel and Isabela, who have a strained relationship, hugging, which strengthens the candle.
Mirabel attempts to apologize to a frustrated Isabela, who confesses she is burdened by her image of perfection and does not want to marry Mariano. Mirabel helps Isabela use her powers more freely and they hug. Alma arrives and angrily blames Mirabel for causing the family's misfortunes out of spite for not having a gift. Mirabel gets into an argument with Alma's behavior and asserts that her harmful expectations for her family are the true cause of Casita dying, which horrifies Alma. In the ensuing argument, Casita is destroyed by the cracks as Mirabel tries to save the candle, which extinguishes in her hands, leaving the Madrigals powerless. Distraught and heartbroken, Mirabel runs away from home.
The next day, Alma finds Mirabel tearfully sitting beside the river where Pedro was killed by the soldiers and where the miracle had begun. Alma realizes that her obsession with preserving the magic made her oblivious to how her expectations and pressure were harming the family. She expresses remorse, reconciles with Mirabel, and reunites with Bruno. The three return to the village and assemble the other Madrigals to rebuild Casita, and the townspeople join in, restoring the family's gifts and reviving Casita. The Madrigals celebrate and take another family photo, this time including Mirabel and Bruno.
Voice cast Stephanie Beatriz as Mirabel Madrigal: Alma's youngest granddaughter, Bruno, Félix and Pepa's youngest niece, Luisa and Isabela's younger sister, Julieta and Agustín's youngest daughter, and Camilo, Antonio, and Dolores' cousin who, unlike her family, does not have a special gift. Director and co-writer Jared Bush described her as "imperfect and weird and quirky, but also deeply emotional and incredibly empathetic". Noemi Josefina Flores voices a 5-year-old Mirabel. María Cecilia Botero as "Abuela" Alma Madrigal: Mirabel's 75-year-old grandmother and the family matriarch. In the film, her full name is not given and she is simply called Abuela, which is grandmother in Spanish. Olga Merediz provides Abuela's singing voice. Botero reprises her role in the Spanish dub of the film, while Yaneth Waldman provides her singing voice in that version. John Leguizamo as Bruno Madrigal: Mirabel's 50-year-old ostracized uncle who has the ability to see and create visions of the future. Bruno also has two other personalities, Hernando and Jorge. Mauro Castillo as Félix Madrigal: Mirabel's uncle and Pepa's husband. Bush stated that Félix is "just there to have a good time!". Castillo reprises his role in the Spanish dub of the film. Jessica Darrow as Luisa Madrigal: Mirabel's older sister, who is 19, has superhuman strength and is the tallest of the family. Co-writer and co-director Charise Castro Smith described Luisa as someone who "[carries] all the burdens and never [complains]". Angie Cepeda as Julieta Madrigal: Mirabel's 50-year-old mother and Agustín's wife who can heal people with her cooking. Cepeda reprises her role in the Spanish and Italian dubs of the film. Carolina Gaitán as Pepa Madrigal: Mirabel's 50-year-old aunt and Félix's wife whose mood controls the weather. She often creates rain and storms due to her strong emotions. Gaitán reprises her role in the Spanish dub of the film. Diane Guerrero as Isabela Madrigal: Mirabel's oldest sister, who is 21 and can make flowers and other plants bloom anywhere. Director Byron Howard described her as "perfect" and "a success". Wilmer Valderrama as Agustín Madrigal: Mirabel's father and Julieta's husband whom Bush described as "accident-prone" as seen when he had different accidents revolving around him getting attacked by bees. Rhenzy Feliz as Camilo Madrigal: Pepa and Félix's older 15-year-old son, Dolores and Antonio's brother, and Mirabel's older cousin who can shapeshift. Castro Smith stated that Camilo is someone who "doesn't quite know who they are yet". Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Antonio Madrigal: Pepa and Félix's younger five-year-old son, Dolores and Camilo's brother, and Mirabel's younger cousin who gained the ability to talk to and understand the animals. He looks up to Mirabel and considers her a big sister. Adassa as Dolores Madrigal: Pepa and Félix's 21-year-old daughter, Camilo and Antonio's older sister, and Mirabel's oldest cousin who has superhuman hearing. Maluma as Mariano Guzman: Isabela's fiancé. Maluma reprises his role in the Spanish dub of the film.
Additionally, Rose Portillo voices Señora Guzman, Mariano's mother and the Madrigal family's neighbor; Alyssa Bella Candiani, Noemi Josefina Flores, Paisley Herrera, Brooklyn Skylar Rodriguez, and Ezra Rudulph voice the town kids; Juan Castano voices Osvaldo, a donkey delivery man who Bruno predicted would grow a gut, which came true; Sarah-Nicole Robles voices Señora Ozma, a townsperson who once asked Luisa to reroute the river; Hector Elias voices Old Arturo, a townsperson who asks Alma about their fellow townspeople becoming anxious about the fading magic; Alan Tudyk provides the vocal effects of Pico, a toucan whom Bush described as "clueless"; and animator Jorge E. Ruiz Cano voices the Tiple Maestro, an unseen tiple player.
Production
Development
During a November 2016 publicity tour for Moana, Miranda revealed that early-stage work had begun on an animated project that John Lasseter, then the chief creative officer of Disney Animation, had presented to him and Howard. Howard and Bush subsequently revealed that after finishing Zootopia (2016), they knew they wanted their next project to be a musical—which turned into a Latin American musical after Miranda came on board. Howard and Bush had already worked on buddy films "where two characters go out into the world and learn about each other" and wanted to try something "completely different". The three men discussed their common experience of having large extended families, and decided to make a musical film about a large extended family with a dozen main characters.
During the five years it took to develop the film, Howard and Bush's "true north" was the theme of perspective, "about how you see the other people in your family and how you're seen". They began by brainstorming ideas on a whiteboard. Early on, they made "three important discoveries" about families which became the basis of the film's story: "1) most of us don't feel truly seen by our families, 2) most of us carry burdens we never let our families see, and 3) most of us are oblivious that nearly all of us, especially within our own families, feel the exact same way". In turn, it was Miranda who suggested that the "vibrant, broad spectrum" of Latin American music could "best capture" the complexity of family relationships.