Decades Project: 2020s Movie–Encanto

This was our favorite kids movie of 2022. It actually came out at the end of 2021, but like I said back then, we watched it like a hundred times over the next few months. Aside from having an amazing soundtrack, the movie is so good. 

One of the things I love about the movie is that there is no villain. Instead, the movie deals with the generational trauma of being displaced. It is not an evil step-mom who is cruel, but instead the grandmother who pushes her family out of love, and desire to prove their worth to the community (and maybe a little desire to protect the community as well). She does not realize how much each of the family members need to explore themselves. 

I also love that Mirabel never receives a gift (I suppose that is a kind of a spoiler, but who hasn’t seen this movie?). Her family is her gift. Also, this will be a bit random, but I have always wondered if her gift is the house itself. The house has crazy magical properties, but do we ever see anyone else in the house interacting with the house? I do not believe anyone else ever speaks to Casita and receives an answer. Just an interesting thought.

This is probably one of the movies from the 2020s that has the biggest cultural impact. It instantly became a Disney classic. Up there with Frozen and a few other Disney films that will be watched for years to come by all kids. Plus, who doesn’t love singing “we don’t talk about Bruno…”