Disney’s Encanto - November 2021

[Poya]

"We Don't Talk About Bruno" overtakes "Let It Go" as the biggest Disney song of the century.

[blakstealth]

Originally Posted by Poya

"We Don't Talk About Bruno" overtakes "Let It Go" as the biggest Disney song of the century.

I'm cool with this. I liked Let It Go, but Bruno is banger.

[Gamma_Winstead]

Wow this is one of the blandest movies I've seen in a long time. Pretty much everything happens exactly as you'd expect just knowing what the different characters can do and what the basic premise is. I was never surprised or enthralled, just twiddling my thumbs hoping something interesting would happen.

Also, many songs were way beyond the singers capabilities. Specifically the lead. Her voice wasn't near powerful enough for what was written for her, and neither were several other characters. Not sure how much the pandemic played into the production but there was a large disconnect in certain aspects. The music for one, but other parts too. Like overly animated characters delivering flatly delivered lines by the actors, or vice versa.

Just... oof. Wreck it Ralph 2 is easily the worst of the modern era, but this is only one spot above it. Definitely not bad the way ralph 2 is, but I can't see myself watching it ever again, nor will I remember much about it a year from now.

[BluBonnet]

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Poya

"We Don't Talk About Bruno" overtakes "Let It Go" as the biggest Disney song of the century.

Seriously?

[Farerb]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Disney animation used to have no problem at all with frightening children, going all the way back to Snow White

So what did you think of the movie?

[avs commenter]

It's funny how this movie was a complete afterthought when it debuted in theaters but became a huge hit after it hit streaming

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Farerb

So what did you think of the movie?

I have a lot of thoughts on the film...will have to break them up.

For starters, when I first see an animated film, I'm so focused on the animation -- the actual motion of the characters or in some cases, the lack of -- the story doesn't connect. I have to watch the same film twice for me to really appreciate it as a film.

So, I've seen Encanto once and I need to see Raya as soon as possible to grasp a quality of movement in Encanto. You see, when I watched the film, I was reminded of an anecdote that hails all the way back to the premiere of Pinocchio. The famous W. C. Fields was in attendance, and during Stromboli's brief scene, Fields was overheard saying, "He moves too much." What was a criticism of Tytla's animation was in a way, a triumph. Stromboli's movement, his acting through Tytla's pencils, was enthusiastically large and demonstrative and it stood out against the more reserved motion caricature seen in the rest of the film. It was "cartoony". Here's W. C. Fields complaining Tytla's acting was too broad -- in a cartoon! That's a breakthrough...animation -- the acting -- getting held to a higher standard.

Now flash ahead to 1986 and a different film, The Great Mouse Detective. Basil moves quickly from darting pose to pose in contrast to the other characters to illustrate how quickly his brain is working. It's a charming bit of animation that uses motion to illustrate the interior life and personality of the character.

You see, nothing in the animal world moves for no reason. Something inside or outside motivates action and movement. Economy of movement is more "real" and gives focus as to why a character is moving at all.

So...Encanto. This is going to sound like a criticism, when it isn't. It's an observation. These characters move. A lot. Very rapid-fire pose-to-pose motion which fits the rat-a-tat-tat songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, but I suspect these gifted individuals would all be exhausted by noon. I can see the justification for this, that the off-spring are under such internal pressure to make the matriarch proud, it's coming out in their behavior. That's my read on it, anyway. The staging follows suit, with whirling, sometimes dizzying camera shots and quick editing (even the house moves).

Anyway, I need to see it again...just some first impressions. Also need to see Raya...but I enjoyed Encanto, and was even quite moved by it. More later...

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

It's funny how this movie was a complete afterthought when it debuted in theaters but became a huge hit after it hit streaming

There wasn't a whole lot of marketing for it. Like The Emperor's New Groove, it found an audience on home video...it did well enough in Covid America 2021. Better than some films from Eisner's final years.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

It's funny how this movie was a complete afterthought when it debuted in theaters but became a huge hit after it hit streaming

The theatrical window was pretty short, a lot of people knew they could just watch it on D+ if they just waited a few weeks.

[Blu-ray monster]

I loved encanto except he ending, the flashback was obviously meant to be earlier in the film and it was obviously meant to end with meribel walking away. The happy ending was obviously executive meddling. Also I was not a big fan the opening song. Without the ending and the amazing madrigals song this would be the best Disney film ever for sure.

The thing that makes the rest of this film so great is that so many things are left up to interpretation, I watched this In school at first and everyone in the class interpreted it differently. Some thought that it was the story of a family breaking apart, some thought that it the story of a teenage girl slowly being driven insane and slowly becoming more twisted and evil.

Me and one of my best friends agreed that it was a morally ambiguous story about denial, and distrust. Me and my friend also agreed that meribel got a gift, the gift of destruction. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the cracks appeared when she got emotionally charged. She wanted to destroy the magic, she didn’t know it, but when anyone is emotional they can find wish things upon things and people that they wouldn’t otherwise. When she got her gift the door disappeared, it was completely destroyed, there has to be a reason for that. But as I said this is just my interpretation.

If the ending and opening song were removed this would be the fourth best animated film ever only behind only yesterday, grave of the fireflies, and the wind rises.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Blu-ray monster

If the ending and opening song were removed this would be the fourth best animated film ever only behind only yesterday, grave of the fireflies, and the wind rises.

Interpretation aside...as an animation admirer, these are more in my wheelhouse...

Some Favorite Moments of Animation...Not Art Direction, Animation

[Blu-ray monster]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Interpretation aside...as an animation admirer, these are more in my wheelhouse...

Some Favorite Moments of Animation...Not Art Direction, Animation

What films are the final one, the one with the woman hugging the tree, and the one with the plants from?

Edit: also the one with the tiger

[Foggy]

The tiger is Jungle Book. The one with the plants is The Wall.

No idea what that woman one is.

[Blu-ray monster]

Originally Posted by Foggy

The tiger is Jungle Book. The one with the plants is The Wall.

No idea what that woman one is.

And the final one with the fox and the bear?

[Farerb]

Originally Posted by Blu-ray monster

And the final one with the fox and the bear?

The Fox and the Hound.

[Hardback247]

Originally Posted by Foggy

No idea what that woman one is.

The Dover Boys

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Hardback247

The Dover Boys

The smearing technique in "The Dover Boys" is hot fun. Very beloved short among animators. As for Shere Khan, Milt Kahl was so skilled by that point, he did all his scenes without using any motion reference...and the stripes alone must have been a migraine.

[Farerb]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Interpretation aside...as an animation admirer, these are more in my wheelhouse...

Some Favorite Moments of Animation...Not Art Direction, Animation

[Show spoiler]

This actually makes me sad. Animated films are so unimaginative nowadays.

[Monterey Jack]

Originally Posted by Blu-ray monster

What films are the final one, the one with the woman hugging the tree, and the one with the plants from?

Edit: also the one with the tiger

Stop quoting image/GIF-heavy posts without a spoiler tag.