Disney’s Encanto - November 2021

[darthtoon]

Originally Posted by Farerb

The film was underwhelming and disappointing to me. Everything felt flimsy and superficial, I honestly don't understand how the director of Tangled and Zootopia came up with a film like this.

Not everything is bad, so I'll start with the good - I liked that the film didn't have an exposition dump like Raya and the Last Dragon did, it didn't weigh down the flow of the narrative. I thought Mirabel was very likeable and there were several moments that were very emotional and might make people cry - I think the good reviews are mainly because of these moments,

[Show spoiler]mainly Mirabel's ceremony and the "Dos Oruguitas" sequence

.

However, these moments don't really make up for everything else.

[Show spoiler]I thought the characters were extremely superficial and the relationship Mirabel has with them were underdeveloped, especially with her sisters

.

[Show spoiler]yes, we see Isabela being rude to her in the beginning, but that doesn't mean that these few moments define their relationship, I really wanted them to go deeper than that and maybe explore Isabela being a little bit resentful towards Mirabel for not having to deal with the burden of having powers. Both Luisa and Isabela were basically there just for their songs and then they went back to being background characters. I really don't care about any of their characters truthfully

.

Another issue I had with the ending:

[Show spoiler]I really didn't like that they got their powers back, they did a song where they say they can be as good without powers, but then they get it back, felt like cheating and it was not really earned, I'm guessing they did that in order to not close the door on a potential franchise: sequel or Disney+ series

.

And one more thing about the situation with WDAS - I think that it's very troubling that in 2016 they released not one, but two really great films and they really were on top of their game, both Zootopia and Moana really made me look forward to what the studio will do next, and yet all the 4 films they've released since then were not really good and pretty mediocre. Something I've felt for a long time is that WDAS has entered a new dark era, starting with Ralph Breaks the Internet, and yet no one realizes it because the reviews for for animated films have low standard these days so we get 90%+ for both Raya and the Last Dragon and Encanto (I think I know the reason why but I think it's best not to share it), but maybe that's just me, maybe I'm too old that I don't find these films engaging anymore (though that's not the case with Pixar). It's sad to say that I'm not really looking forward to any future projects from WDAS.

It is possible that they have a tighter schedule now, with movies and series for Disney Plus

[SilverFox84]

Originally Posted by brooks101189

[Show spoiler]Abuela Alma was a better character than Abuelita in Coco. That character was such a hate sink that it really dampened that film for me. She showed NO remorse for what she did, at least Triton in Little Mermaid was like "What Have I Done" when he destroyed Ariel's collection.

If you know anything about real Latino culture then you'd know Abuelita is far more accurate than whatever it is an Encanto. In Latino culture, when it comes to the kids, Mom's word is final, and there's no challenging it, if you do it just makes it worse. It really hit home with me from what i experienced growing up.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by Farerb

And one more thing about the situation with WDAS - I think that it's very troubling that in 2016 they released not one, but two really great films and they really were on top of their game, both Zootopia and Moana really made me look forward to what the studio will do next, and yet all the 4 films they've released since then were not really good and pretty mediocre. Something I've felt for a long time is that WDAS has entered a new dark era, starting with Ralph Breaks the Internet, and yet no one realizes it because the reviews for for animated films have low standard these days so we get 90%+ for both Raya and the Last Dragon and Encanto (I think I know the reason why but I think it's best not to share it), but maybe that's just me, maybe I'm too old that I don't find these films engaging anymore (though that's not the case with Pixar). It's sad to say that I'm not really looking forward to any future projects from WDAS.

To what extent (if any) do you think working remotely during the pandemic may be affecting the quality of their work? I also felt Encanto was a step down quality-wise.

[Farerb]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

To what extent (if any) do you think working remotely during the pandemic may be affecting the quality of their work? I also felt Encanto was a step down quality-wise.

They claimed they started working on this since 2016.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by Farerb

They claimed they started working on this since 2016.

Good point.

[SilverFox84]

Originally Posted by Farerb

And one more thing about the situation with WDAS - I think that it's very troubling that in 2016 they released not one, but two really great films and they really were on top of their game, both Zootopia and Moana really made me look forward to what the studio will do next, and yet all the 4 films they've released since then were not really good and pretty mediocre. Something I've felt for a long time is that WDAS has entered a new dark era, starting with Ralph Breaks the Internet, and yet no one realizes it because the reviews for for animated films have low standard these days so we get 90%+ for both Raya and the Last Dragon and Encanto (I think I know the reason why but I think it's best not to share it), but maybe that's just me, maybe I'm too old that I don't find these films engaging anymore (though that's not the case with Pixar). It's sad to say that I'm not really looking forward to any future projects from WDAS.

Ralph Breaks the Internet wasn't great and gets worse every watch, Raya and the Last Dragon was average at best but unoffensive. I really don't understand when Zootopia got released they didn't start work on Zootopia 2 right, everyone I know loves that movie and its characters and you can do so much with that world they created. That movie is begging for a franchise and people want more than just lame Frozen sequels and shorts that they crap out every year, yes it's a huge moneymaker but it's just so creatively bankrupt

[Farerb]

Originally Posted by SilverFox84

Ralph Breaks the Internet wasn't great and gets worse every watch, Raya and the Last Dragon was average at best but unoffensive. I really don't understand when Zootopia got released they didn't start work on Zootopia 2 right, everyone I know loves that movie and its characters and you can do so much with that world they created. That movie is begging for a franchise and people want more than just lame Frozen sequels and shorts that they crap out every year, yes it's a huge moneymaker but it's just so creatively bankrupt

No, they didn't work on Zootopia 2, they worked on Encanto instead, maybe now that they are done with Encanto, they can start working on Zootopia 2. Zootopia is going to get a short form series on Disney+ next year, basically a collection of shorts about the various residents of Zootopia.

[Kevinicus]

Originally Posted by Farerb

The film was underwhelming and disappointing to me. Everything felt flimsy and superficial, I honestly don't understand how the director of Tangled and Zootopia came up with a film like this.

Not everything is bad, so I'll start with the good - I liked that the film didn't have an exposition dump like Raya and the Last Dragon did, it didn't weigh down the flow of the narrative. I thought Mirabel was very likeable and there were several moments that were very emotional and might make people cry - I think the good reviews are mainly because of these moments,

[Show spoiler]mainly Mirabel's ceremony and the "Dos Oruguitas" sequence

.

However, these moments don't really make up for everything else.

[Show spoiler]I thought the characters were extremely superficial and the relationship Mirabel has with them were underdeveloped, especially with her sisters

.

[Show spoiler]yes, we see Isabela being rude to her in the beginning, but that doesn't mean that these few moments define their relationship, I really wanted them to go deeper than that and maybe explore Isabela being a little bit resentful towards Mirabel for not having to deal with the burden of having powers. Both Luisa and Isabela were basically there just for their songs and then they went back to being background characters. I really don't care about any of their characters truthfully

.

Another issue I had with the ending:

[Show spoiler]I really didn't like that they got their powers back, they did a song where they say they can be as good without powers, but then they get it back, felt like cheating and it was not really earned, I'm guessing they did that in order to not close the door on a potential franchise: sequel or Disney+ series

.

And one more thing about the situation with WDAS - I think that it's very troubling that in 2016 they released not one, but two really great films and they really were on top of their game, both Zootopia and Moana really made me look forward to what the studio will do next, and yet all the 4 films they've released since then were not really good and pretty mediocre. Something I've felt for a long time is that WDAS has entered a new dark era, starting with Ralph Breaks the Internet, and yet no one realizes it because the reviews for for animated films have low standard these days so we get 90%+ for both Raya and the Last Dragon and Encanto (I think I know the reason why but I think it's best not to share it), but maybe that's just me, maybe I'm too old that I don't find these films engaging anymore (though that's not the case with Pixar). It's sad to say that I'm not really looking forward to any future projects from WDAS.

Funny. I pretty much agree with you about Encanto, but disagree with you on the rest (really enjoyed Raya, really disliked Zootopia, and Ralph...well, maybe not full disagreement as that was a huge step down from the first one).

This one would have been much better without the songs, but it really was superficial.

[Farerb]

Originally Posted by Kevinicus

Funny. I pretty much agree with you about Encanto, but disagree with you on the rest (really enjoyed Raya, really disliked Zootopia, and Ralph...well, maybe not full disagreement as that was a huge step down from the first one).

This one would have been much better without the songs, but it really was superficial.

I think Zootopia is a bit overrated but at least it worked as a film compared to this. What did you dislike about it?

[recS-12]

Heading to see this tomorrow w/my 2 sons. This will be the 1st flick I’ve seen w/the least amount of knowledge and preview watching prior to showtime. Hoping for the best!

[limevista2]

I thought this was very sweet. I enjoyed the visuals, songs and storyline.

[blakstealth]

Watched this yesterday. I really enjoyed it. Finally, we get some protganist-with-glasses representation with Mirabel. I enjoyed the songs, the visuals (WDAS has definitely caught up with with Pixar in that regard), and the the overall narrative. It didn't really reach an epic climax; but for the story the movie tells and how small-scale it is, I'm okay with that. I'm not Colombian and have nothing to do with the culture, but I can definitely relate to the family themes going on. I think I'll watch it again.

[El Rey]

Originally Posted by SimonP

Really enjoyed this. I don't think it did -quite- enough to join the A-Tier Disney films, but I'd still rate it a very high B-Tier. To me it felt like a film that does a lot of things very well, but didn't quite hit the highest notes that separate the very best from just the very good Disney films. That's probably how I'd rate the songs/music too; very good, but not sure there were any that really stood out as contenders for the most iconic Disney songs. Will be giving the album a good listen though.


Film looked fantastic, can't wait to see this at home in HDR.

yeah I think that summed it up for me, I enjoyed it but it felt B level

and yes the animation when they were at the river was gorgeous

[Farerb]

Originally Posted by blakstealth

Finally, we get some protganist-with-glasses representation with Mirabel.

It's been the case for a while now and it seems that it's going to continue:

[Farerb]

Encanto took in $40.3 million at the US box office this Thanksgiving weekend, totaling $69.6 million at the global box office.

[recS-12]

My sons and I saw this yesterday. Our local AMC was about 40-45% full for a matinee. We enjoyed it, the songs were catchy and upbeat. The contrasting colors were amazing, this should look gorgeous on 4K UHD. I’d say I enjoyed Luca (8/10) just a tad bit more than this. I’d rate this a solid 7/10. and I gave 3 stars in Leo’s poll, only cuz I couldn’t give 3.5 stars

[Leonidas King]

Poll added.

[blakstealth]

Originally Posted by Farerb

It's been the case for a while now and it seems that it's going to continue:

Sorry, I forgot to specify for Disney specifically. I'm ashamed for forgetting about Katie

[brooks101189]

What makes this film and its song particularly stand out is the staging of the songs. They're not really stationary, they're constantly animated and moving. They're "action sequences" in and of themselves and they're divine.

Surface Pressure and We Don't Talk About Bruno are some of Disney's best songs. It really does feel like Lin Manuel Miranda had more control over this film than he had with Moana's music.

[Farerb]

Originally Posted by brooks101189

It really does feel like Lin Manuel Miranda had more control over this film than he had with Moana's music.

He did. He was the last member added to Moana and he probably had to follow the musical style that was set by Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa'i. He also had no contribution to Moana's story, here he did.