Credit: Disney
Disney fans have a lot of eagerly-anticipated movies and television shows to look forward to this holiday season.
From Marvel’s Eternals (2021) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), to Olaf Presents and Hawkeye streaming on Disney+, Disney has entertainment covered for families this Christmas.
And on November 24, 2021, we can look forward to Walt Disney Animation Studios’ next feature film, Encanto (2021). Now, the first reviews are in for this animated musical movie based in Colombia.
Disney’s 60th animated feature film will follow the story of Mirabel, a Colombian teenager who is the only member of her family who does not have any magical powers.
Encanto will follow Mirabel as she tries to navigate the world and save her family from danger. The film will feature music by Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda and the voices of Stephanie Beatriz, John Leguizamo, and Wilmer Valderrama.
The world premiere of the movie happened November 3 at Hollywood Boulevard’s El Capitan Theater, set on a purple carpet, with the Encanto voice cast and crew gathered for a magical Disney evening.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the cast and production team were meeting in person for the first time to celebrate the family, music, and culture of Colombia.
The initial reviews of the Disney animated movie are positive, with many of the critics calling the movie “stunning. Variety’s Clayton Davis writes:
#Encanto is magnificent! Afro-Latinos present, our culture alive, a story of ours told. Relates to anyone fighting to live up to expectations. Wept like a baby. The 60th Disney feature is one of their best. Loved it to bits. “Family weirdos get the worst rap.” Line of my life.
#Encanto is magnificent! Afro-Latinos present, our culture alive, a story of ours told. Relates to anyone fighting to live up to expectations. Wept like a baby. The 60th Disney feature is one of their best. Loved it to bits.
"Family weirdos get the worst rap." Line of my life. pic.twitter.com/pt1WdS6G3X
— Clayton Davis (@ByClaytonDavis) November 4, 2021
Journalist Courtney Howard celebrated the joy of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music, calling the movie a “marvel”:
#Encanto/@EncantoMovie is a joyful, jubilant ode to family with the perfect blend of heart & humor. Enchanting, hugely entertaining, awe-inducing & dazzling. A must-see magical marvel. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs will make you tap your feet & make tears fall.
#Encanto/ @EncantoMovie is a joyful, jubilant ode to family with the perfect blend of heart & humor. Enchanting, hugely entertaining, awe-inducing & dazzling. A must-see magical marvel. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs will make you tap your feet & make tears fall. pic.twitter.com/IILzBDj6ro
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) November 4, 2021
Michael Lee revealed what many other reviewers also mentioned – that this new Disney movie is a “tearjerker”:
#Encanto enchants w/ its beautiful Colombian cultural specificities, colorful visuals, and emotionally resonating themes of family. 60 films in, Disney still finds ways to captivate its audience with their animated musicals. This one is a real tearjerker but also such a joy!
#Encanto enchants w/ its beautiful Colombian cultural specificities, colorful visuals, and emotionally resonating themes of family. 60 films in, Disney still finds ways to captivate its audience with their animated musicals. This one is a real tearjerker but also such a joy! pic.twitter.com/b56JeTW6dF
— Michael Lee 🍥 (@IamMichaelJLee) November 4, 2021
While Andres Cabrera found the movie to simply be “stunning”:
Encanto is stunning! A colorful display of the visual and cultural wonder of Colombia. The film is filled with life, vibrant colors, lively music and memorable, charismatic characters. It warms my soul to see a Disney film celebrating Colombia. Que se escuche mi gente! #Encanto
Encanto is stunning! A colorful display of the visual and cultural wonder of Colombia. The film is filled with life, vibrant colors, lively music and memorable, charismatic characters. It warms my soul to see a Disney film celebrating Colombia. Que se escuche mi gente! #Encanto pic.twitter.com/mNQt11Bgg0
— Andres Cabrera (@SquadLeaderAce) November 4, 2021
We cannot wait to see Encanto this Thanksgiving with our own families, and now we know to definitely bring a box of tissues to the cinema!
Back in August, we reported that Disney is already preparing to bring some Encanto characters to life at Disney Parks. According to the official website for Disney Auditions, Disney was casting for a young woman to play Mirabel at the Disneyland Resort in California.
With these amazing initial reviews, let’s hope Mirabel gets lots of Park appearances in Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World in Florida this holiday season and beyond.
More on Encanto
The official site of the brand-new animated film by Disney reads:
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto” tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel (voice of Stephanie Beatriz). But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope.
Releasing on Nov. 24, 2021, the film features all-new songs by Emmy®, GRAMMY® and Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “Moana”) and is directed by Byron Howard (“Zootopia,” “Tangled”) and Jared Bush (co-director “Zootopia”), co-directed by Charise Castro Smith (writer “The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez”), and produced by Clark Spencer and Yvett Merino; Bush and Castro Smith are screenwriters on the film.
Are you excited about the release of Disney’s next animated movie? Let us know!