Encanto, which is set in Colombia, tells the story of the Madrigal family, who receive a miracle after having to flee their home. This miracle, a candle that never stops burning, not only protects the family from outside harm, but also gives each member a special gift. However, Mirabel, the main character of the film, never received a gift as a child. Her lack of a special gift leads her to feel as though her role in the family is inferior to that of her siblings and cousins, and so she often makes an effort to help, even though a lot of the time these efforts are not appreciated by her family members.

Throughout the film, Mirabel’s different family members and their gifts are explored, with each member having a role in supporting the family and the surrounding community. For example: Mirabel’s sister, Luisa, whose gift is having super strength, uses her ability to help the townspeople round up donkeys, as well as fix their homes. Mirabel’s mother uses her ability to heal people through her cooking. Other family members’ abilities include talking to animals, creating flowers, shapeshifting, having certain weather based on moods, hearing from far away, and having visions of the future.

The family members find their miracle and their abilities in danger when their house (which is also magical) begins to fall apart, with their gifts slowly disappearing. Mirabel takes matters into her own hands, despite her grandmother’s warnings to stop, and discovers a secret that ties into the true brokenness of her family and their strained relationship with Bruno, Mirabel’s Uncle. Bruno, who is able to have visions of the future, had left the family after being shunned for his less than desirable visions. 

Like any Disney animated film, there is a strong musical soundtrack, which has risen to number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. According to Billboard, Encanto’s soundtrack is the first to hit number one in two years, with Disney’s Frozen II sitting at the top for a week in 2019. “I loved the movie – it was a great story and had great music to go along with it,” junior Lauren Meyer said.

All eight songs in the track were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is well known for writing the Broadway award winning musical, Hamilton. Germaine Franco, an award winning composer who also worked on Disney’s Coco, created the music behind the hit songs. A few of the songs, including “Surface Pressure” and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” have gone viral on social media platforms, with people making videos related to the movie and its characters. “Overall it was super enjoyable and I’d recommend watching it if you have the chance,” Meyer said.