Parents' Guide to

Encanto

Movie PG 2021 99 minutes
Encanto Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Sandie Angulo Chen By Sandie Angulo Chen , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 6+

Vibrant visuals, catchy songs, moving messages.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 6+?

Any Positive Content?

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Parent and Kid Reviews

age 5+

Based on 135 parent reviews

age 6+

This film is everything. Truly.

This movie… WOW. As a mental health professional, survivor of deep generational trauma and a mother, this movie is everything. I hadn’t heard of it until my 6 year old son watched it in school and encouraged me to watch it with him. We’ve seen it 4 times now. It’s opened the door for us to have age appropriate discussions of self love, worthiness and forgiveness. Disney has really come a long way.. they have produced some truly revolutionary films in the past 6-7 years and I am here for it! The animation and film score are both phenomenal as well. We have been listening to the soundtrack for a month straight and can’t get enough!
age 6+

It was hard for my 4 yr old granddaughter to follow, to much singing, not easy story line. If it was not for all the movment I would have left with my granddaughter. She asked to leave 3 times, but I kept hoping it would get better

Only go if your kids can follow story line, kind of confusing. I would not take children younger than 5. To much singing and very hard story line...loved Coco, was hoping for same, I'm very disappointed in the story line. Being Latina I so hoped much better in the story line...I give this movie a 3 and that's only for the wonderful colors in this movie.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (135 ):
Kids say (257 ):

Disney's delightful animated musical is a tribute to Colombian culture, magical realism, and the power of multigenerational families. Encanto works on multiple levels. It's a kid-friendly musical with a magical house and relatives, most of them teens and tweens. Main character Mirabel is lovable and loyal, but also the family's beloved but underappreciated underdog, which makes her easy to cheer for and relate to as she tries to prove she's worthy of the family name. Deeper still, the movie's thematic elements are an homage to magical realism, the literary genre that legendary late Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez was famous for elevating, with magical golden butterflies reminding viewers of migration, change, and hope. Beatriz is terrific as Mirabel, and the cast of Colombian actors and singers does a great job with the Germaine Franco-composed/Lin-Manuel Miranda-penned songs, particularly "The Family Madrigal," "We Don't Talk About Bruno," and "All of You." Colombian superstars Carlos Vives and Sebastián Yatra are also prominent on the authentic, cumbia-infused soundtrack (listen for the accordion and percussion!). The movie's attention to cultural detail also includes traditional dress (the embroidered, ruffled tops and skirts and the black-and-white cane hats are iconic) and the making of typical foods like the healing arepas that Mirabel's mami (Angie Cepeda) feeds family and villagers.

Beyond the cultural sensitivity (and it should be noted that, behind the scenes, none of the writer-directors -- Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Charise Castro Smith -- are Colombian), this is a funny and deeper-than-it-looks family adventure. Audiences will laugh aloud at the animal cameos (Tio Bruno's pet rats are especially entertaining) and the chorus of three village kids who pop up at various key moments for comic relief. They'll also sing along to Miranda's toe-tapping choruses "We don't talk about Bruno-no-no-no" and the Anna-and-Elsa-like duets between Mirabel and each of her two sisters -- big-and-strong Luisa (Jessica Darrow) and perfect-and-pretty Isabela (Diane Guerrero). It's a joy to watch Mirabel bravely protect her family and her town. There's also a simmering truth to the idea that people are much more than what they initially seem. Everyone has gifts and strengths, whether they're obvious or subtle, and what's meaningful is how people use them.

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