mini morp

Encanto was a beautiful multi-faceted movie that kept me on my toes with its layered plot and multiple twists. I really enjoyed every new surprise that kept me guessing as to how things might end up or what might have been going on behind the scenes to threaten the miracle. At the end of the day, it ended up being a genuinely heartbreaking movie about generational trauma and the pressure it can put on kids. In particular I was moved by the dichotomy between Luisa and Mirabel, in which Mirabel feels unable to help for her lack of a gift while Luisa feels trapped by the burden of her own immense utility. Frankly, the only thing keeping this film from earning a true five stars is the weird and incredibly vague subplot about Mirabel's deranged cousin. I'm not totally sure where that came from but kept waiting for some kind of resolution throughout the movie, or even possibly an explanation as to why you sometimes see smoldering wreckage and incinerated remains, or otherwise some kind of retribution for the nuclear heat vision armed maniac loose in the town. It kind of seems like an afterthought, or perhaps a possible antagonist figure that was partially written out and then just left in the movie for unknown reasons. The movie was incredible don't get me wrong, I just think maybe it went a tad too far to just casually imply that Mirabel's cousin did 9/11 and also possibly incinerated jfk for no particular reason. My favorite character was Bruno. I liked when he did the little television segment with his rats in the wall.