BY CHRISTOPHER STAMM
GUEST MOVIE REVIEWER
Encanto
Rated PG – for a moment or two that the little ones may find creepy
Encanto tells the story of the Madrigals, a family that has been granted magical powers ranging from super strength to the ability to see the future. All of them except, that is, Maribel – who is the goat of the family and looked down upon by the matriarch of the family, her grandmother.
Disney breaks no new ground here, folks. It is a bright, vibrant, somewhat-of-a-solid story. And, as always, Disney shows us once again that they are the masters of animation, not to mention one of the most prolific serial killers on the planet – since once again, they kill off a parent [the father, in this case, in the first five minutes of the movie]. Seriously, they smoke a parent or have killed one off-screen in most of their films. Go check! I am dead [haha] serious.
The film moves along at a brisk pace, only interrupted by a couple of very so-so songs, and runs only 1 hour 39 minutes, including a short film about a raccoon in the beginning, and stars pretty much nobody you have heard of doing the voice work.
There are a few messages sprinkled in along the way: strong on the outside can mean weak on the inside, a perfect life viewed from the outside isn’t always perfect, losers can be winners in their own right, etc., etc., but for the most part, it’s kinda just an OK movie.
The little ones will love it, though – make no mistake about that – but for adults, it’s pleasant enough, but it’s absolutely more for the youngsters.
Encanto gets three out of five stars because, as previously mentioned, the little ones will love it. And there is just, just enough there for the adults to keep from being bored, and the animation is spectacular.
As some of you may have heard, Stephen Sondheim passed away this past week. His works are countless, and he helped shape musical theatre for a generation. Rest in peace, sir, and thank you for everything.
One of his most famous works has been remade by Steven Spielberg and will open at the Cosmo on Dec. 10: West Side Story. See this one, folks, because everyone wants to be a Shark.