Encanto

 Now that I've reviewed one Lin-Manuel Miranda animated musical, it's time to review the other. This is Disney's 60th animated movie, Encanto.

The Family Madrigal lives in the community of Encanto in the Colombian mountains. Their Abuela, Alma (María Cecilia Botero), created the Encanto with a magic candle that also created a living Casita. The candle also gives the Madrigals superpowers (strength, growing flowers, heals with meals, etc), as well as a magical matching bedroom. But not Alma's youngest granddaughter, Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), for some reason.

One night, Mirabel starts seeing the Casita crack apart. The never-extinguishable magic candle is slowly extinguishing. Even her relatives' abilities start to falter. No one but her recognizes that something is seriously wrong. She decides to get to the bottom of this by investigating her reclusive prophesizing uncle Bruno's room. She finds herself at the center of Bruno's (John Leguizamo) prophesies. Then she finds the man himself...

Miranda and directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush are among the six names responsible for the screen story. Bush and Charise Castro Smith wrote the actual screenplay. It formally starts with Mirabel giving a quick rundown of The Family Madrigal (twice, even!). Mirabel's quest lets the plot slowly showcase her extended family members. It's a slow plot livened by the looming threat of Casita cracking. The story doesn't bother explaining why Mirabel doesn't have a super power. It's as if it's saying "does she need one?" It doesn't spell out why the Casita's falling apart, though by the time Mirabel and Alma have a third-act fight, you'll get it.

I'll take my time to rundown on (some of) The Family Madrigal. Mirabel is funny and nice, which makes her a good protagonist. One of her best scenes is when she talks it out with her oldest sister, Isabela (Diane Guerrero), the aforementioned flower grower, which helps the latter cut loose and be happy. Luisa (Jessica Darrow), Mirabel's super strong older sister, expresses her Surface Pressure in the catchy same-titled song. Bruno is the family pariah, with a surprisingly entertaining song to spell that out, but he's anything but creepy when we meet him. Aunt Pepa (Carolina Gaitán), who changes the weather with her mood, is a nervous wreck, which isn't completely played for laughs. Finally, Alma, despite her "perfect" standards for her family, is a warm presence here. Her worst side comes in the third-act fight.

What can I say about Miranda's music? It's another good soundtrack. The Family Madrigal's double exposition is played for laughs, while the slow Dos Orugitas underscores a sad flashback. They all serve their purpose pretty well, as does Germaine Franco's instrumental score. The visuals they accompany include the splendid Casita, the surrounding village and the splendorous magical bedrooms. The character designers get points for designing people of every shape and color. Overall, it's another great film to look and listen to.

I didn't find Encanto as emotional as Coco or Vivo. But it's still a good movie about family togetherness. Its slow and steady story helps its Aesop develop naturally instead of bluntly. That's a great feat of storytelling many family films should copy. Its most emotional part is its opening short, Far from the Tree, a multigenerational story of a racoon and cub. It's a strong cartoon for parents and kids alike and a great lead-in for 99 minutes of a unique family story.