Review of Encanto (from a religious perspective)

If you are like my family, then you also love the new Disney movie, Encanto! If you haven’t seen it yet, then I highly recommend it (if you don’t want spoilers, then save this article for later!).

We were listening to the soundtrack on the way home from dropping my son off at school and now the younger three are watching it for the 100th time until it’s time to pick him up again. While we were listening to the soundtrack, I was thinking about the movie and how a lot of it relates to our faith.

There is a lot of symbolism I can draw from the movie that matches our faith and from that, lessons that we can learn from Encanto in order to better live out our faith.

Lessons we can learn from Encanto

Abuelo’s Sacrifice

Who else almost cried when watching the backstory of how Abuelo sacrificed himself for his friends and family? He is a key part of the story. It was his sacrifice that brought the miracle of the candle to the Madrigal family. He sacrificed himself out of love so that his family and community could have a chance at a better life. Does that story sound familiar?

Jesus sacrificed himself for us so that we can have eternal life. His death and resurrection are a miracle for us because now we have a chance to go to heaven. We each have a light in us that shines forth His love, and are blessed with gifts to help it shine brighter and spread to others. It is up to us to keep the light burning.

But don’t worry. Even if the candle goes out for a bit like it did for the Madrigal family, it is never too late to rebuild your faith and light it again.

Use your gifts

Most of the Madrigal family are blessed with special gifts, such as healing powers, strength, foresight, even creating flowers. Instead of keeping their gifts for themselves, they take the opportunity to help their community and use their gifts for good.

How can we apply this lesson as faithful servants of God? Did you know that you are blessed with gifts from God? They are called charisms. We each are called to use our talents God blessed us with for good. For example, maybe God gave you the gift of music. Are you using that gift to glorify God? You can volunteer to sing at nursing homes, join the choir at church, or help out as a liturgical musician. Even if you are not in a place in your life where you can easily do these things, you can sing the songs when you are at church, or sing to your kids at home!

Everyone has a gift- whether or not it is obvious

Mirabel struggles in the movie because she is the only one of the grandkids that did not get blessed with a gift. Or so she thinks. As we watch the movie, it becomes apparent that Mirabel’s gift is being there for her family and helping them get back together. She is a listening ear for her sisters and her compassion shows them that it is ok if they aren’t “perfect.”

Mirabel is the glue that keeps the family together and the one that reminds them of what truly matters in life. Her gift was not apparent to her, and she didn’t feel special like her siblings and cousins. But throughout the movie her parents keep telling her that she is perfect just the way she is. At the end of the movie, her family makes her a door knob, and it is when she inserts it into the door of their rebuilt home that the magic returns! She and her whole family are in the picture on the door. She had a gift all along.

Your gift from God might not be obvious, but you have one! God made you just the way you are for a reason.

Let’s talk about Bruno

Poor Bruno gets stuck with a bad reputation due to his gift of vision of future events. People go to him to get questions about their future answered, but turn against him when they don’t like what he sees. How does this relate to our faith?

Have you ever prayed to God for something, but got an answer to a prayer you didn’t expect? Or maybe you didn’t get any answer. Did you get angry at God? Did you turn on Him? Or did you place your trust in Him and His plan?

Bruno saw the vision of Mirabel and the broken casita. He knew how it would look to everyone and decided to protect Mirabel. Mirabel found the vision and went to Bruno and encouraged him to take another look at the future so that she can figure out what to do. She didn’t get angry at Bruno for the vision, but accepted it and decided to see how it would turn out. She embraced her role in the family in the end.

Do we embrace God’s plan for us? Or get angry and try to keep our own plans?

Can you hear me?

Dolores is Mirabel’s cousin who got gifted with the ability to hear everything. She can hear conversations going on behind closed doors. At the end of the movie when it was revealed to the family that Bruno never disappeared and was hiding in the house the whole time, she commented that she knew he was there because she could hear him.

Even if you think that God is not there, he is always listening to our prayers and hears us. Don’t stop praying! His plan might just look different than what you are asking for.

Mental Health Matters!

One of the reasons I love this movie is because they emphasize the importance of mental health. Luisa sings a song about pressure (I love this one!). The whole family feels pressure to be perfect and use their gifts to the best of their ability. This is in part due to Abuela’s expectations and past trauma. She lost her husband in a tragic way, but because of his sacrifice, received the miracle of the candle, a safe home, and a second chance of life for her, her kids, and her community. She tries so hard to keep the miracle alive and becomes focused on work and preserving that miracle, that she forgets the meaning behind it. She and the rest of the Madrigal family try so hard to be perfect to help others and put them first, that they don’t realize they themselves are broken and need to heal.

Think of the song at the end, “The stars don’t shine, they burn.” The Madrigal family burned out from the constant pressure overload and living up to impossible expectations placed on them.

If you are constantly stressed about being “perfect”, whether it is getting enough traffic on your sight, having a clean home, or setting impossible goals for yourself, you will burn out. Everyone needs a break to mentally and physically relax and remember the purpose of why you are using your gifts in the first place. At the very end of the movie, Luisa helps to lift a heavy pot onto a table, and then gets launched onto a hammock and given a drink so she can relax.

The Miracle is you

Abuela was so focused on work and keeping the miracle alive that she lost focus on what the actual miracle was for. Who else has let anxiety and fear get the best of themselves? I know I have. But at the end of the movie, Mirabel helps her see what was happening in their family. Abuela then says one of my favorite lines in the movie, “The miracle is you.” God created each of us, just the way we are. You are precious to Him. Never forget that.

Community Matters

At the end of the movie when the Madrigal family lost their house and their gifts, the village comes together to help them in their time of need. Community is so important! I have found that God reveals himself to me through others and the kind acts that have shown me and my family. The Church is a family and we are called to be there for each other.

Review

Encanto, while labeled a kids movie, is a wonderful movie for the whole family. It displays many important lessons on family values, mental health, and self sacrifice. It has a very catchy soundtrack that your whole family will dance to and get stuck in their heads for days. Just be prepared to watch it over and over again.

What else would you add to this list? Comment below!