Despite the beautiful colors, imagery, and catchy songs, there are some fans on Reddit with unpopular opinions on Disney's latest film, Encanto.
In November 2021, Disney+ released its newest computer-animated film, Encanto. The story and the imagery are magical and wonderous as viewers follow Mirabel and the Madrigal family on an adventure to save their Casita and the mystical powers they possess.
Although most Disney projects are gold, Encanto has mixed reviews from fans. As eye-catching and upbeat as the movie is, there are a few unanswered questions, theories, and dropped storylines that the movie never covered. Some felt that the movie should have been longer to flesh out the characters and storylines that were untouched. Fans continued writing some unpopular opinions on Reddit where they felt the movie went wrong or could have done better.
Encanto has upbeat and catchy musical numbers throughout the film. The popular opinion is how much fans of the movie love the songs and can't get them out of their heads. "We Don't Talk About Bruno" is one song that's incredibly memorable for fans.
However, MakinBaconPancakezz hated that Louisa's song ("Under the Surface"), in particular, "sounded like a pop song." Saliners countered that they actually liked the song but hated the dance moves. "I love her song but it made me cringe really hard the way she danced to it," they said. They continued, "She’s like popping and locking it was so weird and created such a dissonance between her words and her choreography."
Viewers learn in the opening sequence that the Madrigal family has powers (gifts) that were gifted to them on behalf of the magical candle that Alma Madrigal possesses. However, when the magical candle's flame starts to die, Casita goes on the fritz and the Madrigal family loses their powers.
At the end of the movie, Mirabel saves the day and everyone's powers are restored, but Fra080389 wished it was different. They told Reddit, "They should lose their gifts and open up to the world." This could be viewed as unpopular because the family never closed themselves off to the town because of their powers. And without the family's powers, there wouldn't be much of a movie.
The characters in Encanto are all likable in their own way. They have flaws beneath the surface, yes, but it makes them relatable for viewers. Aside from Mirabel, she has her parents, her Abuela, her aunt Pepa, her uncle Bruno, two sisters, and three cousins. The entire family lives in the Casita as a unit.
As colorful as the large family dynamic is, KianaRazor thinks there were too many characters. "There are too many characters and they feel shallow -- like you don't really get to know them except from Abuela and maybe Bruno," they wrote. While the movie could have fleshed the characters out more, the popular opinion is that they loved the large family unit as it coincides with families within the Latin American culture.
According to Animation Magazine, Encanto topped the box office charts with $194,840,032 worldwide. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film scored high with a 93% audience score, proving that viewers enjoyed what they saw. The character details were eye-catching and the plot was interesting. However, there are still unpopular opinions that the movie "wasn't that good."
SleepyJoeBidet told Reddit, "It sucked. I couldn't even finish it. The music read awful. And the constant whining about having to look perfect was annoying."
As the protagonist, Mirabel does everything she can for the family because there's a small part of her that knows she doesn't have any gifts and feels the need to over-contribute to make a difference. Some could say that Mirabel's a Saggitarius on the Zodiac because of her eagerness to help her loved ones.
Big_Hentai_Rat, however, viewed Mirabel as a "people pleaser" and that aspect of her personality tainted the movie because she was giving in to her narcissistic grandmother's needs because of her own traumas. However, Mirabel is anything but a people pleaser. She stood up to Abuela, she fought against her perfect sister Isabella, and she took her uncle Bruno's side even though it was unpopular. Mirabel is very much independent but she still has a soft side for her family.
Between the personality types of the characters, the bright colors, dance-worthy songs, and the stunning imagery, Encanto was anything but boring. The movie came to life on-screen.
Estoy_Awesome didn't feel the same way, however. In an unpopular opinion, they "didn't like Encanto" and felt that the movie was "boring." They found the music hard to understand, felt that Mirabel tried too hard, and didn't find the family members likable.
In the opening sequence, Mirabel is telling neighboring children all about her family's history through song. She explained that her family members have gifts that don't just help their family inside Casita — but the surrounding town. Louisa's strength makes work around the town better, Julieta can cure anyone's sickness through food, Pepa can control the weather, and so on...
In an unpopular opinion, Boring_Concentrate 74 wrote, "The story was pointless. Everyone in the family gets gifts but all they do with their gifts is stay home…they don’t help others with them." Other fans were quick to respond, pointing out the point of their gifts was to create a safer, stronger community.
The one thing that most fans can agree on with Encanto is how addicting the songs are. The songs were written by the legendary playwright, actor, and writer Lin-Manuel Miranda and were all unique in their own way. Between "The Family Madrigal" and "Surface Pressure," the songs encapsulated the person that was singing it. But like with everything else, there are unpopular opinions about the music.
In the world of Disney, there's always a way to make a sequel, TV series, or short from an animated movie — but that doesn't mean that every animated movie needs one. Sometimes, the movie is enough and it should be appreciated for what it is. Many Encanto fans like the movie and are fine with where it left off. But other fans think the story of the Madrigal family should carry on.
MisterMe987 wrote, "I would have loved to see how the family coped in their new situation. Hopefully, Disney will rectify that by making a sequel or TV series." The popular opinion is that a sequel or spinoff doesn't always mean it's going to be better than the movie.
The main characters in Encanto are all intelligent and beautiful in their own way. The entire premise of the movie is that each character has something about them that makes them special — gift or no gift. Although Abuela only focuses on those who had gifts and pushed those without gifts to the side, that didn't make her a bad person. She simply had traumas associated with her need to keep the magical flame alive.
At the end of the movie, Mirabel accepted Abuela's apology rather quickly and carried on for the sake of Casita, but TheeAlmightyGamer thought "Abuela being forgiven too quickly" was a flaw. But if Disney didn't show Abuela and Mirabel's reconciliation, the end goal of reforming Casita's magical powers wouldn't have happened.
