By Arturo Conde -
NBC News
In an age of big screen superhero families like
Marvel's
Fantastic Four
,
Pixar's
Incredibles
, and Shazam!
From DC, Disney wants to turn the narrative around and turn the spotlight on Mirabel, a 15-year-old Colombian teenager who struggles to keep her extended family of superheroes together when they lose their gifts.
Encanto
, Disney's 60th animated feature film, tells the story of the Madrigals,
a multigenerational family living in the mountains of Colombia.
At the age of 5, two generations of Madrigal children gain magical powers that define them both at home and in town.
They can grow plants and open flowers, control the weather with their emotions, heal people with food, talk to animals, and even see the future.
Eiza González stars in an animated film that highlights Mexican roots
June 4, 202101: 36
There is one who does not have superpowers: Mirabel
.
In the end, however, he will know what to do to save his extraordinary family.
Beyond the magical gifts and abilities of the characters, this animated musical, featuring songs and music by
Hamilton
composer
Lin-Manuel Miranda, shows viewers the power of knowing who they are and who their families are.
The film's emphasis on extended family, including powerful grandmother Alma, brought back memories of Latin actress Stephanie Beatriz, who voices Mirabel.
[With 'Encanto', the new Disney movie set in Colombia, some are filled with pride. Others turn their disappointment into memes]
“When I think of my childhood, there are many people speaking passionately at the same time, above others;
there are like 10 conversations in a room, and
when you are a child you just try to understand everything that is happening ”
, explains Beatriz, whose parents are Colombian and Bolivian.
“It's very loud and super rhythmic.
I think the flavor of that, the sensitivity of that, is really captured within the music of this animated musical, which I think is very special, ”he added.
The surname 'Madrigal' is also a musical term that can refer to a song with two or more voice parts, broadly describing the film's mix of sounds and voices.
Opening night of 'Encanto' on November 23, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.Michael Tullberg / Getty Images
"One of the things I loved writing the script is that there are conversations between cousins or between an aunt and a niece," said Beatriz.
"It is those extended family relationships that I think are very, very important,
especially in the Latino culture, where you may not be able to talk to your mother, but you can talk to your aunt,
" he said.
Miranda, who wrote and co-produced eight original songs for
Encanto
, said that he is so close to his cousins in Puerto Rico that once, to his aunt's disgust on the island, they got the same tattoos.
The Madrigals, he said, remind him of his relatives.
['Encanto', the film inspired by Colombian families and diversity]
"That was the most matriarchal family," he said about his father's relatives in Puerto Rico.
“Everyone was still living in the house, they took their checks to Grandma and she distributed the funds as she saw fit,” he recalled.
Many American families resemble the Madrigals.
A report this year by advocacy group
Generations United
found that about 67 million adults, or more than one in four Americans over the age of 18, live in homes of three or more generations.
Creating sounds of Colombia and home
Miranda commented that music has the power to reveal exciting stories about different places, cultures and people.
Zoe Saldaña explains the story and her character in the animated series 'Maya and the Three'
Nov. 7, 202 102: 02
“Every time we look at the peculiarities of Colombian music, that always unlocks the story, it always unlocks the character for us.
The singularities are what make it close, ”he said.
In 2018, Miranda traveled to Colombia with other members of the film to investigate, which, according to him, was very valuable.
Details in which the film hits will thrill Latino viewers
, he said.
For example, when they see a character with his father's hat or listen to an accordion.
Cast of the film, songwriters and producers, at the world premiere of 'Encanto' on November 3, 2021 Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images for Disney
The people who worked on the tape also brought their memories and stories to the music.
"There are musical phrases that I can point out that are taken from family conversations that happened in my house," Miranda commented.
“I think that's what people recognize on the screen when they see it.
They find bits and pieces of their own experience
”, he highlighted.
[Jennifer Lopez and Maluma invite us to see 'Marry Me' next February 11]
When Miranda reflects on the sounds that her childhood memories evoke, she thinks of the familiar mix of recordings of musicals and Latin rhythms.
“It was a kind of constant Great Combo, Celia Cruz, Joe Arroyo from Colombia, Carlos Vives, Juan Luis Guerra.
That was the music of the party, "he said.
“And then when we cleaned up after the party, it was
Man of La Mancha
, it was
Camelot
, it was the soundtrack to
The Little Mermaid
and
Dirty Dancing
.
My parents loved show tunes and Latin music, "he said.
The way that I grew up
For the Colombian-American actress Diane Guerrero, it has been a pride to give voice to Isabela, Mirabel's cousin.
“Disney is such a big entity.
Not being included in Disney feels almost like you don't exist, ”he said.
"So being part of that is something that has been expected for a long time and such a special moment for us," he acknowledged.
For Guerrero,
Encanto
reminds him of generations of strong women who are part of his own heritage.
"I see women as very powerful heads of families, but what has been portrayed in the media has been the opposite," Guerrero explained.
“There is machismo, obviously men have a very strong control over the world, but
I feel like the way I grew up I really saw it in the movie.
My grandmother and my mother are everything to me, "he said.
Reflecting on the meaning of
Encanto
, Guerrero assured that there are many Latin stories.
“Latin America is so big.
This is like a small portion of who we are.
It is a small part of Colombia.
There is much to tell ”, he added.
