Encanto
Disney movies have extraordinary power to enchant young children and to capture their imaginations, so we watched ‘Encanto’ with friends – whose kids are utterly enthralled by it – looking to see if there was anything in it that might help us all on our faith journey. Here are some of our reflections …
The story begins with the people of a village passing through the waters of a river like an Exodus. A young man sacrifices his life to save the people. His family is left with a candle which transforms the wilderness that they find themselves in into a new home, which blesses the whole town that grows up around them. The candle bestows particular gifts on each member of the Madrigal family “to make it a paradise.” (A Madrigal is a song of several different parts sung acapella: it’s just about people each playing their part in harmony). This could evoke Christ’s death and the outpouring of his Holy Spirit, which was manifest as flames anointing those he called his family. The Spirit bestowed on each member different gifts, not just for the sake of the Church but of the world in which the Church is called to shine like a light or a city on a hill.
As time goes by, cracks appear – even though some members of the Madrigalfamily cannot see them at first or deny they are there. Mirabel suffers for a decade the stigma of not having a magical gift; radiant Isabella is crushed by the expectation that she be always ‘perfect’; super-strong Louisa begins to wonder “who am I if I can’t carry it?”; and no-one dares to talk about uncle Bruno. When a marriage proposal looms, the matriarch Alma tells the family there must be no mistakes and so each agrees to bury the truth and keep up appearances (“no one has to know – act normal”) – with disastrous consequences that are blamed on Mirabel as the scapegoat.
The miracle was a gift bestowed upon people who were already loved and valued. You are special without any gift – Mirabel means “wonderful” or “amazing” – and, as her parents assure her, “You have nothing to prove.” And yet, as illustrated by Bruno and the way his ambiguous visions are received, people tend to see the worst in us. It falls to Mirabel to rebuild the house, the family and the community on a new foundation of love and acceptance when there are no magical gifts, starting with embracing the sister she has resented for so long. As a result of which she comes to realise that “[Isabella] needed me to ruin her proposal.”
Alma is terrified of losing the miracle she has received, like the servant in the parable of the talents who does not do anything with the coin he was given for fear of losing it. “I was given a miracle… And I was so afraid to lose it… that I lost sight of who our miracle was for.”
“Open your eyes … The miracle is not some magic you’ve got; it’s just you.” Of all the gifts the family is given, the greatest is the “love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Col 3:14) This foundational gift is embodied by Mirabel, who instead of being wrapped up in herself, chooses to celebrate and encourage and help each member of the family around her.