One of Disney’s 2021 releases is the musical movie “Encanto,” which tells the story of the Madrigal family who live in the mountains of Columbia in a secluded, charmed town called the Encanto. The magic of the Encanto was gifted to Abuela and has blessed every child in the family with a special gift, except Mirabel. The musical numbers guide us through the coming-of- age tale as Mirabel learns more about herself and her family while she attempts to save their Encanto, which is crumbling before their very eyes.

The soundtrack of this movie stuck with me for weeks after watching it for the first time. The songs are powerful and ring true for many ears. Lin-Manuel Miranda, an American actor, singer-songwriter, playwright, and film director, built the soundtrack for “Encanto.” Miranda is best known for his Broadway hits “In the Heights” and “Hamilton.”

The breakaway song from the movie is “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” It reached the number four spot on the Billboard chart in mid-January 2022. The song talks about the exiled son of Abuela, Bruno, and what his gift brought to the Madrigal family.

The week after “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” reached the number four spot, another hit song burst into the top ten: “Surface Pressure.” This song gives the over-looked middle child, Luisa, her moment in the spotlight and a second to relieve some pressure she has been holding onto. With two songs in the top ten, “Encanto” makes history and is the first Disney movie to have multiple top ten hits.

Directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush brought beauty into the movie in another way: the scenery. Many of the scenes in “Encanto” are based on real-life Columbian views. Both directors worked side-by-side with art director Mehrdad Isvandi to capture the country’s beauty. One of the most noteworthy and beautiful scenes has its moment in the final few moments of the movie. Abuela and Mirabel have a moment together by a river’s edge, a moment where they finally see each other. The gorgeous view is based on the Caño Cristales in La Macarena, Columbia. The river is also called the “River of Five Colors” and the “Liquid Rainbow.”

While Abuela tells the story of how she and Abuelos Pedro met, a heart-wrenching song softly plays in the background. Written by Miranda “Dos Oruguitas” is sang beautifully by Sebastian Yatra to tell the story of two butterflies meeting, falling in love, and starting to navigate life together. The butterflies symbolize Abuela and Abuelos Pedro and their story. Even after listening to this song on repeat for a week or so, it still brings tears to my eyes.

The messages conveyed in the movie can be felt by everyone who watches it. The family is realistically shown as sisters bond, people admit mistakes, and everyone works together to

reach their goal. This is a truly beautiful movie, and I would recommend it to anyone who has an hour and 49 minutes to spare.

Emily Loughridge is a Freshman Communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma