Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Encanto, with all-new songs by award-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, tells the tale of the Madrigals, an extraordinary family living in a magical house in the mountains of Colombia. But when Mirabel, the only ordinary Madrigal, discovers the magic surrounding their home is in danger, she may be her family’s last hope.
For in-depth thoughts on Encanto, please see my colleague Payton Coelho’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Encanto comes to Blu-Ray with a stunning and vibrant 1080p transfer. In all honesty, it is hard to imagine a new Blu-Ray release looking better. The colors present in this transfer are practically leaping off the screen with the wide range of hues permeating every inch of the frame. There are various environments that allow the transfer to show off in different ways. The textures, from the character designs to the environments, are extremely impressive and give the film a real sense of depth. One of the areas where Walt Disney continues to surpass each previous effort is the fluidity of the character designs. All of the individual strands of hair are unique and showcased in a subtly more natural way. The level of detail these animators put into each environment shines through here. Black levels are incredibly strong with no hint of compression artifacts or digital anomalies of the sort. This is about as close to perfect as a Blu-Ray disc can look. There is a 4K UHD Blu-Ray available, but that was not made available to me for review. I can only guess that it is so gorgeous that it will make you faint.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray utilizes a DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio track that gives this music-centric film an accurate spatial awareness if not slightly lacking raw power. There is an emphasis on the front channels for a good portion of the sounds, but activity kicks in to the surrounds and rears during performance sequences and action-oriented bits. The importance of music to the narrative cannot be undervalued, and this track pumps these lovely notes straight through your body in a really satisfying, enveloping way. Dialogue is crisp and clear without ever getting lost amongst the music or sound effects. The low end effects from the subwoofer suffer slightly from not having a greater response that you might want during the more intense moments. Atmospheric sound effects are rendered appropriately within the mix so that directionality is never an issue. This track really opens up in a supremely impressive manner that engages all of the speakers. The presentation is very satisfying outside of the desire for a more aggressive low end response.
Special Features
- Sing Along with the Movie: An option to sing along with your favorite songs with on-screen lyrics.
- Familia Lo Es Todo: A three-part supplement totaling 24 minutes in which various participants share real-life experiences that were woven into the narrative, what inspired each character, the voice work, the themes of the story, and how the artists’ designs bring realism to the personalities of the characters.
- Discover Colombia: A two-part piece totaling nearly 18 minutes in which the filmmaking team discusses how the multiple cultures, biodiversity and vibrant colors of Colombia are expressed in the film, along with how satisfying it was to fully celebrate this beautiful country and support the theme of magical realism.
- A Journey Through Music: A 24-minute piece in which the filmmakers explain how each character came to be represented musically. This provides a thorough examination of the Colombian-inspired music, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs, Germaine Franco’s score, and the process of bringing all of this from concept to final recording.
- Let’s Talk About Bruno: An eight-minute piece which shines a light on “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and how it was created. Through this we see the extensive collaboration between Lin-Manuel Miranda, choreographer Jamal Sims, the voice cast and animators in bringing it to the screen.
- Our Casita: An 11-minute featurette which takes a look at the magical La Casa Madrigal and how its emotional state is affected by other family members. There is a satisfying breakdown of how the filmmakers brought Colombian tradition to the design of the house.
- Outtakes: Three minutes of flubbed lines, laughing fits and other humorous moments from the recording session of the film.
- Journey to Colombia: A nearly three-minute look at how the filmmakers embarked on a journey of discovery to learn more about Colombia and how best to reflect the country’s cultures and environments on the big screen.
- Far From the Tree: A seven-minute short film in which a mother and child raccoon attempt to stay safe from the dangers in the world while not holding back on the thrill of discovery. This also comes with a two-minute introduction from writer and director Natalie Nourigat that sets it up nicely.
- Deleted Scenes: Four scenes of unused material and an introduction from Heads of Story Jason Hand and Nancy Kruse totaling 21 minutes are provided here. In these scenes you see the family tackling some chores, Mirabel following Isabela into the woods, a bonding moment between Mirabel and her Abuela, and more. Each of these scenes offers something special and worthy of your time.
- Song Selection: Jump to your favorite musical moments, with on-screen lyrics.
Final Thoughts
Encanto is a visually dazzling feature which offers up some incredibly catchy songs and an exciting perspective that is often lacking in Hollywood. The film is not without some pacing issues, but overall there is a lot to love from this heartwarming and hilarious narrative. The film may feel a bit slight at first, but it is one that sticks with you and grows in stature as time passes. Disney has released a Blu-Ray that sports a superb A/V presentation and a surprising assortment of special features. The push for more diverse perspectives has only yielded more exciting storytelling which keeps Disney from feeling too stale. This one is sure to be a favorite in many collections. Highly Recommended
Encanto is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Disney Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.