Encanto Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

2. The Thin Supporting Characters

Encanto boasts a large and enticing supporting cast of characters, what with the Madrigals basically being presented as a family of superheroes each with their own unique magical powers.

This includes the super-strong Luisa (Jessica Darrow), to Isabela (Diane Guerrero) who can make flowers bloom anywhere, and protagonist Mirabel's (Stephanie Beatriz) mother Julieta (Angie Cepeda) who can heal injuries with her cooking.

It's a fun setup, and yet the majority of the supporting characters are only thinly drawn sketches, most of whom aren't much defined outside of their wacky superpowers.

Considering that the emotional spine of Mirabel's journey is about learning to not be defined by her specialness - or lack thereof, it seems - it's a shame that most of the surrounding family members feel a little on the two-dimensional side.

It's not like the film is excessively overlong at 99 minutes, so throwing in a few more character development scenes for the Madrigals would've absolutely been to the movie's narrative benefit.