Encanto (2021) (with Dolores Tierney)

Chris and Alex finally talk about Bruno (among other things) in this latest episode of the podcast, turning to the fantasy and family of Encanto (Byron Howard & Jared Bush, 2021), Disney Feature Animation’s computer-animated musical that tells the story of the magical Madrigal family via protagonist Mirabel, ably supported by lush visuals, colourful abstractions, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s score inspired by the vallenato, cumbia, bambuco and rock en español genres. Joining them for Episode 94 is Dolores Tierney, Professor of Film at the University of Sussex and an expert in the aesthetics and politics of transnational imaging practices between Latin America, the U.S. and Spain. Topics up for examination this week include the film’s rhetoric of ‘authenticity’ with regards to Colombian representation; the growing role played by family and community in contemporary Disney Feature Animation; the maligning of Latin America within Trump-era politics; Encanto’s narrative and aesthetic links to Pixar’s Coco (Lee Unkrich, 2017) via engagements with Classical Mexican cinema and the influence on the film of Latin American telenovas; the portrayal of Colombian culture and how animation can navigate the ‘touristic’ gaze; the importance of the quotidian in magical realist storytelling; and what Encanto has to say about the relationship between individuality and exceptionalism. **Fantasy/Animation theme tune composed by Francisca Araujo** **This episode was produced and edited by Leon Waldo**