The joy of discussing Encanto with my 4-year old daughter

I’ve always been excited to watch Disney or Pixar movies with my children.

Frozen was the first film I watched with my daughter when she was 2 years old. I’m not sure how much she understood then (Disney has the amazing ability of making extraordinary films that can keep the attention of most children), but she must’ve watched the film 100 times, and Elsa became her favourite. Then Olaf, then Anna. Now my daughter is 4 years old and we fluctuate favourites between Anna and Elsa.

Although a phenomenal film, since we watched Frozen while she was still quite small, it was more a ‘sit together and watch something’ activity than it was about the actual film.

We recently watched Encanto together, and since she is now 4, the experience was a wonderful adventure of discovering a film with your child.

Set in Colombia, Encanto is all about family. There is no princess, or villain. It’s about the complex yet beautiful dynamics of a family whose past included a struggle to survive and the pain of loss. It depicts the charm of a family where everyone is so different yet they love each other, even though it is not always obvious. It’s about how a family can overcome anything together. It’s about recognizing and embracing your vulnerabilities and realizing that you don’t need a gift to be special.

We have watched Encanto 3 times in the last 10 days, and these are some of the ‘deep’ discussions we have had: (you may need to have watched Encanto to fully comprehend these chats)

Ria: Mummy, why didn’t Mirabel get a gift?

Me: Ummm, I’m not sure. I guess she got unlucky.

Ria: Is she sad because she didn’t get a gift?

Me: Yes, I think so. But she tries to hide it.

Ria: Why don’t we talk about Bruno Mummy?

Me: Well, Bruno has this gift of predicting things to happen; and they do, and they are not always nice things so his family doesn’t want to hear from him. Because of his ability to have not so pleasant visions that come true, they consider him a little crazy.

Ria: Haha he is the crazy uncle?

Me: Yes haha

Ria: Is he bad?

Me: No, not at all. Just misunderstood.

Ria: Is Abuela a witch?

Me: No! She is their granny.

Ria: Why is she always angry?

Me: Because she wants everything to be perfect, and when things are not, she doesn’t like it. When she was younger, she moved from her village with 3 babies and lost her husband while moving, so she never wants to lose anything again. By keeping everything in her control, she hopes to protect everything she has.

Ria: Why does Mirabel’s daddy’s nose and ear become very big? Haha it’s so funny when that happens.

Me: Haha yes. Hmmm, I’m not sure why that happens. (Anyone know?)

Ria: Why is everyone hugging and kissing in the film?

Me: Because that’s what families who love each other do. That’s why mummy and daddy hug and kiss you all the time!

Ria: Why is the whole town coming to Mirabel’s house?

Me: Because they want to help rebuild the family’s house that was destroyed when the magic went away. That’s what good friends do, when something bad happens, they come to help.

Me: Who do you like best in the film Ria?

Ria: Bruno :)

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Ah, it’s so amazing to have these chats with her! Every time she watched it, she had different questions.

Encanto is a wonderful animation with a great soundtrack, I highly recommend watching this film with your children. Having said that, watch it at least twice, you get more from the film every time you watch it.

Have you seen it? What did you think?