Encanto (2021)

We may all celebrate the holidays differently, but what makes them so special and universal is the magic we feel when our loved ones surround us during the winter holidays. Supporting the Make-A-Wish campaign, Disney’s first Christmas advert, From Our Family to Yours is a trilogy that is told through three stories about a family celebrating Christmas. 

The first short film, Lola (2020), focuses on a grandmother, Lola, and her granddaughter celebrating Christmas while implementing their Filipino traditions. One of these traditions includes making the parol with her granddaughter and passing down a stuffed Mickey Mouse toy that was once given by Lola's parents. The stuffed Mickey Mouse toy represents the universality Disney brings to families from other cultures. As the years passed by, so have the traditions. Once the granddaughter has reached adolescence, she doesn’t feel the magic she once felt in her grandmother’s Christmas traditions; this leads the grandmother to drop the Mickey Mouse toy, for she fears she has lost her granddaughter symbolically. But, as the theme song says, “Love is a Compass”. Once the granddaughter realizes the joy the Christmas traditions gave to the family; she fills the house with parols, for she has not forgotten the magic of the holidays, and has found her way back to her grandmother.

The second and third installments of the trilogy, The Stepdad (2021) and The Gift (2022) focus on the now-adult granddaughter, who has two children and has remarried. These two shorts are about accepting change. In The Stepdad, the two siblings are now adjusting to their new stepdad. In return, we see the children sharing their love for Disney with their stepdad, emphasizing that the one aspect Disney and the holidays have in common is spreading joy to families. However, after the stepdad accidentally destroys the children’s gingerbread house, which is a part of their Christmas tradition, the children are left sad and feel there’s no way of celebrating Christmas the way they used to. But we do not lose all hope when the stepdad rebuilds the gingerbread house and reconciles with the children. 

The last short film, The Gift, turns our attention to the younger sibling, Ella, who is adjusting to her mom’s pregnancy. Since the family's focus is on the new baby coming, Ella feels Christmas won’t be the same, and that the baby will disrupt the traditions she did with her mother during Christmas. Once again, we see a Mickey Mouse toy Ella holds on to throughout the film. In the end, once the baby is born, her older brother reassures Ella that change can be good and that they will always have each other. When Ella first sees the baby, she passes down the Mickey Mouse toy, just as it was passed down to Lola, to the granddaughter, to Ella, and now to the baby. While these films are short, they provide powerful messages of not letting change affect our joy, and remembering the magic the holidays give us. An interesting aspect to note in this short film is the song, “A Little More” which is played throughout the film is sung by Jessica Darrow, who is known for her role as Luisa Madrigal in Encanto (2021). You can watch the From Our Family to Yours trilogy on Disney Plus.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Incluvie!

Few things in the realm of entertainment are able to replicate, let alone surpass, the enchanting and fantastical worlds of Disney Studios. Their magical wonderlands and blissful worlds have been captivating audiences for almost a century and I am no exception - some of the most influential media from my childhood up to now have been products of Disney. But I'm not here to celebrate or excuse them, they have a glaring and, up until recently, unaddressed issue that spans nearly its entire lifetime - an absence of diversity. And that doesn't really even begin to express the gravity of the issue, it's more an avoidance of diversity, a conscious effort to neglect any competent minority representation. It wasn't until 69 years later that Disney finally released a film featuring people of color in 1992's Aladdin - with an all-white voice cast. And three years after that with one of the most beautifully animated films Disney has ever produced in Pocahontas in 1995, which actually utilized Native American talent such as Irene Bedard, James Apaumut, and Russell Means, amongst others, to voice its Native American characters, but also has one the most backwards and problematic narratives Disney has ever offered. It wasn't until Mulan in 1998 that Disney finally made a feature film about non-white characters, starring (primarily) non-white actors, that made actual progress towards inclusion and even as it relates to trans representation as discussed here, which is something the rest of the industry still has yet to make significant progress on. But with that being said, since 2009's Princess and The Frog, Disney has seemingly made an effort to release films featuring a variety of cultures that stand alone and above many of their other projects. 

But they still have a ways to go. While they have made enormous leaps in way of Hispanic and Asian representation with fantastic films like Coco, Moana, Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto, and most recently Turning Red, they have fallen behind on the front of Black representation, with only two films, 11 years apart, featuring a Black main character. Princess and The Frog and 2020's Soul. This lackadaisical attitude they seem to have is a bit alarming, and as great as I thought Soul was, there was one stand-out issue: the main character, Joe Gardners (Jamie Foxx), has his soul swapped into the body of a housecat while 22 (Tina Fey), a yet to be born soul, is transferred to his body, thus removing any sense of individualism he once had, and even plays him off as a joke at times. This is, unfortunately, the case for a not-insignificant portion of the film. Joe spends a lot of time as a tamed, talking cat while a white woman is voicing and acting in a black body. This doesn't entirely ruin the film or detract from what is otherwise beautiful, but the decision to commit to this frame of storytelling for such an extended duration is a bit perplexing, especially given it received so much praise for its depiction of Black culture. Though the film does have a number of themes permeating throughout, it can feel a touch crammed, which ultimately leads to getting even less time with Joe Gardner - the man. And for those of you who have seen it, you know he isn't devoid of development, as Joe and 22 rely on one another to learn about multiple different aspects of life. But it still remains that he isn't his own person for much of the movie, and I would have loved to see a version of the film where Joe still gets to experience that same development while being in control of his own actions. I don't entirely know how something as glaring as this went overlooked at Disney, and Pixar too for that matter. (Editor's note: especially after how Princess Tiana was trapped in the body of a frog for most of Disney's Princess and the Frog.)

This also isn't the only misstep they've taken recently. Disney recently had a scene for the upcoming Pixar film Lightyear removed, that features a same-sex kiss. Fortunately, Pixar employees demanded it be restored and Disney complied, but why was it taken out in the first place? Disney seems insistent on reaming stagnant when it comes to inclusion and trying to represent all types of people. When they move, they move slow, and the progress is minimal, but at the end of the day, it's progress nonetheless. With films like Luca, which many argue is LGBTQ+ coded given the relationship between the two main characters, Disney clearly has the potential to tell incredible stories revolving around same-sex relationships if they just stop with the 'no-homo' environment they seem to be pressing. I personally think it's time for Disney to stop with the tip-toeing and release a film with proper representation for groups of people they have otherwise hidden as background ambiguous easter eggs, and simply deal with whatever controversy they would inevitably receive. Because let's be honest, with the success of their animated features, not to mention their little properties known as Star Wars and the MCU, it's not like they have anything to recover from financially. So bite the bullet, Disney: you have no reason not to.

The Incluvie predictions for various categories in the upcoming 2022 Academy Awards.

Now that we’re officially over halfway through Hispanic Heritage Month, let’s take a look ahead at movies coming out through the end of 2021 featuring Hispanic and Latine representation. 

Coming to Netflix October 13, this mystery-horror is based on a novel of the same name. The premise is about two young mothers whose charged relationship reveals environmental and spiritual catastrophes. It features Spanish actress Maria Valverde Rodriguez and Argentine actress Dolores María Fonzi. 

The latest in the Bond franchise, this movie arrives in theaters October 8. Rising star and Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas plays Paloma, a CIA agent. She is set to appear briefly in the movie, however she has already been named a stand-out within the cast and plays a very different kind of Bond girl. 

This list details the best of the animated classics featuring cultural and racial diversity – subjective and in no particular order. Also included are favorite movie quotes, songs, and notes on whether the main voice actors are accurate to the film.

This Pacific Island princess declares to god Maui:

Maui laughs in her face, deceives her multiple times, and throws her off the boat, with song and dance to boot. Despite this, Moana maintains her identity and ambition. Eventually, she learns that basing one’s ambition on another person, or demi-god, is not the best idea and that having a backup plan is wise. Her backup plan then turns into her main plan - i.e. trusting herself! Fantastic girl power, and excellent self-determination. Moana (2016) doesn't mess around!

Make way for more Latine representation! Disney has released a beautiful new poster and toe-tapping musical trailer for their 60th animated film, Encanto, with music from Lin-Manuel Miranda. Encanto follows the Madrigals, a family living in a magical house in the mountains of Colombia where each child receives an “Encanto”, or a gift that gives them magical powers. The trailer shows Madrigal children who have super strength, shapeshifting abilities, plant-growing powers, and an affinity for animals. But one child has no gift -- 15-year old Mirabel struggles to find a place in her family as the only one who’s “not special.” However, when she discovers that something is threatening the magic of the Encanto, she decides she may be the only one who can save it.

Mirabel is clearly known as the black sheep of her family. At one point, someone hands her a basket of trinkets and even says, “I gave you the special since you’re the only Madrigal kid with no gift. I call it the ‘Not Special Special,’ since, uh, you have no gift!” Yet Mirabel later says, “Gift or no gift, I’m just as special as the rest of my family.”

In a statement following the trailer’s release, Stephanie Beatriz, who voices Mirabel, said "Mirabel is a really funny, loving character who also deeply yearns for something more. She's also not afraid to stand up for what she knows is right — something I love and relate to very much. I'm Colombian on my father's side, and playing this role fills me with immense pride."

I can’t help but be excited to see that most of the Encanto cast descends from Colombia, a decision affirming that all Latines are not interchangeable, as popular media frequently depicts us. The cast includes: