When we hear “Disney” or “Disney movies” the first thought that always crosses our minds are “shows for children”. Well, that’s true as Disney’s target audience is kids. But we can never deny the fact that Disney produces movies that discuss issues that are also relatable to adults.

“Have you already watched Encanto?”

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You probably heard or see this line from your friends or on different social media sites. From Facebook, up to TikTok, different posts about Encanto are rampant. At first, I thought Encanto was a horror movie because the word “Encanto” here in the Philippines are legendary environmental spirits with the power to take human form. They are also known as sirens, evil beings, elves, and other spirit types. But I guess I was wrong.

Last November 24, 2021, Disney gave us a gift through the movie called “Encanto”. Encanto has garnered numerous awards and nominations. It received three Golden Globe nominations and won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film at the 79th Golden Globe Awards. The film was also named Best Animated Film by the National Board of Review.

The movie is all about the magical family “Madrigal”. The family received a magical gift in the form of a candle after surviving a tragedy that happened in their village. This candle is the source of the superpowers that the members of the Madrigal family had. Some examples of their powers are shapeshifting, the ability to talk to animals, and controlling the weather. Madrigal family is indeed a family of magical abilities, but there seems to be a problem. One of their family members namely “Mirabel” didn’t have any magical abilities at all.

Here are the life-lessons that I got while watching Encanto:

You don’t need to prove your worth to anyone. You are worth it!

Mirabel is the only member of La Familia Madrigal who has no gift. At the start of the movie, kids are bugging her about her so-called “gift” and when they realized that Mirabel has none, they looked so disappointed. Even members of their family looked down on her so she tried very hard to fit in. She wanted to prove herself so much. Sometimes, we are Mirabel. We wanted so hard for everyone to realize our worth. We do everything just so other people can see us. But what we need to realize is that our self-worth doesn’t depend on how others see us. Accept and love yourself! If you do, the opinion of other people will not matter. We are all worth it!

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Stop comparing yourself to everyone around you. You are perfect in your own way.

Sometimes we often compare ourselves around us and question ourself, “why aren’t we like that”?

Maybe these questions have crossed your mind:
“Why can’t I look like that?”
“Why am I not as smart, and as talented as them?”
“Why am I not successful like the people around me?”

Because we tend to compare ourselves with other people, we often drown in self-pity which leads to anxiety and depression. We must always remember that everything has its own perfect time. It might not be the time for us but soon, we will also have our own light and shine.

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It’s okay to ask for help. You don’t need to overdo yourself and do all thing alone.

As the eldest, I can’t help but relate with Luisa, especially when she sang “No pressure”. The burden she felt, being the “strong one” in the family is also what I feel as the eldest. It always feels heavy and sometimes I tend to overdo myself just so I can comply with the demands of being the “strong” one. But Encanto taught us that asking for help and not being strong all the time is okay. We all have limitations. If you feel tired, just rest and make sure to fight again tomorrow.

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Don’t judge the book by its cover.

This saying has been around for ages. In the movie, Bruno was made to look like a villain at first. He has this dark aura and everyone is talking badly about him. So I assumed that maybe Bruno was the villain of the story. But to my surprise, as the story progressed, it was revealed that he was not a bad person. He even helped Mirabel to save their home. We should always apply this in real life. The things we see physically are not enough reason for judgment. Sometimes those who have angelic face is the real villain. Don’t be deceived.

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Your trauma is not your fault but always make sure that it won’t affect the people around you.

In the movie, Abuela has suffered so much. In the past, she handled all the hardships alone. The trauma of losing her home and the love of her life affected her so much to the point that even the people surrounding her were affected years later. Sometimes, we don’t realize but we act like Abuela. The trauma we had in our past affects our current relationship with other people. Yes, our feelings are valid but we must always be cautious about how we act in order not to hurt the people around us especially our loved ones. I hope we all heal from all the pain we’ve gone through. Fighting!

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Indeed, Disney movies aren’t just for kids. They always make movies that hit our hearts. How about you? Have you watched Encanto? What are your thoughts about it?