If you haven’t seen Disney's 'Encanto' yet, then it’s probably high time you caught up!
After all, far from being 'just another kids' film', this movie is a metaphor-rich, multi-coloured microcosm that draws us in with its profound plotlines and catchy soundtrack!
The premise? That each character is ceremonially assigned a magical door, as a gateway to realising their unique gift or strength!
Of all the take-homes from this film - of which there are many - there is none more universally relatable than the plight (and ultimate evolution) of 'Luisa' - the never-says-no sister of the film’s protagonist, whose gift is ‘super strength.’
This might be a bit of a spoiler alert moment for those who’ve yet to see the movie, but Luisa is evidence if ever we needed it, that busyness (and not setting appropriate boundaries) is NOT the badge of honour we've been conditioned to believe it is!
We won’t say any more than this, for risk of ruining the plot, but if ever you need a reminder to always look for the shades of grey in life… this is it!
Perfection and ‘seize the day’ culture might be one the most peddled playbooks for happiness, but as this film goes to prove, it’s so often counterintuitive…and maybe even destructive!
Cracks, breaks and mistakes are both inevitable and unavoidable, and very often, they add a sliding doors quality to life that wouldn’t have eventualised otherwise.
In ceramics, this concept of 'making good of mistakes' is actually a real thing. Damage is repaired with gold and lacquer in a process called Kintsugi, or Kintsukuroi, which literally translates as golden (“kin”) and repair (“tsugi”).
Off the back of watching Encanto, it wouldn’t be completely unsurprising if some of us chose to question a few of our own negative narratives, and reframe them in accordance with the movie's main mottos of mental-wellness and self worth.
It seems finally, and refreshingly, the Disney fairytail has moved with the times, and we’re not just buying into this idea of being life-coached by pixels...we’re downloading the soundtrack for good measure!