Have you seen the new Disney movie, Encanto? Needless to say, the title of the movie is a great description; It is charming and enchanting. If you have not seen the animated feature, I do recommend it. There are so many great messages in this film, and I believe there are some lesson plans that can be created using parts of the movie that will engage students.
Maribel Madrigal
In the trailer and at the very beginning of the film, we learn that the Madrigal family are magical and each person in the family has a gift except for Mirabel. Or does she? 
Maribel sings about waiting for a miracle because she just doesn’t see what gift or gifts she brings to the family and community, but she keeps seeing the gifts of each family member: Cooking Food to Heal, Beauty with Grace and Poise, Super Strength, Controlling the Weather, Talking to Animals, Shape Shifting, Extraordinary Hearing (Note: I think my Mom has that gift), and Seeing into the Future.
Mirabel sings about wanting a miracle that would present her gift to her:
I would move the mountains
Make new trees and flowers grow
Someone please just let me know, where do I go?
I am waiting on a miracle, a miracle
I would heal what’s broken
Show this family something new
Who I am inside, so what can I do?
I’m sick of waiting on a miracle, so here I go
I am ready
Come on, I’m ready
I’ve been patient, and steadfast, and steady
Bless me now as you blessed us all those years ago
When you gave us a miracle
Am I too late for a miracle?
Much like poetry, songs can be analyzed and interpreted. Use Mirabel’s song, “Waiting on a Miracle”, with students to make a connection with self and to think about a time when they just felt like they were waiting for a miracle or trying to find where they fit in or could contribute. Then you can have them share their stories in pairs, small groups, or whole groups.
It might help to have them see each character in Encanto with a list of their gifts to give the students some ideas about their gift.
Antonio Madrigal
Every family member, besides Maribel, gets their own room which is filled with items and design that fit their gift. For example, Antonio recently learned that his gift is a connection to animals. His door is designed to fit that theme, and his room looks a lot like Animal Kingdom (even with something similar to the Tree of Life). Students can identify their gift or gifts and then design a door on paper that exudes the symbolism and theme. In an ELA classroom, this would be fun to do for books or short stories. Imagine having students design a door to represent the gift of a character.
Luisa Madrigal
As we move through the story, we begin to see a pattern where members of the family find pressure in constantly having to use their gift and keep to that narrow and limiting identity. Luisa sings about the “pressure like a drip, drip, drip that’ll never stop…” as she is “pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service”. We must remember that one thing or event should not define us. Ask students if they ever felt pressure to be a certain way or handle things in a way because that is what is expected of them. Do they feel pressure? Can they recognize ways to have dialogue to express when this happens? This could easily turn into a lesson for Social and Emotional Learning.
Bruno Madrigal
Finally, my favorite song is “Tio Bruno”. Bruno is characterized as strange and different. As the family gives their characterization and history on Bruno, we find out that he disappeared, and no one talks about him anymore. It almost sounds like there is even superstition around mentioning Bruno. He is described as having “a seven-foot frame, rats along his back…and when he calls your name it fades to black”. There is a continued motif of characters being misunderstood. We can all relate to that. Have your students listen to the song, “Tio Bruno”, and characterize him based on what the characters are saying about him and then after seeing him react with Maribel, they can characterize him based on their own analysis. I created a T chart that can be used to make that comparison.
Indirect characterization is the process of describing a character through that character’s thoughts, actions, speech, and dialogue.
Direct characterization, or explicit characterization, describes the character through their physical description, line of work, or passions and pursuits.
This movie brought me joy, and as you know, that is my word that I am focusing on as a mindset tool. I want to incorporate my passion, and in this case for the movie and Disney, with my students. They can model the same activities using just about any medium. If you saw Encanto, please reach out and tell me what you loved about it or who was your favorite character. In the meantime, I hope that you recognize your gifts and acknowledge your value at work and home.
See You Real Soon,
Erin
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