Encanto
These ideas are so much better Shared!!
*SPOILER ALERT*
If you haven’t seen “Encanto” yet, you absolutely need to.
I have a 5-year-old, so I end up watching perhaps more children’s programming than I would prefer, and frankly most of the time I am disappointed. For example, we were so excited when “Luca” came out, but a significant portion of the plot involves an adult who is constantly bullying children, and his sycophants that allow and enable his behavior, while not a single adult puts him in his place. Before the movie was over, my kiddo was emulating the bully, and it took some parenting in high-gear for us to recover.
My kiddo seems incredibly susceptible to the intricacies of power in interpersonal relations. We’ve had to parent-out-lout about themes involving character development, because my child is not inherently drawn to messages about kindness, acceptance, and pro-social behavior. Instead, they seem to automatically identify with whichever character exercises the most power, whichever character gets what they want the most, and that’s the character my child will act like, unless I turn it into an incredibly cognitive process, which I have.
Naturally, as a parent, I’m skittish. When a new children’s movie comes out, I usually see it as something that will have to be endured, and analyzed. A new children’s movie usually means watching my child for problem behaviors and addressing where the new issues have come from. It means a bare minimum of 2 hours spent saying “Wow, it looks like that behavior really hurt the people around him,” or “That character doesn’t seem to choose kindness very often. Why do you think they make those choices?”
If “Luca” was bad, “Cruella” was worse, and before I knew it I had a 5-year-old running around who showed an extreme disregard for anybody’s experiences but their own. Granted, at 5 this is normal to a degree, but the way it became amplified in my child was appalling.
I was excited, in a guarded kind of way, when I saw the previews for “Encanto.” I was shocked that it wasn’t only for people with premier access, as most of the Disney+ pandemic releases have been. Either the movie or the music has been on repeat in our home ever since.
“Encanto” is 100% Toxicity Toolkit APPROVED! Woven into this tale about magic and wonder are messages about being your authentic self, even when it’s hard, even when people don’t believe you. This movie emphasizes the importance of family, but not in a “let’s just all act like everything is fine,” sort of way.
“Encanto” shows how scary and isolating it is to feel like you’re not good enough, regardless of yours skills, talent, and work. This movie also shows how powerful it is to really listen, and give true support.
This movie is an absolute gift, and I am certainly “Charmed” by it.
Schedule yourself a family movie night… and leave time to watch it twice. If you don’t have Disney+ I would absolutely say that this movie alone would be worth signing up. If that’s not your bag, it may be time to reach out to some friends for a movie PJ party.
Watching “Encanto” and sharing it with the people you care about is mastery level self-care.
… and Please PLEASE talk about Bruno.
Happy Healing
Survivor Literacy 
What do you think?