As a result, Encanto was the first Disney Animation film to have choreographers involved in the development process from start to finish, meaning they worked closely with the production team to develop songs, characters, and story. Polygon 's Petrana Radulovic found the familial interactions stunningly realistic and strengthened by magical metaphors.

The ensuing argument creates a fissure that splits the nearby mountain and demolishes Casita as the candle extinguishes, leaving the Madrigals powerless. The Independent 's Clarissa Loughgrey highlighted that the cultural specificity was more than simple aesthetic or linguistic references, commending the incorporation of magical realism and various skin tones. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift -- every child except Mirabel.

The top animated movies at the US box office this year show that families haven't rushed back to theaters". Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many crew members worked together remotely for over a year and did not meet each other in person until Disney put on a socially distanced outdoor screening of the final version of the film.

When Mirabel learns that the family is losing their magic, she sets out to find out why and save the family and house.Accordingly, the characters required a degree of complexity that Disney Animation had previously never achieved. In turn, it was Miranda who suggested that the "vibrant, broad spectrum" of Latin-American music could "best capture" the complexity of family relationships. Writing for CinemaBlend, Dirk Libbey opined that every audience member would eventually cry once they discovered which character they identified with most.