‘Mark, mark… Boom!’ and ‘Encanto’ review: Lin-Manuel Miranda doesn’t throw away her movie scenes

After his previous job “In the Heights” turned into a critically-acclaimed (if rarely seen) film, Miranda made her directorial debut with “Tick, Tick… Boom!,” an adorable adaptation of the man’s forthcoming story. “Rent” creator Jonathan Larson, and wrote eight original songs for “Encanto,” an animated Disney film with a predominantly Latino cast. That follows another animated series, by Netflix “Vivo” that he produces in addition to writing music.

Although he is working from a script by Steve Levenson (“Dear Evan Hansen”), Miranda apparently approached “Tick, Tick” as a deeply personal tribute to the music scene in general and in particular to Larson, who tragically died the night before the film was due to be released. became the record of “Rent” at the age of 35.

The echoes of “Rent” throughout are also omnipresent, reflecting how Larson eventually managed to sell an esoteric concept posited in the future to write about topics very close to home, including personal encounters. struggling to keep the lights on (literally) and the ravages of AIDS at the time.

“Clack, click… Boom!” filled with happy surprises, and Garfield was supported by Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus and Vanessa Hudgens, as well as Bradley Whitford and legendary composer Stephen Sondheim.

If Larson offered the right advice when deciding to “write what you know,” Miranda, as director, has taken that advice in mind, too.

For “Encanto,” feeling like an outcast is one of the most enduring themes in Disney animation, which becomes all the more relevant as those movies have moved in more progressive directions than in their early days. by Walt. “Encanto” reflects a more recent tradition, in a film about what makes us special, once again seriously alive, by Miranda’s musical gifts.

Set in a magical Colombian town, Disney’s 60th animated feature film begins with a reference to a particularly sobering real-world phenomenon – the plight of refugees. But amid their loss came magic that made the Madrigal family flourish, with each possessing a substantial gift under the supervision of matriarch Alma (María Cecilia Botero).

Everyone, that is to say, except for Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), who went empty-handed after the gift-giving ceremony, remains as determined to be a part of the family as her parents and sister. she.

“Gift or no gift, I’m just as special as the rest of my family,” Mirabel told local children, but she seemed doubtful of that fact.

However, just as one of Mirabel’s cousins ​​comes of age and her sister is about to get married, strange things begin to happen, with signs that the family magic is beginning to unfold. faint. Mirabel thus becomes Cassandra’s warning of danger, which her grandmother does not want to hear, merely reinforcing Miirabel’s sense that it has fallen into her hands to save everyone.

Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard (“Zootopia”) and co-directed by Charise Castro Smith, “Encanto” compensates for the scarcity of traditional conflict with a colorful world filled with power and style music. rich.

“I will never be good enough for you,” Mirabel said exasperatedly at one point.

Happily, “Encanto” is good enough for families looking for that spread of Disney animated magic, just as much as “Tick, Tick… Boom!” bring home theater.

“Clack, click… Boom!” premieres November 19 on Netflix. “Encanto” opens in US theaters on November 24. It is rated PG.