As we celebrate the fact that Pixar has gone another year of seemingly dominating this category (winning a total of 10 awards for the films Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, Toy Story 3, Brave, Inside Out, Coco, and Toy Story 4), 2022 has apparently been the year for an apparent change in scenery in regard to cultural influence, with directors (Jared Bush and Byron Howard, co-directed by Charise Castro Smith​​​​) taking home an Academy Award win for their blockbuster film (Encanto). As Bush and Howard have already won the Academy’s Best Animated Feature category back in 2016, for their previous work in Zootopia, the 2021 project are the two’s first time nomination, and now win for an animated musical.

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Encanto may have been the favorite heading into the Oscars ceremony. The other nominees for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars were Flee, Luca, The Mitchells vs. The Machines, and Raya and the Last Dragon. Encanto was also nominated for Best Original Score (Germaine Franco), as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Dos Oruguitas” for Best Original Song.

Everything You Need To Know About Encanto

     Walt Disney Pictures

While the film’s title Encanto translates into English as charm and enchantment, which is also the community in which the characters live in, the highly immersive, musical fantasy feature follows the life of a Colombian family, the Madrigals, who have had a longstanding tradition of being awarded with the magic of Encanto, blessing every child of the family with an extraordinary gift to utilize in serving their respective community. As Mirable (Stephanie Beatriz), is the only kid to not receive the family’s power, also noticing that her older family members gifts are disappearing, she discovers that the magic associated with Encanto is now in danger, setting out to find answers.

During the team’s respective speeches tonight, fellow cast members expressed just how historical it was to show a multitude of unique unconventional characters within the project, while also highlighting the historical components tied to the project’s win.

As we continue to stay glued to our television screens, monitoring further in-coming winners of the night, it’s inspiring to see that films centering around diversity has garnered mainstream attention. Making history as the first animated film, awarded to reflect Colombian culture, Encanto’s overall theme is layered with patience, forgiveness and a reemergence of the village’s townspeople. Proving that family should always be at the center of our lives.