If you’ve been living under a rock (or just strictly a Cocomelon household), Encanto tells the story of the Madrigals, a Colombian family living in a magical house (the "Casita"). Every child in the family is granted a "gift"—super strength, shapeshifting, controlling the weather—except for our protagonist, Mirabel.

When the family’s magic starts to flicker and the Casita begins to crack, Mirabel realizes she’s the only one who can save them. But the "villain" isn't a monster or a curse; it’s the internal pressure and unhealed trauma of the family matriarch, Abuela Alma.

We all know "We Don't Talk About Bruno" was the 2022 anthem that wouldn't die, but the reason Encanto has stayed in the cultural zeitgeist for parents is that it articulates things our kids are feeling but can’t quite name.

In a world of curated Instagram feeds and the pressure to be a "Tier 1" athlete or a straight-A student by age nine, Encanto hits different. It’s a mirror for the anxiety and perfectionism that define the modern childhood experience.

Let’s talk about Luisa. If you have a child who is the "reliable one," the one who never complains, or the one who carries the heavy load of sports, school, and helping with younger siblings, "Surface Pressure" is their theme song.

When Luisa sings about the pressure that "tips, tips, tips 'til it just goes pop," she’s describing burnout. We’re seeing this in kids younger and younger. According to recent youth mental health data, nearly 30% of middle schoolers report feeling "overwhelmed" by their daily schedules. Luisa represents the kid who feels their worth is tied entirely to their productivity.

If your kid is obsessed with this song, it’s a great opening to ask: "Do you ever feel like you have to carry too much for everyone else?"

Then there’s Isabela—the "perfect" one who can make flowers grow. Her struggle is the "Golden Child" syndrome. She’s spent her whole life being what everyone else wants her to be, to the point where she doesn't even know what she actually likes (turns out, it’s cacti and messy colors).

For kids growing up in the era of TikTok and BeReal, where "aesthetic" is a lifestyle, Isabela’s journey of realizing that "perfect" is actually a prison is incredibly relevant.

Ask our chatbot about how to help kids navigate social media perfectionism

Kids love Encanto because it’s vibrant and the music is objectively a bop, but they also love it because it’s one of the few Disney movies where the "magic" is actually a burden.

Younger kids (Ages 4-7) love the animal sidekicks and the shapeshifting. Older kids (Ages 8-12) resonate deeply with the feeling of not being "enough" (Mirabel) or being "too much" (Pepa).

If Encanto opened up some good conversations in your house, here are a few other recommendations that tackle similar themes of family pressure and emotional wellness:

While the first movie was about sadness, the sequel is the definitive guide to Anxiety. It’s a perfect follow-up to Encanto for talking about how we try to "protect" ourselves by being perfect, and how that usually backfires.

If the "Abuela" dynamic in Encanto felt familiar, Turning Red is your next watch. It’s a very real (and funny) look at the "good girl" who starts to find her own voice, even if it disappoints her mother.

Don't sleep on the "The Sign" episode or "Chest." Bluey is the gold standard for showing parents how to talk to kids about big life changes and the pressure to be a "good" parent.

For a non-movie option, this book deals with Roz, a robot who has to "program" herself to be a mother and find her place in a world where she doesn't naturally fit. It’s a beautiful metaphor for finding your own "gift."

Ages 3-6: They’ll love the colors and the songs. The "scary" parts (Bruno’s tower, the house breaking) are mild, but you might need to explain that the family isn't actually losing their home forever. Focus on the idea that Mirabel is special just for being herself.

Ages 7-10: This is the sweet spot. They’ll understand the sibling rivalry and the pressure to perform. This is the age where "gifted and talented" labels start to happen in school, making the Mirabel/Luisa/Isabela trio very relatable.

Ages 11+: Tweens will pick up on the intergenerational trauma. They’ll see Abuela Alma as a "villain" initially, which is a great chance to talk about how people’s past hurts (like Abuela losing her husband and home) can make them act out of fear in the present.

Check out our guide on explaining intergenerational trauma to kids

One of the "No-BS" takeaways from Encanto is that the family's foundation was cracked because of the expectations, not the lack of magic.

As intentional parents, we often do exactly what Abuela Alma did: we want our kids to succeed so badly—to have the "gifts" we didn't have—that we accidentally make our love feel conditional on their performance.

When your kid sees you watching Encanto and you say, "Man, I feel for Luisa. I sometimes feel like I have to do everything perfectly too," you’re modeling vulnerability. You're showing them that the "cracks" in the house are okay to talk about.

Here are three low-pressure conversation starters for the car ride after the movie:

Encanto is a rare 10/10. It’s visually stunning, culturally rich, and emotionally profound without being "preachy." It’s a movie that actually respects the intelligence of children and the struggles of parents.

It reminds us that our kids are not "investments" or "workers" meant to uphold the family's reputation. They are just people. And they are enough, even without the magic.

Ask our chatbot for more movies like Encanto