- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
Disney makes Oscars magic once again with 'Encanto'
With a sprinkle of magical realism and catchy tunes by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Disney again claimed Oscars gold for best animated film Sunday with "Encanto," a colorful celebration of Colombian culture and the importance of family.
The film defeated a diverse field -- Afghan refugee documentary "Flee," Pixar's Italy-set coming-of-age tale "Luca," futuristic family comedy "The Mitchells vs. the Machines" and Disney's fantasy adventure "Raya and the Last Dragon."
"I am so proud to be a part of a film that puts beautiful, diverse characters in front and center, and that people everywhere are seeing themselves in the film," producer Yvett Merino told the audience at the Dolby Theatre.
The movie tells the story of Mirabel, an ordinary teenager born into the charmed Madrigal clan, living in a secluded paradise of lush gardens and towering mountains. Every family member has a special superpower -- except for Mirabel.
To the rhythm of Colombian folk music styles like vallenato and bambuco, and with coffee and arepas on the stove, the Madrigals use their gifts to help their fellow villagers with whatever they need.
But the magic -- generated by a supernatural candle -- suddenly starts to fade, requiring the family to unite to save their home and their community.
The film was also nominated for best original score and best original song for "Dos Oruguitas."
The tender ballad recounts the love story of the family matriarch Abuela Alma, and how the enchanted candle came to her when her husband Pedro was killed by invaders who forced the family off their land.
The scene recalls the decades-long conflict in Colombia pitting the government against armed rebels, anchoring the film in the country's tortuous history.
- 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' -
Mirabel, who is Alma's granddaughter, feels as though she has let the family down, and that its fading magic is her fault. Alma does not exactly dissuade the teen of this notion.
Another key element of the story is the reemergence of the family's black sheep, Bruno (played by John Leguizamo), who went into self-exile after a disturbing vision of the future involving Mirabel.
"We knew he was someone people would gravitate towards," one of the film's co-directors Jared Bush told Variety.
"John was so spectacular: funny, lovable and weird -- and in not a lot of screen time!"
One of the film's lasting legacies will be the runaway success of "We Don't Talk About Bruno," a catchy mix of hip-hop and Cuban rhythms written by Miranda that topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for weeks.
"Every family has an outcast or someone who feels like an outcast. I think it's one of the reasons the character has taken off. A lot of people feel like a black sheep," co-director Charise Castro Smith told Variety.
The story ultimately is an ode to inclusivity, and how every member of a family can contribute, with or without special gifts.
- Diversity and representation -
"Encanto" is a triumph of representation on the big screen -- Disney is well known for its perfect princesses with long hair and ball gowns, but Mirabel has unruly curls, wears glasses and traditional clothes, and doesn't have a superpower.
The cast is made up almost entirely of Hispanic actors and opens with a line in Spanish: "Abre los ojos," or "Open your eyes." The spectacular animation includes painstaking details in the traditional clothing worn by the characters.
Bush tweeted that the film's cast and crew were "overjoyed that so many people are seeing themselves in this film."
C.Garcia--AMWN