Charm is the story of the Madrigal family, whose members have special powers and who live in a magical house in the mountains of the country. And those places are captured by the film in the same landscape to invent a very own Disney version of Colombia.
The film co-directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard and Charise Castro Smith managed to win the Oscar in the best animated film category.
Hidden in the El Mirador area is Salento, a small Colombian town characterized by its traditional architectural beauty, its mountains and its beautiful landscapes.
It is now known throughout the world for being one of the places that inspired the Disney movie Charm.
The film tells the story of Mirabel, of the Madrigal clan, through a colorful celebration of Colombian culture. For the inhabitants of Salento, the film manages to show the most positive face of Colombian culture.
José Toro, an inhabitant of Salento, affirms: “All Colombians and especially those from Salento are happy with this achievement. This is not an achievement just for Salento, but for the whole country to show such a positive face”.
The town of Salento is located in the middle of the Cocora Valley, another of the places that inspired this magical story. The palms of Quindío, the coffee plantations and the Amazonian vegetation are some of the natural references that appear in the film.
With all these elements, Disney has left aside the castles full of fairies and treasures; and has shown that a Colombian house combines many more things.
Other places where the film is inspired
Caño Cristales, the beginning of the ‘enchantment’: Known as the ‘river of five colors’, this place, located in the Sierra de la Macarena National Park, Meta department, presents an ostentatious show every year between July and November. There, local guides offer excursions around the area to take you to the deepest corners of this natural paradise.
Cartagena: It’s called the Walled City and it’s where most of the hotels and restaurants are located and it’s also very walkable.
Cocora Valley: Located in the department of Quindío, in the coffee zone, in the center of the country, the Cocora Valley is home to the emblematic 60-meter-high wax palms, the tallest in the world, which are the national tree of Colombia. . It is also where the Quindío River is born and one of the entrances to Los Nevados National Park. It is located 11 kilometers from Salento, 35 kilometers from Armenia and 45 kilometers from the city of Pereira.
Colombian Amazon: Take a good look at Antonio and his magical world teeming with animals. This area is largely the protagonist of this story, since not only the green of its landscapes appears, but also some of the animals of the story such as capybaras, tapirs, coatis and jaguars, widely seen in this Colombian region.
Typical Colombian houses: The Madrigal house is the center of Encanto. That’s where its members live and where most of the story takes place. That hacienda is inspired by typical Colombian houses seen in Cartagena, Villa de Leyva, Salento and Barichara, according to Procolombia.
Villa de Leyva: located in the central department of Boyacá, it is a picturesque town from the 16th century, very popular among the rols (natives of Bogotá) as a destination on weekends. Excellently preserved Spanish colonial buildings surround the wide cobblestone plaza, the largest in Colombia, with whitewashed walls contrasting perfectly with rusty red tile roofs.
Barichara: small town nestled in the hills of Santander. The town has 18th-century whitewashed walls and the red-tiled roofs of Villa de Leyva and other typical Colombian towns, though without the constant rush of visitors. It also has viewpoints over green peaks and a privileged view of the Suárez canyon.
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
