The Impact of a 2-year-old Boy Seeing Himself in a Character
On Good Morning America, Kenzo’s father explained that seeing Kenzo in that moment “took us aback,” and he commented, “For me, it did make me feel a little emotional just to think that my son was able to see this and have this experience.”
Continuing on, talking about what it means to the black and brown communities, the father of the 2-year-old boy said, “And just to have all the black and brown boys and girls to be able to have that same experience.”
Kenzo’s parents explained that after that, Kenzo was completely “tuned-in” to the movie once he noticed Antonio.
Kah shared that, “As a mom, I’m always trying to capture moments,” and “It just truly made me smile and my heart happy.”
And people all over are talking about this because of the impact that it can make on diverse communities.
When the parents of the 2-year-old boy, Kenzo, were asked by GMA what it means to them to know that their child will grow up seeing positive images on TV and movie that represent him, Kah responded, “It means the world to me. Again, I didn’t have the same experience growing up.”
She went on to say, “I do believe that there’s power in representation and it does empower young black and brown children.”
Apparently, the whole experience caused the household to discuss whether they even had characters that they felt represented them when they were children.
Kah said, “What’s so special about Encanto was that it didn’t stop at just showing us brown characters.” Explaining how the Disney movie represented all kinds of different backgrounds, she went on to say, “It showed the diversity in hair textures and skin tone. I’m so grateful for moments like this because I’m aware of its impact, especially for brown boys and girls.”
She explained how her 2-year-old boy seeing herself in the ‘Encanto’ character, “brings joy to our family. There’s power in representation and magic in creativity. This generation and future generations will experience inclusivity because the film industry is moving in a direction that reflects the true diversity of our world.”
The family explains that they have watched the movie again, even though they do like to limit screen time for their 2-year-old boy. Kah said, “He is still pointing out Antonio. We love it.”
They also explained that Kenzo likes to dance and sing with the other characters in Antonio’s family, but he is keenly aware of his twinning ‘Encanto’ character being there, too.
The parents’ reaction is mirrored by many across the nation because it offers hope for children today being represented by their favorite characters.