Netflix’s New Supernatural K-Drama Is What Encanto Would Be Like As An Adult Show

Summary Netflix's new K-drama The Atypical Family mirrors the magical world of Encanto, focusing on a family with unique powers and deep-seated issues.

Unlike traditional Disney endings, The Atypical Family delves into adult themes like mental health and addiction, providing a darker commentary.

The similarities between The Atypical Family and Encanto hint at a fresh take on family dynamics and trauma, set to captivate audiences.

The magic of Disney’s Encanto may re-appear in the K-drama world as a new supernatural Netflix TV show portrays what the animated movie would look like if it were made for an adult audience. Encanto follows the magic Madrigal family, where every person possesses an extraordinary gift apart from one, the young Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), who may be her family’s only hope at saving their magic. Encanto’s core theme of generational trauma alongside the magical world of the Madrigals captivated audiences worldwide, diverting away from Disney’s original formula to create a new kind of Disney movie.

Along with delving into the impact of family dynamics, Encanto’s ending rejects classic Disney tropes, with Mirabel succeeding in her mission to save her family without a romantic partner or physical strength. This made Encanto stand out against an array of classic Disney films where love always succeeded all. Though outside the world of Disney, Encanto’s impact as a tale of family, trauma, and healing has echoed into different forms of media, with one of the newest additions being a new Netflix K-drama.

Related Kim Soo-hyun’s 8 Best K-Dramas (Including Queen Of Tears) Since the early 2000s, Kim Soo-hyun has appeared in various k-dramas and movies, but his most recent, Queen of the Tears, may be his best.

Netflix’s The Atypical Family Looks Like Encanto Meets K-Drama

The Two Shows Share Many Similarities

Close

The Atypical Family shares many similarities with Disney's Encanto, as the Netflix K-drama focuses on the Bok family, who, like the Madrigals, each possess a different power, including flight, time travel, and the ability to see into the future. There is also one member of the family who is yet to possess power - the youngest child, Bok Yi-na (Park So-yi) - who could mirror the very same problems that Mirabel faced as the sole member of their family with no power. Like the Madrigals, modern-day problems have caused the Bok family’s powers to wither over time until a mysterious woman changes everything.

From the initial trailer, The Atypical Family has the same Disney-like feeling as Encanto regarding the Bok family's introduction. An air of whimsical mystery surrounds the family and their strange powers despite the shadow of something more sinister looming over their heads. Though, as a fantasy romance, The Atypical Family diverges away from Encanto’s core tale of generational trauma to present what could appear to be an emotional tale of two people learning to deal with their unresolved issues alongside each other, with the help of their families.

What To Expect From Netflix’s The Atypical Family K-Drama

The Atypical Family Will Tackle Themes of Trauma

Close

Romance lies at the heart of many K-dramas, and The Atypical Family doesn’t look to be any different, with leading actors Jang Ki-young and Chun Woo-hee expected to portray the show’s leading couple. The Atypical Family also marks Jang’s K-drama return after being discharged from the South Korean military, seeing him take on the character of Bok Gwi-joo, whose depression sees him lose his supernatural powers. In The Atypical Family's trailer, Chun’s Do Da-hee has been set up as the potential savior for the Bok family’s modern problems. However, things may not be as simple as they seem.

Character Actor Bok Gwi-joo Jang Ki-young Do Da-hee Chun Woo-hee Bok Man-heum Ko Du-shim Bok Dong-hee Soo-hyun (Claudia Kim) Bok Yi-na Park So-yi Eom Soon-goo Oh Man-seok Baek Il-hong Kim Keum-soon Grace Ryu Abel Roy No Hyung-tae

The Atypical Family is directed by Jo Hyun-tak (Snowdrop, SKY Castle) and written by Joo Hwa-mi (Welcome, My Shy Boss) and is likely to explore darker adult themes compared to the Disney animated movie. The trailer for The Atypical Family has shown glimpses of the problems that affect the Bok family, including mental health, eating disorders, and mobile phone addiction, and could provide a deep commentary on the effect these problems have on society. Alongside this, the incredible resumes of the supporting cast, including actors from The Avengers: Age of Ultron, My Mister, and Revenant, could make The Atypical Family an altogether exciting watch.

Though the English title for the series is The Atypical Family, the Korean translation of the title is “Although I’m Not a Hero,” which changes the vibe of the show's initial premise and could suggest a deeper look into the psyche of the Bok family and the typical problems that have shadowed their atypical existence, with a strong emphasis on the relationship between Bok Gwi-joo and Do Da-hee.

Related Netflix’s Squid Game Replacement Confirmed By New Survival K-Drama Trailer Netflix’s upcoming K-drama looks poised to become the next Squid Game, and its trailer is proving why it’s the perfect replacement show.

Netflix’s The Atypical Family Also Looks Like The Perfect Umbrella Academy Replacement

They Have Similar Family Dynamics

Close

With The Umbrella Academy’s fourth and final season quickly approaching, The Atypical Family could also be the next best thing to watch before The Umbrella Academy concludes in August of this year. The Atypical Family looks to follow in The Umbrella Academy’s footsteps in its portrayal of another dysfunctional family who deal with their own powers and trauma. A few characters even seem to share a few of the same powers (or lack of) in each series, with Viktor’s (Elliot Page) initial lack of power mirroring Bok Yi-na, while Five (Aiden Gallagher) and Bok Gang-hwi both share time-travel abilities.

Though Umbrella Academy season 4 theories suggest that the Hargreeves' demise may come with a self-made apocalypse, the Bok family in The Atypical Family’s downfall feels all too real in a different way. Initial glimpses into the Netflix series suggest there is more to the Bok family than there seems, and unraveling the layers that have tightly wound this family together may be harder to crack than initially thought. Though much like The Umbrella Academy and even Disney's Encanto, The Atypical Family could be a great exploration into how modern society and trauma can take the magical spark from people’s lives.

The Atypical Family will be available to stream May 4th on Netflix.