Disney has done it again — the amazing storytellers and animators created another film that tugs at the heartstrings (and feels relatable) to millions of people of all ages. Disney Pixar’s latest release, Encanto, is a story based in an enchanted forest in Columbia in which a family holds extraordinary powers to help the people of their village, while they live in a magical house. With the catchy songs and awesome detailing in the movie, looking deeper into Encanto shows the movie’s bigger meaning.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
The Madrigal Family are the main characters of the movie, and most family members have a gift (also called a miracle) which they utilize to help their family and the people of their village. Abuela is the matriarch of the family. After she lost her husband, she came into possession of this candle that grants all the miracles for generations to come. She has three children: Pepa, Bruno and Julieta. Pepa and her husband Felix have three kids: Dolores, Camilo and Antonio. Julieta and her husband, Agustin, have three children as well: Luisa, Isabela, and Maribel. Each of their gifts — on the surface level — match the regular Disney magic for a younger audience, such as super-human strength, controlling the weather, the power to heal and shape-shifting. The only grandchild who didn’t get a miracle was Mirabel; however, nothing was said in the movie specifically about why she didn’t get one.
Looking deeper into their miracles, there’s a lot of symbolism within each one a character possesses. For Luisa, she has the miracle of super-strength — she can move mountains, reroute rivers, and — her personal specialty — move escaped donkeys to their enclosure. Besides how epic her power is, this power of strength is her own personal shield — she’s the oldest daughter, so she puts up a front to be the strongest on a physical and emotional level. She feels the need to carry the family burden and any concerns or worries that her siblings, parents and extended family may feel.
Her strength is a blessing and a curse. She’s able to serve her community, but she’s not able to feel and process her emotions. Luisa also doesn’t feel that she can share her worries otherwise people wouldn’t view her as the strong one of the family and village anymore. Younger audiences mostly likely wouldn’t understand this, but the older audiences will be able to resonate with Luisa and her feelings — especially the oldest in their own families, like Luisa.
Isabela possesses a power that allows her to create beautiful flowers on a whim, but this power also has a double meaning. She can create miles of beautiful pink and red roses — perfect for the many parties that the Madrigals have as well as spruce up the foliage around the village. However, these flowers are also a representation of how she feels as if she needs to be perfect in every aspect of her life and if she isn’t then she isn’t good enough.
Isabela is seen to always have perfect hair and the perfect outfit — even her entrances into the room are perfect. This is just a personification of how she feels that if she isn’t the perfect granddaughter to her Abuela, she will not be as loved or accepted. An example of this is when she is set to be engaged to Mariano, she states that she never wanted to marry him but she was doing so for the family — reinstating the sentiment that she’s sacrificing a part of herself in order to keep the perfect face of the family. By acting this way, Isabela was never able to fully express herself in the ways she wants. Only once she has a talk with Mirabel does she uncover that it’s okay to be different and that perfection is just superficial. She discovers that she can do more with her miracle, such as create cacti, succulents and other “imperfectly perfect” flowers to show her emotion and feelings at the moment. The character Isabela can resonate with many who watch Encanto because in today’s society with social media and societal expectations, it feels virtually impossible to express yourself the way you want without being mocked or ridiculed. Isabela shows that it’s okay to express your interests in your own way and that no one is perfect.
Finally, Mirabel. Mirabel is the only Madrigal grandchild that never received a miracle, and it was never discussed in the films why. Mirabel shows her undying love for her family, but most times felt like an outcast and a nobody within her own family because she lacks a gift. She feels imperfect and sometimes unwanted. Abuela is especially hard on Mirabel because of the fact that she doesn’t have a gift, even though Mirabel tries so hard to please her. All her attempts fail until finally, Mirabel discovers that it’s not her that is the problem, but Abuela. Mirabel’s gift is the power to fix the generational trauma caused by Abuela’s impossible standards set for each family member to meet. Mirabel talks with people in her family members to try to solve why the magic is dying in the family, but the magic can be correlated to the family bond. Abuela is constantly straining the family with her need for everyone to be perfect, but the love for the family — and just pure family, nothing to do with magic — is dying. And it’s Mirabel’s job to mend the wounds brought by Abuela. This is a deeper message that many older viewers can relate to if they have a similar situation at home within their own family caused by generational trauma.
The movie Encanto is one of my favorite Disney movies to date. From the symbolism, the detailing, the visual effects, and the soundtrack (“We don’t talk about Bruno no, no, no”), the movie is a fantastic masterpiece to describe undying love for family and the breakdowns of familial and societal pressures.