Encanto Theory: Why Isabela Was Abuela’s Favorite Madrigal!

[@ElasticGiraffe]

I'm so impressed by how each character has a combination of their parents' features, yet each one looks one looks completely distinct.

[@Hugotov]

So like real life?

[@lucianabruno2811]

@@Hugotov yeah, of course. But that's new for an animation movie, usually siblings look the same, or each one of the siblings is a carbon copy of one of the parents and nothing alike each other.

[@kimberlyrose9473]

Whew You should see my family one of my friends made a comment that it looked like we were all giving birth to the same baby over and over with different skin tones 😭

[@ishiiiedits]

Except Pepa,she’s the only one who looks entirely different(where did her red hair come from?)

[@Sliferslacker21]

@@ishiiiedits had to have been somewhere along the genes. Possibly one of the grandparents on either side had red hair. That or she's albino, which makes less sense.

[@katherinegilks3880]

It is fairly clear that Abuela has favourites throughout the family: Julieta is her favourite child (because she gives her the least grief) and Julieta’s children are her favourite grandchildren. Isabela is her favourite because she is the first and then Mirabel was her favourite because she was the baby (until she didn’t receive a gift). Then she puts all of that favouritism and resulting pressure onto Isabela. She puts all of the pressure on Isabela but less on Dolores, even though Dolores is almost the same age, because Dolores is from the less favoured side of the family. Camilo was the only grandson for a decade but was seemingly rejected. Abuela seemed to ignore Antonio, even though he was the baby of the family (grandparents usually dote on the oldest and youngest). While that was probably because she didn’t want to get too close to him after what happened with Mirabel, it still comes across as cold and harsh. Dolores makes it clear she is not happy about being in Isabela’s shadow her whole life - same with Pepa and Julieta. It is interesting that Abuela makes a big deal about Isabela getting married, but never mentions Dolores potentially getting married soon as well (her line could have easily been “It is wonderful that Isabela will marry Mariano and bring forth a new generation to help our community! And then soon it will be Dolores’s turn, and then Luisa!”). It shows how fixated she is on Isabela and Mariano, rather than just on the idea of her grandkids growing up and getting married and her becoming a great-grandmother.

[@nicolovespanda]

when did dolores make it clear she's "not happy about being in Isabela's shadow"?

[@tesscrelli783]

@@nicolovespanda I don't think it was clear, but she did say she was always in love with Mariano but he fell for Isabela instead.

[@Hoodhippietribe]

As in most families right!

[@0104-Vkta]

@@tesscrelli783 Also, I'm pretty sure I've seen an image from encanto's concept art book that says Dolores grew up in Isabella's shadow because she was born right after her.

[@Ash__1991]

Luise was the oldest, not isabela

[@EmSwaff2]

That was my thought too after seeing young Alma, Isabella looks just like her and she's definitely projecting onto her eldest granddaughter.

[@dance_ofThaDEAD]

Yes

[@Kyolover8]

I thought Luisa was the oldest granddaughter? 🤔

[@Bold_Bulma]

@@Kyolover8 Luisa is 19 and Isabella is 21

[@dollpickle]

@@Bold_Bulma wait are you serious?! i thought luisa said in the movie that it was hard to be the oldest.

[@cyrilmarasigan7108]

@@dollpickle because she is the 3rd oldest and her powers are more helpful than isabella or dolores

[@RascalCruz4]

Mirabels gift was hope. That’s why every time she was loosing hope that house would crack and the candle would dim. She had butterflies on dress just like on candle. Her special room is the house.

[@UniqueliAnimationsSN]

I was also thinking her powers could be changine fate? Like how bruno was talking about how shes different and how her visions of her dont have one answer

[@vee-t9u]

@@UniqueliAnimationsSN no I think that signifies that she would have to break the house so that it can be built into something beautiful. The family was broken so, step one-/ but the house wasn’t. - because after all you can’t fix what isn’t broken. Plus the house cracking is a way of expressing the term “Broken home” which reflects the family’s issues. :) So- In other words the vision where she is standing in front of the broken house on one side but the one still standing on the other is saying she WILL have to break the house in order to make everything right again

[@cryofpaine]

The name Mirabel is derived from the Latin word mirabilis, which means miraculous. Abuela was the source & guardian of the miracle originally, and Mirabel's gift was to be that for the next generation. It's why she didn't get a room - she wasn't ready to come in to her gift yet. It's why the power faded and the Casita fell down - Abuela was too afraid to let go, so you have the tension between the old guardian trying to hold on as the new guardian is ready to step into her role.

[@kitcowool]

Her gift was the same that Abuela received!

[@sarah12232]

I definitely agree that her room is the house itself, and I felt like the casito deliberately sef destructed (clearing away powers of others who went to help mirabel, giving her a ladder instead of the usual boost to slow her down, driving everyone else out, being able to shield Mirabel before collapsing completely etc)

[@hereitszara1497]

i think also the fact that brunos vision for her was positive made abuela believe she was the hope of the family

[@nothereghost5017]

I like pepa, she was such a nice character. She also was one of the more heavily effected members of abuelus muniputaltion. She was told to always keep her emotions in check. When she was sad, she had a rain cloud over her, no one would ask why she was sad but would instead tell her to get a grip. This is something noticed and it made me connect with her better. She is an interesting character that I really like!

[@rosesweetcharlotte]

Unfortunately, Pepa sort of has to keep her emotions in check. Yes, analyzing her feelings would be quite helpful, but the sad truth is, that could destroy property and really hurt someone in the meantime.

[@katherinegilks3880]

@@rosesweetcharlotte That is ludicrous. Of course they should try to figure out what is wrong. No one ever calms down by being yelled at to calm down. Why care about property more than Pepa herself? All anyone would do is make the storm worse! Besides, Pepa’s weather is fairly localised for the most part. Abuela just yells at her because her rain cloud causes puddles and messes up the party decorations, which is a fairly trivial thing compared to your daughter’s feelings.

[@loverrlee]

That’s such a good point. It’s typical in dysfunctional families to have a parent who is emotionally neglectful of the children’s emotional needs. I think poor Pepa deserved to be comforted more, rather than told to always keep smiling (reminds me of Inside Out, where the moral was how we shouldn’t ignore sadness and how positive toxicity is harmful). That’s why I’m so happy Pepa has such a loving supportive husband who loves his wife rain or shine. 🌧☀️♥️

[@lonelyronin2428]

Its never "whats wrong Pepa?" Its "Calm down Pepa, its inconvenient!"

[@TheMovieMistress1993]

@@rosesweetcharlotte The way I see it as most of their gifts are connected to nature and the elements and it’s connected to their emotions. Like Pepa, when she’s angry or upset, it’s normally Felix or Camilo who are seen calming her. Much like Elsa in Frozen and Anna is the only one who can appeal to her.

[@TheAverageServant]

Abuela was choosing Isabella but the Casita chose Mirabel. That’s probably why she was born to the “healer” she came with no specific gift but she healed the family.

[@rosesweetcharlotte]

I think Casita and Mirabel were close because she didn't have a gift. Mirabel sort of had to rely on the house's magic more than the others did, while the house itself felt like it had to protect and help her more.

[@gklb_2xx7]

Maybe that's why Mirabel didn't have a gift. The Casita wanted Mirabel to focus more on the house and not her own gift so that she could be the next matriach as Mirabel would know the Casita more

[@StonedHunter]

That's honestly been my theory since before the movie even came out. The Casita choosing its own caretaker makes a lot of sense especially given how the miracle came about in the first place.

[@shabinalam890]

Isn’t isabela also born to the healer

[@Hoodhippietribe]

@@shabinalam890 yes and she can heal too ... heal the earth!!! Her hands are fertile I can’t wait to see her character growth in the next movie!

[@anythingyoucando1546]

I am surprised that her gift to control plants wasn't used in a functional way. Like for growing food for the village for example. Only decorative flowers.

[@xxohanzeexx]

Well she says in her song shes only ever grown flowers because theyre pretty and perfect like she's ment to be. It's not like the perfect girl to be a farmer, so she probably didn't even realize she could grow crops until after her interaction with Mirabel.

[@anythingyoucando1546]

@@xxohanzeexx I mean I am surprised that the grandmother didn't use the daughter's talent in a more practical and useful way. Providing food for the whole village by controlling every harvest would save the whole town a lot of time and work. Just by looking at how the other daughters had to move whole bridges and the weather on a daily basis are not strong enough examples of how much those younger than Grandmother had to work daily. Guess it was another sign of the favoritism between family members.

[@rosesweetcharlotte]

Given that Pepa is out in a field in the first song, seems like Alma was using her weather controlling powers to water crops. And flowers are very important in South American decorating, so by using Isabella's powers for that, they freed up around the village for the useful crops.

[@zaolus2507]

That and she didn't know she could grow anything but flowers until her song arc...Which is literally titled "What else can I do?" So I'm sure neither she nor Abuela knew she could grow anything other than flowers. Abuela's suffocation on her granddaughter literally stunted the potential of her powers.

[@overworked_nurse]

I always assumed she did. Since she was already able to summon and manipulate vines and those hedges in her room, they likely are aware her powers are more than just flowers. Growing crops seemed like something she would do but was just not shown on screen. This would be another reason why she is so favored by Abuela and the rest of the villagers. As for her song, I interpreted it as her being surprised with creating something not pretty or functional like the cactus.

[@maddiandsushi]

Pedro being a writer explains so much as to where Bruno got his creative side for crafting telenovela plots during his time inside the walls 😭

[@user-pt3me4mf2b]

OKAY BUT, THATS TRUE 💀

[@lilenwasnothere6867]

all the madrigal men seem to be artistically inclined

[@IzukuMidoriya38855]

Dolores must have been very entertained with Bruno's telenovelas (I don't know how to spell it).

[@noodle9720]

And also Mariano is a writer, so one more reason for Abuela wanting him as Isa‘s husband.

[@andrealavender1172]

@@IzukuMidoriya38855😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉🎉. El que se va 🎉🎉🎉😂😮🎉🎉😮❤❤😂

[@darwinskeeper421]

My favorite Madrigal was probably Bruno. Living on the Autistic spectrum has often put me in the position of unintentionally saying the wrong thing because I couldn't read people very well. That left me feeling very afraid of speaking my mind, particularly when I wasn't around family or close friends. I could relate to Bruno's fear of saying the wrong thing and hurting people.

[@veronicav575]

An Aspie here. Totally connected to that side of Bruno too!

[@addison7624]

Yeah, I have aspergers, and I can't read social cues very well and sometimes don't know when to be serious and when to joke around.

[@bonkchoy6881]

Bruno's my favorte character too

[@mrenergy5364]

Autistic here. I feel your pain.

[@Twilight24682]

Aspie here i agree OP bruno reminds me of myself

[@noahkirschtein8169]

i remember the first time seeing encanto when isabela yells "selfish!?" it was just like her being this "diva" and being outraged mirabel dared speak against her. whenever I hear the line since finishing the movie, however, I get why she sounds so hurt by exactly THAT choice of words. mirabel called her many things, but only selfish could elicit that response from isabela. she has never allowed herself to be selfish for her entire life, always doing whatever abuela wanted her to. i can just imagine how painful it must actually be to be called selfish when you've gone your whole life not letting yourself be selfish.

[@lordfreerealestate8302]

I think that Isabella was pretty mean to Mirabel, but I agree she wasn't selfish. She sacrificed her happiness all her life.

[@noahkirschtein8169]

@@lordfreerealestate8302 kinda off-topic but genuine question. i see everyone writing isabella when her name is isabela. is it everyone’s autocorrect? or is it just a habit of writing it with two l’s

[@theprideofgryffindor9489]

@@noahkirschtein8169 both

[@ashleyjenkins1672]

Mirabel being the scapegoat, it was hard for her to see the view from Isabela, the golden child. There is a sacrificing of self to make a parent happy that the golden child goes through, so I can see why Isabela was both upset and astonished at being called selfish. The inflated self image of Isabela's is developed to continue the act she was performing.

[@Joi.530]

I think that from Isabelas point of view she was probably jealous of Mirabel who unlike her or the rest of the family that had responsibilities, was mostly expected to stay out of the way and not make too much trouble. Mirabel of course didn't like this and wanted to prove herself as someone who could be useful but she never had to or was forced to which in Isas case I understand Isa being angry. I'd be upset too if someone whos hasn't had anything expected of them in 10 years called me selfish. Especially if behind closed doors I'd never really had any free will since being 5

[@inkheart151]

And in Bruno’s vision, it shows Mirabel hugging someone. Though it shows Isabella at the end, the butterfly also refers to Abuela, so clearly the two are both physically and mentally similar to where Mirabel needed to help them in the same way.

[@floralspectre]

+

[@katrinamendoza4574]

Wow, I never realized that Omg that is an amazing analysis

[@katlynnalmansor4135]

Yeah, but Bruno did say the vision appeared to be "out of order", so I think it was good trick to show Isabella as the one after the hug, when really Abuela needed it in the end.

[@stoogie375]

are we fighting or hugging!!? xD

[@LittleHobbit13]

Well the visions were noted to be out of order, and you don't actually see the butterfly in the part of the vision showing Isabela. The butterfly is the symbol for both Abuela and Mirabel, and it's featured on both of their outfits. That said, Bruno also says "Our family was given a miracle. How do you save a family miracle? You hug a sister." We know that in the moment to mean Isabela and Mirabel, but at the end of the movie, when Bruno comes back to the family, he also gets a hug from HIS two sisters. In fact, all of the major fractures within the family were resolved with a hug: Isabel and Mirabel, Mirabel and Abuela, Abuela and Bruno, Bruno and Pepa & Julieta. (Arguably, even hugs throughout the movie, not just at the climax. Luisa and Mirabel hug as they acknowledge the burden Luisa carries. Antonio and Mirabel hug as she comforts him that it's not the end of the world if he doesn't get a Gift.) *"Gonna save the family miracle......with a huu~ug."*

[@rml2765]

It’s also supported by the fact that her dress is more fanciful then her sisters, she has that light, sheer material that is more aesthetic then it is functional. I believe that this is another way Alma projects, by giving Isabella things Alma didn’t have the time for, beauty, pretty things and dresses that aren’t really functional. It’s also interesting that Almas colour is a purple/red colour and Isabella’s colour for most is a lilac (her family is cool tones) making her stand out from her sisters (until the end and she becomes more blue) and giving a more subconscious connection to Alma by pairing their colours slightly Edit: rewatching Encanto I also noticed Alma and Isabella both have similar if not the same earrings just in different colours

[@ghoulbusters6805]

Well now I’ve got it stuck in my mind how Isabela has an incredible dress, Luisa’s is less fanciful, and it’s possible Mirabel made her own, or got hand me downs. I love Alma but like… damn grandma 🥲 you really did all that huh?

[@epiprany]

Isabela funny edit of you love to: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jabOqKqaeL-Fbsk

[@KathyWashburnBunn]

Yeah, I was thinking about that just now: they wear about the same hue. Isabella's lilac is a pastel princess variation on Abuela's red-violet.

[@rml2765]

@@ghoulbusters6805 to be fair Luisa is running around lifting and moving things so simple is probably what’s best, but even Dolores’ clothes aren’t the same level of fanciful as Isabella’s

[@ghoulbusters6805]

@@rml2765 yeah, that’s true! It still just sorta bums me out, I hope that now that Abuela has seen the light the girls all get treated equally as the lovely people they are!

[@unknownhermit5897]

I get the feeling just from the few short scenes that we see of her when she was a young woman, that she was probably very similar in personality to mirabel until she lost her husband.

[@kitcowool]

Yes, very goofy. Seems to see Hershey in Mirabel, the self she had thought she had to hide away to protect her family

[@jamesdigman6548]

Another thing that could have added to this was the vision Isabella received from Bruno. "He told me that the life of my dreams would be promised and someday me mine. He told me that my power would grow like the grapes that thrive on the vine." This would have made Abuela try even harder to make sure Isa had the best life she could, and to make sure the One good vision that came from Bruno was noticed. And as for the second part, Abuela could have thought that the 'power' was referring to Isa's power placement in the family, setting up Isa to one day take over the mantle as head of the house. And the 'grapes that thrive on the vine' part could refer to the many blessings of future children that Abuela thought would fix the magic.

[@tatimarie8277]

I just posted this then scrolled and saw you saying the same thing 😂 but yeah Isabella is from an outsiders view “perfect” which is then confirmed by Bruno. Pretty much the only flaw I keep hearing is how her powers are decorative only, but that’s just what we saw from a week long period in their life. Her vines are strong enough to drag Mirabel out her room and are constantly used to lift/carry around Isabella. Apart from probably having to decorate for every occasion in town, she can reach things up high or even help with lifting if needed.

[@winterinbloom]

I also thought the vision may have been part of why Isabela was so compliant even to the point of being willing to marry someone she didn't want to be with. She was promised the life of her dreams, so if it was guaranteed to happen then the life she was being pushed into had to be the one promised, right? Not so, obviously, but one can see how she might have gone along with everything, buried her real feelings, and just trusted that things would magically work out.

[@IzukuMidoriya38855]

@@winterinbloom Haha! "Magically" work out. Nice pun to the magic candle. Was it intentional? You can correct me if it's not a pun.

[@BeautifulyCool]

@@winterinbloom exactly! Dolores says in We Dont Talk About Bruno that nobody fully understand his visions. Abuela and Isa, along with everyone else, could've misunderstood that vision like everyone misunderstood Mirabal's. instead, his vision foreshadowed her breaking out of her shell, happy, being herself, and doing amazing things outside the scope of the "pretty flowers" but so so so much more truly amazing and beautiful things.

[@whooopdeedo]

i also think part of the reason isabela was cold to mirabel (until her song) was because she knew that ABUELA rejected mirabel, so isabela also had to reject mirabel. "perfect" to isabela was whatever abuela approved of. both isabela and abuela commented on how mirabel wasnt helping with Antonio's gift ceremony preparations (she was helping). i think not only was isabela envious of mirabel's freedom, which many ppl have pointed out, but isabela had also internalized abuela's feelings (dismissive, distant) towards mirabel. kids pick up on adults' attitudes more than youd think, and can mirror them, especially when the adult is someone the kid looks up to

[@O2life]

Absolutely. This is pretty common in sibling pairs involving a Golden Child. The lucky ones are able to grow up, differentiate from their parents and grandparents, see the harm their assigned roles had on both/all of them, and move past it to have a good relationship as adults.

[@sadiaannona3749]

@@O2life who are the lucky ones

[@Trollestiatumblur]

@@sadiaannona3749 The ones who are able to heal. Most people don’t (even tho they think they do).

[@digimonalvatrax2738]

Yeah I really hated the way she treated Mirable thou😡

[@ladyvader2648]

Sadly, this is very true. I have an aunt who has nothing but jealousy and anger toward my brother who is a child with special needs. This is why her son, whom she is also toxic to, bullies my brother. That cousin is only five. Luckily, she still has the sense to let her son stay with us. That is why we older cousins and the decent aunts and uncles discipline and explain to that him. Now he and my brother are becoming closer.

[@mimib323]

Can we talk about just like how Isabella was willing to marry a man she doesn't love, Dolores was willing to allow this to happen and suffer in silence. Not much attention is paid to it, but it broke my heart.

[@dolce.luna08]

True. The lyric version of we don't talk about Bruno...we heard them singing "I am fine, I"LL be fine" almost at time as if convincing themselves that they'll be fine and just folloe Abuela.

[@pdehoff1]

Abuela functions as a queen to her community. Royal children don't have many choices in maintaining the Firm.

[@user-yk5xu8gr1e]

That was unlike Isabella...it was just Disneyvploy to garner sone sympathy for the character....commercial interests of Disney

[@izzybeau8183]

Can we also talk about how Abuela was taking away her granddaughters chance at true love? I mean you found your love when u met Pedro why would u “arrange” a marriage?

[@Annie-dw9yb]

@@user-yk5xu8gr1e Isa literally supresed a part of her power from her entire life. She was willing to marry a man she did not love a person she didn't want for her abuela. Isa had to be perfect for her abuela she had to suppress her anger and pain and frustration. Luisa and Isa are two sides of the same coin. It was really sad and I get some ppl might not like Isa bc her character is a lot of things but I don't think she's that shallow This is not hate so pls don't attack me

[@wandererwinter8113]

I'm really glad that you mentioned that Isabella didn't have to abandon her femininity, like ripping off her dress and abandoning all girly stuff like make up or flowers, but instead embracing both her femininity and her own uniqueness to become who she wanted to be. I think it's rare to see it since we have been thinking that femininity is inherently bad and girl should stop being girly in order to be accepted in society. It's a beautiful message about being yourself and not giving up on the things you really love and personally, I think a lot of girls would resonate with all female characters like Luisa, Mirabel, Isabella, Dolores,.... Also please be civil to each other and respect others opinion, it doesn't matter if you're a feminine or a masculine kind of girl. Neither one is inferior. What matters is to be yourself and not put down on other just because you think one or the other is inferior. If i am offending anyone, i sincerely apologize. No one should feel like they have to follow a set of standards. It's like with isabella, she's trapped in her abuela's standards of perfection. The real message is that she breaks free and expresses her individuality her own way, but she didn't just create a 180 change. A part of her former self ( the good parts) still lingers as she becomes more artsy.

[@emillyhale7557]

Yes absolutely. 😊 Isabela proves you can still be feminine while also embrace your true self. I think Isabela has artsy feminine style compared to her usual "perfect" femininity. She's still a girly-girl, but embraces her creative, edgy and "dangerous" side.

[@coffintears5821]

Yeah not like other girls really love to demonize feminity as if its this big scary pink monster coming to get them. But feminity is part of being a woman and if you supress that part of yourself your really disconnecting yourself from womanhood as a whole.

[@emillyhale7557]

@@coffintears5821 Totally. 😁

[@captainofthelosercruiser7355]

i also think it was also really cool that they put luisa in a dress cuz it shows that even tho luisa is ThE sTrOnG oNe she can still be feminine

[@jennali9800]

​@@coffintears5821 Some women are masculine and that's okay too. Neither side needs to be demonized.

[@yesthatmousyiris4887]

Camilo and Antonio have to be my favorites. My favorite scene for the brothers is when Camilo shapeshifts into his Dad to cheer Antonio up. It makes me laugh so hard. For Antonio I like how chilled out he is. He is such a sweet kid and interations with animals is so wholesome.

[@Monkey-081hs]

Camilo and Antonio are my favorites too!

[@mryshkh]

Mirabel even says to Isabela that it "seemed like your life's been a dream since the moment you opened your eyes" so I fully agree with this theory that Abuela wanted to live vicariously through her golden (grand)child Isabela. It also explains how Isabela suppresses emotions which aren't "pretty", not showing anything besides poise, gratitude and happiness on the outside.

[@tierneybyrd2798]

Hi, yes. I think it's worth mentioning too that Julieta was her favorite child as well. Abuela was constantly critical of Pepa because she had an ability that was tied to her emotions and was a very emotional woman, so there wasn't really much that could be done in terms of controlling what happened. Bruno's ability allowed the town (and his family) to see him as almost like a villain (if not completely a villain). Which is really unfair because he PREDICTED the future, he didn't CAUSE it. Julieta healed. And she was compliant. She was warm and loving and was likely the triplet that the entire town adored the most. Her ability was something that could be controlled though it didn't need much controlling and we didn't see Abuela really chastising her nor did we see Julieta challenge her mother in any way even when she didn't like something. She was very much, like Isabela, controlled. So outside of being the first of the new generation of Madrigals, Isabela was also the first child of her favorite child.

[@Haryah11]

Actually, Julieta did call her mother out that Abuela had been the hardest on Mirabel. Standing with Augustine, her husband, when Augustine said he was protecting the family by protecting his daughter. I think that Julieta was at peace with the miracles because she knew they didn't define her or any of the others. Like Augustine said, 'She takes after you.' (In regards to Mirabel). You can also see she was troubled that Bruno left and felt the family had pushed him away by their need to fit in some sort of mold. She probably tried to give Isabel and Lusia that same sense but found it hard with her mother being all over the place trying to make sure everything was 'perfect' and protected through that perfectness. A lot of Abuela's fear was probably rooted not just in what happened to her husband but the fact that the village was cut off from that and their miracles protected them and helped them thrive. If they lost the miracle? What if those men came back and her family had to suffer again? When the miracle/Casita broke you can see the pass through the mountains open up, which was probably terrifying for Abuela. Terrifying for the family because they had known what happened those years ago, not to mention the villagers. (The dark clouds and all.) But despite that Juileta went to get medicine that she had in storage to make sure that Abuela (The oldest who would need medical help asap) was alright after she made sure that Mirabel wasn't in immediate harm. And as soon as that was taken care of she was the first to notice and react to Mirabel going missing.

[@katybcat8286]

@@Haryah11 Mirabel's Dad's name is Agustín! Which is the Spanish version of Augustine :')

[@machin8593]

In hindsight I think Pepa's powers became restricted to her emotions because of the way Alma doted on her eldest child Julieta. In the end when Abuela apologized and Bruno came back, she became able to control her powers through will alone. There's a lot of levels to the damage Alma did to them while trying to protect them

[@O2life]

@@machin8593 I think Pepa was especially susceptible to the tension in the family. She had to feel and express the family's anxiety all by herself while everyone else spent all their time masking any faults and being perfect and helpful. Once her family members were able to feel and express their own emotions out loud, Pepa was relived of that family tension and was able to master her own feelings, too.

[@EdslilNeko]

@@Haryah11 You also hear Julieta defending Mirabel at the beginning of the movie. She tells Alma to go easy on Mirabel because Antonio's ceremony was going to be difficult for her.

[@SilverShadow1617]

Something I noticed In “What else Can I do?” During the part when Abeula sees Mirabel and Isabela on the roof, the camera is focused on Mirabel, and Isabela is obscured by her powder. If the shot is focused on Abeula’s POV in that moment, her immediate instinct is to lock onto the source of the “problem” which was Mirabel, because she’d rather think Mirabel was corrupting Isabela instead of believeing Isabela was burdened by having to live up to her perfect expectations all the time.

[@Layla-tg2qe]

That becomes especially clear in the confrontation after the song, when Abuela lashes out at Mirabel, instead of questioning what was going in with Isabella. She just immediately results to faulting Mirabel.

[@PopsiSpark]

abuela*

[@tea317]

That's exactly what I thought when I first saw the scene

[@judylynnlau450]

Honestly, if you were in abuela's shoes, that would be the first thing that catches your eye. More often than not, we are quick to point out and lock down on the bad thing than notice and commend the good thing

[@shadowmahesh9876]

mirabel also did not have a single powder on her

[@keitha.355]

"He told me that the life of my dreams would be promised and someday be mine." And she did become her own person 😌

[@tarragoncake1556]

If you think about it, it was probably a bad predication to her too like the others were, that with her life being “promised”. She likely took what Abuela wanted for her with greater acceptance between his vision and seeing how the family acted about Bruno after he left when she was around 12.

[@SA-xt1gd]

I want to understand Dolores’s part of his vision. The vision of her man of her dreams betrothed to another meaning at the event of the proposal?

[@maddison6963]

@@SA-xt1gd The man of her dreams was the guy Isabella intended to marry, but then Isabella sort of finds out who she is and declines the engagement, allowing Dolores to be with the man of her dreams.

[@mui175]

@@SA-xt1gd yes that's what it means

[@Hoodhippietribe]

And I’m so excited to see how they use her growing powers!

[@Lin-rh6qs]

I just assumed it was because Isabella was the oldest grandchild. She was expected to take over the family when Abuela died until they realized that duty was meant for Mirabel. Not only that, she was the first child born since Abuela lost her husband, unable to continue expanding the family herself because she never found another love.

[@jayduronii4576]

I underestimated this movie. When you break down each individual character, their motives, and their personalities it's really genius in a way. Great movie. Peace ✌🏻

[@thegpshowtheshow]

Another example of how vicariously living through your child (or grandchild in this case) is damaging for everyone involved

[@yuki97kira]

Your perfect doesnt mean its someone else's perfect as well

[@JordanHenneberry]

As someone who went through this from my grandma, I can confirm how much it can destroy lives.

[@disasterjones5798]

the gift seems to be an allegory for gifted children, and how the expectations that are placed upon them eventually lead to emotional dysfunction Pepa, able to control the weather with her emotions, encouraged only to have the good ones, never given the freedom to express anything more chaotic or even have her feelings addressed Bruno, able to predict the future, only knows things in a limited scope so he's a scapegoat when it goes wrong and forgotten about when it goes right Julieta, able to heal any ailment with her food, spends most of her time as the dedicated community nurse, at the beck and call of the town whether it's an emergency or a paper cut Dolores, able to hear "a pin drop" (i.e. nearly anything), ears probably constantly under assault from every single noise in the vicinity, expected to pick out specific sounds and report on them Luisa, able to bear any weight, has her limits and desires disregarded in favor of taking care of the family/community because "she can take it" Isabela, able to grow any plant life, has been relegated to the role of family princess whose sole responsibility is decoration and beautification, never given room to explore or fail Camilo, able to change into any other person, takes over as a double for members of the community, only considered useful when he's a doppelganger, never able to just be himself Antonio, able to speak to animals, is now going to be the liaison for all person-animal interaction, will oversee and settle disputes between animals, incredible responsibility at an early age it turns out Mirabel does have a gift: Family Therapist

[@anidiont5195]

Family Therapist, I love it.

[@wolfgoddess15]

I agree!

[@theirishviking9278]

it kind of makes sense though because she didn't have a gift to focus all her time on she was able to see the faults in everyone else's lives allowing her to empathize with the person behind the gift

[@alorab9955]

Family therapist and a willing person to end generational trauma

[@starcycle4308]

And then who will she have to talk to when she has a problem? From Waiting on a Miracle, it's safe to say there's nobody she can turn to with her issues, which is an incredibly horrible and stressful place to be (speaking from experience). Overall any divergences suck because of how people handle them. (Not gifted child or anything, but I've seen the affect on gifted friends in the past, but I'm psychically different and mmmm people will eat that up as an excuse to treat you poorly).

[@nolando_does_it9714]

So basically she put Isabela in a high standard . because when alma lost her husband , and fleeing from home , then leading a large group of people, her life had changed forever. And seeing herself in her granddaughter she wanted Isabela to live life fast ( and have the life she would have if her and Pedro would not had a danger to flea from) so she want Isabela to live the perfect life. Living through her granddaughter. Forgetting that whole reason why the miracle was given .

[@Popchaaa0731]

Young Alma looks like Isabela imho

[@freedomcat]

Exactly my thought.

[@Julia_Mwa]

@@Popchaaa0731 and my friend looks so much like Isabella, it’s funny, the same long black hair, almost the exact same face, same skin and eye colour, it’s… strAnGe

[@dbzcupcake]

Pretty basic Latino relative tactics and behavior. I'm not even allowed to be sad outside of a death in the family in my house

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

While it is is hard to choose a favorite, i identify the most with Maribel because i am the odd one out in my main family. My cousins are geniuses with one being a PhD, one being a lineman who makes a 100,000 dolalrs a yesr, one who is a coder, one who is becoming an engineer. I am someone with a Paralegal degree that was never used, a Liberal Arts and English degree and just got accepted into a library sciences program, all with two disabilities. Not as impressive as what my cousins have and do. While our grandmother bullied all of us, they got her nice side as well. I never got that. I learned to stop comparing myself to my cousins and just figure things out. Like Maribel, my parents stood up for me and supported me. I kind of felt seen with her character.

[@isabella9486]

Just watched Encanto tonight. As an Isabella who was the “golden child” of the family until recently when I started establishing my boundaries and taking care of my mental health, I immediately wanted to give her a hug. Breaking free is not easy. I’m glad my immediate family is starting to adjust to their “golden child” having flaws sometimes. I no longer associate with some of my extended family. 💛

[@diantriutami1999]

good for you!

[@ejakaegypt]

I’m happy for you

[@isabella9486]

Thank you so much to you, both! 💖💜

[@ginster458]

As a child, isabela even has the same hairstyle as young Alma. They are also later wearing the same earings, they're the only two wearing shades of purple/pink (the rest of the family are yellows and blues, further setting Isabella apart from them) and her neckline is similar to Alma's blouse as she was young. However, Mirabel's outfit is closest to young Alma's, just a differnt colored skirt, with all her family plastered over it. All of the families clothes are embroidered with symbols for their gifts, but Mirabel and Alma are the ones wearing butterflies, Isabela however, is not. I think it's just really neat character building how you can see how Isabel is supposed to be Alma, but Mirabel is the one who... not mirrors her, but compliments her more in a way, hinting that she is the true successor to Alma as heart of the family.

[@O2life]

That is a cool observation. I think you were spot on about mirrors, actually. I think part of Alma's difficulty with Mirabel is that she actually does see a lot of herself in Mirabel, but the characteristics she relates to -- joy, goofiness, even minor clumsiness -- were stamped out during La Violencia. So Mirabel is like a fun house mirror in which Alma most clearly sees her own past and her losses, and she just can't deal with it. Meanwhile, Isabela represents an idealized version of Alma, who might get to have the perfect future that was ripped away from from Alma. And, if you want to continue with that analogy, Luisa represents the unbending strength Alma had to learn in order to survive and raise her babies. And Dolores is the little whisper in the back of Alma's mind that, no, everything is not all right. Alma listens only to facts Dolores provides, but ignores all of Dolores's insights, just as she has ignored her own.

[@pressuresore4169]

I don't think Isabela mirrors Abuela, she mirrors Abuela's dream of having a perfect life. Mirabel on the other hand mirrors her when she was young.

[@TheLastSane1]

@@pressuresore4169 Mirabel mirrors Alma's actual personality and who she was when she was young. Isabela mirrors her physical look. Alma would see herself still after the death of Pedro when she lost that spark in her that Mirabel has. So she began to associate her youth with Isbela especially since she was the first grandchild.

[@sunnyskiesandgoodvibes7200]

Never noticed the earrings!

[@Slowlondon]

My favorite is Julieta, I think I'm the only one. But she was my favorite right away. Simply because she doesn't let bad behavior affect her. She's the only one not on We Don't Talk About Bruno. She doesn't speak badly of him, but everyone else does. Even when Mirabel disappoints everyone at dinner, Julieta is the only one who doesn't say anything bad and she doesn't blame Mirabel for ruining the dinner.

[@mavanachhakchhuak8198]

Luisa couldnt sing since she was you know, crying :')

[@auroradlg154]

She is my favorite too, I love how she kept calm all the time and how she tried to have Alma be nice to Mirabel. Plus, her power seems like it could belong in a Latin American magical realism novel and that's amazing.

[@amee_]

Julieta and Luisa didn't sing so they didn't say anything bad about Bruno , but Isabela also sung about Bruno and was making her part sound positive about him

[@asia3882]

Dolores didn't say anything bad either, she was the only one to defend Bruno

[@amee_]

@@asia3882Yup

[@a.t.m873]

I'm glad Isabella got to be herself and didn't have to be in a kind of arranged marriage. Bruno is an angel who deserves pure love.

[@Ladywizard]

Well now he's not living in the walls maybe he can court a lady once he puts on a bit of weight since he actually looks underweight

[@janiyabutler693]

If you're raised to be a perfect child, you just end up being miserable because you can't express yourself the way that you want to and making sure that this happens, sometimes parents or grandparents will always make you follow in their footsteps. That's why in Isabela's song, she expresses herself by telling Mirabel that grandma Alma makes her feel stuck by being perfect her whole life and never let her do whatever she wanted. And the table scene where Alma removes the white flower from Isabela's hair just shows how much Alma wants her to be perfect as she really is.

[@sergioalvarado4898]

Also, in most latin families, the first grandchild is put on a pedestal and is seen as the next patriach/matriach. Not sure if Isabella or Dolores is supposed to be the eldest, but it could just be the first born grandchild syndrome.

[@itsnani_bee7414]

I honestly feel like Mirabel was also abuela favorite when she was younger. We can see in the flashback that they had a really good relationship when she was younger. But when she didn’t receive a gift their relationship changed. I feel like Isabela felt jealous at first of mirabel cause she used to get the attention when she was younger because they seem to have a tough relationship.

[@TheLastSane1]

Yeah I did not feel like Antonio had any real relationship with his Abuela in the movie. In fact he had a much stronger bond to Mirabel. It was a foreshadow of her as the new head of the family.

[@leonardosomma4196]

Abuela before the gift ceremony: you're VERY special Mirabel Abuela AFTER the ceremony: MIRABEL WILL RUIN EVERYTHING BY BEING IN A 10 FEET PROXIMITY OF ANYONE!

[@alexandraanderson3988]

@@leonardosomma4196 Yeah and jusut for that I think the abuela is a hypocrite

[@A2daM2daZ]

thank you for posting this analysis. i hate seeing both abuela and isabela get such a bad rap amongst fans. when their relationship was the most interesting and nuanced one in the whole movie. the fact that isabela was fully aware she was being used, almost like a puppet, so abuela could live vicariously through her, and accepted it, is so incredible. i mean, and i know mirabel says this at the time because she's angry, but its so OPPOSITE of being selfish. even at a young age when we all have impulses we can't control, isabela was working so hard to fit herself into the mold abuela created for her. you don't do all of that purely out of fear. i think the reason isabela (and all the rest of the madrigals) couldn't just rebel against abuela, wasn't just because they feared her, it was because they loved her. and rebelling against someone you love and have compassion for is so much harder than rebelling against someone you hate that's what isabela was referring to when she said Mirabel ruined her life. she meant the life abuela created for her. the life -she herself- wasn't interested in living, but was still trying to force herself into out of love and respect for her grandmother. it's all there in the implications, but as mirabel is the main heroine of the movie, obviously we focus on her bravery and sacrifice the most. but to me, it was heartbreakingly clear from that confession scene, just how much isabela cares for her family, and how heavy that love weighed on her

[@loverrlee]

I completely agree. Isabelle clearly loved her family to be so self sacrificing. It’s classic people pleasing to put everyone around you first. Mirabel gave Isa the permission she was waiting for to put herself first, and love herself equally to her family and their expectations. Isabelle is a curious artist and free spirit at heart, and I honestly love her story arch so much. And Abuela’s story is heartbreaking in its own ways. I’m sorry to hear these characters are getting hate because what I love most about Encanto was how much I loved each and every character, but I could see how their individual personalities can end up clashing sometimes, just like in real families. Honestly I truly believe Encanto is one of the best Disney movies of all time. 💗

[@francinev3971]

This! It hurts so much to see Isabela getting the short end of the stick each time when everyone in the family suffered. She wasn't an exception. It's Isabela's choice to please Abuela because she loves her. It's not easy to break away from that. I'm pretty sure a lot of kids are also afraid of disappointing their parents which is why a lot of them end up pretending a lot of the time too. Isabela's struggle might be different from Luisa or Mirabel but it's not that far. If Luisa is pressured to do without complaints and Mirabel is pressured to do more to prove herself, Isabela is pressured to not make any mistakes. It also might take part on why she treated Mirabel the way she did. Mirabel makes a lot of mistakes and everyone expects her to but they expect the opposite from Isabela. Given this, Isabela was afraid Mirabel would cause her to make a mistake.

[@ghostofdavinci2003]

Personally Isabela and Mirabel are what I relate to the most. As the eldest and only female child in the family for a whole decade, i was showered by gifts into compliance but also feeling not enough for anyone involved, like mirabel. So it was awesome to see isabela sing what else can i do because she goes out of her compliance box and explores herself more and reconnect with mirabel.

[@ThatOneLadyOverHere]

I can understand why Abuela has a bad image, since the way she treated her family was emotional abuse (intentional or not, it's not okay), but I like her because she clearly wanted to change and fix her mistakes at the end. I believe in letting people change for the better and not holding them to their past, but I understand why some people, especially people that have been hurt by someone who said they would change multiple times, still wouldn't like her. Isabela is interesting to me because I *could not* stand her before her song the 1st time I watched the movie and the suddenly had a great understanding of what she was going through as soon as it started. It does still bug me how absolutely pretentious she acts in the beginning, but if you think about it, it was probably just Abuela teaching her to hild her head up, which is something she stops doing after her song. I also find it so interesting to listen to her part in the Bruno song because it is the only positive prophecy in the midst of all the "bad" ones. But she thinks that the life of her dreams is the one Abuela gave to her and that her powers were at their fullest strength, but she *isn't* happy, she probably wished she didn't "have the life of her dreams" and that her powers would fail her sometimes. Turns out that wasn't even what he was talking about, he was probably talking about something we haven't even seen yet, since she is only just discovering who she really is and what she really wants. But it was funny cause the 1st time watching it any time someone called her perfect I was like "What does that even mean?! That literally doesn't exist!"

[@wimsylogic65]

@@ghostofdavinci2003 I feel like a mix between Louisa and Mirabelle.

[@fourcatsandagarden]

Abuela: I chose Isabela as my heir Casita: Ahhhh .... yah I don't think she'd like that very much. Now this Mirabel kid over here-

[@naijah8151]

This caught me 😂😂😂👁👄👁

[@ihavenoideawhatimdoing4]

🦵🍯🦵

[@animusanemone8433]

🤣

[@vee-t9u]

I relate a LOT to Isabella. My grandmother in fact loves me more than my uncles kids, my cousins, her other grandchildren ofc ext, ext, even more then my own mother because I carry the gene of her dad’s light eyes and our early ancestors singing and art talents. This leads her to point out my moms fat or telling me I had a little acne that I had to “fix” it right away. I’ve seen a picture of her when she was little, I don’t have her nose, but I looked JUST like her when I was 3 myself and what I call her is “Bella” a baby talking fail I had short for “Abuela”. When I was little she inserted that I put my hair in twin braids like she did so my curls wouldn’t be too wild, and when I visited her I would always go in a little dress so my mom could impress her. She even told my SINGLE mom that she should sign me up for the best of signing lessons. I noticed o picked up on her habits as well such as only liking light foods, reading at night which later caused sleeping issues and even more so the fact she had insomnia and last but not least being more quiet and sharp witted having to be the best in the class. Plus.. science is HARD man.. .. I remember the face she made when I was diagnosed with ADHD to this day.

[@LovinSunshine97]

I thought Isabella was favored because she was the only one to get a “positive” prophecy from Bruno.

[@octavianjoseph8633]

That could easily be one of the many reasons she was favored.

[@lauraflanagan9726]

Through Alma pushing Isabella's marriage, she was also relying on Isabella's body to bring in the next generation of Madrigals and keeping the Miracle alive. This further shows Isabella's role of making things "bloom."

[@leonardosomma4196]

Is it wrong that joke at the end of the comment kinda made me snicker

[@Lammington2]

I get the feeling Julieta was the golden child of the triplets - the one with a gift that was useful to the town, not one to be "managed," like Bruno and Pepa's. As a result, the pressure on Julieta's children is higher - Isabela is the perfect one, Luisa has the highest gift of service, and Mirabel's lack of gift is that much more disappointing as a result.

[@roxannegamer9824]

Mira s gift is casita

[@Maiyinlikesmusic]

I think I've read, that Isabel is the oldest of the grandchildren, so it makes sense that Abuela latched on to her, as she was proof that the magic would live on, even after Abuela was gone

[@brendaortiz3014]

Luisa was the first grandchild not Isabella. Hence the song surface pressure.

[@Maiyinlikesmusic]

@@brendaortiz3014 no, Isabel is definitely the oldest at 21, Luisa is 19, her song is about the massive pressure her strength is putting on her

[@manetdelacruz8503]

@@brendaortiz3014 Luisa is the middle child (19 years old) When she's strong and big, that doesn't mean that shes the oldest sister.

[@mavanachhakchhuak8198]

@@Maiyinlikesmusic isnt luisa 19 not 18?

[@manetdelacruz8503]

@@mavanachhakchhuak8198 She said 19.

[@allyyates8040]

The flower that Abuela took of Isabelas hair wasn't just because the rest were pink, it was because it was a daisy. Daisies are considered weeds.

[@caitlinowens0622]

I love how Encanto addresses generational trauma and the effects it makes on the family members as well as Abuela Alma. She was trapped in the cocoon of her grief for the majority of her life, and was unable to become a butterfly until she finally processed her trauma in a healthy way.

[@brittanywalker4792]

The triplets dynamic is probably my favorite. I love the reunited twin trope in general, and I like what they did with it. With Pepa we see her masking her grief with anger. She isn't really mad at Bruno for ruining her wedding. Deep down she knows the hurricane was because of her powers, not Bruno's, but it's easier to be mad then to admit that she misses him. Also notice that she is the first one to hug him when he comes back (only by a second, but still). Julieta just misses him, you see it everyone he's brought up, and she's the only one willing to talk about it. Side note: I personally believe she figured out he's there and intentionally makes extra food so he has enough to eat. This is just my head canon, but she's smart enough to figure out that food started to go missing after he disappeared. Bruno does a great job of portraying feeling isolated, even when technically surrounded by family or friends, which is something that people who have lost a twin at a young age go through a lot.

[@TheLastSane1]

This I agree with fully. Pepa and to a lesser extent the others in the family who were angry where actually hurt. To have someone in your family abandon you, to up and leave with no goodbye or explanation is and would be extremely painful. You feel abandoned, you feel like they didn't care enough about you to say anything or to come back. Also Camilo was a little kid, Antonio wasn't born for 5 years so her brother never met her son. Its a lot of pain that Pepa was dealing with and she is the one who is not allowed to express her emotions at all due to the weather. So her seeing him and suddenly being so happy and accepting is real. He is back, he never abandoned them and he loves them that is all she ever wanted. The idea her brother didn't love them and left was a hard one for her because they are triplets. Gotta imagine that had to make the sisters feel a bit empty losing their 3rd for so long. I agree Julieta probably had it figured out.

[@karencarter18042]

I am a fan of Bruno , he is the member of the family who gave up being with his family to help his family. He found a way to overcome his fears, to patch the cracks in the casita even knowing he could not fix the problem. I also think while Alma did pass on her desire to live her happy life on to Isabella , Alma passed her fear of the future being dangerous and history repeating itself on to Bruno

[@KathyWashburnBunn]

I think you're right! While we're talking about who bore what part of Alma's trauma, I see the members of the Madrigal family whose powers are most useful, bearing the brunt of the survivor's guilt Alma feels, the obligation to "deserve" the miracle. Luisa expresses how she suffers from this pressure. Though it isn't spelled out in the movie, similar pressure has probably weighed on Julieta as well, even when she was only a child.

[@karencarter18042]

@@KathyWashburnBunn Can you image how Alma would treat Julieta if someone Alma cared about died on Julieta's watch. It has been stated in other mediums that Dolores feel over looked , or second best to Isabella. So wondering if Dolores might have been lying about someone wanting 5 babies?

[@KathyWashburnBunn]

@@karencarter18042 Hmmm. Maybe.

[@peskybird3736]

Same but my reason is just because he is funny and talks weird

[@karencarter18042]

@@peskybird3736 That is not talking weird that is acting his true gift . That is Bruno in a nutshell Brave Funny Loving Actor

[@clairedolge3854]

I like Antonio the most because I would love the ability to understand animals; he's also super sweet and cute and I love the relationship he has with Mirabel. But Dolores is also fun to watch and I just found her little squeaks adorable.

[@byrelnerida1069]

I like him too

[@bigboomer1013]

Can we also talk about how cute and adorable and doll like she looks? Even when she has visible forehead wrinkles which most of the pretty disney girls forbid to add? The wrinkles are usauly used on male characters while the females have smooth skin that don't wrinkle to keep the cute pretty doll face. Plus women usually prefer hiding or removing them with surgery because its unattractive. Now o can admit that adding forehead wrinkles on a cute CGI or 2D animated girl could look unappealing much like how drawing them with body hair will look off, but Dolores is the only one who can pull it off and keep the adorable doll face.

[@JimmyScribbles]

He and Eliza Thornberry should hook up later on XD

[@multidebbie1]

Isabela is actually my favorite, I understand the 'perfect' life my friend mother wanted for her daughter, and I understand the life of freedom on what I want. I feel bad for my friend as her mother picks everything out for her while I get to pick myself. She reminds me of my friend.

[@Can_think_of_a_name]

I like how Isabella looks like young Abuela it shows that Abuela looks at her like a younger version of herself and is living vicariously through her, giving her the "perfect life" she always wanted. It's really sad actually.

[@thelordnaevis4946]

I also think Julieta was the favorite of the triplets (since her powers don’t cause any sort of harm) but she never took it to heart since she knows that her siblings deserve as much love as she gets from Alma. And appearance-wise, I think she looks like an older Isabela (and Young Alma)

[@rosesweetcharlotte]

I think Julieta was probably stuck doing her best to keep peace in the family. Pepa can be a nervous wreck and her powers can be quite destructive, while it seems like Bruno was always a tad bit weird and looked down upon. It seems like Alma was doing a lot with the town, so that left Julieta to keep the peace.

[@MizuramenNoodles]

Adding to this from a theory I read in a different video. But if Julieta was the favorite child, then Agustin might have had a harder time getting accepted by Alma. Think about it. He's accident prone and might cause a lot of trouble. Alma probably didn't like someone like him getting married into the family, especially to her favorite child. And in the "I was thinking about my daughter." scene. It seems like Alma was rather unfazed by Agustin standing up to her. Probably because it wasn't the first time. But he really is a kind person, and is why Julieta fell in love with him. So I guess Abuela eventually let it happen. Or at least kept her doubts to herself for the happiness of her daughter.

[@Pinefr0st]

I felt that Isabella had a great "Let It Go" moment in "What Else Can I Do?" Where she discovered there was so much more not only to her magical gift but also to herself. I feel that, much like Pedro, Isabella is an artist and once Mirabel helped her break free and find her expression through her botanical magic she was able to embrace her true self and that is why the cracks mended and the candle flared stronger. Isabella and Mirabel were finally connecting as sisters and Isa was joyfully embracing her own genuine self. It was through Isabella that Mirabel came to understand what was happening to the magic, and how to save the Miracle. And in the end it was saved when the family came to understand what Mirabel had discovered, and Abuela Alma said it true that the miracle was not the magic they possess, but the people who they are. At that point the family was united in love and understanding stronger than ever, leading to Mirabel placing the doorknob which had been forged in that love restoring the Encanto and bringing back their fallen family member, Casita.

[@quickboy6718]

Literally completely opposite of let it go

[@prowolf633]

I'm so happy that Isabela and Luisa got their happy endings. I also really hope that they get to become meet and greets in the Disney Parks with Mirabel!

[@junjunjamore7735]

I always wonder how kids react when they see the superpowered characters though, "Do the magic! Do the magic!"

[@ElfsArt24]

@@junjunjamore7735 characters like Elsa I'll say I don't want to make everyone cold. So Isabela might just say she doesn't feel like it

[@MizuramenNoodles]

@@ElfsArt24 Well she could have hidden flowers somewhere and pretend she grew them. It might be easier than snow. And Luisa's actor would probably need to be super fit to match appearances anyway. So some mildy heavier props should be enough.

[@l.salevi]

I relate to Isabela so hard. I, too, am the golden child of my family. I'm the oldest and considered the "perfect" one in my family who can't make the family's image look bad. Been lectured about it, almost always unwarranted, since I was child. Been jealous of my little sister since she had the freedom I always wanted. My parents would compare her to me which was pretty messed up considering I love her so much and I could see how that affected her. Being the golden child may look nice from the outside but it absolutely sucks. In my childhood, I thought if I did everything my parents wanted they would let me explore who I wanted to be... smh even in my late twenties they are still trying to control my path and I'm afraid of failure..

[@katiesommerville9068]

I love how stitch is always in you're background Stitch expresses how you need to be you I love that...

[@honeybiscuit1457]

I think Aubela was trying to groom Isabella into being the next holder of the candle, as at the time, Aubela was unaware that casita would choose, not her and yeah.. Saw Isabella as another one of her. A perfect example.

[@E32329]

Do u know what grooming means 😶

[@XiELEd4377]

@@E32329 I think... there are different meanings.

[@judylynnlau450]

Grooming can mean nurture or in horrible context, means touching minors inappropriately. In this case, obviously the first. Sorry, that's English😅

[@dinner1232]

@@E32329 I’m pretty sure grooming can be different things instead what you’re thinking of!

[@imchoosingallthebattles9432]

For everyone confused, the word ‘grooming’ can be used in this context. It works fine, though I understand why ppl might have reservations about it

[@annegriswold2116]

Only when Mirabel helped Isabella express herself, did Bruon's prediction for her come true. Her true power was released because she didn't confine her powers to be perfect and only create the most beautiful of blossoms. I figured it was because she was the first born grandchild that so much pressure was put on her to be perfect. And unlike the rest of her family that wore blues, her Aunt's side in warmer shades of yellows/red/orange, like Abuela her clothes were different is mixing her red with the families blues to make the purple dress. Along with it being like a flower to go with the necklace she wears to represent her powers like the other gifted members of the family have hints of what their powers are on their clothes. Mirabel is my favorite since she helped her family be themselves and not what they were expected to be. It was so touching when she realized just how much Luisa was taking on all alone and told her what she needed to hear about doing way to much.

[@kristofferadrian7377]

She was also almost the only one who got positive prophecy and she probably missed her uncle quite a lot. She really needed that, the promise of her dream life not confined by her "perfection". That's why she isn't singing about anything else, she doesn't really talk about Bruno, because she doesn't have anything negative to say, but talking about him in openly positive way could be seen as not proper, since he "left" the family.

[@katrinamendoza4574]

That is an amazing anlysis on the colour theory behind the characters and their designs. Bravo!

[@mavanachhakchhuak8198]

The hinting of their gifts on the clothes means that mirabel's clothes (which she sewed the gifts part on by herself probably) means her gift is her family

[@amberko8710]

In Bruno's vision when Mirabele see's herself hugging Isabella to save the magic, its actually her hugging a younger version of Abuella, not Isabella.

[@ma.kisshaannb.ravago1512]

RIGHTT THAT TRANSLATION WAS SO GOOD that vision showed both events happening the oe with the river and the one with the candle

[@anairaxreika]

The vision was in a disarray... Bruno mentioned it himself that everything’s out of order... His vision was supposed to show Abuela, but maybe because due to his nerves for being pressured by Mirabel... It became replaced by Isabella instead which is a part of what’s supposed to happen... Abuela’s part got shoved off, and Bruno ended his vision because they didn’t know that was the case (the vision becoming out of order again).

[@allycard]

@@anairaxreika i think it was all of it. Mirabel had to help Isabel and so abuela could find her and have the altercation. that will tare down the house built out of trauma and the passage to abuela's grief could be open and let her finally open up about her pain and what it did to her family. then the final part of the old vision could be realized a house with no cracks with Mirabel Infront of it built out of love, family and community.

[@writing.with.rabbits]

Wow, that is so interesting! I have to rewatch that scene now!

[@faithadeolalawal4835]

Yh i saw it

[@Sate12]

Also worth noting: while everyone else got a kind of "doom and gloom" prophecy from Bruno, Isabella was told she would have a 'Perfect' life. Abella tried to mold Isabella into the golden child so the promised "life of her dreams" would come to fruition

[@sharonrobison3440]

My favorite madrigail family member is Bruno, because he is so caring to his family, he even left his home too live inside the walls of the house for Isabell! I mean, come on!, he loves his family sooo much that he has a seat and a very small cracked place in the wall (or whatever it is)to eat with his family without them knowing, he is sooo kind and thoughtful to his family! I can definitely tell that Bruno gets his kindness and sacrifice himself for his family from his father.

[@alexandrajasso729]

I love all three sisters: Mirabel, Isabela, and Luisa as I can see myself through them on a deep personal level. Isabela because I relate on having to struggle to be the perfect daughter for my family. Especially being in a Latino household. I loved her song as it reminded of me with my journey to having to let go of my family’s ideas of the perfect daughter and embracing who I wanted to be. Luisa reminded me of who I was in high school as I was academically gifted and wanted to make my family proud. However, I felt like beyond my grades, I didn’t know who I was and burdened myself to this much pressure. Like Louisa, I broke down due to pressure and had to learn how it’s okay to not always to be the strong one. Finally, I loved Mirabel as it was the first time I saw someone who actually looked like me and I cried seeing it for the first time. Also, I tend to act like Mirabel personality wise and understand feeling like an outsider. Both within and outside my family. I know what it’s like to be seen as the family weirdo and wanting to make your family proud. Overall, I’m glad Disney made this film as my family has loved it.

[@Meow-rj6ht]

You describe me perfectly what, like I’m tearing up, though I’m from an Asian family

[@drangarcia882]

This is how it was for me too

[@cielkai9397]

4:13 " Abuela molded Isabella's existence into what she deemed as perfect so that she could live through her granddaughter." Basically, the main reason, well said, sir.

[@mynameisreallycool1]

Dear lord. I read, "molested" instead of "molded" for a split second. •_•

[@SerotoninParadise5]

I just realized that the vision was representing depending on how Mirabel decided to act with Isabela would affect Casita, Isabela was the straw on the camel's back to show Abuela that her over protectiveness was what was killing the magic. A lot of people I talked to that watched Encanto before said it was alright or not as good as it sounded, but I loved it

[@kymaniplayz1766]

This gave me a new found appreciation of Isebella. I used to think she had such a first world problem, but I should've seen how much she had been actually burdened. Thank you for this video, this gets my like.

[@yansim_akademi5004]

3:14 I noticed this that in the movie. Abuela and Abuelo were eating (probably referencing to Julieta; the said to be the eldest triplet who's powers it to heal people with her food), next on thwir wedding the sunw as shining (probably referencing Pepa; the middle teiplet, who's power is weather), nwxt is when she showed him a paper-cut-out of the triplets, despite probably not having the technology to see how many children would have (probably referencing Bruno; the youngest and powers is too see the future)

[@StormTalara]

I think a lot of people also miss that abuela/Alma’s symbol is also the flower. Not only does Isa look like abuela, they have a similar affinity to flowers. The butterfly comes from Pedro, and the butterfly on the candle is actually the butterfly with a flower inside it, not just a stylised butterfly, which represents their love.

[@morgancole8539]

It’s between Dolares and Bruno for me lol she’s so cute and the fact she did keep Bruno’s secret all that time proves her loyalty to the family. She knew he was in the walls but she also knew that he had a bad vision and associated that with if he left it was for the families benefit then that crumbled away when she found out that the secret Bruno was keeping involved Marabel and she couldn’t help but tell in an already stressful situation where 1. What she thought she knew for years proved to be wrong. 2. She’s watching the man she loves about to propose to another woman 3. Everything is crumbling apart and she doesn’t know how to fix it but by telling the truth and letting the chips fall where they may and thinking the family has a right to know so they can face it. In Bruno’s case I love his loyalty and awkwardness and he’s just so sweet, intuitive, yet misunderstood I’d like to see a series of shorts showing how him and Dolares interacted together through the years since she was the only one that actually knew and he knows he’d powers he was there when she got them so he probably did tell her something along the lines of it’s for the family and you can’t tell anyone else. I’d also like to see shorts on how the family is after they’ve repaired their relationships and Bruno out and about in the community.

[@marissjex]

I saw one comment a while ago that a series like Tangled would be a cute idea to dive further into their backstories and magic!

[@MrsBestiaAzul]

Dolores*, mate.

[@morgancole8539]

@@MrsBestiaAzul thanks

[@calyyygrazie8]

Girl what?? Dolores did not jeep his secret, she told it every chance she had, nobody realized because she's often overlooked. She's literally the family gossip

[@lotusgal313]

I love Luisa. She’s a tough girl with a vulnerable side. Reminding us to let our hair down once in awhile

[@yagamiapologist]

This is one of the best Encanto analysis videos I’ve seen. It all makes so much sense and it just makes the story sadder and meaningful. It just reminds me of how much I relate to Isabela since I’m the eldest daughter/golden child of the family and I feel like I’m suffocated by the unrealistic expectations of perfection. Isabela is my favorite for that reason, but I love Luisa as well.

[@ahstiasummers5583]

It’s interesting you brought up Bruno leaving. The trauma of watching a family member leave, and I’d like to think he was a good uncle, for no clear reason probably instilled a deep-seated fear in everyone else that Abuela could very easily visit that treatment on anyone who didn’t live up to her expectations. I wouldn’t put it past her to use Bruno’s leaving as a means of controlling her other kids and grandkids

[@bozovirag97]

I really REALLY felt what Isabella was going through. It's actually the same for me. I didn't even need to resemble my grandma, but as I was the first-born female grandchild, I'm the favorite, and I really need to be perfect. I am clearly "the favorite", and it is a burden. I feel so bad that I have been chosen... This movie really is a masterpiece

[@alinafernandes2823]

At first I thought Isabela was Abuela's favorite just because she was pretty, had a beautiful gift (the most beautiful gift of the family in my opinion, what she does not only with flowers but also with all those kinds of plants during her song is just INSANE) and was the oldest out of all Madrigal grandchildren. But this perspective makes a lot of sense too and just proves how many layers these characters have and how deep this movie is. Abuela saw herself in Isabela and wanted her to have everything she couldn't, not bothering asking Isabela what she ACTUALLY wanted for herself. And, of course, Isabela had more pressure on her than usual, but Abuela kinda did that with everyone else in the family in some level. I just love how encanto brings up topics like family relations, psychological pressure, trauma and even anxiety (I saw a metaphor for that in Luisa and Pepa, for example) in such a sensitive and relatable way 🥲 definetly makes it into my top 5 disney movies (actually I don't have a top 5 but if I did it would surely include encanto 😂)

[@MistySophie]

I wish we could see more of Dolores and Camilo' since their gifts can be such a burden too. Camilo who everyone always wants him to be something else in order of him be helpful or Dolores who I bet can go crazy with everything she hears

[@dehro]

living vicariously through one's children is not an uncommon thing to do, when there is trauma, deprivation, sacrifices and/or struggle in the past

[@shadowmahesh9876]

love how in the one of the scenes where Mirabel was looking at the photo frames of everyone. Only in Isabela's one do you see Abuela standing in a different position while for everyone else she stands the same

[@May-may-1475]

I feel like there’s more to isabela’s perfection. She was the first grandchild- the whole entire village also promoted her perfect image, and so do the people in the family. (Felix saying our angel). It’s not just to appease abuela. One thing i noticed gringos don’t consider is the importance of collectivism and family. We have matriarchal families but its not just about abuelas tho yes it had a part. The movie goes at length to show the villagers too in other ways: relying heavily on luisa, also being afraid of bruno… its weird that to foreigners everything is just down to abuela lol.

[@sophiel5559]

I love this , a lot of the TikTok’s about “we don’t talk about Bruno” often say “why is Isabella even in this song because he only said nice things “ when people are talking about how they perceived Bruno’s visions to have ruined their lives but I do think Isabella’s line counts because that prediction of a perfect life would have been subjective and if abuela/others heard it she may have had a preconceived notion of what that life should look like whether or not it was perfect for Isabella , the nicest guy in town and a big family whereas Isabella might want to live in a forest or marry a botanist, as well as the prediction for powers that will grow - placing a burden of usefulness and increased capacity on her and even some of these grandiose displays throughout the movie are just ways to try and maintain that expectation of fulfilling Bruno’s one “good” prediction , like Luisa she can’t relax and just choose to make daisy chains she has to grow crops and decorate the village and fly from buildings on a vine to demonstrate her gift And since Bruno left the night of mirabels ceremony all these profecies where given to kids barely older than the Mirabel from the flashbacks

[@Karmillina]

I think Isabela's probable resentment towards Bruno might come from the fact that, while everyone's futures seemed to come as predicted, the one he promised to her, an actually desirable future, seemed completely out of reach with each passing day.

[@cuprite5746]

The irony? I was literally watching encanto videos and this just popped up! Also hope everything goes well with the move and unpacking!!’

[@phirintra]

I love how you explain abuela. As favorite characters, i love mirabel, bruno, dolores

[@bangtanmoments8112]

every character has their own story. SOME of my favorite would be mirabel, luisa, bruno, isabel, and abuela (even though she has been very manipulative to her family for the last years) perhaps i liked abuela's story bc of the fact that she was left with 3 children and his husband was k!ll3d and despite of this she was really a strong woman, it is no joke to be in her situation and be a solo parent with the whole town relying on her, the immense pressure, and that pressure was eventually passed down to the members of her family (based on their powers they were pressured to make abuela see their worth) at least she learned her lesson at the end and have had some realizations and all because of mirabel's resilience. abuela shows that no one is perfect, we all make mistakes, even horrible ones! but what matters is that we actually learn from it, and take ACTIONS to make others feel the regret and apology for what we have done wrong. my heart goes to luisa and bruno, gosh, they always seem strong and intimidating at the facade, but they have the warmest hearts ever i even teared up on their parts when i saw the movie huhu. mainly i love isabel despite her being mean to mirabel at first because she was expected to be the "perfect" girl and later on when the story unfolded it only shows that she puts abuela's happiness and will just to fit to the image she was being set to, that's kinda suffocating tbh that's why i understood her, and she let go of that image and she became more comfortable of herself, isn't that inspiring. and ofc mirabel, being strong is an understatement. being in a family where you always feel left out and one has "favoritism" God knows how hard it is (because in real life i am in) being the less favorite because she has no powers unveiled the true essence why these powers were given to them in the first place and that is to treasure every member of the family, despite being in that situation she chose to be more optimistic, to see the positive side in her story that led to open abuela's eyes, mirabel broke the "chain" of their worths being measured based on the power bestowed to them :) i think she is the next leader of the family, like abuela, mirabel will lead the family, but in a more realistic, comfortable, and welcoming way. i really like this film.

[@StonedHunter]

I definitely agree that Isabela having the closest appearance to Abuela being a factor. I also think that it is because she is the first born grandchild which in families like this would automatically make her the 'heir' to the family's legacy. Alma's trauma just...piled on top of an already pretty toxic family mindset (heirs vs spares is a long LONG tradition in large families, especially ones in positions of power/authority like the Madrigals are in their community). It's a very layered issue but I think you captured all of the deeper emotional points very well. The way you talk about what Abuela Alma went through is what I try to stress so often when talking about her. While we can't, and shouldn't excuse any of her actions, we can understand them and in doing so, maybe understand some people in our lives (whether you choose to forgive them for hurting you or not is still up to you and you are always justified and okay to walk away from someone who's doing you harm even if they've gone through something tragic). Amazing video as always, and congrats on the move!

[@AustynSN]

Bruno was my favorite. His feeling of not belonging to the family he loved so much that he had to stay with them even when he felt they didn't want him around... That was heartbreaking.

[@misseli1]

I think every Madrigal family member has been my favorite at one point or another ever since I watched the movie. They're so likeable, not a single one of them dull. They're all so fun to watch and you can tell they really love one another.

[@boobailey4509]

Yes! Love this reply. I feel the same way. Seeing them as a group instead of as individuals was such a mistake the characters all made (until the end)

[@Princesscce]

my favorite character is Camilo, even though he seems like doesn't have a real personality, he is still special. and i like him because he is a supportive bro, supportive cousin, caring son and a really kind hearted boy!

[@Animeprincess2030]

I absolutely love all of them honestly. It’s really hard to choose one. I love Isabella as well as Luisa and mirabel the most. I love how encanto doesn’t have a main villain. It deals with Truma and expectations as well as family issues something that Disney has ever really explored with. It amazes me how Disney continues to grew and change and exploring beyond the storybook type of storytelling and make there films relatable for everyone

[@alterego7324]

Of course, Mirabel is a given, it's so nice to see a lead character whom I can relate to, not just with how she's been throughout the movie but even her physical attributes. So nice to see a lead character, who's got glasses on (like me), I hope Mirabel becomes an official Disney princess. Apart from her, I can't choose between Luisa and Bruno, they are also my fave too as they represent me somehow. Luisa, in the movie always try to start and get done with all the work she needs to do, without complaining, even when they all *spoiler* have no powers, she was the first one who started to lift one of the walls of the broken house. Her character is relatable in a sense that people already assumes that carrying, lifting, things are the only things she is good at, and it made her think that without her strength, "she wouldn't be of service" and she wouldn't have any worth, so every time, she keeps on doing more and more work, even if some of the stuff the folks want her to do, are too tiresome, since they think, she can do it all by herself anyway, and still she does it to make sure she doesn't let anyone down, because if she will not, she might think people will be disappointed in her. As for Bruno, he's such a rich character. I can relate on how some people think he's way too different, so it somehow lowered his confidence, and kind of resulted for him to stop believing in his gift/talent since others think it's of no use, and wouldn't be beneficial. I can't imagine how his life were for the past 10 years, the impression others had about him were almost the opposite of what he is. He was willing to lose touch with the family by staying behind the walls because he thinks he just gives problem for the family and decided to leave when he found out about his vision and the possible ideas that the family will have about Mirabel, I think he doesn't want Mirabel to feel like how he feels (feeling left out and blamed at for things not within his control). Plus, he even decided to show up to face Abuela Alma when he thought Abuela was still scolding Mirabel. I mean, Mirabel is so lucky to have an uncle as cool as Bruno.

[@wimsylogic65]

Yeah and about Louisa I don't understand why she had to keep on going after the donkeys that's something the town's people could do. The guy that was always like Louise so the donkeys are out were so annoying I hated him. I want to be like shut up and go get the donkeys then.

[@wimsylogic65]

And what really pissed me off, Was nobody seemed grateful to Louisa for all that she did. Hadn't seen any thanks for getting the donkeys. Or moving the church, did It need to be moved.

[@ambermeridy7550]

The best element of Encanto is the authentic portrayal of a family structure that could resonate with many people. I don't think I've seen so many perspectives of familial bonds being shown at once in a Disney film and it's refreshing. There weren't any sides to be taken just issues to be worked out. I can't say Encanto is my favorite Disney film, but it did make a mark in mind on this element alone. BTW: Louisa was my favorite...she reminds me of my older sister ❤️

[@J_artz_]

8:26 okay okay I agree so much with this. I know people (not all) want to say stuff about who she likes or i"f this or if that" I like how you mentioned that. I saw that she didnt want to be all pretty pink she wanted to be her own girl without a mold. She discovered she can grow all sorts of plants that are not perfect and not all perfect colors (like harsh colors and "something sharp and something new") she saw a chance for her to get to know herself and be a better person to herself and her sister. Thank you for coming to my random Ted talk

[@soupiaaa]

I think it’s just because she’s “perfect” which she wants everyone to be also she was going To marry Marino which would contribute the family and more family = more gifts

[@moonlightj0y]

My favorite is that little coffee kid! Lmao! 🤣🤣🤣

[@lonokonane1796]

Mirablle is my favorite because she is the only Madrigal that saw the others as individuals. The only thing she expected from them was love. She pushed them to be themselves, powers not in consideration. The conflict with Isabelle stemmed from Mirabelle telling her that she is not, in fact, perfect and doesn't need to be.

[@shroomiegunleader814]

I love this movie, and I love Isabela. What I have a bit of a problem with is her merchandise. About 99% of merchandise shows her dress at the beginning of the movie. You don't see her other 2 dresses that much, which is sad since almost everyone I've talked to prefers that look for her and the meaning behind it.

[@Gooberwares]

Seeing Isabella make more than just flowers was very interesting to me like an artist findings new medium something new to express herself that she can have more control over than what everyone expects

[@johnbega8874]

When i first saw Encanto I knew Isabela was the favorite because, like Isabela makes flowers bloom and in abuela's eyes she is perfect and she has Mariano but she dosent actually love him she was just doing it for the family to be happy thats what i saw. :)

[@sakbromely]

Video on why Abuela did a full 180 on her attitude after witnessing her daughter desperately scream for her granddaughter (paralleling Abuelas own desperate cries for Pedro) and knowing that she is the one that caused the thing she feared most, and after Casita dies realizing that not only Mirabel but Camillo and Isabella too all risked their lives to get that stupid candle without hesitation. Like her grandkids were prepared to suffer a horrifying death crushed under their home to save the magic.

[@retropockystick]

Ohhhhh my gosh you HAVE to do character analysis videos on all of the characters! I would love to hear you talk more about the amazing writing that went into these characters- Bruno and Luisa especially!

[@Hylie]

My gosh the smallest little details can make the hugest impact. This was such a joy to watch, thank you for taking the time and effort to make such a lovely video essay. I love that you pointed out that her embracing herself did not mean she was defying femininity or gender expression but rather becoming aware that she can be the woman she wants to be. :D

[@judylynnlau450]

Abuela is a perfect example of imbalanced post-traumatic emotional handling. More often than not, single parents or people in general who've had bad experiences but are left with obligations and responsibility, or people to care for. Another video I watched explained very perfectly that she didn't get to mourn properly from the duties she was rushed with, and no one she could confide to. The wrong thing to think is that looking back at a bad memory and still have affect you is getting in the way of doing what you need to do. Showing weakness especially to your children is not a weakness, it's a lesson of strength, and important in teaching them how to support others in their time of need. It's sad and harsh to think what she thought she was doing was the opposite of actuality, but I believe it happens more often we think. Respect to all those that can cry at a memory and then go back out to face the world and count their blessings. Moral: *amidst the life of happiness, don't forget to mourn and feel sad sometimes.*

[@writing.with.rabbits]

This is a great analysis on Isabela and abuela's relationship and their character development! I feel like some people don't realize the depth of Isabela's inner conflict. You explain this perfectly! I would love to hear all your thoughts on each member of the Madrigal family and how their relationship with abuela and their powers affected them.

[@matthewhemmings4712]

This also explains why Isabella and Mirabel had a poor relationship. Isabella was jealous of Mirabel’s liberty to do and be whoever she wanted, while she had to be perfect and keep in line. Mirabel was jealous of Isabella getting all the attention of Abuela, and her ability to impress everyone in town.

[@alexandraanderson3988]

I don't think mirabel is jealous of her just sad that she has to be left out or un important basically an outcast because she doen'st have a gift so which is why she wishes she had a gift like isabella to be more noticable by her abuela