The Secret Meaning of Encanto's Dos Oruguitas & Why It's Amazing

[@dvqjacks7735]

The power of 3 is seen through the family. Triplets: Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno- Past, Present, and Future Julieta's daughters: Isabela, Luisa, and Mirabel- Beauty, Brawn, and Brains Pepa's children: Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio- Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil

[@HowardHoMusic]

Dang...okay, that breakdown deserves a pin!

[@kalidmohammed5115]

3 is the magic number 🎶 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqqwd3eMmZqjndE

[@littleforfeited]

Makes Sense!! Lin is a genius musician and Howard Ho explained the meaning perfectly!!

[@dgmilloway]

I'm curious. How is Camilo "See No Evil?"

[@marj2278]

@@dgmilloway I think it’s because Camilo’s powers alter what he looks like which is why his is the eyes, and for those who are also confused with Antonio it’s because his power is his ability to speak to animals

[@evridicee]

actually, i noticed something. this song talks about two caterpillars, facing three different hardships: hunger, the weather, and the future. what are the triplets’ powers? julieta cooks food that heals. pepa controls the weather. bruno sees the future.

[@alejandramunozbaidoc7137]

🤯

[@Rubashkyn1]

😱

[@RainbowEssence-c3w]

Son of a bitch! XD That's clever!

[@yunamchill9169]

Don't do this to me...

[@meredithszymanski4720]

Omgggg

[@hakkesho12]

Holy crap…you guys. 1 Abuela + 3 Triplets + 2 Husbands + 6 Grandkids = a Family of 12 A Colombian Tiple has 12 strings… *The Madrigal Family is literally a Madrigal AND a Colombian Tiple 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯!* Lin Manuel…who gave you permission to be this clever 😩??

[@MC-ep8cu]

There are also 12 notes in western music and 12 constellations. When combined make "the perfect constellation, and everybody want's to shine"

[@autisticdancer]

The more I watch these video's the more I realize how much of a genius Lin Manuel is. XD

[@multifandomnerd37]

the noise i just made xD it was like TSCHAFFFF genius

[@Justapersonontheinternet-li7nu]

@@autisticdancer He didn't win his awards for nothing

[@gilangsetyawibawa185]

If Dos Oruguitas were on Broadway, I could imagine a young Abuela and Abuelo doing an interpretive dance in the background retelling their backstory, while the older Abuela sings it to Mirabel in the dark. As the song reaches its climax, a swarm of projected butterflies form a rainbow in the background before disappearing into the mountain gap. This is going to be the emotional, eleven-o-clock centerpiece of the show that might hopefully win Abuela's actress her well-deserved Tony Award...

[@HowardHoMusic]

Yes, I would totally watch that on Broadway and love every second of it.

[@Super_Pandas]

So I’m not the only one making up Broadway-style coriograhpy to the songs.. PHEW!

[@egg_bun_]

Omg YES, THANK YOU for that imagery

[@nexenzy5825]

@@Super_Pandas IM so for a broadway style show of this! I so thing WDTAB is a cool one to think choreographed on stage, ESPECIALLY the table setting scene!

[@princess_tamia_25]

I think Isabella and Mariano would act it out in front of her! 🥺🐛🐛🦋✨

[@hornguy04]

The lyrics of Dos Origuitas also reference the powers that the triplets all have: “their hunger burning,” “against the weather,” and “the way for tomorrow”.

[@twobluestripes]

Nice catch! I was translating the lyrics in my head while listening but I hadn’t noticed that yet

[@nameless.artist1513]

Oh wow!! That’s so smart, I didn’t even catch that

[@flusel4949]

I also love how Mirabel, a child of the triplet who’s representing the past, is the one to heal the family by unpacking the past trauma that has been affecting the family ever since. First she helped Luisa and Isabella - two other children of the “past” - expressing their feelings and struggles, then she gets to the root of the problem, helping abuela with her trauma as well. It really shows how you have to deal with the things that have gone wrong in the past first to heal the present and make way for a better future. As always great analysis!

[@HowardHoMusic]

Oh YES! It's all about healing!

[@jeaniecox6575]

So Julieta doesn't just make food that heals... she made a person that heals, too!

[@imonlyndon]

she’s also the THIRD child of julieta and augustin

[@Ch50304]

that is so interesting, and so true.

[@yiklongtay6029]

Then I wonder how would people distribute the role of present and future to the other 2 sibblings. Maybe Louisa is perpetually tasked with demand every day while the pressure of ensuring the family's future informed Isabella's need to be perfect. Eh. Shaky at best

[@mA-nd1xr]

Props to you for reaching out to a spanish language interpretator and pronouncing the stuff dang well. I love these deep analisys and this is no exception

[@HowardHoMusic]

Oh I appreciate that so much! I tried to be as good as I could be though I know it wasn't perfect.

[@jorgec98]

@@HowardHoMusic it may not be perfect but nothing ever is. You tried and got a great result! Great video :)

[@guillemmartinez9958]

@@HowardHoMusic I'm sure any native Spanish speakers here would agree that you did an amazing job with your pronunciation even if it isn't perfect!!

[@monangel2388]

I'm from Colombia and you did good with your Spanish. 🙏

[@rcburger8]

@@HowardHoMusic And, wasn't that one of the messages of Encanto? - the preference for being oneself and embracing one's own imperfections instead of forever straining unsuccessfully to be someone else's superimposed idea of perfection.

[@SaiScribbles]

Lin Manuel saying he wrote Dos Oruguitas to sound like a folk song that’s always existed makes sense cause when I first heard it I thought it was to the tune of some familiar folk song or lullaby. So damn man good job.

[@YourXavier]

Agreed. If you had told me this was written a century ago, I would have believed it.

[@jamesaitken5653]

The verse is actually a familiar tune: to me it's a carbon copy of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Andy Williams

[@madiis18account]

My god Lin is unbelievably talented at musical story telling

[@christinet6336]

He really is… a musical and story telling genius. 💜😍

[@mwoods4608]

I would love to see him collaborate with ye

[@beccac6812]

A once in a lifetime songwriter

[@adinace]

@@mwoods4608 nah, keep him away from that toxicity

[@tinker2054]

@@mwoods4608 he's better than ye honestly

[@BlueCanary7]

What a beautiful analysis! I know the common thought is that "We Don't Talk about Bruno" should have gotten the Oscar nomination for best song, but you've done a fantastic job of showing why "Dos Oruguitas" is every bit as worthy of the honor 👏

[@alicialudden9994]

I figured Dos Oruguitas was nominated because the Academy looooves depressing sad things and never honors lighthearted or funny films or moments. I mean, when was the last time a comedy won best picture? As if humor isn’t also highly artistic and valuable

[@gpaderx6105]

exactly

[@DivaViews]

It was the one chosen because the nomination was due in early November before anyone could have predicted the juggernaut that is this film. Lin and the producers felt Dos Orugitas best represented the film as a whole.

[@bluekirty]

@@alicialudden9994 it follows Disney's tradition - they hardly ever present the 'fun' song as their choice for nomination - preferring the more 'serious' song

[@Epic_Halfblood]

And it’s funny because Bruno’s original name was Oscar. Lin-Manuel changed it to Bruno to rhyme with the line “We don’t talk about… no, no, no”

[@darthserenity6906]

i realized that abuela alma was singing in the melody of "dos orugitas" in la familia madrigal, but i never understood why that choice was made. your channel is amazing!!

[@RealCindyAparicio]

I always though that part meant to show how Abuela and Mirabel are singing in two different tunes and also how the movie was about both of their journeys: Abuela holding on tradition (the past) and Mirabel looking for the future (literally looking for Bruno)

[@RealCindyAparicio]

It’s also very interesting how Abuela interrupts Mirabel’s song with her own showing that she didn’t believe she was singing the right tune, almost as disregarding her views on the family. Mirabel is happy singing while everybody works and Abuela doesn’t think she’s bringing something useful to the family.

[@Pluveus]

@@RealCindyAparicio I also figured that it was because Abuela and Mirabel were singing different tunes, but I didn't make the connection until after I had seen the full movie, so I figured it was showing how Abuela's trauma was impacting the family on a very basic level. If in the language of musical theater, characters sing when their emotions are to intense for talking, then Abuela's trauma is literally breaking into the emotions of the rest of the family, because other family members are participating in the song, some even have singing parts, but Abuela is the only one whose emotions are out of sync.

[@NaviNeku24]

Because Lin does that a lot in his work as well. For example, there's Hamilton, which put "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story"'s motif in "History Has Its Eyes On You" and the musical motif of "It's Quiet Uptown" in "That Would Be Enough", and in "The Family Madrigal" where the motif of "We Don't Talk About Bruno" was briefly used as well. While we can definitely see Lin use past motifs in future songs in musicals, there's also the occasional use of future motifs in past songs to show foreshadowing or even a shift in tone, like how "The Family Madrigal"'s motif was used in a slower, more somber song like "Waiting on a Miracle" and a slower, more resolute song like "All of You" or Eliza's narrative motif being used from "That Would Be Enough" to "Burn" to "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story".

[@YourXavier]

I think it's also supposed to foreshadow why Abuela thinks the way she does. It makes it clear that the trauma is there from the beginning, just under the surface. In her own way, Abuela is repressing just as much as the rest of the family.

[@marilucs]

The three theme is all over Encanto. And stays in the family's newst generation, as both Pepa and Julieta also had three children each!

[@hy2rochlor1c]

*mariano wants 5 babies*

[@fizgig76]

If you look at that clip, where Dolores says that, she gives a rather salty side eye towards her cousin, Isabella, subtly indicating that, seeing the one she loved being betrothed to another, she couldn't help but somewhat sour the moment for Isabella (Dolores working off of the belief that Isabella wanted Mariano). You immediately see Isabella have a subtle freakout (the blossoms spearing in her hair) and Dolores looks low-key smug.

[@NarfiRef]

Also, when putting the pieces of the vision together, it’s with the third piece that she sees herself in it.

[@interrospire]

@@hy2rochlor1c lol

[@beccac6812]

I see a sequel where Bruno has 3 of his own !

[@aleksandra9332]

I feel like whenever Lin writes a song and everybody loves it, he's like "I'm glad they like it, but shame they don't get this, that, that and that reference" And Howard is the guy who restores Lin's faith in the humanity Cause he gets EVERYTHING

[@ARS1508]

When I introduced a music theory friend to Hamilton, he was less blown away by the story but didn’t shut up for five months about lyrics and music 😂😂

[@Pluveus]

After watching this movie and listening to interviews that Lin has done about it, I'm convinced that we're about to see a second Disney Renaissance. Every choice he made in the movie musically was very much(and intentionally so) in line with Howard Ashman's philosophy that made the animated movies from the late 80s to early 00s so amazing.

[@QuikVidGuy]

when I first went into the family madrigal, I was slightly rolling my eyes like "oh a contrived character listing that isn't brave enough to just outright break the 4th wall" but kind of knew there would be a LITTLE more to it So when Mirabel started avoiding talking about herself it hit me that "Oh. This is an I Am/I Want song in disguise"

[@redfullmoon]

He puts a lot of thought in the songs definitely, but a lot of them are just lacking the heart emotionality that were present in other Disney songs esp with Alan Menken involved.

[@Kaiclysm]

This didn’t age well ☠️

[@AllTheArtsy]

Encanto references Gabriel Garcia Marquez's extraordinary work, 100 Years of Solitude so well. An intergenerational family, living in a big house, wrecked with problems due to not acknowledging their history and due to their insularity. It's not 1 for 1, of course, but the homage is clear. In 100 Years, mariposa are always present during the scenes of unusual, magical realism. While gold symbolizes financial growth, yellow is seen as decay and ruin. I like how Encanto flips that. The butterfly, and the magic candle, is both golden and yellow and symbolize the walls coming down so they can be rebuilt anew.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Yes, of course, there's a huge debt to Marquez and magical realism! I had a section talking about that, but unfortunately did not include it in the final video. Thank you for including it here!

[@m.v.gonzalez5575]

Thankfully the house didn't broke bcos a pig-tailed baby, but Bruno's "telenovela" references part of that

[@QuikVidGuy]

given how close gold and yellow are, was it some kind of message about certain types of financial growth being destructive in themselves?

[@monicavanbuskirk270]

So much GGM in his writing! Watching Hamilton is like reading Chronicles of a Death Foretold in America.

[@bookcat123]

@@monicavanbuskirk270 This is the first description of Hamilton that has made me want to see if for more than just knowing what everyone is talking about…

[@thespeedyyoshi]

Oh my gosh, I never even noticed that “past present future” theme in the triplets. That’s insane.

[@LittleMan27]

The three theme also extends to there being three generations. 1) Abuela & Abuelo. 2) The triplets: Pepa, Bruno & Julieta. Plus Julieta’s husband Agustín & Pepa’s husband Félix. 3) Mirabel, Camilo, Luisa, Dolores, Antonio & Isabella. Notice how Julieta has 3 kids (Mirabel, Luisa & Isabella), and Pepa has 3 kids (Dolores, Camilo & Antonio)?

[@HowardHoMusic]

Haha YES! All of this!

[@ellieragsdale4398]

That reminds me, there are a total of 12 people in the family: Abuela, her 3 children, two in-laws, and 6 grandchildren. There are also 12 strings on that instrument (forgot its name), and 12 notes in that descending harp melody (not counting the last note). I'm guessing that was a chromatic scale, which is pretty important in music. Back to the ... whatever that instrument is called, that's all over the soundtrack, it shows that all 12 family members have a role to play. This also goes with the last name Madrigal, as discussed in the "We Don't Talk About Bruno" analysis.

[@luisaf.padilla9342]

@@ellieragsdale4398 the Colombian instrument with 12 strings is the Tiple

[@marcialynnukulele]

Does anybody else just stop and think how lucky we are to (be alive right now) have a masterpiece of film and music such as this? I can’t be the only one.

[@curlyfry2024]

Haha Hamilton reference

[@YrBoiNana]

I think that it’s important to mention that Mirabel didn’t dismiss Abuela’s recognition that she was wrong, but she redirects the conversation to Abuela’s strengths so that she isn’t focusing on the bad.

[@aQuayQuay]

Obviously, triplets are visually seen through Julieta, Bruno and Pepa; Isabella, Luisa and Mirabel; and can't forget, Dolores, Camilo and Antonio (3 sets of 3s (hey we almost have a full measure)). I first got a feeling of the threeness in Encanto in the song *Surface Pressure* actually. Luisa recalls her triggers in threes ("pressure like a grip, grip, grip"). She feels like a "tightrope walker in a three-ring circus". She even references Cerberus, a three-headed beast. I want to say this is because Luisa is finally able to share her stress with the threeist of them all, Mirabel, who has felt the pressure of being giftless her entire life and this is the moment Luisa feels her powers slipping. I'm not really here to write an essay--I just needed to get this idea out somewhere.

[@sarahwho2238]

surface pressure is one i go back to listen to a lot, i wondered why no one was talking about it! these were things i hadn't realized myself & whether theyre on purpose or not it's cool to know lol

[@kemma_]

and Bruno has 3 identities 🚶🏻

[@lavendernightshade5631]

@@kemma_ yes,there is Bruno who makes bad things happen,but has the of acting,likes rats and telenovela's with rat actors.Hernando who fears nothing with a hood over his eyes,and Jorge who made the spackle and wears a bucket on his head to take care of Casita's cracks.

[@aQuayQuay]

@@sarahwho2238 Same here! I still think it's such a bop and relate to it a lot :')

[@aQuayQuay]

@@kemma_ oh there we go! A full measure of triplets 😂

[@dogwithheadphones]

I’m not even a Hispaneophone (Spanish speaker) and this is one of my favorite songs in the movie. It’s so beautiful and full of emotions and symbolism, and that’s only in the lyrics! The sound design is on a whole new level. Lin poured his heart and soul into this movie and it SHOWS.

[@jaayfall211]

A yes, Hispaneophone

[@user-th8di4wx8s]

You could have just said "I don't speak Spanish" but thank you for the new word

[@anscerram9816]

Isnt that what hispanic literally means? To speak spanish. It doesnt signify place of origin so i feel it coulda worked better here

[@torgnyaanderaa2334]

I also feel like there is a tiny echo from "Under the sea" in this song; the song Lin has talked about as probably his favorite Disney song. Love it.

[@HowardHoMusic]

To be honest, I kinda hear it too. LOL...also, Lin named his son Sebastian, sooooo...

[@gpaderx6105]

and he will be writing new Original songs for the Little Mermaid Live-Action... but sadly he'll not write a new song for Sebastian

[@torgnyaanderaa2334]

@@HowardHoMusic Yesss! I feel validated; thank you! :D (Just hope I'm not ruining this beautiful song for anyone now, flooding their minds with images of an upbeat underwater orchestra, rather than the imagery the song - or the movie - presents us with... ;) )

[@chuyuuus]

Omg i feel seen and heard HAHAHA The first thing that came to my mind after hearing Dos Oruguitas for the first time was TLM's Under the Sea. Damn, my day is complete :D

[@Little1Cave]

@@torgnyaanderaa2334 I heard Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved” in “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”. Still love the song though. Lol XD

[@MoaisNotmyname]

This whole production, the animation, the acting, and especially the music is just pure brilliance. And it was (at least partially) done during covid lockdowns. This movie continues to just blow me away.

[@TiaraGirl98]

This is such a deep and thorough analysis, you’ve taught me more about film and music theory than 10-odd years of piano lessons! Watched this over my morning tea but I don’t think I can handle any more mind-blowing information today, thank you for this!

[@kcsupersonic1]

When you consider the English lyrics of the song are trying their best to communicate idea for idea, I think the idea about having to bring back Bruno to restore the family is illustrated in the English line, "To fall/fly apart, To reunite." When Pedro is killed, Alma's world falls apart, but she must like the song instructs, keep moving forward to the future. The issue is that in moving forward, Alma forgets the second part of this line, that she must also reunite. Alma is so concerned with never letting what happened when she lost Pedro happen again, that she never once went back to the river, never once did she reunite/reconcile her grief and consider why Pedro died and why they were given a miracle. It was love, sacrificial love for his family that birthed the miracle. The miracle wasn't something to be earned; it was a gift. The Miracle was a gift meant to protect and provide for Pedro's family, all of the family, including Bruno and Mirabel and it dies when the family is not together. In order to restore the Miracle, the Family Madrigal, once broken apart from each other must reunite. Only then, can the family truly find a way towards tomorrow. Pedro may have been parted from Alma, but his love and wish for his family was always that they would be protected and united. Bruno and Mirabel were seen as misfits in the family, who stood apart from the rest, but they were always meant to be reunited.

[@twobluestripes]

Really well said, and also really illustrates the important connection between Bruno and Mirabel that isn’t readily apparent; not just that they are misfits (or feel like black sheep), but are presently held back/pushed out by Abuela’s fears, actions, and shortsightedness, and need to be re-embraces and affirmed.

[@deecilla5087]

I'm crying! During a song analysis I'm crying! It's coz my mind is suddenly opened to the fact that it's not only a lyrical message but a musical one that shows the journey of Dos Oruguitas. It's beautifully painful in that bittersweet way what with the animation showing a painful past but it has such an uplifting message that blooms at the end with all those butterflies flying away. I can't even. My heart feels rejuvenated and it's 5:30 am. Thank you for sharing this. It was wonderful.

[@jlastre]

I’m very surprised that no one, or at least I haven’t run into any one on YT, has pointed out that _Encanto_ is very much a child friendly version of Colombia’s Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s _One Hundred Years of Solitude._ Sure Disney had to leave out the dark ending and dark elements of the novel, but the symbolism of the butterflies 🦋 and hope are left in.

[@HowardHoMusic]

A lot of people have mentioned the influences of Marquez and magical realism. But yeah, I think going further with "child friendly version" explained would make a great video!

[@jlastre]

@@HowardHoMusic Like said it’s only my personal experience. Admittedly I’ve only been looking into this three days.

[@lauradavison8068]

Ugh, yes. I was watching the movie and was like "this is a fun, Disney version of 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'." And you know what? I'm here for it.

[@scarletsletter4466]

This is the first comment I've seen that mentions this, but it's exactly what I told everyone after I saw the movie the first time. GGM wrote multigenerational sagas like no other, and you can tell that Miranda (the composer of Encanto) is inspired by him

[@jessewithford-cave8415]

I just realised that in the song Waiting on a Miracle, when Mirabel sings that line she is actually waiting for a Mirabel, she is waiting for herself to fix the family and learn that she isn't broken, the family is. Also in the lines "I can't heal what's broken, can't control the morning rain or a hurricane', she is referring to her family's gifts but she doesn't yet realise that she can and will 'heal what's broken', and 'move a mountain'. She will also help her family once again to 'control the morning rain or a hurricane' because Pepa gains a new sense of control after she stopped being emotionally gaslit by her family to hide her emotions and the generational trauma was resolved, and 'make new trees and flowers grow' because Isabella does actually start growing new plants after she learned not to strive for perfection, and the lines are ironic because these things all happen through Mirabel.

[@inolvidable.]

*Colombia is called the Country of 1000 Rhythms, because it has 1,025.* Very rich musical culture. *Colombia is the Most Bio-diverse Country in the World by Km², and 2nd. by extension, after Brazil.*

[@PodcArne]

Country of a thousand rhythm and we can’t break out of trap or reggeaton beats to save our life ay

[@anfeormon]

Wow! I'm from Colombia and I didn't know that about the 1,025 rhythms. Thanks for the info!!🙌

[@QuikVidGuy]

1,025? I'm struggling to comprehend what that even means

[@tnyeager]

Brilliant observations and discussion! Another point that occurred to me about the augmented chord: if Bruno represents the future, and there for the last of the three, he's like the third member of the augmented chord--the augmented fifth. He doesn't seem to fit in (like a perfect fifth would). He makes what would be a very consonant harmony (a major triad) sound dissonant; he introduces tension.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Yes that's right! And if you look at the specific augmented chord used, C and E are still parts of the home key of C major...but adding in the Ab/G# provides something outside of that framework.

[@sarangiljimolla377]

I really want this to win Best Original Song in the Oscars and make Lin reach MacPEGOT status

[@TheHomesters]

This is brilliant!! 🌟 And my daughter just wanted to add that Mirabel’s name has three syllables!

[@HowardHoMusic]

Haha...okay, wait I get it! At first I thought I mispronounced it, but I see you now.

[@TheHomesters]

@@HowardHoMusic 😅🙌🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🌟🌟🌟

[@TheHomesters]

We are fans of yours now, and we really look forward to watching more! Thank you 💫 🙌🏽 Very inspiring videos and brilliant insights and breakdowns. 🙏🏽 🎶

[@henrikmarkwardt6100]

The name Madrigal also has three syllables and starts and ends with the same letters as Mirabel!

[@briandaaranda9735]

I just noticed something as well: including Agustín and Félix, the Family Madrigal is composed of 12 members, like the 12 strings of a tiple. But because Mirabel and Bruno were outcasts, the count was always off, always out of beat. Also, the number 3 has always been the first "stable" number, like the three legs needed for an object to stand on its own.

[@victorardila8672]

Incluso para quienes hablamos español, es difícil entender el significado profundo de Dos oruguitas. Tu explicación es tan mágica como la misma película. Excelente análisis desde el corazón. Excellent analysis from your heart. New suscriber from mi casita in Colombia.

[@HowardHoMusic]

WOW This means so much to me! I appreciate you telling me this to me here in the US.

[@alittleantidote5852]

I was already in love with dos oruguitas but now I'm also in absolute awe of everything about it

[@naschsemler]

Please! We need a “Waiting on a Miracle” video!!! The song deserves more recognition!

[@amwmaw37]

Lin is a genius, I know this is common knowledge by now, but it blows me away every time

[@1brickrow]

Dos Oruguitas should win an Oscar. Brilliance in lyrics

[@becsterbrisbane6275]

3:45- also VERY similar to 'Wait for It' in Hamilton= Burr being 'out of beat' with Hamilton??!! Amazing as always, Howard!

[@BurrShotHam711Jenna]

Hamilton also has 3 duels

[@gpaderx6105]

WOW..

[@AMoniqueOcampo]

Breaking news: This song is officially nominated for Best Song at the Academy Awards. As it should!

[@sarahwho2238]

on my millionth rewatch today, it really hit me how we see the scene with abuelo pedro twice. the first it's definitely sad, you understand the implications but it's understated so that when mirabel talks to alma about it at the river we go from just having heard about this old tragic story to experiencing it firsthand. we didn't understand how much trauma alma was actually holding onto or how much of a grip it had on her still so many years later, making the full scene so much more raw and real. mirabel was transported back to that place of grief and loss, fully understanding then that what is only a tragic story to them is a horrible, gutwreching memory for alma that she had to live through.

[@FreshyKanal]

each minute of this video blew my mind even more

[@m.n.2971]

It's amazing how even the foundation of these songs contribute to the characters and their stories. This channel really changed my perception of music

[@NarfiRef]

I’m continually amazed by how every nearly every aspect of the production comes together so perfectly. I’m truly in awe of how this was accomplished.

[@MRtheoriginal]

Whenever I encounter someone who hasn't seen it yet (those poor saps) and they ask me what Encanto is about... I've been telling them it's about generational trauma. Feels good to see it here in the analysis of my favorite song from the film. I don't even have to hear the song to start crying... just hearing ABOUT the song is enough.

[@jangonauta]

Finaly someone gave the best song of encanto the love it deserves...

[@stacyevery1418]

I hope everyone in the Academy watches your brilliant analysis and gives the Academy award to this song. Lin for EGOT!

[@mcsmaria28]

This song makes me cry every time I hear it, and I’m crying now…at the analysis of this song.

[@AlashiaTuol]

More obvious than the subtle clever music stuff, but another tie between Waiting On A Miracle and Dos Orugitas (this one lyrical, rather than musical) is a line only in the soundtrack that fits musically over the part where Mirabel and Abuela come to terms and Abuela says she prayed to Pedro and he sent her Mirabel - "Ahí viene nuestro milagro"; _here comes our miracle._ Sort of a call and response between Dos Orugitas and the earlier song. (The English version tends to replace "miracle" with "wonders," but that just ties it in with Mirabel further, since her name means "wonderous.")

[@HowardHoMusic]

Beautiful!

[@AlashiaTuol]

@@HowardHoMusic It also repeats "our miracle" three times after that. So technically tying into the pattern of three, I guess?

[@marietheotaku94]

I said it before and i'll say it again, Lin is amazingly talented for writing this and you are too for understanding it and explaining it so others can understand it too.

[@WisegussIllustration]

It's incredible how you don't need to be a musician or know about music to be amazed by these videos. Amazing work giving us another perspective to understand movies

[@catherinearredondo2092]

So.... Miranda created Encanto. He's the mastermind! It's the first Disney movie that I personally see where the music is 100% neccessary to convey the depth of the story. Like, I feel like most Disney movies have songs that convey what's going on, but it could be replaced with narrative and you don't lose much. However, in Encanto, the music is the main pillar of the movie. You couldn't replace it with narrative because you'd miss the relational factors completely.

[@m.syauqiabdurahman2798]

Yeah for me there is three pillars that for me makes Encanto probably the best disney movie they have put out in 21st century . 1.The Music 2.The Song 3.The Story

[@MattMcIrvin]

My daughter remarked that "We Don't Talk About Bruno" is a really odd choice for a hit song because the lyrics are so intricately specific to the plot of Encanto. But I think one of the marvels of that song is just how much of the story of the movie is packed into it. Every character in the ensemble gets a large part of their plot arc revealed in it.

[@marygershwin7977]

Mirabel actually sings "Open your eyes" three times to Abuela. Like a spell :)

[@HowardHoMusic]

LOL..you're correct! I cut out before the last one, but maybe I should've left it in!

[@lekatilyn2384]

one other thing i love about the song's lyrics is when, in the first chorus, it sings "vienen milagros," which means "miracles are coming," but the in the last part, it says "ya son milagros," which means that miracles are here already. I just think it's a cool touch, since part of embracing an uncertain future is embracing the idea of living in the present.

[@SailorStudent]

Dang Howard, your analysis of the song is great and I couldn't help but cry. 😂 Generational trauma is not easy to recover, but never impossible to heal from it. 💙💛💚

[@helenross3037]

oh my GOD. he's a genius. you're a genius. i love this channel. 10:10 I genuinely gasped

[@HowardHoMusic]

RIGHT?!!?

[@fizgig76]

Not only does Bruno (who represents the future) appear in the lingering augmented chord, but right before we have that chord, the one butterfly (the future Abuela Alma saw for her family) was joined by hundreds more, who fly off into the distance on the augmented chord, further driving home that the future really is a nexus point of many possible futures!

[@GardenUPLandscape]

This song makes me cry every time. Watching on Disney+ with subtitles on - I was able to get the words and it was so moving.

[@IbokRock811]

I loved the NEXUS point reference 😅☺️ I understand why Lin had to tweet about this!! You’re really doing him - and all of us - a service by appreciating his work so fully!

[@SteveBrockMedia]

Howard, I saw one more aspect of 3. Not only was Mirabel three syllables, but in the Family Madrigal, the children yelling her name were doing it in triplets. Just noticing this thanks to you.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Haha...you're right!

[@SteveBrockMedia]

@@HowardHoMusic This movie moved me in so many ways. The music especially. And in more ways than any project Lin-Manuel has been involved in. Love deep diving into his music with you.

[@SteveBrockMedia]

@@HowardHoMusic Off topic a little, but that melody when Mirabel sings about Isabella reminds me a lot of the melody in “Champagne” from In the Heights. “The perfect golden child” and “I owe you a bottle of cold champagne”. Some inversion is going on, sure, but LMM seems to like using legato melodies when it comes to classically beautiful women. I believe he does it in Hamilton too. But the melodies in the two songs are so similar there. Do you hear it too? Love your vids. Thanks.

[@pixiegirlie09]

This is amazing and well explained. I got all teary eyed with the triplets scene and maribel saying for her abuela to open her eyes.

[@odd-ysseusdoesstuff6347]

I always loved the Butterfly motif throughout the movie, and with my greater understanding of it’s chords and lyrics, I wanna watch it again!

[@marta.melnyk]

I've been singing "Dos Oruguitas" for many times since days! This is such a huge pleasure! the best song, I have ever sang 💖

[@DreamingIconoclast]

Mr. Ho, you are a genius! I never really understood the movie (which I have LITERALLY seen 42 times with my 4yo daughter) until I got to see your videos. It actually takes a genius like you to understand a genius like LMM, but on top of that you make the explanation concise, informative and fun. I lack the musical insight you do display, so it was revealing being walked through the movie, its music, and their meaning with your videos, that are top-quality and funny. Thank you for revealing the charm of Encanto!

[@ForgeMondes]

Duuuude thanks so much for this breakdowns! Is like watching a literary essay but about music. Actually is soooo out of this world that music can be used like writing, with its own "literary devices" made out of sound. Music and musicians and experts have all my respect

[@leiaflash5055]

Holy Smokes, you are brilliant! What an insightful and thorough analysis of this song! We all know that Lin is a genius but this shows your greatness as well. Thank You :)

[@AlanYoung-nr6sg]

I cannot believe Lin Manuel Miranda saw your videos again! Great work!

[@bentang4493]

this is ridiculously amazing. thank you. if only the Oscar voters watch this, it would win best song hands down.

[@gmq94]

Awesome analysis, sharp as always! 14:01 The part about dealing with generational trauma in order to embrace the future is what moves me the most. Alma and Pedro are desplazados internos (internally displaced persons), victims of one of the many internal conflicts (in their case being la Guerra de los Mil Días, 1899-1902) responsible for making Colombia the country with the highest number of internally displaced persons in the world. And neither a country nor its people can heal or embrace the future if its wounds of the past are still open. I fell this resonates with many Latin American countries and sadly it applies to my own, since Brazil still has its wounds open from the 1964 militar dictatorship, when countless families were torn apart and left forgotten from our memory as a nation. So it's impossible not to cry when listening to a song that at the same time unchains pain and sadness accumulated from the past, but directs those feelings to celebrating a people's history, diversity and its hope for a brighter future :)

[@HowardHoMusic]

Wow, I appreicate that historical context!

[@gmq94]

@@HowardHoMusic And I deeply appreciate your videos! Been here since the ones about Hamilton :) Keep it up! Felicidades!

[@Gmaninator10]

I really hope Lin wins the Oscar for this one

[@marianorodriguez13]

Also, as the guitar has 12 strings, there are 12 people living in the house, and considering the 13 note melody (which has its first 12 notes grouped by 3 and the last one alone), 13 is the number of the whole family if included Pedro.

[@shockingheaven]

Thanks for explaining it all. I was too busy crying over the two caterpillars to actually pay attention to any of that.

[@bondservant4jesus]

I have new appreciation for Encanto, now. I think I will watch the movie again. I still like listening to songs from Vivo a little more though. I think Vivo has been underrated, but videos like this is increasing my love for Encanto. Lin Manuel Miranda is a musical genius.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Yeah, I enjoyed Vivo a lot too. I even did a short analysis of Keep the Beat: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHeyY56rpcaUrdE

[@manustorm5617]

9:02 as a spanish speaker, there is a difference between r and rr, (taped vs rolled r) in oruga the r is taped because is in between two vowels. It is understandable though and there isn't anything like orruga.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Oh...thank you for clarifying!

[@reneebush2399]

Oh man. Howard Ho really does a superb job when it comes to making musical theory and analysis consumable to the masses. It’s like he’s providing us with a musical paint by numbers. Which is really helpful for someone like me that hasn’t sight read music in years.

[@zg5672]

i only noticed abuela singing a snippet of dos oruguitas and it linking to the end, but this is way more in depth and shows how much thought was put into the soundtrack!

[@kazza6078]

I JUST watched this for the first time last weekend and I knew I was missing some emotional moments because I didn't understand the lyrics of this song and also I'm not as great at analyzation as some. Perfect timing!

[@h1br1dthe0ri3]

There have only been three movie scenes that have made me cry 1) Little Foot's mother dying 2) the beginning scene of Up 3) this song

[@crazyman7615]

4:48 Wow! Getting inspired by both Hip Hop and Sondheim. That’s the most Lin Manuel Miranda thing I’ve ever heard

[@HowardHoMusic]

LOL

[@crazyman7615]

@@HowardHoMusic Did you respond to both of my comments 1 hour apart?

[@pistonfists]

I haven't finished the video yet but I wanted to say the fact that you compare Breathe to Waiting on a Miracle is INCREDIBLE, I actually had to stop the first time I watched Encanto because of how hard I felt the similarities to Breathe even though they're such different songs. The timing really does so much!

[@RealCindyAparicio]

I already cry every time I hear this song and now I’ll cry even harder 🥺

[@yourfluffyvegancinnamonrol2772]

Wow I'm crying here! Amazing video! 🥺And reading the comments added to it too!

[@olihhayes]

My mind is BLOWN! Thank you for making these videos, your analysis are always fascinating! (also loved the smooth transition into the sponsorship lol)

[@HowardHoMusic]

LOL...I know...if I'm gonna do a sponsorship, I wanted to at least try making you enjoy it!

[@marfred2510]

Thank you for this video. It made me appreciate the song more as well as Lin Manuel's brilliant mind. As well as anyone else who helped in the making of the song.

[@elarhy]

That the score ends in C, bringing You back to Home, and in the movie it does not, but then mirabel gets the literal líne of "lets go Home" and they do... ?! Oh My god, thats beautiful

[@HowardHoMusic]

Oh yeah...her line completes the song. I love that!

[@matthewfrancisj]

PLEASE! do every single song in Encanto! I'd love to understand all the details you think of for every song. I just can't get enough of this movie! ☺️

[@moya2906]

AMAZING this analysis literally made me cry, music means so much

[@ZebraFish629]

I am not a musical person, I don’t have an ear to notice distinct sounds when it comes to music, but my goodness this analysis has made me love the movie even deeper than before. Thank you for this analysis video 🙏🏼 you just got a new subscriber, keep up the amazing work.

[@marcialynnukulele]

Just when I thought I couldn’t love your channel more you went out there and connected Encanto to Loki.🤩

[@HowardHoMusic]

Haha...Loki is now my go-to metaphor for timeline related ideas!

[@TisNessie]

I took a class where we talked about fairytales and folklore and I remember one of the first lessons we had was that the number 3 was used a lot. Three blind mice, three bears, three nights for Cinderella to attend the ball, and so on. So it’s really interesting to see it being used in music too! Amazing job!

[@Julie-gm8fz]

Wonderful video!! The augmented chord which can resolve in almost any way is such a crazy metaphor for the Madrigal family! But so true! And the triplets played on the screen with the triplets being shown - amazing. Thank you for making this so easy to understand and so mind blowing! Lin is a genius, no doubt! And it takes a genius to unravel the genius - so thank you Howard ☺️

[@Salty010]

15:54 no wonder that scene i feel wanna cry..... the intricute build so damn good.

[@pdzombie1906]

I got a new interpretation and appreciation for the film!!! Hopefully, Lin will get a very much deserved Oscar to complete his EGOT. Thanx!!!

[@tm_kh]

I love how you incorporated pieces from the culture / community that were launched as late as last week in this and yet will feel timeless when watched later, so great Howard

[@noahshaw2191]

she is also the 3rd sibling and bonded with the other 3rd sibling antonio

[@HowardHoMusic]

Ohhhhh...that is a good one.

[@jlugoholt]

And Bruno is the 3rd sibling of the First Triplet!

[@noahshaw2191]

@@jlugoholt was he I don't remember the movie ever saying that?

[@noahshaw2191]

@@HowardHoMusic after watching your video I watched some of the songs again and caught a few more 3s. They are probably just coincidences but. In family madrigal there she 3 kids that ask mirable questions, there are 3 musicians as well, the 1st door she knocks on she does 3 quick knock, and when addressing the house it was 3 aspect of it: drawers, doors and floors. In surface pressure it's a 3 ring circus, cerberus has 3 heads and tick tick tick, grip grip grip, tip tip tip is always 3. In we dont talk about bruno its 3 towns people that talk about bruno. In what else can I do the cactus that Isabella makes has 3 flowers on it. Again I'm probably grasping at straws here.

[@---oq5kb]

@@jlugoholt wouldn't he be the middle one considering the opening song keeps the age order for dolores-camilo-antonio and isabela-luisa-mirabel

[@LaineyBug2020]

The fact that he said he wanted to create a folk song that felt like it had always existed reminds me of Richard Rogers's Edelweiss from The Sound of Music. When it was first performed for an audience people could naturally sing along, and older members of the audience would swear it was a somg they grew up with!

[@KittyConnie5]

Always astounded by not only your content but also the editing. Great video!

[@PeteyBirdd]

Kinda unrelated but I always thought that the person singing Dos Oruguitas was Pedro, which made me even more emotional lmao

[@luisaf.padilla9342]

Como Colombiana me encanta el profundo análisis que has realizado a la canción "Dos Oruguitas". Los arreglos y acordes musicales ahora ya los entiendo mejor con tu explicación. Wow! Lin Manuel es un genio! Dos oruguitas y toda el soundtrack es una obra Maestra! Sería maravilloso ver Encanto en Broadway y con el cast orginal de artistas que estuvieron en Disney. Se ganarían un Tony Award.

[@BetonNetID]

man, your explanation is really blow my mind. i though music/bgm scoring on movie its just like "its sounds good to be here, ill put this here". but after watching your video, my mind working hard take all the amazing information youre put on your video.