Re-Porter Blog: The Porter Report #10

 

The Foundational Rebirth of House Madrigal

The Inner Workings of Disney's Encanto

By: Brandon Porter

⚠️SPOILERS FOR THE FILM ARE PRESENT IN THIS PIECE. READ WITH CAUTION ⚠️ 

    Family is something that is cherished by so many people. They can be a light in dark times and uplift us when we feel at our lowest. The best families are those that have thrived for generations because of the strong foundation that's been established by the matriarchs. But what happens when that foundation becomes dated and begins to show its age? Sometimes to the point where it starts to damage the soul of members of the family? Disney’s 60th animated film Encanto actually tries to answer this question through the trials and tribulations of the Madrigal family. What happens is a film that can serve as a commentary on generational burdens that come as a result of trying to maintain a family foundation that is quite frankly old and tired. Let’s examine the film and pinpoint the poignant message that is being said by looking at the journey of Mirabel and her family. Spoilers for the film are present past this point. You have been warned.

Since that fateful day that saw Alma Madrigal see her beloved husband Pedro murdered by savage invaders, She has been the shepherd of her family and the enchanted candle that gifted her with a magical casita and a family whose abilities make them unique. For the next fifty years, she has become the face of the family making sure everyone lives up to the standards of perfection and excellence that define the Madrigal bloodline. Everyone has a gift that betters the family and adds to its value. Whether it be shapeshifting, talking to animals, being super strong, creating flowers, or healing others, each family member's ability adds value to the foundation of house Madrigal. That brings us to our leading lady, Mirabel Madrigal

Mirabel has the interesting (and at times unfortunate) position of being the only child of the Madrigal family that doesn't have a magical gift. Though this doesn't outright make her a family pariah (we'll talk more about him later), she does seem to get singled out by a lot of the townspeople and even her own family for being the odd child that wasn't blessed with a gift. Despite all of that, she still has love for her family and uplifts them despite the fact that some of them don't do the same for her. She has ample reason to be resentful for how she is looked at by people but she maintains this strong sense of self-worth despite still feeling left out. You could say that her not having a gift makes her not have much value to the family despite her being a part of it. This is where we start to see the problematic elements of the Madrigal family foundation. 

According to the Madrigal's foundational standard, as long as you have a gift, you have value and purpose within the family. If you don't have a gift, you're looked at as less than or not an important part of the family. It may not be spelled outright, but you can see a little bit of it in the way that some of the members of Mirabel's family treat her. They see her as not just an odd child but a burden given she doesn't "contribute" like her other gifted siblings and cousins. That type of subtle psychological shunning can be detrimental to a person's self-esteem. We kind of see that anxiety about the fear of being an unimportant member of the family in Antonio before he is set to receive his gift. He knows what Mirabel went through and is scared that he may suffer the same fate if the casita doesn't gift him with an ability. But this is what is great about Mirabel. She has a love for her family that is unconditional despite the position she holds. It's the thing that makes her such a great character to root for. It's the reason why when Antonio is nervous about going to the door, he begs for Mirabel because she is that calming aura that allows him to move forward. She'll love Antonio whether he gets a gift or not. It's that mindset that will play an important role later in the story.

Antonio does get a gift and is uplifted and celebrated by the entire Madrigal family while Mirabel stands in the background looking on. It is here that Mirabel's heartbreak and sadness begin to truly manifest. She is a member of the family but because she doesn't have a gift, she might as well be just a stranger amongst her family. The problematic foundation that has been the staple of the bloodline for 5 decades starts to really show its damaging effects within Mirabel's inner brokenness due to her lack of a magical ability. This takes on a physical manifestation once the casita starts to crack and the candle begins to dim.

Once this begins, the foundational "cracks" start to show within the other members of the family. In particular, 3 members of the family. The first is seen in Luisa. We see that despite all of her physical strength, deep down she is literally "cracking" under the pressure of being the physical and mental backbone of the family. She carries so much physical and psychological weight with no room to be vulnerable that it starts to break her. All because she is terrified of letting the family down and disgracing the Madrigal name. Once she starts to lose her strength, an aura of shame washes over her and she becomes depressed. The pressure that she puts on herself truly makes her weak in spirit and in turn body. It's heartbreakingly relatable to anyone who is the oldest and is looked at as the source of "strength" for their family. The second is Isabela, the esteemed "golden child" of the Madrigal family. Her ability is to create beautiful flowers and be the "perfect" image of beauty in the family. She has to play the part of the perfect daughter and do everything according to the handbook of the Madrigal. But under the surface, she wants to express herself more openly and not to the standards of what is expected of her even down to marrying a person she isn't even interested in. Interestingly enough, it's Mirabel that encourages Isabella to express herself in the way that she wants to and to be her authentic self. This in turn helps repair a strained relationship between the two sisters and brings them closer to one another. But the biggest example of the harmful effects of the Madrigal foundation is seen in one estranged member of the family. Let's talk about Bruno. 

Unlike Mirabel, Bruno did get a gift but because it wasn't as celebrated as the other sibling's abilities, he was ostracized by the family and held the title of pariah. In the beginning, he is assumed to be a mischievous and villainous figure when in reality it's the complete opposite. His role in the story is important for it is vital for Mirabel and her quest to save the family. Bruno's gift is foresight and it adds context as to why Mirabel might not be as gifted as the rest of her family. After he explains that Abuela Alma came to him to see the future after Mirabel didn't get a gift, he foresaw an unclear vision of Mirabel being the potential destroyer of the family and the casita. Fearing what it would do to the family's view of Mirabel, Bruno destroyed the vision exiled himself to protect her from potential scorn. This shows that despite the reputation that Bruno received of being the Madrigal that went bad hence the saying "We Don't Talk About Bruno", Bruno truly is a loving man who was deprived of connection with his family because his gift was seen as problematic. It is sad to think about what that type of burden did to him. To be cast aside and doomed to a life of isolation looking on as the family moved on without you. A chilling reality that could face future generations, gifted or not, who don’t live up to the Madrigal standards. Or in this case, the standards of one Abuela Alma. Everytime there is even the slightest setback, Alma tries to bandage it up by esuring everybody that "The Magic is Strong." It's clear to the audience and those within the casita that Alma is is aware of the potential downfall but is hell bent on maintaining this image of perfection despite all the signs that everything is breaking apart.

Everything comes to a head when Alma admonishes Mirabel for hurting the family and being the reason that the casita is cracking. This is the breaking point for Mirabel for she finally lets all her feelings out and accuses her grandmother of valuing the gifts her family has instead of the family itself. The house is destroyed as a result and all of the Madrigal’s gifts disappear leaving the family devastated, broken, and powerless. The casita being destroyed has some harsh and poignant symbolism to it. On the surface level, it’s tragic from Mirabel’s perspective knowing she potentially fulfilled the prophecy of destroying the casita and in turn her family. Her heartbreak and shame are shown firsthand when we see her near the river the effect of what happened causing her to be overcome by grief. But looking deeper, the casita's destruction is a physical representation of the at times toxic and harmfully outdated foundation that Abuela Alma tried to maintain finally breaking beyond repair. 

This is in no way a reason to villainize Abuela Alma because when you understand the reasoning behind her actions, it becomes clear that they were a result of her own heartbreak and fear. The loss of her husband had such a devastating effect on her that the enchanted candle and the gifts were looked at as assets that carried more value than anything. Even her own family. As a result, she was determined to safeguard the gift that lit her darkest hour by making sure the candle burned and never went out by any means nessacsary. For the next 50 years, she ensured that every generation did their part to maintain the flame that saved their family and utilize their gifts to do so. Even if that meant masking their insecurities, vulnerability, and even inner grief. 

Once she finally accepts that the approach she maintained for over 50 years did more harm than good in hindsight, she makes the commiment to break the cycle and build a new foundation for the betterment of the family. Starting with reconciling with her granddaughter. She relizes that valuing magical gifts instead of the people with the gifts created a legacy of resentment, conditional support, and favortism with the catalyst being Mirabel. When Mirabel didn't receive a gift, it was looked at as a potential omen that the magic was fading and Alma would lose everything again. But from my prospective, it was a test for Alma. One that she didn't pass until now. Will you still love your granddaughter all the same if she can't move mountains? Can't control the weather? Heal people? Or have super strength? Mirabel already showed this with her unconditional love for Antonio before and after his gift. For me, you can say that Mirabel's "gift" is being a blueprint for the new foundation for the Madrigal family. Loving your family not because of what they can do for the family, but loving them because they ARE your family. No conditions, no compromises, just them being them and having them in your life. Alma takes this new approach further by having a long overdue reconciliation with Bruno making the family whole again. The stigma of him being a pariah erased from memory. He's no longer Bruno, the Madrigal that disappeared and went bad. He's Bruno Madrigal, a long lost family member that is reembraced by a family that loves him for him. Same with Mirabel. Once looked at as the odd child of the family, she is now the essential piece of the new foundation that will define the next generation of Madrigal. A foundation that is based on a love for family that isn't about what you bring to the table but simply being at the table. 

That is truly the beauty of this film and is the reason why so many have gravitated toward its message. Yes, the songs are catchy and fun, the visuals are beautiful and vibrant, the characters are memorable and relatable. But the real greatness of Encanto is the valient effort it makes in showing what truly makes a family great is being part of one. No matter a person's skill, abillity or gift, simply being a united familia is something that is truly MAGICAL.