Three generations of Madrigals live under one roof in the latest Disney animated movie, Encanto, and they’re one of the most interesting Disney families since The Incredibles. As our protagonist Mirabel breaks it down in the film’s opening song, her family is fantastical and magical, but there’s still a lot about the family that is left ambiguous for Disney fans.
Why did Abuela Alma and Abuelo Pedro have to flee their home? What are everyone’s ages? Do you need to be blood-related in order to receive a gift?
9 Their Gifts Originate From The River Where Abuelo Pedro Died
In an interview about her contribution to Encanto, cultural consultant Alejandra Espinosa talked about how important it was for the film to be as accurate as possible to Colombian life.
In the interview, Espinosa spoke about how sacred water is to the indigenous peoples of Colombia and told the filmmakers that “the miracle that forms the basis of the movie should come from the river.” When Alma and Pedro were fleeing their home, Pedro was killed while standing in the river, which helped create the miracle.
8 Bruno Represents The Indigenous Peoples Of Colombia
Colombia is a diverse country and Encanto’s makers wanted to reflect this within la Familia Madrigal. Afro-Colombians are represented by Félix, Dolores, Camillo, and Antonio while Bruno—as the film’s cultural consultant Alejandra Espinosa put it—represents the indigenous peoples of Colombia.
“The indigenous peoples are there, they have been made invisible and nobody talks about them, but they are the sacred part of Colombia. It has become fundamental to understand this, and it is very well-represented in Bruno,” she said.
7 Alma & Pedro Were Likely Fleeing The Thousand Days’ War
Since there’s no year given in the film, fans of Encanto can only speculate on the film’s time setting in order to try to figure out the historical context of Alma and Pedro needing to flee their home 50 years earlier.
A recent article from Cultura Colectiva speculates that they were most likely forced to leave their home because of The Thousand Days’ War, a political civil war that displaced and killed well over 100,000 people, which began in late 1899 and lasted 3 years.
6 The Madrigals Receive Their Gifts On Their 5th Birthday at 7 p.m.
In a tweet, one of the Encanto directors, Jared Bush, revealed that every Madrigal child received their gift on their 5th birthday. Bush talked about how children tend to develop their personalities and talents at that age and felt that people begin to label kids as “strong”, “weird,” “smart,” or “emotional” around the age of five.
Bush also clarified that the gifts are not random but are instead “an extension of their innate personality/talents” and, in another tweet, explained that gifts are also based on family archetypes.
5 Julieta Is The Eldest While Bruno Is The Youngest Of Alma’s Children
Viewers know that Abuela Alma and Abuelo Pedro’s children are fraternal triplets who were born 50 years before the events of the movie, but Encanto doesn’t specify their birth order. However, it is canon that Julieta is the eldest of the three which coincides with her nurturing personality and her powers of healing.
Pepa is the emotional middle child whose powers reflect her tumultuous feelings, leaving Bruno as the black sheep and baby of the family, whose gift ultimately makes him “leave” and become ostracised by the town.
4 Many Of The Madrigal Grandkids Are The Same Age
While Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno are all 50 years old, most of the grandchildren also share an age. Isabella and Dolores are both 21 years old in the film, though Isabella is a few months older, which is reflected in her role as the “perfect, golden child” while Dolores gets overshadowed by her.
The other pair of Madrigal grandkids to be the same age are Mirabel and Camilo, who received his gift before Mirabel would have. Luisa (19) and Antonio (5) are the only grandkids to not have a cousin the same age.
3 If You’re A Child Adopted Into The Family, You Would Also Receive A Gift
Due to Félix and Agustín not receiving gifts from the miracle after joining the family, there was speculation that one had to be a Madrigal by blood in order to receive a gift.
However, director Jared Bush clarified on Twitter that, though the idea of giving the dad’s powers came up, they decided to have the gifts be bestowed on the Madrigal children which would include any children who become adopted into the family. However, it’s unclear if they would need to be younger than 5 years old.
2 Julieta’s Cooking Can’t Heal Every Ailment
While most of the Madrigals’ gifts and powers are more straightforward, like Luisa’s strength or Camilo’s shapeshifting, Julieta’s healing powers leave a lot of questions. While she’s shown to easily heal broken bones, allergic reactions, and black eyes, she isn’t shown to cure serious illnesses or diseases.
When asked about it on Twitter, Jared Bush said that while she can cure serious illnesses, “some illnesses aren’t treatable. Some people don’t always want treatment,” which is a reference to why Mirabel and Agustín still wear glasses.
1 Bruno Created His Sand Ritual To Help Him Cope With His Powers
The most ambiguous power of all the Madrigals is of course Bruno’s gift of seeing the future. Though there’s an entire song about Bruno’s prophecies, there are only two instances where he is shown to see a vision and both times seemingly involve a ritual of some sort, which implies that that’s the only way he can access his powers.
However, it is canon that Bruno created the sand and fire ritual in order to help him focus on “emotionally taxing” inquires into peoples’ futures.
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