“In encanto 2 they should go on an adventure to find out the source of the magic” NO ??? It’s funny how many times the movie says “miracle” and people still think the magic needs origins. Like come on guys it’s magical realism the whole point is magic is blended in with reality. Plus why would that need to be explained like I’m sorry i am not interested in watching mirabel go looking for “magic origins” when there’s so much potential to expand the characters and their setting

The reality of leaving a toxic family and why I’ll always sympathize with Bruno’s decision.

Just finished my third rewatch of Encanto (mostly because I hadn’t watched it with Bulgarian dub but anyway), and it reminded me once again why I relate to Bruno’s character so much.

Because I have very real, personal experience with distancing myself from a dysfunctional family and a toxic parent in particular, so his situation hits a little too close to home.

So, here’s a few thoughts on Bruno’s situation and why it actually mirrors plenty of real people’s experience (including mine).

Let’s get one thing out first: the movie itself does not really frame his decision as leaving a toxic family situation, but rather as a kind of sacrifice he had to do to protect Mirabel from the prophecy – but that’s a very surface reading of it. In reality, no child should need any “protection” from their literal family and there’s something very wrong with that family if that’s the case. The fact Bruno felt he couldn’t trust his own mother with the prophecy, the fact he was certain everyone will assume the worst of it and feared the consequences it could have for Mirabel, is a massive red flag that he was in some kind of toxic situation.

And no, I don’t mean that he was openly mistreated by anyone – let me elaborate.

Love, toxicity and more – are you “abused enough” to justify making such an extreme decision?

In general, there is still a lot of stigma about leaving your family – the intensity of that stigma greatly varies by culture, of course. But there’s a certain idea of what’s an acceptable situation that requires cutting contact, usually when we talk about pretty extreme cases of abuse (and even then some people can be unsympathetic about it).

When we talk about a purely dysfunctional family, rather than a flat out abusive one, things get a lot more complicated. You could very well feel you don’t have it “bad enough”. You might convince yourself that you are being too sensitive for being hurt, that you are being selfish for wanting to leave. They are your family and they love you after all. Right?

Unfortunately, love and toxic behavior are not something mutually exclusive. That’s something people in general still struggle to understand and it’s a very harmful misconception. It’s very common excuse people make for their behavior, especially in case of familial relationships, that they can’t possibly be toxic to someone if they love them. It’s also something that prevents people from recognizing that they are in a toxic situation.

In Bruno’s case, even though we don’t have a full detailed context and backstory about his life before leaving, I tend to assume he wasn’t viciously abused by his mother or flat out mistreated by anyone else. See, I’m not one of those people who demonize Alma or the Madrigal family in general – of course they aren’t some kind of monsters and they love each other despite everything, I’m sure they actually loved Bruno. But as I said, love can coexist with toxicity. 

Ultimately, my point is - the fact Bruno was loved and not flat out abused by his family also doesn’t mean the situation can’t be toxic and harmful to his mental health. There are very serious red flags (both within the actual movie canon and additional information from the creators) that his situation was indeed bad. It’s clear he had already been isolating himself from the family for a while, that things were like that for years and nothing ever improved. This kind of environment is definitely unhealthy enough to cause someone to walk away.

Leaving isn’t easy and it isn’t pretty – people are going to be hurt

Now, let’s address one common argument about why what Bruno did was wrong – he left suddenly without any explanation, without as much as a note, and that was a seriously hurtful thing to do, especially for his sisters.  

I don’t disagree with this sentiment at all. Of course, the way he handled things was far from ideal and the family is also allowed to be hurt by it. And still, I don’t exactly condemn him for it. What he did may not be the "right" way to handle things, but it’s very realistic.

Leaving a dysfunctional family isn’t some kind of a wholesome affair where they pat you on the back and throw you a farewell party. A lot of people will prefer to cut off contact over time without properly talking things out, usually because they fear the backlash, don’t want to see the hurt reactions, and don’t want to hear the harsh words that would inevitably be exchanged. Having a direct confrontation with a toxic family about cutting ties with them can become very rough and even escalate a toxic situation into something far worse.

Going back to Encanto - curiously, we have an actual proof that things could have gotten very ugly if Bruno tried to confront Alma before leaving – you know that cut scene from the early development of the movie? The one called “Chores”, where we get to hear about the tense exchange Alma had with Bruno (named Oscar back then) before he left and what they said to each other? Sure, this exchange is very far from canon, but it does show what could have potentially went down.

Furthermore – does the hurt you cause by leaving erase the hurt caused to you?

Continuing from my last point. The family was undoubtedly hurt by Bruno’s decision to leave. That would still have been the case even if he handled things better.

Of course, when there’s still love present in the family, despite the toxicity, the family is not going to want you gone and would be naturally hurt by such a decision.

That’s exactly why it’s so difficult to make the decision - because you don’t want to hurt those people you actually still love. That’s why when you actually make the decision you might feel enormous guilt and shame about it. You might feel selfish, cruel and ungrateful. You might begin to question your own reality and your whole past experience. And you can definitely see that guilt in Bruno too, especially during his reunion with the family in the end – his nervous body language and rush to apologize (without expecting the same in return) speaks volumes and is frankly a little sad to watch.

The family's hurt is valid and justified, I'm not denying it - that also doesn't mean Bruno was somehow the bad guy who selfishly and heartlessly abandoned them. And it certainly doean't mean the hurt he caused them erases his own hurt and trauma. While such extreme criticism of his actions is thankfully uncommon, I do see some discussions that go into such direction and it rubs me the wrong way, because it feeds into the stigma about walking away from your family and it's just insensitive and potentially hurtful to real people's experience and trauma.

So, in conclusion, here’s the very harsh truth. Sometimes you need to prioritize yourself and your own well-being. Life is not a Disney movie after all and sometimes toxic relationships can’t be properly repaired, not even with your own parents. And the fact you are going to hurt someone by leaving does not mean the hurt they caused you (intentionally or not) no longer matters.

There's something I've noticed about all the Pepa bashing that's been happening in this fandom...

So, I've been reading a lot of the hate comments towards Pepa recently because I love torturing myself that much, and I realized something. When people bring up why they don't like her, most of the time it's for what I see as several autistic traits.

Think about it this way. Besides all the stupid crap with Bruno that was integral to the film's story, if you ask someone why they don't like Pepa, they would usually either bring up the breakfast scene or the line in WDTAB "You're telling this story or am I?". When I look at her angry during the breakfast scene, I saw it as more of a "don't mess with her routine" type of thing than anything else. As for the line in WDTAB, pretty much everyone hates being interrupted, but especially autistics (I know as and autistic when I get interrupted I get in my tense mode).

I know this may be a biased take because I am autistic and I see these traits in Pepa and headcanon her as autistic for that reason, but I noticed that there is still not just racism in this fandom (we've seen lots of that), but also a lot of ableism that a lot of people are turning a blind eye to.

Personal opinion: "Mirabel didn't get a gift BECAUSE she's the future candle holder" theory ruins the movie whole point

So, this theory is pretty popular, but I strongly dislike it. Because, yes, Mirabel was portrayed as the outcast of the family for years, then the house is fall apart and river scene happened. And it showed to us how much Abuela actually suffered. She admitted that she was too strict and valued her family mostly for their gifts, forgetting of what was really important. Then Mirabel assured her that everything okay and everyone is coming home. And All of you is happening. A song where Mirabel saying to Luisa that she is more than just super strong person, song where Abuela confirmed that "The miracle is not some magic that you've got. The miracle is you, all of you"

And it's basically the point of the Encanto. They are special because they are family, not because of being able to hear a pin drop or grow the flowers. Magic's condition depended on family relationships. House stared to cracking for the first time when Mirabel felt like an outcaster. Cracks started to disappear when Mirabel and Isabela became close again, and house was broken when argument happened. Magic's condition depended on family's relationships with each other, which clearly shows that Madrigals were the miracle themselves, not candle or Casita, only them.

And Mirabel's getting a gift in any way just ruins it for me. She is special because she's part of the Madrigals, she was the miracle like everyone else in this family.

I have no problems with Mirabel being the future familyhead, I actually think that she would fit in this role better than anyone else. NOT because of not having a gift, but because of how she managed to unite her family.

I have to mention, that the moment Bruno told Mirabel to come visit later...

...It broke my heart into pieces 💔, because it meant he "wanted" to STAY INSIDE THE WALLS ANYWAY.

Even if everything about miracle and Mirabel would turn out alright...🕯️

...It didn't matter anymore.

He truly believed there is no place for him in his family and it's better to never come back.

In a modern world at the height of OUAT popularity, Pepa and Julieta absolutely go as these two for Halloween.

11:00 at night and I’m just lying here thinking about how (while searching for her daughter who has just decided to banish herself) Julieta also had to stand there and watch her husband get absolutely annihilated by a swarm of bees, knowing there is very little she can do without her gift. How that woman still has any sanity left is truly beyond me at this point 🤷‍♀️

I’m rewatching Encanto like you do with a toddler and I wanna talk about Isabella for a minute.

So at the first breakfast, we see her sprout flowers when she is stressed. And when she is fighting with Mirabel before her song she grows a cactus out of nowhere. We can easily assume she sprouts plants without thinking anytime she is stressed. Well whenever we see her talking with Abuela in the background, she has petals floating around her. Abuela stresses her tf out, and it’s just such a good detail.

Other part. Idk if people have already talked about this, but Bruno told her and the family that she would marry the man of her dreams. She does not want to marry Luis Guzman, so he’s clearly not the man of her dreams. She was willing to give up her happily ever after that she knew she COULD have, and it was all because of Abuela’s pressure.

Okay so we know that in "We Don't Talk About Bruno" Isabella is the only one to have a positive prophecy right. And I get this was to add the comedic element of Mirabel being annoyed and to play up the perfect child Isabella thing but like . . . .

Everyone else's prophecy came true at that time, and for the ones possible, things were changed after the miracle was saved ( Delores' man of her dreams being engaged to someone else), but at this point Isabella's prophecy hadn't come true yet since we later learn in "What Else Can I Do" Isabella was struggling with her family's image and expectations of her. But until the miracle starts to fail, Isabella's prophecy didn't actually come true. So not in the right time frame.

why waiting on a miracle is one of my favorite (and one of the most underrated) encanto songs:

So this song in my humble opinion is one of the most under appreciated songs from the movie so I’m here to give it some appreciation! (Also the irony of the song being about being ignored and overlooked and that’s exactly what happened)

So waiting on a miracle is the classic “disney I want song” but to me this song is so much more than that. One thing that sticks out to me immediately is the fact unlike most I want songs, mirabel isn’t singing about wanting more than she already has shes singing about something she lacks but SHOULD have already. From the title most people gathered that she wants a magical gift like the rest of her family and whilst that is true I find it profound that it’s not the magic for the sake of magic she wants. It’s the appreciation from her family. All she wants is to contribute and fit in and she feels the only way she can do that is if she gets a gift. It’s also important to note unlike most I want songs mirabel doesn’t get *exactly* what she wants at the end which she mentions is a miracle. She does however end up getting her ultimate goal which is the acceptance and she doesn’t need a miracle to do that. Also with the title being “waiting on a miracle” a miracle is rare it’s thought to be something almost impossible or not even real. So for mirabels I want song to be about this shows that even she herself is aware it’s literally an impossible ask but she’s just dreaming of the possibilities if she got something as rare as a miracle.

I also found the instrumental quite genius as some have already pointed out all the madrigal songs are in 4/4 time… except this one. Waiting on a miracle is in 3/4 time as yet another subtle way to show she’s out of place. as lin manuel himself said “she’s literally out of beat with the rest of her family” so thanks for that lin the song was already sad enough but you just had to do that👍

also congratulations to mirabel for being one of the few disney characters to actually say when they aren’t ok “I’m not fineeee” I know that seems minuscule but it’s so refreshing to hear a character actually express that they are feeling negative emotions and it’s ok to express that. Especially since bottling up emotions is so common nowadays it’s a good message for the next generation <3

also waiting on a miracle kinda sorta predicts the whole movie? “I would move the mountains, make new trees and flowers grow” “I would heal whats broken show this family something new” she ended up achieving all of that in the movie’ 1. The mountains split when the house was collapsing. 2. She helped isabela discover what else she could do thus making new trees and flowers grow. 3. She basically healed the entire family which is what was broken and she showed them all they are enough without gifts! So that’s just a nice little bit of foreshadowing.

Ok now back to the sad stuff! in the lyric “I would heal whats broken” turns out she’s not referring to the entire family but herself. She views herself as broken because she didn’t get a gift and she wants to fix herself 💔 another lyric to note is “cant keep down the unspoken invisible pain” a lot of people talk about how inconsiderate the madrigals are towards mirabel but the thing is they don’t realize how it effects her. We know she can put on a hell of an act (see family madrigal song) and she herself refers to her pain as “invisible” she’s hiding it from everyone so they don’t realize how badly she’s hurting because she puts on the whole optimistic act. So another way the movie demonstrates the communication issues within the family.

And how can I forget mirabel literally telling herself at the beginning “dont be upset or mad at all” she’s quite literally telling herself to not feel those things that she’s “totally fine” I also love the fact the music is in the tune of “the family madrigal” up until she says “I’m not fine” I just thought that was a cool detail!

I’ve seen people complain about “open your eyes” x3 because it doesn’t get any louder or higher it just stays the same. Well there’s actually a reason for that! the song is called waiting on a miracle, mirabel is stuck in that position. She’s stuck waiting. It’s also important to note that the visual of her begging to her abuela to “open her eyes” and not being noticed implies that she’s been trying for a long time to be noticed but she keeps being stuck.

Also shoutout to Stephanie beatriz for the amazing acting because I could FEEL the emotion and the passion. and yes I know it’s because she’s in labour but I also believe even if she wasn’t in labour the song would still sound emotional as stephanie is a really great actress! I believe in an interview she stated she wanted to perform this song like it’s the first time mirabel is expressing these feelings to herself. Basically yeah that’s true she had been lying to herself for a decade and finally she decides to admit to herself she’s not fine she’s not happy and she wants a change. The voice crack on “I’m not fine” is actually heartbreaking and this is the moment her facade breaks entirely, and I love the vocal cry she does on “longing to shine like all of you shine” it’s just these little vocal details that add so much to the song and make it so powerful

I’ve also seen people complaining this song isn’t “belty” enough but it’s just not that type of song! mirabel is stuck in her position and if you notice in a lot of Disney movies once it reaches the climax of the i want song the protagonist comes to a decision of sorts. Take “how far I’ll go for example” she decides she’s going to sail beyond the reef and the music climaxes, she also has the triumphant high note at the end. Waiting on a miracle unlike how far I’ll go is NOT a triumphant song. The music does climax but only to emphasize mirabels false hope as she’s saying all the things she would do.

with the high note I firmly believe that there’s only one significant high note at the end for a particular reason. Like I said above usually high notes in Disney songs symbolize achievement or a sense of strength found. Mirabels high note has the opposite effect. She’s quite literally begging for a miracle in desperation only to realize she’s wishing for a fantasy. “Am I too late for a miracle” is the line the song ends on and the visual is important here too. We see the fireworks fade away and mirabel is left standing alone in the dark because it was all in her mind. (Looking at you “mirabels gift is time stopping” theorists)

So yeah I find this song to be quite unique and raw for an I want song and I think the “vent” aspect of it is what makes me appreciate it even more. It’s not sugar coated. To quote stephanie beatriz herself: “real, human, imperfect, yearning to belong and hoping for something beyond what she sees in herself: an expression of hope and fear, all wrapped in teen angst.”

So uh go stream waiting on a miracle because it’s a great song 👍(also yes this rant is a mess I’m terrible at articulating my feelings on songs but it’s also just for fun I’m like not a professional lmao)

Enough time has passed, so let me say something: "We Don't Talk About Bruno" is a fantastic song, but I feel like the level of popularity it reached ended up doing it a disservice.

It's not about it being overrated or overplayed or something like that...It just kinda rubs me the wrong way how much the song seems to have been removed from its context by now and is being treated solely as this fun, catchy bop and a source of (unfunny) parodies...To the point of completely missing the point with parodies about actual villains or even as a diss track for real people? Nope.

Not trying to gatekeep a Disney song, but...it's such a storytelling song, and very much tied to the context of the plot and the characters, so it just feels wrong to engage with it completely outside of that context and twist it into something else entirely.

Like, not sure if I'm making sense here, but the memefication of the song just annoys me, sorry.

So last week, I saw Barbenheimer and whilst I preferred Oppenheimer, Barbie has had more lasting power in my mind and whilst lying in bed the other night, I couldn't help but think that if Encanto was modern, Luisa would watch the movie and buy a Barbie doll to give herself the childhood she didn't have on account of being constantly under pressure. Then it got me thinking that Isabela would basically go Sid from Toy Story with her old dolls, seeing how she's no longer 'perfect' and never liked playing with them the way they were meant to be played with. And how because she and Pepa had similar upbringings with putting on a front, they would definitely bond more and Pepa is more than happy to help her niece with her project.

Also after this incident, Casita builds a rage room and for good reason, there is a LOT of repressed emotion within the family.

Hope you enjoy!

Charlotte :) x

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Luisa nervously asked her older sister. She had been roped into 'playing' with Isa's collection of dolls from when she was younger. Well, 'play' was not a word that came to mind when blowing up said dolls and immolating them, but sisterly bonding, right? "Positive!" Isabela replied, looking over the makeshift wall with a firey confidence in her eyes. "Ready when you are tia!" Pepa gave a thumbs up and concentrated, closing her eyes. The room filled with dark clouds and a low rumble took over, drowning out all noise. Isabela and Mirabel were watching eagerly in anticipation. "...six...five..." The air tingled with electricity which made the hairs on the back of Luisa's neck stand up and Mirabel's already frizzy hair to go even more so. "...two...one..." A blinding flash erupted from the clouds above, followed shortly by an explosive bang. Isabela and Mirabel whooped in triumph and high fived each other, relishing in the success of Isa and Pepa's experiment. Luisa, on the other hand, was looking in horror at the now charred doll, completely unrecognisable by this point. Pepa was also joining in the celebration, cheering and whooping with the girls. "Yes! Take that Valencia! I never liked you anyway!" All four were so wrapped up in their emotions, that none of them noticed Bruno coming in, followed by several rats. "Ah, there you are! Julieta said...that...dinner is ready." He realised what was going on. "My vision cave!"

I went to a Disney themed car wash that the theatre charity I'm EVP for put on today and of course, I came in my Pepa cosplay. It was cloudy this morning where I live and once I showed up the sun came out, and once my feet started hurting, it was getting cloudy again and started to rain. Maybe... I actually AM Pepa in real life.

Makes me sad how a lot of people have been talking about the Encanto fandom "dying". I just love Encanto so much and I don't want it to just be forgotten and pushed to the side, or only seen as a 'fad', or only remembered because of THOSE disgusting people in fandom(who I don't consider fans btw; when you ruin such a beautiful work by painting the characters as creeps and victims, you're not a fan, you're just a fucking creep that'll use anything innocent as an outlet for your fantasies), it deserves better than that, it did so many amazing things, it's the first of its kind! And to reduce it to actual filth is so disrespectful. It hurts to know how some people are in this fandom.

But to hear that it's becoming less of a community with actual moral people really upsets me. I really hope this fandom continues to thrive and rebuild itself (unintentional casita ref? -)

I think it's mainly because there's not much media on it yet, just a movie (an amazing movie, mind you) and not as much merch as people would like... but still, when the TV show happens (WHicH iT BETTER) I hope people will be more invested again.

And to all you disgusting 'fans', I hope you get in a terrible accident.

Seriously, stop doing what you're doing, if you're young, ask for help. Or if you're not and just don't care about what you're doing, get off the internet and fucking rot. You people literally ruin my day, trigger me and make people's lives worse. Wtf is wrong with you

I AM COMPLETELY NORMAL ABOUT THE FACT THAT DOLORES IS THE ONLY ONE WHO ISN'T SMILING ON THE NEW DOOR

Waiting To Get Rid of a Miracle Update

Well here it is. The last three chapters. I cannot tell you how amazing it feels but also how sad. I actually cried when I got to the end.

I can’t tell you how much I love and appreciate all your love and support and comments and theories… I’m so glad we could go on this insanely wild journey together and I truly genuinely hope that in my heart of hearts, that you all loved the ending as much as I loved writing it. Idk what my next fic endeavor will be in the Encanto fandom, but I know it’ll be never be as big and bright as WTGROAM was. I love you all so much, and I hope you enjoy the last three chapters (yes, three) of this story that’s so near and dear to my heart.

I love you all, and thank you