#my encanto analysis

[jacarandaaaas]

sometimes I feel bad for talking about mirabel so much then I remember how she used to be so ignored in the fandom people didn’t even know she was the main character

[phoenixlionme]

These two screenshot comparisons are VERY telling. Now, before I start, I want to make it clear: This is not me calling the Madrigals "evil" or anything like that, it's just an observation. Kind of a sad one but still a simple observation.

In the first shot, we see all of them listening to Alma's speech. All of staring up at the matriarch with attentiveness and reverence; at the same time, huddling together in closeness and vulnerability - Luisa's hand on Julieta's shoulder. Julieta and Camilo holding each other, Isabela and Dolore holding one another, and Agustin holding onto Dolores' shoulder. We see that they are tight knit and close family that have zero qualms about being affectionate with each other. But, then something happens...

Onto the second screenshot, their closeness doesn't change but their attention and attitudes shift. Why? They just witnessed Mirabel (whose ceremony failed) agreeing to help Antonio to his door. And they don't smile at Mirabel's sweet gesture even after shock dissipates. All of their reactions are either shocked (Camilo, Dolores, Agustin), concerned (Julieta), quiet understanding (Luisa), or quiet disapproval (Isabela, when asked about her reaction Jared Bush confirmed on Twitter that Isabela made that face because she thought Mirabel was going to mess up Antonio's night).

And given how Mirabel was positioned with Antonio, she most likely noticed the reactions of her family. And even though it's not said, I think it paints a clear picture of something even Mirabel most likely knows but doesn't say out loud: For all the talk about familial love, the Madrigals don't have the highest respect for Mirabel. I am NOT saying they don't love her, but they don't fully respect her.

[ominousvibez]

a little thing about the madrigal family and their gifts

something i really find fascinating about encanto is the different gifts each madrigal sibling receives and how it correlates to this greater idea of "protection" or "defense".

as in defense/protection against outside intruders.

like, look at the triplets. julieta, pepa, and bruno.

julieta is able to heal with the food she makes, which can help her family and her community recover from injuries from attackers faster. pepa can control the weather with her emotions-- weather that could be used to wash away or slow down any intruders. bruno literally can predict the future.

and then the grandkids, too!

isabela's control of plants and luisa's strength stand out as the most outwardly powerful. isabela can summon cacti or trees to harm any intruders, and luisa's brute strength can overwhelm anyone who tries to get after her.

dolores and camilo are a little more subtle in theirs, but they're still pretty good for a defense. dolores, similar to how bruno could predict them coming before they arrive, can hear any intruders approaching before they get there, so she can provide early warning to her family and community. camilo is a shapeshifter, he can shapeshift into other, stronger people, or even into the intruders to become a spy amongst them.

mirabel, obviously, doesn't have a gift. she's more representative of a change against the idea of the gifts being used mostly for defensive purposes. perhaps casita realizes that they're strong enough to protect themselves now, or maybe abuelita unconsciously asked for her children to get these specific gifts to protect her family and then felt like there was enough following camilo. either way, mirabel is the shift away from it.

antonio's gift of animal communication can still be used for this "warfare" or defense. he can tell his animal posse to attack people for him, or they can even become spies for him, overhearing secrets and plans from their attackers and reporting back to him, but his gift feels like the first one meant to be just for himself.

granted, we do not get the backstories of the other madrigal children that deep-- how they were as little kids. maybe julieta always loved to cook, and isabela loved flowers and plants, and camilo was always playing pranks, and their personalities subtly manifested their gifts in them.

but i still think it's really interesting how the gifts of the madrigal family can be used to defend and protect their family and community from outside attackers. after all, that's the reason that abuelita first left her home-- they were attacked by outsiders. it makes sense that the gifts could reflect a response to that fear.

[whtybsshe]

Mad and delusional takes part 1:

The Hyuga siblings connection to the Encanto sisters

Mirabel and Hinata= pretty self explanatory. Deemed as failures, kinda outcasted, they both turn out to be very special and powerful in their own way. But an interesting point here: Hinata made a whole new family with Naruto (yep the franchise did mention that she fixed the clan with Neji but that happened off screen) while Mirabel rebuilt hers.

Now, usually Luisa would be linked with Neji because of their strength and Hanabi with Isabela because she was said to be the “golden child”. Allow my very controversial take.

Isabela and Neji= both have long hair, both share that diva energy. And most of all, both are essentially, sacrificial lambs to their families. Neji would sacrifice himself to protect the secrets of the Byakugan. He was marked to do so, and had to submit to the clans will. Even if Isabela is much more glorified, her engagement to Mariano, wasn’t something she did willingly. She wasn’t exactly “forced” , but she was the perfect child, the oldest in her gen, she has to carry the duty of up-keeping her family’s reputation by doing something she wished that she didn’t. Both are very restrained, both have this effortlessly perfect image of themselves and they’re exactly and more than that of what each respective leader (Alma and Hiashi) expect. What both of them strived was freedom, that was their general message. However one got what they wanted and one… :(

Luisa and Hanabi- Especially after Hinatas failure to abide by the requirements of a worthy clan head, Hanabi would be the one facing the immediate pressure of doing so. There was a note in Naruto the Last, where it states that after Nejis death and the Shinobi war, Hanabi loosened up a lot, to the point of decorating her kunais. Even to Hinata, she would overdo it. Even if the Hyuugas and Hanabis development is nonexistent, the Hanabi we see during the Chunin arc up to The Last and Boruto, are different. Almost the same can be said for Luisa. Luisa went from helping everyone in the village and going strictly by Almas order, to chilling in a canopy with a coconut drink in her hand by the last scenes of the movie. Luisa, just like Hanabi, were expected to bear all the harsh work that their family and clan demanded. To be a showcase of strength and resilience of their kin. And at the end, we see them the most laidback, which is very satisfactory in comparison with how Neji and Hinata ended up *cough cough*

[weirdagnes]

okay okay so i’ve been listening wayyy too much We Don’t Talk About Bruno. I can’t help but listen to all English, Spanish and Filipino version (im so surprised i didn’t cringe at Filipino dub?? they all sounded so close to the original voices and the singing voice is damn impressive)

The differences in mixing is interesting! Here’s what I’ve noticed (focusing only on the final verse):

We Don’t Talk About Bruno

Official audio and the audio in the movie have different mixing.

Official Audio:

There’s no moving pans. Everyone’s on the exact same pan where they began.

Pepa on the right, Felix on left.

Camilo on left-center (-20 or so).

Dolores on far left.

Isabela on right-center (+20 or so).

Movie Audio:

PEPA & FELIX

(“It was my wedding…”) Felix is on the left pan. Pepa comes from right pan then glides over to left pan when she and Isabela held hands and Pepa moved stage right.

(“Bruno walks in…”) Pepa is back on right pan but more center, somewhere +10 probably.

(“Thunder!”) Felix is on far right pan now.

(“You telling this story..”) Pepa is on center now.

(“I’m sorry, mi vida…”) Felix is back on far left.

(“Bruno says it...”) Pepa and Felix comes from far left slowly panning to right, matching their animation moving from stage right to left.

ISABELA

(“The life of my dreams...”) Isabela is all over lmao. She starts on left pan (-30) then pan max left as she exits stage right. Then when she and Pepa switched stage sides, Isabela’s track pans very fast to the right.

(“My power would grow...”) She’s back on left pan (-30).

(“He told me…”) She’s on right pan now.

(“And I’m fine…”) She pans further to the right (+40 or so). But on the last “I’m fine”, she pans fast to the left (-20) as her animation also move stage right.

CAMILO

(Camilo’s 1st Stanza) Camilo is on right pan (+40 maybe)

(Camilo 2nd Stanza) Camilo is on left pan now (-40 or so).

DOLORES

(Dolores rap) Dolores is very hard to hear but she very slowly pans from far left (-40 to -50) to center-right (+20 or so) until her rap ends.

(Dolores Verse 2) Dolores stays on right pan.

Overall:

(“Time for dinner!”) Pepa and Julieta are on left and right on both official and movie audio.

The original version is second best in balancing. Dolores is very hard to hear, took me many replays to hear her clearly. Isabela’s “I’m fine” also went over my ears until I heard the stem tracks. Pepa and Felix’s audio dominates most of the first verse.

No Se Habla De Bruno

Official Audio: Same positions as the English and Filipino version. Doesnt move.

(“A la mesa!”) The voices are on center and right pan.

Everyone is perfectly balanced imo. No one is overpowering one another. Amazing! Better than the original.

Movie Audio: Has the exact same panning as the English and Filipino version.

(“A la mesa!”) The voices are separated far left and far right.

Camilo is noticeably quieter all throughout than in the official audio.

Overall:

imo the Spanish version has the best balancing out of the three. You can hear everyone very clearly, especially Dolores whose track is often too buried under in other versions (even the original).

On the final harmonizing “Don’t talk about Bruno” line, they seem to back up the voice actors with choir and it seems to have more wider acoustics on it in the movie audio but not in the official audio? Unless it was super nerfed in the official audio.

Wag Ikuwento si Bruno

Official Audio:

Same positions as the English and Spanish version. Doesnt move.

(“Hoy ang mesa!”) Pepa and Julieta are both on center and the voices that harmonize are on the far left and far right - which is not good imo bc (1) the harmony is too spread out; (2) there’s not much difference in timbre between Pepa and Julieta and they’re both singing the main melody so the center is overpowering and monotonous.

Camilo and Felix are loudest, Pepa’s track is more quiet than Isabela. Dolores’ track is super muddy but can be heard in the first repeat of the final chorus, but on the second repeat, she is as loud as Camilo and Isabela’s track while Pepa and Felix are subdued.

Movie Audio:

Has the exact same panning as the English and Spanish version.

(“Hoy ang mesa!”) Pepa and Julieta’s voice is separated on left and right, but the left side is louder than the right. But it’s so much better than the official audio because they’re on stereo with the harmonizing voices instead of clashing in center.

Felix, Pepa and Isabela are the loudest all throughout. Dolores can’t be heard at all start-to-finish, and Camilo is quieter than in the original and Spanish version.

Overall:

The worst balancing out of the three imo. Dolores’ track is practically non-existent (except maybe the Official Audio, at least she sounds better there).

However, I like this version’s final harmonizing “Wag Ikuwento si Bruno” better than the English and Spanish. I like that the higher register seems to be heard more, and generally the way it was sung felt more powerful.

I also want to note that in Camilo’s verse, Dolores’ last “We don’t talk about Bruno” is noticeably very quiet; I thought it wasn’t sung until I amped up the volume.

Conclusion!

I assume they have like an official guide or notes for how they did the panning for both the official audio and the movie audio. Maybe because the panning had to follow the character animation on where they move on screen so the audio experience matches the visual.

But they didn’t seem to have an official guide on mixing and balancing, probably because of different recording equipment and studio environments.

My ranking based on balancing and mixing:

Spanish

English

Filipino

My ranking based on best harmony:

Filipino

English

Spanish

These rankings also remains the same for other songs (yeah i listened to them all). If a music student or professional comes across this post, I might’ve used incorrect terminology and analyzed the panning incorrectly, so I don’t mind being corrected!

alr yapping’s over

[heckinggno]

(NOTE: just to be clear I'm not bashing any of the three characters I mentioned. I just found it interesting how she's been pushed away from the family members that she has a lot in common with.)

Isn't it crazy how Mirabel is connected Alma, Bruno, and Pedro? All three of key figures in the Madrigal family plotwise?

Mirabel has Alma's loyalty and love for the family, which emboldens her to have the courage to make hard decisions that no one might agree with, and yet this trait that she shares with Alma is—ironically enough—what drove them further apart from one another throughout the length of the movie.

Like Bruno, she's treated as the black sheep of the family due to her lack of gift. This shared connection of being the "dirty secret" of the family causes Bruno to go into hiding for her safety, but despite his best intentions, him hiding away is actually what makes Mirabel's situation worse in the long run because he disappears on top of everything else that was going on with her.

And with Pedro, she is referred to as his "gift" to the family, their one last miracle from their savior. They share the same courage that urges them to protect the family, but it is this same courage that causes Pedro to lose his life.

What I'm trying to say here is, despite having so much in common with these people, they almost always end up leaving her behind. And while it's true that Pedro's death isn't directly connected to her, Alma feared the implications of Mirabel's giftlessness because it could be a sign that the Miracle is fading—that the thing that gave Pedro's death meaning would one day disappear. In the end, this causes her to isolate Mirabel from the family due to her strange lack of connection to the Candle, which Alma connects back to Pedro.

At this point, Mirabel has already been disconnected to three key figures in her family from childhood. If Encanto had been a different genre, Mirabel would've been a character doomed by the narrative 😔

[hourglass-dreams]

Something I Think About Often Regarding Isabela Madrigal

The movie really didn't do her character that much justice... kind of riding her off to be this aggressive sister without explaining why but then chalking it up to "having to be perfect", giving her a song (even though I adored her transformation), and then all was solved with a hug.

They don't go in depth like they do with Luisa before and during Surface Pressure.

They don't mention how truly miserable Isabela must have been, how suffocating that pressure of perfection truly was. Isabela, like the rest of the Madrigals never really had a childhood. She was never able to just breathe and be a human being instead of this plastic, "picture perfect" shell she was forced into.

She didn't have her own life, her own autonomy, and was paralyzed by the fear of disappointing the family, of being shunned. She had to craft this image that was nothing but a lie. Everything was a façade she had to put on for years and it most likely drained the life out of her.

No wonder she was so bitter and angry, sadly Mirabel was the easiest target for this projection of resentment (Not excusing it, just making an observation.)

And when she is finally able to express her true self, Alma indirectly scolds her for it. (Yes, it is mainly geared towards Mirabel. But, she literally said that Isabela was "out of control".)

Isabela's whole life was controlled by others so for Alma to say she was out of said control must have really hurt her. Hell, in that scene she looks like a scared little girl.

Overall, I wish the movie delved deeper into this. But hey, the fandom is doing it for them so it's all good ^-^

[selcaby]

When do you think Encanto takes place?

Based on tweets from Jared Bush I tend to assume the main story takes place in 1950, but the whole place has been cut off from the outside world since the miracle 50 years earlier. Their fashion and technology are from around the turn of the century.

I assume Bruno’s gift is the only reason he knows what telenovelas are. He’s never watched an actual TV. His football rat theatre scene is of a specific goal that Colombia scored against Germany in the 1990 World Cup.

The tune Agustín plays on the piano is “En Barranquilla Me Quedo” and was first released in 1988. I think either Agustín learned it from Bruno or it’s artistic licence. They were trying to cram as many Colombian things as possible into the film, even if some were anachronistic.

In one of my fics I posited a magical shop that sells goods that they can’t manufacture locally, such as books. (I mean, they could have their own printing press, but they would be short on texts to print.) So now if I spot something that seems too modern I just assume it comes from there.

[thisstableground]

Hi, I'm curious about something and you're like the one person I know who knows both characters so what would a meeting between Usnavi and Bruno be like? Just wondering

(this is broadway usnavi btw, i haven’t seen the movie)

okay! so, i actually think that bruno and usnavi have way more in common than you’d think just from a quck glance.

usnavi is clearly deeply loved by his community, whereas bruno is shunned by his, but (at least before usnavi’s character arc in the show) both of them feel on the outside of things. it’s probably not a coincidence that usnavi’s the only one breaking the fourth wall in ITH. he’s really no more the main character than, say, nina, but he is the one who chats with the audience directly, and i think that reflects the fact that he feels, like the audience, that he’s watching everyone else’s lives rather than participating himself. the world spins around while i'm frozen to my seat. and isn’t that so similar to bruno, sitting isolated in his room, watching visions of everyone else’s lives but never getting out himself, or putting on his rat plays in his space behind the wall? they both view themselves more in the role of narrator or observer, not a character with their own arc.

it’s obviously got a different vibe. i don’t think usnavi realises quite to what extent he’s loved by the people around him (he seems absolutely baffled by sonny and vanessa being upset about him leaving) but he definitely does not feel unloved. i think bruno also doesn’t realise how loved he is, but in his case he also has very good reasons to feel unloved, and is much less welcomed by the wider community (though perhaps when he was younger, this was different). and i definitely get the impression that usnavi’s relationship with his parents was an affectionate one, not a fraught one like bruno’s.

but there is that sense, for both of them, of having lost the thread of their individual identity under all the pressure of legacy and lost parents and their role and duty to their community. and both of them are stuck. they're living a life that isn't where they want it to be, there are things they want and relationships they crave but they can't move out of the place they're trapped in. there is also the sense that some part of is their own subconscious doing.

i always interpret usnavi’s as a result of anxiety that largely comes from losing his parents, a past that he can't change but wishes he could: what if he makes a wrong choice and something else bad happens, what if he loses someone else or loses his memory of his parents? better keep things exactly the same, to be safe. and bruno's as a result of seeing futures that he can't change but wishes he could, and what if he is cursed? what if he is the reason things go wrong? better knock on wood, hold your breath, spin in a circle, to be safe. when your life throws you a pain that you can't control, you create a routine that you can control, even if it eventually takes over and controls you.

usnavi's goal for a long time is to go back to the dominican republic, apparently, but until abuela claudia wins the lotto it really doesn’t look like he’s got any intention of taking steps towards that. and bruno is very similar - doesn’t actually manage to run away, because he’s too connected to his home and his family, but he doesn’t know how to change things so he just hides, stays the same, watches everything else grow and change without him. i’d bet that usnavi and bruno have had similar thoughts so many times of like “oh i’ll ask vanessa out, i'll sell the store, i'll move to DR. one day. probably. not yet.” and “i’ll talk to my sisters, i'll leave the encanto properly, i'll go outside. at some point. probably. not yet.”

and part of that pressure is external circumstances, but part of it is self-imposed, as a defense mechanism. if you lose yourself in your work or your duty to that extent, if you hide behind the things that are honest about it, then you always have an excuse to tell yourself for the rest. someone does always need coffee or a vision or a stable job or to be protected, that's true, so you can pretend that you're putting that big plan off because you're just too busy with all that other stuff, not because you're scared to do it. stay in the store. stay behind the walls. part of it is kindness, or duty, or practicality, yes. part of it is fear.

oh and speaking of abuelas! (though, again with a very different vibe depending who we're talking abut) i think both of them are very led by their love and respect for the respective maternal figures in their lives, but that this clouds their own desires/goals. claudia says to her own mama, "i spent my life inheriting dreams from you", and i think that without meaning to, the same happens with her and usnavi about moving to the dominican republic. as soon as it was him making the choice alone, he realised that it wasn’t what he wanted. i think there’s always some part of him that does want that a little, i doubt claudia picked that up from nothing, but it’s possible that she read usnavi's vague ideas of going to DR more strongly through her own experience of missing where her family came from, the part of her that regrets not going back to cuba, and didn’t recognise that the indecision probably meant part of usnavi felt it wasn't right for him.

and that’s so similar for alma, though it's much more harsh and hurtful in this instance: she parents her children and grandchildren based on her own history and regret and fear and wishes. she wants a safe place to hide, she wants outsiders not to find them or cause them harm: bruno lives up to that and then some when he goes into the walls. and he convinces himself it's the best choice for himself and for the family, but it isn’t. they probably don’t even realise that it’s something he learned from her example.

neither claudia nor alma mean any harm by this, they try their best, and they sacrifice for it: alma locks away her own grief and her trauma to build a whole community from the ground. claudia could use her lotto money to go back to la vibora after days into weeks into years away from home, but it’s puerto plata that they’re getting a plane ticket for, usnavi's island, not hers. they’re both misguided, their own pasts biasing their perception, but they do love their kids.

anyway!! you asked what it'd be like if they met, not for a list of things they have in common or for an extensive meta about abuelas. tough shit i guess you got that too.

so. i think that usnavi may see the similarities between himself and bruno, but he doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who dislikes people who he can see his own flaws/insecurities in. if anything it just makes him reach out to them more. i think he would want to help. he’s been scared and lonely and saddled with too much responsibility from too young an age and felt like he lost everything before, too, but he’s doing so much better now, and he'd want to extend that hope to anyone else who is struggling similarly. and what bruno needs more than anything is to be shown kindness and acceptance, both things that usnavi can very easily give. i also think usnavi has absolutely no concept of people being weird, he’s extroverted and makes friends easily but he’s not exactly Mr Social Cues himself. bruno could say the most absolute batshit thing you’ve ever heard and usnavi would just be like “lmao yeah i get u :)))"

bruno, on the other hand, probably would struggle to like someone who he felt was too much like himself, but i don’t think he’d see usnavi that way. someone who has struggles, fears, insecurities that bruno does relate to, but who unlike bruno is also bubbly and bouncy and chatty, and who is trying so, so hard all the time to be positive (even when it would be healthier to let themselves feel angry, or sad, or hurt, even when it's blatantly obvious that they are feeling those things), someone who helps other people when they're in the middle of their own crisis and who thinks of themselves as just a totally unremarkable, ordinary, nothing-special person because they don’t see the way that everyone gravitates towards their warmth and kindness. he’s not going to see himself in usnavi. he’s going to see mirabel.

they’d get along great.

[faintvibes]

What is the Population of the Encanto Town?

Though I saw (and loved) this movie when it first came out, the brainworms have come back with a vengeance, and so here we are. This might end up becoming a series (it's certainly not the only analysis I have rattling around in my brain regarding this movie) but we'll see.

The analysis is below, but if you seek a quick answer: tl;dr at least 100 people live in the town, with that number possibly being as high as 1,000, but probably closer to 500 max.

So, of course, it's pretty much impossible to know the exact population of the town without a statement from the creative team, which- so far as I'm aware- hasn't been shared. (I've been going through the qna's recently, and haven't found any answer regarding this, but twitter also keeps mistaking my account for a bot, and I'm apparently incapable of passing the tests to prove I'm not. So I've definitely not seen every answer. If anyone has a masterpost somewhere, please send.) As a result, the best I can give is an estimate.

My starting point was Colombian fertility rates. These show, year by year, the average number of children born to each woman. The data for Colombia starts in 1950, approximately when the movie takes place. However, it's worth considering that the people in Encanto aren't living like it's 1950, but rather like 1900: when the town was founded, according to a map on the second floor of Casita.

In case anyone hasn't seen this map, here is an image of it, enhanced to make it a little clearer to read:

and here's the scene it appears in:

So, knowing this and generally observing the culture and customs of the people we see in the movie, it is very clear that they are living (generally) like it's still 1900. Therefore, the fertility rate is likely to be closer to whatever it was in 1900, rather than 1950. However, as I have no way to know what this might have been, the 1950 stat (6.4) is the best estimate I have.

By Number of Buildings

Judging both by that map, as well as this overview image of the town:

I estimated how many buildings there are, just by eyeing it. Note that this might lead to some inaccuracies, but I tried my best. Looking at the overview, I counted 97 buildings, however on the map I counted 103 (both of these counts include Casita). Since the map gives a clearer view of the individual buildings, I'm presuming that number to be more accurate.

Now, we know the town has a church and a school, both of which can be presumed to not house anyone. I'd also guess it has a town hall. Some of these buildings might also be shops, workshops, community buildings, etc, which presumably would also not house people. However, I have no way to estimate which buildings these might be, or how many buildings fulfil these purposes (also taking into consideration that some people live on top of their shops, and other such situations), I have decided to not bother counting these buildings, and just presuming that- outside of the three buildings I can confidently say are unlikely to house anyone- presume that every other building has at least one resident. That means the town has at least 100 residents. Add in the additional Madrigals, and this minimum is bumped up to 109. Going to the other end of things, my absolute maximum estimate for number of people per building would be 10, meaning my highest possible population estimate is 1,000.

The number 10 is both connected to the Madrigals, and the aforementioned birth rate. 6 kids and 2 parents would be 8 people a house, while the extra 2 gives leeway for more kids, or other relatives who might also be staying there.

People in Various Scenes

There are various scenes in the movie where we see a large number of townsfolk, and I figured judging the number of people we see in these scenes might give a sense of the size of the town. My mind first went to Antonio's gift ceremony, where we see a large number of people gathered in Casita to witness the event. I wouldn't expect the whole town, but it still might help in some sense.

The first image I used from the gift ceremony was of Abuela's speech, before Antonio makes the walk to his door. Here, we see an overview of most of the crowd:

While observing this image, I was able to count about 91 people, which jumped to 94 when I added in Mirabel, Antonio, and Bruno. It's worth noting, however, that there are most certainly people in this crowd who we don't see, just because of the angle.

The other screenshot I considered was this one:

It's harder to make out people, however, and there are most certainly less of the crowd visible than before. I counted 33 people (40, if you count the Madrigals we know to exist, but aren't visible), but this number is pretty much useless.

The next place I looked for this method was the scene in All of You, where the town comes out to help the Madrigals. There were two screenshots I used to come up with this next estimation:

Neither of them are exactly perfect, with people being small and hard to see in both images, but I did my best. It's likely the most complete image of the town's population we see. I counted around about 100, solidifying my minimum population number. Additionally, while the other two examples were limited by Casita's max capacity, the fact that this count is a similar number despite the far more open space indicates that this might be closer to the actual number of villagers than the higher estimates. Again, though, there's no way this is everyone in the town.

Looking at screenshots ended up leading me to my final method to estimate the town's population.

Ancestry

When we look at screenshots from Dos Oruguitas, we can see the scene where Alma, Pedro, and the rest of the people travelling with them cross the river where Pedro dies:

When watching this scene, before it cuts away from this image, you can see the moment people stop coming from the right side to join the end, so I'd be fairly confident in saying that the people pictured here are the entirety of the exodus. Minus Pedro, they are the entirety of the Encanto's initial residents. I was able to count their numbers, and estimate 33 adults (including Alma and Pedro), and 8 children (including the triplets), though it's likely that more are hidden by all the adults grouped together.

As a side note: I couldn't exactly spot him, but presumably Félix should be part of this group, as he was ~2 years old at the time of the miracle.

Additionally, I couldn't spot any elderly people during my count, so I'm presuming there aren't any in the group, and all the adults are roughly the same generation as Alma and Pedro (we'll call this Gen One). The kids pictured are then presumed to be part of Gen 2. Excluding A & P, who we know don't have any more children, that leaves around 15 potential couples, each of whom could have between 0 and let's say 7 children. This means Gen 2 could end up having between 8 and 105 members. Therefore, we can estimate that Gen 2 would have between 4 and 54 potential couples, who each could have between 0 and 7 children (Gen 3). Given we know that there are 6 Madrigal members of Gen 3, this means that there are anywhere from 6 to 378 members of Gen 3.

(Some young children seen in the movie could, perhaps, be part of Gen 4, but I've not included this in my numbers, as Gen 4 would be in its early stages, and so the number of potential members is difficult to calculate.

It's also worth nothing that the maximum couple numbers, and therefore offspring numbers, per generation are numbers I'd consider very unlikely to be reality. If people are having up to 7 kids each, then pairing up everyone in Gen 2 would inevitably lead to people likely being paired up with siblings, which I'd consider unlikely. The real couple number is probably closer to 20 or so for Gen 2. Additionally, it's likely that most adults in Gen 1 have family members also in the exodus, so the max of 15 pairs is also unlikely.)

Adding all these up, and considering the minimum of 100 people, this indicates that the Encanto's population is likely between 100 and 515.

Summary

Considering all these calculations, I again am certain that at least 100 people live in the Encanto. While my first method estimated a maximum population of 1,000, I believe my later estimations affirm that a number this high isn't likely. If I had to guess, there's probably between 150 and 300 people living in the Encanto. But hey, here's the info! Feel free to come to your own conclusions :) I'd be very interested to hear alternative reasoning!

[phoenixlionme]

Something that I personally believe is that Mirabel's expression isn't just one of hurt and pain, but of quiet and disappointing realization - I think a part of her actually had a feeling about Alma's true feelings but kept the notion at bay because she desperately wanted to believe the opposite was true. And now she has heard firsthand her own grandmother's feelings, and she is HURT. In possible future projects, I really like this moment to be explored again with the reveal that Mirabel hasn't truly forgiven her grandmother; and to take it a step further, the loving and family-oriented Mirabel desperate for familial approval (especially Alma's), admits that whenever she remembers this moment, she feels intense hatred towards her grandmother. And she never truly got a chance to properly explore her feelings on it.

Encanto (2021)

[jacarandaaaas]

Mirabel Madrigal & Creativity:

So something I’ve realized after watching the movie a couple of times now is how mirabels story can easily correlate with the experience of someone creative when you’re only considered of use if you’re academically smart.

Not only do they refer to the magic as “gifts” and “gifted” very common terms associated with people who are considered academically smart but also the fact mirabel is shown as an artist. Our first introduction to her you see her room is plastered in artwork as a 5 year old and even after the prologue you still see she’s kept her artistic side. the thing is mirabel is incredibly talented she draws, she sews, she embroiders, paints, plays the accordion too! These are all incredible talents to possess and yet do we ever see her getting praised for them in the movie? not really. because mirabel doesn’t have a “gift” a literal magic gift yes but also could be interpreted for a creative as academic smarts. Creative thinking is something mirabel possesses and its quite literally the answer in the end but because she’s not smart in the expected way i.e academics she feels she’s not worth as much as others in her family.

I like to think making her an artist was an intentional choice as I know a lot of fellow artists have had people tell us it’s not a “useful” skill to have in the real world. It’s not worth taking the time doing when you could be pursuing medicine or law or something that uses your brain. Even in the ending of the movie mirabel tells them they’re “more than just your gift” which I feel can relate a lot to people who heavily rely on their academic achievements they can forget it’s ok to not do 100% every time and these ridiculous standards are just wearing you down.

So in conclusion I believe mirabels story resonates a lot with the experience of being a creative person but your skills not being seen as valuable. I just love that they made mirabel an artist to show how talented she actually is! she shows that creatives are valued and appreciated and needed and deserve to be encouraged not shot down! so thank you mirabel valentina rojas madrigal for being my favorite artist <3

[phoenixlionme]

Encanto: Madrigal Family Relationship Analysis Part 28 - Antonio and Bruno

This is my favorite moment between this uncle and nephew duo; admittedly, it's one of the very few scenes they have together, but I still stand by my point. Antonio offers his stuffed jaguar, made by Mirabell (his favorite relative), to Bruno (a man he's just met and only heard about through his family and town's bias opinion). Jared Bush as confirmed in a twitter post that Antonio considers Bruno his pal. And I can understand why - given his gift, Antonio was told by Bruno's rats not only of the future teller's true personality but also the lengths the latter went to, to protect Mirabel, who Antonio greatly loves, cherishes, and admires. Of course, he would think of Bruno as his pal. And while it wasn't seen in the movie (which should've been), Bruno definitely returned Antonio's jaguar and genuinely thanked his young nephew for the help. And they would develop a tight bond because they are both shy but helpful guys who have an affinity towards animals more than people, and would do anything to help Mirabel, the person in the family who helped them the most (not hating on the Madrigals but the way Mirabel helped them was more beneficial). I can totally imagine Antonio cheerfully dragging Bruno along to play with him and his animals and Bruno happily agreeing since he loves being an uncle in general. I can also see Bruno trying to give good advice to Antonio that it's okay to prefer animals to people, a similar convo like the one Mirabel and Antonio had before his gift ceremony. In conclusion, these are PHENOMENAL PALS FOR LIFE.

[dnpbeats]

more phagenda theories ft. analysis of dan's story bc i am painfully unemployed

hi besties it's me again. i'm reaching the point of waiting for the announcement where it's like that tweet about the plate of corn in encanto. i decided to go back and watch dan and phil's first videos to see what frames they used to see if it would reveal anything intersting and well... it kinda does, but also this theory falls apart a bit towards the end so. take this with a grain of salt this is just for fun i'm just yapping it's not meant to be that serious etc etc

so starting with phil's video blog, i believe the frame is from about 0:41 or at least very very close to there (based on the position of phil's paper):

(side note but i don't wanna get too off track: 2 seconds after this is when phil's curtain blows which like obviously is from wind but maybe in another universe it's some kinda sci-fi fantasy spirit ghost thing idk)

this section of the video is when phil is reading off a question from his linguistics exam. we know from "teaching dan to speak" that if youtube hadn't worked out and phil actually used his degree, he was gonna be a forensic linguist. okay so now, what frame is used from hello internet? this one isn't quite as easy to pin down but my best approximation is at 0:37, or at least somewhere soon after that (going off of dan's placement in front of the door):

this is the section of the video immediately after dan gets done saying some "really good friends" he's made recently persuaded him to "give it [making videos] a shot" which like, we all know means phil. when i say immediately i mean he finishes saying that at 0:36

i just personally find this intersting because like. for phil's video why pick a frame of him reading an exam when you could've gone with the thumbnail or him looking at the camera or something? with dan, i at first thought it was the very beginning of hello internet, but it's definitely not based on the way he comes into frame. instead it's right after he says that phil persuaded him to make videos... so this brings me to the ripple effect/alternate universe idea a lot of people have been throwing around. what if they chose phil reading his linguistics exam bc they are going to explore a universe where he becomes a forensic linguist? and of course, if he didn't do that, then dan wouldn't have made his video, because the part where phil persuades him to give it a shot never happened (this is where we get into dinok territory). ok so how does this fit with the other two shots we can see? (i'm not including something we want to tell you bc it would be impossible to know exactly where in the video that shot is from, and ofc i can't include the mystery one 💔)

(warning this is where this starts to fall apart lmao) now obviously the one from gtpwtw is from the yoga section:

how does this fit in with the alternate universe/choices theory? well, this particular moment is right when dan is asking phil "top or bottom," which obviously in the moment is a joke and it's a really inconsequential question. however, it is a question nonetheless, with two possible outcomes 👀

for saying goodbye forever... i quite literally have nothing, the shot they chose has nothing going on it's just them standing there as priest sean walks in at about 0:35 💀💀

anyway yeah, assuming they consciously chose what shots of videos to include, it might give more validity to the multiverse idea, regardless of what medium they present it in! ofc this could also all mean nothing and i am just grasping at straws (10x more likely) i just thought it was intersting :)

[phoenixlionme]

Kurt

Round 1 - Side A

Propaganda below ⬇️

Abuelita Alma Madrigal Propaganda:

There's a church in the Encanto as well as a priest and given how strong her grip is and how much of a control freak she is, I would very much doubt she'd allow people to believe in other miracles than Pedro's if she wasn't, herself catholic. Also I mean south american turn of the century family they're probably catholic.

Listen at least Alma is!!! The candle!! The importance of the church!!! The vibes are just there!!!! The idea of being a savior by sacrificing yourself (or at least your personality/grief) for your people? That’s SO catholic coded PLEASE

Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler Propaganda:

good lord where do i start. in the animated series he converts logan to catholisism and then fucks off basically thats the main thing he did there. i think one time they tried to make him a demon to explain how he looked but everyone hated that. he sold his soul one time to help his friends out after he died. he and logan have a weird little gay thing. he was a priest one time but he was made a priest by a fake bishop from a religion that hates mutants iirc so he just wasnt a priest. like 3 people have written him in a way i like and one of those is my friend just talking about how they view him.

wow marvel loves making catholic characters dress/look like demons

Kurt is a mutant who was born to mystique who looks a LOT like a devil (technically is half one but that cannon truth isn't real go back to bed), his mother dropped him off a cliff when he was born and he was picked up by a Romani group/circus (fuck old comics man) however he then narrowly escaped being sold to a freak show and found himself in a small German town. There he met a kind priest, who showed him God, and he quickly grew attached to the idea- However, it wasn't long before people began labeling him a demon and soon the whole town was against him with pitchforks and fire. Cornered and injured, Kurt thought this might be the end for him- maybe he would see heaven so long after finding it- but he was then saved by Charles Xavier who invited him to the X-Men. AND ITS BEEN SO MANY YEARS AND HE HAS BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH THERE. SO MUCH. SO GOD DAMN MUCH. BUT THE MOST AAAA THING TO ME CONCERNING HIS FAITH HE WHEN HE LITERALLY DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN BUT THEN BECAUSE OF DRAMA WITH HIS FATHER HAD TO BRING HIS FRIENDS IN WITH HIM FROM THE BEYOND. THEN WITH ALOT OF TROUBLE THEY FOUGHT HIS FATHER AND THE ONLY WAY KURT SAW TO STOP HIM WAS IN A MOVE THAT STRIPPED THEM BOTH OF THEIR SOULS AND PUT THEM BACK ON EARTH. SO KURT CANONICALLY HAS NOW LOST HIS ABILITY FOR ETERNAL PEACE, LOST HIS VERY SOUL, TO SAVE PEOPLE- AND ALSO TOLD NO ONE NOT EVEN HIS GAY LOVER WOLVERINE.

Nightcrawler is a mutant vigilante who looks like a classical demon. He can't even go to church without people panicking and trying to exorcize him. Despite it all, he's so full of faith and hope and compassion, and he wants to believe the best of everyone. Also, he's bffs with an extremely angry Jewish sword lesbian. That has nothing to do with anything, but it's important to me that you all know that.

What if you were a devout christian and literally looked like the devil? He nearly became the pope, which was a plot by some supervillains that also involved faking a rapture? There is nothing like comics I swear to god.

A catholic who is half demon I don’t think I can better explain a struggle than that. But his character is so relatable to people who feel unwelcome with their congregation because of something that is a part of them but still feeling a connection to the faith. Kurt actively engaged in his faith and shares how his faith helps him through all the things he has faced in life and how he found a home with those of the church who leave the judging to God.

so they made kurt a priest briefly before deciding to retcon it, resulting in nightcrawler actually being part of a plan by villains to promote him to pope then reveal to the world that the pope is a demon. wild.

I have a side blog and a tattoo about him and i really really want him to win

Wisecracking devil-appearing devout Catholic with the Best superpower (teleportation)? HECK YES

German Catholic circus acrobat who looks like a demon & can teleport through a hellish alternate dimension with a puff of sulfur. Character of all time.

hes catholic and his dad is the devil. what could be funnier than that. also hes my silly little guy.

Nightcrawler is the world’s most fun catholic priest. I first was introduced to this kindhearted teleporting acrobat while he saved a boat full of stowaway refugees from inter dimensional pirates with swashbuckling gusto!

[thefourchimes]

Encanto Dashboard Simulator

haha guess who just decided to try something completely unhinged in an attempt to be funny and is probably failing miserably at it?

#im trying my best #this will probably crash and burn but hey at least i tried right #say hello to an encanto dashboard simulator #the movie but in tumblr lmao #or rather this is a day before the movie #also i think i fumbled on some of the characterizations...im sorry pls go easy on me ahahsfiuhasf #oh and dont question too much about time periods because i have no idea either #i kept it as vague as possible lmao

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🕯 encanto-updates May 20

Antonio Madrigal, the youngest member of the magical Madrigal family, will be having his 5th birthday and gift ceremony tomorrow!

The ceremony and celebration will be happening at Casita by 7 in the evening!

#madrigal ceremonies #the madrigals #madrigal family #antonio madrigal #the encanto

1,398 notes

🔁👀 hidden-in-plain-sight reblogged farmingwoes May 20

🏯 probablymagicalplaces Follow May 20

does anyone have any theories on what the youngest madrigal's gift will be?

🥣 magic-soup Follow May 20

maybe something similar to his siblings?? dolores has superhearing and camilo has shapeshifting. what could be a possible gift like those?

or maybe like his mom! something closer to nature, maybe

🌾 farmingwoes Follow May 20

as long as it isn't like his mother's gift, pretty much anything is good

🔇 shhhhquiet May 20

Hm.

👀 hidden-in-plain-sight May 20

hey man @farmingwoes u really shouldnt be saying things like this, u know? i mean, what if a madrigal sees it? u'd be screwed!

🌾 farmingwoes Follow May 20

as if the family would check this hellsite

👀 hidden-in-plain-sight May 20

u never know tho...they could literally be reading this right now

#theres always a chance ur words will come back to bite u #:]

759 notes

🙃 aaaaaaaaa May 20 • Liked by nothingswrongimtotallyfine

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

#screams #more screaming

129 notes

🔁💃 his-shine reblogged her-sun May 20

🎶 her-sun Follow May 20

@his-shine Mi vida, I have a cup of coffee with your name on it.

💃 his-shine Follow May 20

You are a lifesaver.

#gracias #i really appreciate it #<3

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🧍‍♂️ listentomeimserious Follow May 20 • Because you follow #the madrigals

Finally, after three whole months of researching and writing, I have done it.

Here, in all its glory, is my analysis on why the Madrigals and their supporters are a cult, complete with sources, pictures, and pure undeniable proof to drill the point home and shut the doubters up.

Let's begin.

` Keep Reading

#the madrigals #encanto #this took me so long to gather and write #but i have finally done it #here is your proof!! #the madrigals are a cult!!!

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🔁🪓 please-take-a-break reblogged need-a-break May 20

🪓 please-take-a-break Follow May 20

I did not expect that tree to fall down the way it did.

🔪 need-a-break Follow May 20

Ay...come here, mi amor.

#eheh...lo siento

68 notes

🔁🫠 nothingswrongimtotallyfine reblogged lovercorn May 20

👊 gotintoafistfightanddidntdie Follow May 20

there's a donkey munching hay outside my house again...

🌽 lovercorn Follow May 20

op, are you okay...did you get enough sleep

32 notes

🧶 wondrous-crafts May 20

⚫ Anonymous asked: any new projects you made recently? will you share them?

Oh! Well, I do have some things I created in the past few weeks. A stuff toy and some embroidered items ready for events...

Not sure yet if I'll share them but we can see how that goes!

#got a couple things prepared for my family #but we'll have to see if i'll share them hahaha #yeah

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🔁🐀 iaminyourwalls reblogged jumpedbyacapybara May 20 • They're back!

🤕 jumpedbyacapybara Follow May 20

sure hope tomorrow won't be a disaster in the making

#knock knock knock #knock on wood

360 notes