Encanto Movie Analysis Essay Sample

Disney’s new movie, Encanto, is a story of how one person’s actions can affect everyone around them. In the film, one of the main characters, Mirabel, is looked down on by almost everyone in her family and the town outside because she doesn’t have a “gift” like the rest of her family. The “gift” was first given to Mirabel’s grandmother, Abuela Alba, after her husband, Pedro, passed away, and since then, each new member of the Madrigals has received their own gift, such as Isabela’s ability to grow flowers or Camilo’s ability to shapeshift. When her family’s home and magic start to weaken, Mirabel learns that her estranged uncle, Bruno, had a vision about her effect on the family before he disappeared, so she seeks to find the vision and a way to save her family’s miracle. In Encanto, Jared Bush and Byron Howard used symbolism, dialogue, and conflict to illustrate that everyone should have a place in their family.

One example of literary elements the directors of Encanto show is symbolism. Each gifted character has small symbols on their clothes, such as Isabella’s flowers, Luisa’s weights, Camilo’s chameleon, etc. Since Mirabel doesn’t have a gift, she has all of her family’s symbols embroidered on her dress (Bush). This shows the viewers Mirabel’s love for -and desire to be included in- her family. She is especially patronized by Abuela, though, because Abuela was the most upset when Mirabel didn’t get her gift. This is also part of why Abuela and Mirabel have such a strong connection. When Mirabel tells Abuela that the casita started cracking, Abuela denies it and says “the magic is strong” (Bush). However, after Mirabel decides to “save the miracle,” she hears Abuela talking to her deceased husband in front of the candle about the fading magic, and asking him to help make it strong again (Bush). As Mirabel and Abuela argue more, the candle begins to melt and the magic keeps fading, which causes the house to crack. Eventually, Mirabel and Abuela fight in front of everyone. The candle disappears completely and their house crumbles. It is not until they make up and understand one another that magic returns.

The directors additionally use conflict to show the theme of Encanto. Mirabel repeats, “make my family proud” throughout the film, which shows that she thinks she has to work harder than everyone else to help the family. This internal conflict with herself and also external conflict with everyone that makes her think she is less special than everyone else in her family produces Mirabel’s self-doubt and perfectionism. We see perfectionism in many of the characters, but one of the main ones is Isabella. She is seen as the perfect flower that never does anything wrong, but when Mirabel pressures her to talk, Isabella grows a cactus and says she was only going to marry Mariano “for the family.” The viewers, Mirabel, and Isabella herself, see the buried pressure and trauma she kept because she tried so hard to please Abuela.

As well as symbolism and conflict, Encanto has important dialogue to help show the theme. When Mirabel is young, Abuela says, “You are a wonder, Mirabel Madrigal. Whatever gift awaits will be just as special as you,” but Mirabel is constantly reminded that she didn’t get a gift, so she feels left out and alone when Abuela says something similar to Antonio. Later in the film, Bruno tells Mirabel, “My gift wasn’t helping the family, but I love my family,” which shows the viewers a different side of Bruno than what other characters expressed.

Encanto shows viewers that one person’s actions can affect everyone around them. People need to remember that each member of a family is important. Mirabel learns that despite everyone’s constant reminders, she doesn’t need a gift to have value because she is “just as special as anyone else in [her] family” (Bush).