Encanto: A Christian Perspective

Warning: Spoilers.

Encanto is an animated Disney film released in 2021. The Madrigal family lives in a magic house that has granted them all gifts, except Mirabel. This makes her feel like an outcast in the family. But when something threatens to destroy the magic house, Mirabel decides to save it before it’s too late.

I enjoyed the music, my favorite song being “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” It made me laugh. The dancing sequences were very good. The settings and animation were beautiful. I liked Mirabel, who shows compassion and empathy to her family members. When Antonio is nervous about his Gift ceremony, Mirabel comforts him and gives him a present. She also walks him to his door where he will get his Gift.

I liked how most of the Madrigals get enough characterization to where I can understand their personalities.

I enjoyed smaller details in the film, like how everyone in the family is wearing symmetrical clothing except Mirabel. Mirabel has embroidered butterflies, flowers, and other things onto her dress, making her dress’s design asymmetrical. It not only shows her creativity but also ties into how Mirabel is different than the rest of her family and how Abuela, being a perfectionist, doesn’t like that.

I enjoyed the story’s message on how your gifts or abilities do not define you. From a Christian perspective, if you have given your life to Jesus, then you are a child of God. That is your identity.

The other message I liked was you shouldn’t try to control other people’s behavior and personalities out of a desire for perfectionism. Abuela was determined to control everyone to the point where Mirabel and her sisters were stressed and unhappy with themselves. God created each individual to have different personalities and interests, and we shouldn’t try to impose our desires on others. We have to allow them to be the person God wants them to be.

A third message was to not lose sight of what’s truly important, which in this case is family. Abuela was so afraid of losing the miracle that she became too focused on perfection and everyone else’s gifts. This caused her to ignore the emotional needs of her children and grandchildren. From a Christian perspective, we shouldn’t be focused on perfection, our gifts, or any worldly thing, but rather keep our focus on God. Things can’t always be perfect, and our talents may not always last, but God is everlasting. We should focus on having a relationship with Him.

I found it interesting that the one responsible for the house breaking was Abuela, who let her need for control and perfectionism override the mental and emotional needs of her family. Though, I would argue the other adults probably share the blame as well, which I will discuss later.

I liked when Mirabel calls Abuela out on her behavior towards everyone and begins to realize that she isn’t the problem, but Abuela is. When she calls Abuela out, that is the only time Abuela begins to realize she is right.

I also liked how Mirabel and Abuela reconciled at the end, and I like how Abuela acknowledged the major mistakes she made and apologized. That was one of my other favorite parts of the movie.

One thing I didn’t like was that the way the Madrigals live isn’t biblical. The Bible says that a man will leave his household and be joined to his wife (Gen. 2:24). In Encanto, there are three generations under one roof, which contributes a lot to the problems that occur within the Madrigal family. Some movies that have “family is more important” themes may overlook the fact that family members need healthy boundaries. Mirabel and her family don’t have to live with all their relatives, and there is no excuse for Mirabel’s parents to not distance themselves from toxic family members like Abuela.

The family is so chaotic and toxic that if I were Mirabel, I would get out of the house as much as possible and find somewhere quiet where I wouldn’t be bothered. I wouldn’t stick around. I sort of wonder why Mirabel didn’t find something else to do away from the family.

I was bothered by Abuela’s double standards. She has no gift, yet she doesn’t like Mirabel because she has no gift. But I suppose some people can be like this in the real world. They hold everyone else to another standard while they do not meet that standard, perhaps because they feel they need to compensate for their own failures or perhaps to avoid responsibility. In Abuela’s case, after losing her husband and getting their miracle, she said she felt she had been given another chance. One she wasn’t willing to mess up. This might explain the double standards for Mirabel and the other children. However, it’s no excuse.

Another thing I didn’t like is Mirabel’s family seems to exclude her. There is a scene when Abuela says they need a picture after Antonio gets his Gift. Everyone gets together except Mirabel, and no one says, “Where’s Mirabel?” Everyone takes a family photo without her.

Mirabel’s sister, Isabella, is mean to her, and it seems the parents don’t do anything about it. Isabella gets better later, but only after Mirabel talks to her. 

Mirabel’s parents are doormats. Julietta and Augustine do whatever Abuela tells them to do, and they don’t stand up to her when she mistreats Mirabel. All Julietta does is ask Abuela to be nice, and that’s all. If my parents ever caught my grandmother treating me that way, they would have confronted her and moved out of the house right away. That’s what Mirabel’s parents should have done.

Furthermore, her parents don’t believe Mirabel when she first mentions the house is cracking. Everyone assumes Mirabel is lying because she’s upset about not having a Gift. Even when Mirabel says she cut her hand on one of the roof shingles, her mother gives the oddest response: she doesn’t want Mirabel to lose her way like Bruno. Why do they think Bruno lost his way? How is leaving the house when you’re an adult losing one’s way?

Speaking of Bruno, why would the family agree not to talk about him? He didn’t do anything wrong. Everyone else was the problem. They are the ones who blamed him for bad things he foretold, and they are the ones who spread rumors about him later. In fact, besides Antonio and perhaps Louisa, Bruno is the only one who treats Mirabel nicely. No one besides Abuela apologizes to him (sort of) when he returns at the end. Instead, he’s the one apologizing when he shouldn’t be. Abuela and everyone else didn’t apologize enough to Bruno.

Bruno and Mirabel are similar. Both are looked down upon by Abuela and are the black sheep in their families. They are also the scapegoat. Both are blamed for things that are completely out of their control. Bruno is blamed for the bad weather at Pepa’s wedding, and Mirabel is blamed for the house cracking.

Also, why would the family suspect Mirabel of having anything to do with the house cracking and the powers fading? What did they think she was doing?

At the very least, the parents could have apologized to their kids for not standing up for them. Perhaps they could have even had an arc where they start off being subservient to Abuela but realize that they need to stand up to her if they want to protect their children’s emotional health. Abuela takes responsibility for her actions, but Mirabel’s parents don’t take responsibility for their actions and inaction.

I didn’t like how Mirabel stands up to Abuela and calls her out, but after running away, apologizes and blames herself again.

I didn’t like that some things felt a little contrived. Why can’t the house help Mirabel in Bruno’s room, which is the room it made itself? Why didn’t the house give Mirabel a gift? Maybe the house didn’t give her a gift because it knew the only way to highlight the problem in the family was to withhold a gift. But then why give Antonio a gift? Why give anyone a gift?

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but Mirabel’s family was toxic.