Defending Abuela’s Apology and Mirabel’s Forgiveness (⚠️ spoilers ahead!)
This whole scene and “Dos Oruguitas” was so beautiful and soul tearing!!! People don’t have to like Abuela Alma, but I don’t understand why they act as if Abuela was completely irredeemable. People give Abuela Alma so much backlash and villanize her and I’m sitting here like: “Did we not watch the same movie???”
And before y’all come at me, I want to clarify that NONE👏🏾 OF 👏🏾THIS 👏🏾DISSERTATION 👏🏾EXCUSES 👏🏾ABUELA’S 👏🏾TRAUMA 👏🏾SHE 👏🏾UNINTENTIONALLY 👏🏾INFLICTED 👏🏾ON 👏🏾THE 👏🏾FAMILY. I KNOW! I KNOW!)
There’s a reason why Abuela was the one who found Mirabel and not her parents, sisters, aunt/uncles, or cousins. It was to set the scene for this powerful moment to transpire.
To be clear, Mirabel did apologize first because she felt she destroyed Casita, the town, and the miracle candle. However, Abuela said something Maribel did not expect to hear out of her mouth. Abuela took out the Uno reverse card and apologized right back to her. And it takes A LOT for an adult to apologize to a child. (Especially in the POC community…😓)
Abuela literally admitted fault to everything and she apologized to Mirabel. Granted it wasn’t a fully-fledged 100 word essay that we expected, but we didn’t need that. (It would have been nice, but this is a movie and it will be on a time constraint.) The apology itself was deeply sincere and emotional. It came from a place of vulnerability. It provided transparency for Mirabel to understand and sympathize with Abuela’s pain that she has been repressing for 50 years.
She wasn’t able to process her emotions and greif properly. She lost the love of her life in front of her eyes, became a single mother to her baby triplets, and became responsible for a whole town of people and families practically overnight. Moreso, she had to learn about the miracle and how to use it to help those around her starting with her children who would soon get their own superpowers at a young age.
From the start, Encanto’s strongest storytelling element was in its colors. Notice how the lake and the scenery was dull and unsaturated, signifying not only Mirabel’s guilt and sadness in the moment, but the start of Abuela’s trauma that took place in that very spot.
It wasn’t until Mirabel forgave Abuela and Abuela’s realization about Mirabel being the true miracle that the lighting and background gradually changes into a beautiful, colorful and enriched environment filled with beautiful yellow butterflies, which are strong symbols in Columbian culture for love, hope, transformation, and new beginnings. And that’s the thing: Forgiveness is a gradual process and depending on the person, it does not require physical reconnection. (Speaking from experience with a toxic family member. I cut them off by the way and I’m doing just fine.😎👍🏽)
And some of us who suffer in silence by holding in our own pain and deep dark truths everyday could totally relate to Abuela Alma. We might even take it out on our loved ones unknowingly. But that’s when self-reflection and emotional intelligence comes in. And sometimes it takes the right person to bring that out of us. That’s what Mirabel was for. Real talk, none of her children or other grandchildren would have called her out on her actions. (Probably except Bruno. Wouldn’t it be dope if he did that?)
Also, people wanted accountability for Abuela. While I strongly agree on that standpoint, I believe she’s been through enough. In fact, I believe the candle going out and Casita being destoyed was already consequences of her actions. Besides, wtf did y’all expect Mirabel to do? Burn her at the stake? Drown her in the lake? Push her out the window? (Even though Casita would have saved her.) Vengance is simply not in Mirabel’s character.
Ever since her gift ceremony, Mirabel had no choice but to come to terms with the fact that won’t have superpowers like the rest of the Madrigal family (excluding the fathers, Abuela Amla and Abuelo Pedro) and being the odd one out. At 5 years old, I can only imagine how embarassed, confused, and scared she was that night. Her parents wiping her tears trying to reassure her. Louisa trying to give her as many soft hugs as she can. Camilo trying his best to make her laugh. Delores trying to listen around for any possible answers. Pépa creating rainbows endlessly. Felix trying to dance with her. (I’m gonna stop listing hypotheticals I’m gonna freaking cry!🥺🥺🥺) But somehow, she was able to overcome those emotions and does her best to help her family and the village. And while she has such a bright and cheery disposition, she has been longingly wanting to be of use in the way that all the other grandkids were.
While Mirabel’s backstory has all the makings of becoming arguably the hardest villain arc in history, she chooses not to go down that route. She loves her family unconditionally and because of her love, she sees both Abuela Alma and Isabela in a whole new light and improved their once strained relationships. And she also resonates with Isabela and Louisa’s long-standing pressure, expectations, and burdens that came with gifts. If it wasn’t for Mirabel, the whole family and Casita itself would have imploded eventually.
All I’m saying is, there are no villains in this movie. Just hurt people. And hurt people hurt people. Keep in mind that this is a Disney movie. And y’all already know that it does not happen like this in real life. Forgiveness was necessary for Abuela, Mirabel, and restoring the miracle as well as Casita. Obviously rushed, but it got the point across.
That being said, Mirabel Madrigal has to be arguably THE BEST protagonist I’ve seen from modern-day Disney animated movies so far next to Moana. (And my new favorite!) If you have not seen Encanto yet, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE watch it! Then watch it again! It’s so good, I often forget it’s a Disney movie!
Look, I can understand people being conflicted about how an abusive parental figure, even if it wasn’t Abuela’s full intent to harm Mirabel, would feel about them being granted forgiveness. However, another thing I’d like to throw out here that’s a seriously important building block leading to their excellent moment near the river of them reconciling is this scene. Abuela pleading to her deceased husband Pedro for guidance in what she should do to fix their home’s issue of jeopardizing their magical gifts, while Mirabel was listening to her whole vulnerable concerns underneath. This scene set everything into motion on why this movie’s message works.
“Pedro, I need you…Cracks in our Casita…If our family knew how vulnerable we truly are…If our miracle is dying…We cannot lose our home again…”
Encanto is one of those rare movies where there’s not a single character I don’t like. I do think Mirabel is my fave, because I’m just weak for protagonists like this, but I genuinely love the entire family. It’s so refreshing to have a movie without “can we move on from this character, please” moments.
Random things I find hilarious/just like about Russian lyrics of We Don’t Talk About Bruno (and other Encanto songs)
WDTAB
So, the main lyrics in Russian go like “Don’t mention Bruno”, however “no” in Russian means “but/yet” => accidentally (?) it became “Don’t mention Bruno… and yet-”, not just in Pepa’s part but everywhere: so everything that goes after the chorus can technically be interpreted as “don’t mention Bruno, BUT! here’s something (I can tell you) about him”
In Russian Felix calls Pepa “my love”, in Ukrainian he calls her “my joy/happiness”
apparently Pepa is pissed not because Bruno made her feel nervous and worried about the bad weather but because that bad weather ruined her look
also Pepa and Felix literally swore to never ever mention Bruno right after the wedding accident????? they ghosted him for what, 15+ years before he even left?
Dolores in her part isn’t even trying to be subtle:
“Since the childhood they scare us:
Bruno is wandering somewhere in this house;
I can hear him whispering,
And it frightens me”
dear, WHO is scaring you by telling you about Bruno walking around?? your parents? “Dolores eat your dinner or Bruno will come and eat your soul” is that? are you scaring your own kids with their uncle as a boogeyman? when I was watching the movie with my young siblings, it is because of these lyrics they were quite sure mirabel is going to find Bruno(s corpse) somewhere in casita (“maybe he didn’t left but just died in his room or somewhere in the house and no one noticed” damn kids whats wrong with you)
also I like the line about sand
“It’s like sand is falling with every step he takes”
a nice metaphor about his light feet and sneaking around
“His burden is heavy, this gift is tormenting him”
:’^(
her “do you understand” is the same yet the wording feels kinda more harsh, more like “don’t you get it???/can you get it already???”
“a seven foot” (4 syllables) becoming “dwa” (1) => Camilo starts with his DwaAAaAah which I really like… idk why it just sounds so sassy
“He will call you,
And then disappear in the dark”
yep. confirmed cryptid. used as a boogeyman for kids for sure
“He’s a midnight howl, he’s your nightmare”
Bruno are you screeching at nights?
Spotify lyrics for this song have some mistakes but the funniest is that Mariano turned into Marianna so…yay gay rights?
“He told me to forget about the one I love
He is promised to another”
kinda sad but imagine Bruno saying it to the, idk, 10 yo Dolores’ “yeah kid, you can forget about the one you love! he is promised to another” “who” “who what” “who I love? I don’t even like anyone yet. who am I supposed to forget about”
why everyone are kinda more toxic in Russian dub? not only Dolores but Isabella is also somewhat more rude, like she’s more directly telling Mirabel to shut up:
“Silence, sister!
You must know, I’m not kidding”
are you threatening her?
I think it just me but I’m losing it on “Isabela, your boyfriend’s here – Time to eat!” cause for some reason it makes me think they’re gonna eat Mariano
Waiting On A Miracle
this is the only song that hits me harder in Russian than in the original – I think it’s both because of minor nuances in lyrics and the great performance of Regina Todorenko, it’s just so strong and emotional! if you haven’t heard it, please listen
the key difference is that “a miracle” in both the name and lyrics became “the magic” – it’s more like she’s not waiting for something to miraculously happen and give her a gift, but directly talking to the magic itself – hey, magical powers, I’m here, how much more I have to wait for you to notice and bless me with a gift as well? and you start asking yourself is she talking to the magic and the providence asking for a chance or just her grandmother who represents the magic? who is she really begging to notice and bless her?
“Do not regret, chase away this sorrow.
Shed no tears, you are not to bewail it”
damn girl I feel you
“I still belong to the family Madrigal,
So… what else could I possibly wish for?”
I don’t know… love and acceptance maybe?
“Every night I see the same dream –
A dream where there’s the magic inside me”;
“I spend my nights restless
Always praying to heaven for my own door”
she really does have some sleep problems
“I can’t put together the shards”
and then she goes and does it both to that broken vision tablet AND her family
“I would move the mountains,
I would make the whole world bloom –
If only somebody gave me a hint how could I obtain a gift of my own”
I love both the line about making the whole world bloom, as if “if I had this gift I would do huge, meaningful, world changing deeds” and how she’s wishing for “her own” gift yet can only imagine having others’ gifts not something unique of her own
“I am ready! See? I am ready!
And I’m begging you from the very bottom of my heart:
Please, discover that power of magical gifts in me,
Please, the magic, hear me!
Or maybe you’ve already made up your mind about me a long time ago?..”
The Family Madrigal
“- Hush, hush, just chill!
– Then why don’t you just explain the way that won’t make us stressed?!”
– TALK!! I WANNA KNOW EVERYTHING"
kids are hilarious
“Oh! And that’s Julieta, my mommy”
🥺 she also calls Agustín “my daddy” and Abuela “granny” later in the song
“my whole life is a festival of magical miracles,
‘cause I’m from the Madrigals as well!”
is it tho
“(two) friends fell in love with family Madrigals”
Agustín and Félix are friends and were friends even before becoming Madrigals? nice
once again I’m losing it because, well, they really struggled with the rhythm of the line about camilo and we don’t have any adjectives or verbs meaning “to shapeshift” so they came up with calling him лицедей which long ago meant just “an actor”, literally “the one who makes face (to look like someone else’s)” BUT nowadays it is used in different sence which is… a hypocrite/pretender/two-faced person
“Aunt Pepa took after granny in regard of her character”
did she?
“And Luisa is so strong, so beautiful, smart and kind”
“My dad Agustín is the hero in many misfortunate stories, but he’s a kind guy”
“My cousin Camilo sweetly and perkily makes people laugh”
she talks about her family so nicely 🥺
Surface Pressure
is called “Actually”/“In Fact”
“I’m calm like a rock, I never feel pain”
we don’t have an idiom about the camel; so lyrics use that one about the cup:
“The cup is full
It takes only one drop of water
To make a wave,
A giant wave that would…”
and it goes SO well with the chorus
the chorus being:
“…crush you down, down, down
And the (sea) bottom is closer and closer
Down, down, down
And you are not meant to swim out of it”
also recommend to listen, Tais Urumidis (who’s actually a jazz musician) has a great voice!
What else can I do
“Since the perfection is unachievable,
Why should we carry this burden?
I just wanna live my life –
And I could be…”
I also love the way lyrics are tied with chorus
the chorus going
“…blooming like a jacaranda,
I could be the vine among lianas”
oh how she compares herself to the different plants!!! so nice – if they are different, wild and free, why can’t she be?
the metaphor continues:
“The air is thick with delightful scent of palms,
And I’m growing!
So, what can I do?”
just random parts about beauty:
“I’m tired of always living in the prison of (my) beauty”
“though the world will be imperfect, it will be beautiful”
“my strenghs are not just limited to my looks”
and then Mirabel returns to that metaphor!
“- Just like a sprout turns into a flower
You can rise up”
and now Isabela is sure:
“I am blooming like a jacaranda,
I am the vine among lianas”
also…
“You opened my eyes, Mira,
I love you”
I’m literally sobbing
in the last line she answers her own question:
“I can do anything!”
All of You
is called “Our kinship”
“But the fate of stars is predetermined:
The fire burns them down”
i really like these lyrics, they sound so poetic in Russian. it’s a lot about personal perception but all this post is my about personal perception of songs so. the word for “fire” is “пожар” which literally means “conflagration” and sometimes used to describe a wild,uncontrollable force, some events that evolve dramatically and get out of control; it may also feel like an entity or a state of being – “пожар в душе”, “ the wild fire in one’s soul” when a person feels a lot of complicated and conflicted yet strong emotions that won’t allow them to calm
that’s why the star metaphor works so well – like it’s about how when a star reaches its peak, burning brightly and strongly, after that short peak of beauty and glory it inevitably dies in its own flames. self destruction motifs man
am I reading in it too much? yes. sorry
Félix after Bruno explaining himself: “I knew that, bro!” – oh, he never believed in all this “he makes bad things happen by his predictions” crap? cool
“I have so much to apologize for”
“No, little brother, we are the ones to apologize to you”
THEY APOLOGIZED!!!!!
townspeople singing:
“The candle can’t be blown out,
(because) it burns inside us”
but let’s return to the stars:
“The fate of stars is predetermined
For the millions of years ahead:
They bless everyone who came into this world
With their warmth and light”
I spent a half of this post talking about how poetic this is and now I’m laughing so hard again
this time? Mariano lines:
“ – Hey, Mariano, why are you so gloomy? – There’s a river full of love inside me…”
but the word for sad/gloomy is смурной which is kinda… old and rarely used nowadays and feels so stylistically weird here. as my friend said: “this is a word you might hear once in a decade from a random bum you meet at the bus stop”
in the end they all tell Mirabel “There’s a fire inside your soul”… yet instead of пожар here they use another word, огонь, which is literally “fire”
and the difference is that if there’s the fire (пожар) inside someone’s soul they are tormented by strong uncontrollable emotions
but if theres a fire (огонь) inside someone’s soul it’s a good thing – it’s about their passion, the inner strength and strong will
it’s not burning them down from the inside
it keeps them warm, it gives them the energy to keep going
I don’t like posting text only, so here are AU’s basic designs as a bonus!
The main factor that defines how family dynamics in this AU differentiate from canon is that Alma and Pedro process their trauma in absolutely different ways. It comes from both the difference in their personalities (though I mostly made up Pedro’s personality myself, I like how he turned out to be) and the difference in the experience itself. How was it different? Well, we’ll find out…
The main problem with Pedro is his guilt complex and how itmakes him feel the constant need to redeem himself, to make up for what he had already failed once – protecting the loved ones. But could it be that while trying to protect, he ends up hurting?
That while struggling with his burden of guilt, he taught his family the same unhealthy patterns?