Can we all talk how before Alma steps into the river she wears her mourning shawl but then she takes it off?

It such a great symbolysm! For Alma's suffering finally getting recognized. The fact that she isn't alone anymore but also ready to grow beyong what the pain of loss made her to be. Letting go of the past, being ready to change and move to acceptance stage of grief (as she was stuck in bargaining for years)

I like that she does pick it up and put it back on after they leave the river, but every time after that we see her without it. It's one of the few things she has left from her time with Pedro and leaving it entirely wouldn't be right for the story or the character.

She's never going to stop mourning Pedro, but she's learned to set aside her sadness to be more present with her family, only taking out the shawl and mourning when she needs to, and possibly learning to associate the shawl and what it reminds her of with the happy memories rather than her mourning.

Encanto by Jin Kim

huge fan of the body language etc when abuela kisses brunos face. like thats literally what being kissed on the face by your grandma feels like. they encapsulated it so perfectly

I’ve been wanting to talk about that moment for a bit now

Not only is it cute on its own, but like I feel like we’ve never really seen that kind of affection between a parent and their kid of that age, you know what I mean?

Generally we see a middle age parent and their little kid having fun, or a granparent and their teenage grandkid hugging, but a 50-year-old man and his elderly mother, at least it’s the first time I see something like it in animation

Giving him a kiss on the cheek. And it’s not just a tiny and quick peck. She grabbed her son’s head all tenderly, though still squishing cause yeah mothers/grandmas do be like that, and gave him a really soft kiss. Like this is probably too many details lol I just really loved that they showed that kind of affection from an old lady to her grown-up son

AND- YES I HAVE MORE TO SAY- AND the CONTEXT. This is when Bruno and his relationship with her started healing. This is the first physical contact he’s had with her in a fricking decade, and all the trauma just started to heal, even if slowly

AND SHE CALLED HIM “BRUNITO”, NOT JUST “BRUNO”. HE’S STILL HER LITTLE KID I’M

He’s there to show us that middle-aged people don’t have to be defined by their age or their place in their family. Parents aren’t just parents. Uncles aren’t just uncles. They are still primarily people, and the children in their families can relate to them that way too.

The film treats all the adults like that, but especially Bruno.

It’s Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) in the new Casita, and there’s a Christmassy surprise on the dinner table, courtesy of Bruno and Mirabel. But Bruno hasn’t turned up to eat. Alma goes to talk to him.

A Secret Santa gift for @16magnolias.

I really should have posted this while it was still Christmas. (It went onto AO3 on the 27th). Never mind, have a small story of things getting better in the family Madrigal, some Christmas fluff with a touch of angst. My first go at writing Alma's POV.

11: Unfamiliar Faces

Alma is the leader of the encanto, the matriarch. She knows every resident, she recognizes every face. But these two people...much to her alarm, she doesn't recognize them. They shouldn't be here.

IT'S HAPPENING!!!!

To love at all is to love entirely.

Late but this was for Day 24: Memory for @encantober-official

Pedo and young Alma in happier innocent times

My first work for the Encantober! Prompt: Sunset @encantober-official Initially I had a completely different idea, but then this composition hit me and I decided to do this. The previous idea will go for another day, then, and I am very proud of how this one turned out. So, to maybe clarify - I noticed that events of the movie happen almost in one day (wow, what an observation). Alma and Mirabel reconcile in the morning, Casita crumbles when it's twilight and Isabela's song happens during the sunset and then Mirabel's fight with Alma happens shortly after. So, I thought 'This is a good straight-forward metaphor, I can draw it' and I did :)

Generations

I thought we would have a different life – a difficult night

Tried to reimagine the scene where Mirabel had a heartfelt conversation with Abuela Alma at the end of Dos Oruguitas in the style of GRIS' Acceptance cutscene. These two scenes are not really similar but I like to imagine.

💋 No one's too old for kisses from Mami 💋

I hope Abuela learned to be sweeter after the movie ended, she needs to show her son some love.

Pedro and Alma bc I haven’t drawn them together before 🥲 how dare I

also a rare sketch bc I loved how it looked pre clean up

I don’t know if this has been shared here but story artist Ryan Green has posted on Instagram various storyboards that didn’t end up in the movie. Specifically the Epilogue that was going to be longer, showing moments between the family.

This little moment between Alma and Bruno made me tear up all over again:

If there’s more content of Encanto in the future, I hope for lovely things like this.

One image from a forthcoming book cover and an entire Discord server is now convinced Alma has a pet chicken and loves chickens and everyone gives Abuela knickknacks with chickens on them.

The book is here. Finally Dolores gets some love.