Frozen Is Cool! Elsa the Snow Queen Rules!

In Encanto, there is a recurring element of butterflies, both as live animals and in image form. While there are designs of them shown in characters’ clothing and places within the Madrigal home, particularly on the magical candle, there are more moving images and live butterflies shown conspicuously during the second and third acts, including the moments with young Alma and Pedro (and even in Alma’s flashback story in the prologue). In many cultures, butterflies are known as symbols of spiritual rebirth, new beginnings, and transformation, all of which are meanings that apply to the movie’s motif of this animal.

Butterflies are particularly symbolic of transformation since they begin their lives in a completely different form as caterpillars. When a caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis, it pupates into chrysalis inside a cocoon, then it hatches and begins a brand new life as a butterfly. Butterflies have also come to represent rebirth and new beginnings because they often hatch from their cocoons during the spring, which is the season of hope and new life.

The film’s theme of butterflies, and caterpillars becoming butterflies, is emphasized by the song “Dos Oruguitas”, the majority of which plays during the montage showing Alma and Pedro’s relationship. The song’s title translates to "Two Caterpillars," illustrating how Pedro and Alma, the said caterpillars, grow and evolve from two individual people to beginning a whole new life and future together as a fully-fledged family. Although their new family life together is tragically cut short when Pedro sacrifices himself to the soldiers chasing them and the townspeople accompanying them, his act imbues Alma’s candle with magic and the encanto is created. When this happens, Alma and everyone else is instantly shielded from the soldiers by the mountains, which literally cocoons them in safety. The creation of the encanto and casita presents a whole new beginning, and future, for Alma, her children, and the villagers, which is why butterflies fly around as it happens and why the candle contains a butterfly image.

Butterfly designs are featured within the casita, including on the walls of the kitchen, the main hall, and the nursery, possibly to allude to how the home serves as the Madrigals’ protective cocoon. But I think they also function to foreshadow how the family undergoes transformation with each other and their home. For much of the movie, the Madrigals consist of hierarchy as well as segregation and disconnection. Alma, the matriarch, favors most of her children and grandchildren because of their abilities. However, there are two members she treats as outsiders: Bruno, for the negative repercussions his gift caused the family and the community, and Mirabel, for having no gift at all. As a result, both Bruno and Mirabel feel disconnected from their relatives and are viewed as the black sheep. After the casita falls apart, a meaningful transformation and new beginning occurs for the Madrigals. Bruno reconciles with his relatives, including his mother, who also reconciles with Mirabel, causing the entire family to unite. The rebuilding of the casita also symbolizes the family reuniting and becoming a happier, stronger unit.

Out of all the places where butterfly images appear in the house, I am most interested in why they appear in the nursery. I think there is a more significant reason why they are featured in that location, and it’s because they allude to the inhabitants metaphorically growing from caterpillars to butterflies. What I mean by this is, the nursery is the room in which every Madrigal child lives until their fifth birthdays. On said birthday, the children receive their magical gifts and move out of the nursery into their new rooms. If any of the children are close in age, they share the nursery until it’s time for the older child to move out. But because Mirabel never received a gift, the nursery became her permanent room, and she shared it with Antonio until his fifth birthday.

One thing that has been on my mind regarding this animal theme is the significance of the yellow butterfly that appears during the second half of the movie (mainly the one in Bruno’s vision). Here are all the moments in which yellow butterflies, both in image form and in life, appear in Encanto:

Like all butterflies in general, yellow butterflies represent rebirth and new life. But in other cultures, they also represent the souls of the deceased, as well as hope and guidance. Yellow butterflies also signify a spiritual experience in which they are considered messengers. This meaning says that, when one sees a yellow butterfly, they will soon have an unforgettable spiritual experience, that someone will answer your prayers, and a miracle might happen that will change your life. Taking all these meanings in mind, I believe the yellow butterfly represents Pedro’s spirit watching over his family.

Pedro’s death and Alma's grief is the catalyst for the miracle, which is why a yellow butterfly appears on the candle after it becomes magical. After his death, he continues to guide and watches over his family through butterflies. This counts both the live butterflies that fly around the house as it takes shape and the designs of them in the house, including with the mosaic and Pedro’s portrait. In Bruno’s vision, I believe that the butterfly is Pedro guiding Mirabel and Bruno to the answer they need to save the miracle. The vision shows the butterfly landing on a grass blade, which is where a real butterfly lands when Mirabel and Alma are at the river following the destruction of the casita. The appearance of the butterfly there would indicate that it is Pedro continuing to guide Mirabel in the right direction of mending things with Alma. It is there that Alma apologizes to Mirabel for being so hard on her and explains her realization at why she became the way she is. Finally understanding the pain and loss her grandmother had suffered. Mirabel assures Alma that it is because of her that they were granted a miracle and that they are a family, so nothing is broken that they cannot fix together. Touched by her granddaughter’s words, Alma says that she asked Pedro for help, and tells Mirabel that she was the answer to her prayers. Such words seem to be affirmed when a swarm of yellow butterflies circle around the two before flying away into the distance. While this happens, the last set of lyrics of “Dos Oruguitas” plays, in which the caterpillars are now referred to as butterflies, referencing how they grew and changed.

Another thing I noticed regarding the butterfly motif is that, unlike the other Madrigals (sans Agustin and Félix), whose clothes contain pictures of things that relate to their respective gifts, Mirabel and Alma are the only family members whose clothing contains the butterfly motif. Mirabel prominently has butterflies embroidered in her skirt and shirt, including with one on her shoulder. Alma has butterflies pictured in the bottom part of her dress, her black shawl, and she wears a butterfly pendant on her waist. Other than (possibly) subtly representing the fact that neither of them has a magical power, I see that this grandmother and granddaughter have butterflies in their apparels because as characters, they evolve like butterflies over the course of the movie. They grow and transform as the result of a traumatic experience in their youths, and by the end, they learn to move on from those experiences and become much happier people. Mirabel and Alma’s character developments also affect the evolvement of their relationship, which goes from close and affectionate, to distant and cold, then to loving once again.

Though Mirabel was confused, humiliated, and traumatized after not receiving a gift as a five-year-old, she spent years living by the mantra "Make your family proud” (which Alma ironically said to Mirabel before her failed gift ceremony), and she strives to be helpful to her family and her town every day. But due to her lack of a magical power, Mirabel feels very insecure and disconnected from the rest of her family since she cannot contribute to them and the town the same way her relatives do with their powers. While the majority of her relatives get along with Mirabel and do not exclude her or treat her any differently from the rest of them, Alma shuns Mirabel and does not see or treat her as an equal to the rest of them. This makes Mirabel feel even more left out in the cold, so she particularly, and desperately, strives to regain her grandmother’s approval and acceptance. Over the course of the movie, Mirabel discovers how her relatives are feeling so stressed with the expectations they face with their gifts, and she helps them to be more open with their feelings and to see that their gifts alone don’t make them who they really are. Mirabel eventually comes to see that her presence in her family is the true Madrigal gift, and she finally learns to completely accept herself, even while being without a magical power.

Alma’s character evolvement is also the most distinct in Encanto. As a young woman, Alma became so riddled with grief after losing her home and witnessing Pedro’s murder. When she was given a second chance and a new home when the miracle happened, she vowed to preserve it and never lose her family the way she lost Pedro. Over time, though, Alma unintentionally took their miracle for granted by becoming a controlling perfectionist over her children and grandchildren with their gifts and how they affected the family and community. She reprimanded Pepa whenever the latter was in a bad mood because of the negative weather she would subsequently produce. She came to only see the worst in Bruno for the predictions he made. And most of all, she treated Mirabel very coldly for years just because Mirabel did not get a gift. As such, Alma lost sight of what was the real miracle: the family itself, not the gifts each of them possessed. Alma admits all of this to Mirabel after the casita is destroyed, and Mirabel is the one who helps Alma make peace with her tragic past, leading to the two reconciling at last. Alma then apologizes to and reconciles with the rest of the family, including Bruno, whom she, without hesitation, welcomes back to the family with open arms.

And so there you have it with the butterfly motif in Encanto! 😁🦋 As a closing remark, I also want to say that this analysis title of “The Butterfly Effect” has an additional meaning, and that is how Mirabel’s decision to save the miracle leads to her triggering a chain of events that affect other members of her family and what becomes of the house. True to this term, what initially seems like one change in the beginning that doesn’t seem like it will affect much becomes a catalyst that influences how other things change as the movie unfolds. 😉

Ah ha ha! Clever pun title for an analysis on this scene from Encanto, don’t you all think? 😆🤣

But seriously, I wanted to say that this is one of my favorite moments in the whole movie because it’s when Mirabel has finally earned the pride of her entire family, just as she always wanted.

Earlier in the film, things in the Madrigal family become tense, as everyone is unsure whether Mirabel is directly tied to the fading of the magic. Family members including Alma, Pepa, and Isabela accuse Mirabel of recent misfortunes after she indirectly ruins Mariano’s proposal to Isabela. Prior to this, Pepa and several others learn that Bruno’s last vision was of Mirabel seemingly being the reason the house was cracking apart (part of why Pepa makes her accusation). When Alma hears about the vision, she interprets as meaning that Mirabel is indeed responsible for the cracks appearing and Luisa’s strength fading (which happened after Mirabel told Luisa she felt she was carrying too much responsibility).

However, when the casita finally splits apart and starts to fall, Mirabel takes it upon herself to save the candle. After her family have been pushed outside, they notice Mirabel still inside, in a precarious situation while trying to get to the candle. They don’t tell to hurry and get it; rather, they tell her to leave it and get out of the house before it falls to the ground.

The Madrigals’ only concern in that moment is Mirabel.

After the house is finally destroyed and Mirabel runs away due to feeling responsible for everything, despite the loss of their home, everyone searches for her, showing they care so much more about her and her safety.

Though Mirabel was never given a magical gift, all of the Madrigals come to see that she is a gift in her own way, as the heart of their family. As an optimist, Mirabel is the one who has kept them together and been there for them individually through their rough times. She helped Antonio overcome his nerves before he got his gift. She helped Luisa be more open about her deep-rooted insecurities. She helped Isabela learn to be more honest with her feelings and unlock a greater potential of her gift. But most importantly, while it seemed harsh for her to have said it at first, Mirabel helped her grandmother realize that Alma’s perfectionism and control over the family was causing the tension, leading to Alma comprehending that she acted this way because she was just fearful of losing them all just like she had lost Pedro years ago.

Mirabel’s optimism helping her family is also portrayed in the beginning of "All of You”, in which she tells them that, while they lost their home, things will still be okay as long as they stick together as the family they are. After assuring them that they are truly more than just what their individual gifts have made them, Alma apologizes for being so hard on everyone, then assures her children and their children that they are the real miracles because of who they are, not because of what their magical gifts make them.

When construction of the new casita is finished, Alma sings that one more thing is left before they can celebrate, and when Mirabel asks what that is, Bruno sings a doorknob is needed. Immediately afterwards, Antonio presents one to Mirabel saying “We made this one for you.” The knob has an “M” inscribed in it, perhaps to initialize the family’s surname “Madrigal”, but I think it’s meant to stand for “Mirabel” (which could work both ways, since her full name is an alliteration 😉).

Once she hears those words and the knob is placed in her hands, Mirabel looks up and sees her entire family gathered in front of her. That and the way they look at her show that they not anticipate her putting on the knob, but that they all agreed that she deserves to do the honors.

Now some may be thinking that the Madrigals have chosen Mirabel as the one to put the doorknob in place just because she never got her own door as a young child, but I think it’s far more than that. Mirabel’s relatives have chosen her as the one to put the knob on the new door because they have all come to realize how much they cherish and believe in her. Having witnessed how much she truly loves them all through her bravery and selflessness of risking her life to save the candle and the miracle as the casita crumbled apart, they feel that she earned the privilege to do this.

When Mirabel begins walking up to the door, Antonio walks with her, as a callback to when she walked with him to his new door during his ceremony. As she walks, the individual groups of her relatives (e.g.; her maternal aunt and the latter’s family, her sisters, her parents, and her maternal uncle) all praise her for the good she has done for within the family.

Pepa, Félix, Dolores, and Camilo sing in agreement about how she is the star among them all who burns so brightly because of how she helped them be optimistic in the face of dire negativity and made them understand that they’ll be okay as long as they have each other. Even Camilo, the one who loves to tease others with his ability, gives his approval that Mirabel deserves this by nodding his head.

Isabela and Luisa commend their little sister for her bravery, and the warm smile Isabela wears while singing shows she has repaired her relationship with Mirabel enough that she truly believes her youngest sister deserves this.

Agustin and Julieta tell their youngest daughter to see herself in turn, meaning that she should see herself as special just as they all do, regardless of her never having had a gift (which echoes Julieta’s earlier words of wishing her daughter would see herself the way she does).

Tying in to the Madrigals seeing Mirabel as the heart of their family, Bruno then tells her that SHE is the real gift, and thus she deserves to let them in.

And finally, Mirabel comes up to Alma, who tells her to open her eyes, an obvious reference to the moment she said these very words to young Mirabel at the beginning of the movie (reversing the earlier said words by her saying them in English first, then repeating them in Spanish). By this, Alma tells Mirabel to understand that she is truly an amazing person as the whole family sees her.

When Alma asks Mirabel what she sees, Mirabel, who looks at her reflection in the doorknob, and with tears in her eyes, replies that she sees herself, and all of herself. By this, she means that, after ten years of feeling like she was "lesser" than everyone else in her family and trying so hard to live up to the Madrigal name, Mirabel has finally learned to love herself and sees how special and important she is within her family. 😊😭

Turning around afterwards, Mirabel takes one last look at her family, who all continue to look at her with beaming smiles of admiration and pride on their faces, before walking up to the door to put the knob in its place.

Once she does, the work is finally complete and the magic returns in the new sentient casita.

Now how is that for “love is an open door”? 😆🤣

Isabela and Mirabel being affectionate and getting along with each other.

#Madrigal sister hugs