Why We SHOULD TALK ABOUT BRUNO! - An Encanto Theory and Discussion! 

Bruno Madrigal: The Living Embodiment of "Don't Shoot The Messenger"

The fact that NO ONE apologized to Bruno for forsaking him when he did nothing wrong after he himself apologized to everyone else is what kills me. The poor man lived in outcast half of his life and formed his personality around being the black sheep of the family when he has always been such a wholesome guy

Another thing about Brunos Power: He propably foresees almost as much good things, as the bad things. People just tend to Focus on the bad ones and forget the good things (which also fits with the theme of the movie)

One aspect of Bruno I most connected with was him trying to be friendly and make a joke ("It looks like rain!") and having it backfire because everyone interpreted the worst in him. I felt that

They may not talk about Bruno, But they definitely do SING about Bruno

You know what's more sad, the fact the his "mischievous grin" is probably his awkward giggle when telling his poor executed jokes. He probably saw Pepa so nervous on her wedding day and tried to cheer her by telling jokes "careful, it's gonna rain" because her power can change weather depending on her mood. He didn't read the future, he just tried to help his sister. Poor guy.

I like this, but also my personal interpretation isnt that Mirabel never got a gift, her gift was to Casita's caretaker, or rather the family's caretaker. I say this because of easily she can talk to others within the family about issues (or rather get them to talk), Casita feels FAR more responsive to Mirabel than any one else, and she's the only one that visably sees the cracks (which also vanish when she tries to look after the family). It isn't until she stops trying to care after Abuela scolds her and practically disowns her that Casita starts to crumble, and during the whole process Casita is HELPING Mirabel reach the candle. This is why Mirabel doesn't get her own room, because Casita IS her room, her domain. She stays in the nursery to care and watch after her future siblings and cousins like Antonio. She doesn't get a power at the end, it's only revealed what her power is. Mirabel IS Casita, she IS the core of the family and when Abuela rejects her, that's why Casita falls- because Abuela rejects Casita, she rejects their family. butthatsjustmytake

What's neat is that in the Dos Orugitas scene, the three memories we are shown represent Alma and Pedro's children soon to be gifts: - they eat arepas while talking, like Julieta would make - their wedding has beautiful weather, as Pepa would have it - Alma shows Pedro a "vision" of their future triplets, mirroring Bruno's gift

This movie is proof that you don't need an out-and-out villain to make a great Disney film 😊

My favorite thing about Bruno is that his backstory is similar to the backstories of fictional villains but he didn't turn into a villain dispate how bad he was treated.

My wife, sister-in-law, and I were talking about this movie and came to a different conclusion. We were talking about their gifts and how horrifying they would be to fight against. Bruno's visions would dictate strategy, Pepa could call down a lightning storm or hurricane any time the invaders cause her rage, Julietta would keep everyone in top fighting shape, Casita makes the battlefield itself a nightmare, etc. Who would they need to fight? The soldiers who killed Pedro in the first place, of course.

One of the aspects is that Mirabel was shot into the negative when they found out about the prophecy because bruno wasn't there to blame anymore so they blamed her, which you might think makes sense because Mirabel has no gift, but they really just used it as an excuse

That would explain why Antonio's gift was to speak to animals, if they ever do leave, they would need someone to help prevent the many wild animals from attacking

Bruno is someone everyone should talk about.

I like how when mirabel and isabella made up the cracks foxed, but when abuela started yelling at her the house cracked again, really shows the whole “the miracle is the family bond” thing

"He drew his own table setting, someone hug this poor child!" Yup, this basically sums up my feelings every time he was on screen. My heart just broke for Bruno. I actually love his Gift (and his room), but I have always loved time magics so I am biased. Still, poor guy... Seeing snapshots of the future is like picking up a book, reading a few pages in the middle, and trying to determine how the story goes. You might see things that will happen, but you get no real context of WHY they're happening, or what comes after or before. It breaks my heart that everyone thought so badly of him when all he wanted to do was help. :(

There is certainly a lot of symbolism in the movie. A lot of this does fit with what we already know.

This is my theory: The whole breaking and weakening of the encanto magic didn't start with mirabel but with bruno, the moment abuela deemed him useless and worst was the moment the encanto would start to feel the rift, it stays stable for a few years since the family was still together and still has hope but once after bruno saw the future and has already decided to leave shows us that he accepted that his powers are not helping and is worst. The encanto knew this thus didn't gave mirabel a gift hoping that this family member who didn't get a gift would restore a already broken family due to pressure of having gifts. Bruno leaving and accepting the worst that was thrown at him was the key to the future of encanto breaking. I think that if he didn't leave and still held faith mirabel might gain a gift and the future he foresaw might not happen. But at some point abuela really needs to see her wrong.

In the scene when Luisa is holding the earth I think that MIGHT mean that she feels that she has the weight of the world on her sholders 🤷‍♀️

Bruno is the embodiment of “Nobody Wants to be The Bearer of Bad News”

Sad Fact: Brunos visions hurt after a while and he has sometimes passed out because of them

I also think it's important to note than Abuela never got the time to grieve and heal properly. She had not one, not two, but THREE new babies to take care of and she had to do it all on her own. She basically just pushed it away and acted like her problems weren't there. She resisted it for as long as possible, but without knowing it she accidentally reflected that on to her children and grandchildren. She literally emotionally gaslights Pepa. She tells her to just stop feeling what she's feeling. Her gift reflects her emotions, right? When the weather is bad she tells Pepa to make it good again. I think Julieta reflected her own emotions onto her children as well, just a little more indirectly. She feels the need to do things right. She needs to make food for the town every day. I assume she feels she has to fix everything because... she kinds of does. She kind of put that on her children by accident. Isabela felt she HAD to be perfect. Luisa felt like it was on her to make sure everything was in order. Mirabel always feels like she's underachieving. Bruno. I mean we don't even have to look into Bruno that far. He straight up says in the movie that he felt his gift was hurting the family. Edit: I just realized forgot to write this about Pepa but basically she also reflected that to Camilo. I mean, it’s pretty obviously shown in the movie that Camilo wants to make everyone smile. In the opening song “the family madrigal” there’s a lyric that goes: “my cousin Camilo won’t stop until he makes you smile today” (I think that’s what it was). To make everyone around you happy you also need to appear happy. The energy you give is the energy others will receive. I think Camilo feels he has to appear happy all the time to make everyone else feel that way. The family is kind of falling apart; it’s almost like he feels he has to lighten the mood a little all the time. That connects back to Pepa. She’s constantly told to just stop feeling what she’s feeling. Now she must feel like being happy is the “right” way to feel. She thinks that she always has to be happy otherwise it’ll have an affect on everyone else around her. Camilo and Pepa have some pretty similar feelings on that kind of thing, it just comes up differently. Edit 2: oh and I also wanted to say most of this isn’t canon. These are just some headcanons I have. Some of them are confirmed, like isabela for example. Most of them on the other hand are not. I just wanted to say that. I’m also not an actual expert in phycology, I just find it intriguing and I like learning about it. I’m not sure that this is totally accurate. Just wanted to say that real quick.

Another thing relevant to Bruno's gift: a common skill learned in therapy (like DBT, skill building therapy, etc.) is to Cope Ahead. Yes, you won't be able to know what is going to happen without his gift, but you can imagine what could happen, and also what you are afraid might happen, and prepare yourself for that situation if it were to happen. Coping Ahead entails thinking about what your reaction might be, what coping tools and problem solving skills you could use, what false thoughts might arise and the truths you can use to counteract them, imagining yourself vividly in the situation, rehearsing what it would be like if you coped with the situation well and then practicing relaxation after feeling and thinking through the situation. Additionally, Pepa's gift is straight up practicing the skill of emotional regulation.

Bruno should be the next Disney Princess. He's kind, selfless, heroic and has animal friends. Also he is in a Disney Blockbuster.

9:53, you could make an argument that the grandkids gifts were focused on leaving the valley. Growing plants, not just flowers as was shown, to allow them to settle quickly in a new location not waiting on crops Hearing to alert them to people and dangers. Strength to help them in crossing the mountains. Copying people so he could scope out towns they found to ensure it wasn't part of what they ran from in the first place. Tried to skip giving a gift to have a heavier hint. Animals same as plants, helping with setting up at a new location.

"Are we sure this wasn't Frozen again?" I mean, in the last song there was an intentional reference to Frozen in Bruno's verse

12:24 Encanto is Frozen but with an upgrade

I absolutely LOVE this added interpretation of the movie, and it makes so much sense. It parallels an issue that many people, especially those in intimate partnerships, struggle with: trying to find the difference between enabling someone's behavior and supporting their healing and how to stop yourself from enabling if you do ever cross into it without hurting your relationship. I've been mainly looking at the movie from an intergenerational trauma perspective (trauma happens to someone, they don't heal well and pass additional trauma down to their descendants through causing them to have poor coping skills, be mistreated and abused by their parents/siblings/other relatives and friends and intimate partners later in life, and causing trauma-sourced mental illness and physical illness) and dysfunctional family perspective (roles are usually assigned at 3-10 years old, but roles are also fluid and may change with time. People can also take on multiple roles): - Mirabel and Bruno are "scapegoats." They're not the source of the dysfunction, but they are blamed for it for reasons out of their control (Mirabel not having a gift, Bruno telling people about the negative truths of the future), and are often pushed into this role because they internalize those accusations or aren't willing to fight back. These people are usually the first to challenge the toxic family system (Mirabel) or they leave because they can't take the abuse anymore (Bruno). If the "scapegoat" stays within the family and pushes the others in just the right ways with a lot of luck on their side, they are often the agents that get the family to begin healing and will take on a softer authority in the healing system. A "scapegoat" attempting to fix the family from the inside and only receiving further demonization and ostracization is how you get people who go no-contact with their families and hold no desire to be associated with them. People put into this role often develop C-PTSD (PTSD from similar repeated traumatic events over time), OCD, anxiety and panic disorders, poor social skills, and chronic low self-esteem. While within the family system, many of them can get lost in the antagonism, seeing every other family member who treats them poorly as their enemies and demonizing them not unlike how they've been demonized themselves. They may also otherwise be conflicted, feeling the justified anger at the abuse but also feeling lots of undying love for their abusers which can lead to them re-assimilating into the family if the family will accept them and taking on a "quiet outsider-insider" role. -Delores and the dads are "quiet outsider-insiders." They're respected as members of the family, but they are not expected to get involved beyond their place nor are they expected to make any waves. You can see this more clearly in one of the deleted scenes from the movie where Agustin and Felix are cleaning the house with Mirabel and they're seemingly content in not "joining the fun" with the rest of the family out in town on their duties. People in this role are usually just happy to not have extra expectations to put on them or be actively demonized. They still suffer from loneliness and often develop medication-resistant depressive disorders and lack of social skill growth if the role is assigned early enough, and their issues generally aren't taken very seriously when brought up to the rest of the family because they're seen as self-sufficient. They feel like outsiders and are treated as outsiders or nonexistent quite frequently, but the rest of the family doesn't notice that. - Pepa is the "irrational drama queen." This is usually where disabled, neurodivergent, and high-emotion kids are placed, often when they're only toddlers in the hands of parents who don't know how to teach healthy emotional coping skills. The family dysfunction only compounds their issues, naturally making them act out, and they are not taken seriously for their issues no matter how loud or adamant they get about it. They're different from the scapegoat in the sense that this role is often temporary or is paired with another role, and they're not usually blamed for the family dysfunction as a whole while in this role. "Irrational drama queens" will usually develop into "quiet outsider-insiders" with poor family connections, become "funny-guys," or somehow manage to conceal all their issues and become "perfect, obedient, reliable ones." But it is also possible for them to become "scapegoats" if their behavior is disruptive enough to the toxic family dynamic. Rarely is someone placed in this role alone forever like Pepa is. - Camilo is the "funny-guy." He's still suffering under the system, especially emotionally, but out of fear of becoming or staying as a "scapegoat" or "irrational drama queen" they hide their pain with humor, often becoming extremely blunt and rude when irritated. Poor emotional regulation and poor social skills are extremely common. These are the kinds of people who are nice one second and total assholes the next (usually because of a trigger that takes them back to the mistreatment they faced in the toxic family system). Not all of these people are outwardly comedic or perform for others, but many will seek that positive attention from performing for the rest of the family as much as possible. When not becoming a performer, they will take on a "quiet insider-outsider" role in tandem. - Julieta is the "mediator within the status quo." She is expected to fix the family dysfunction without rocking the boat, except that will never truly work. It's just putting band-aids on a giant gash in the boat. These people are usually incredibly emotionally overloaded a lot of the time, going to dissociation and other maladaptive escapism behaviors to cope with all of the family's emotional burdens with no true way to help any of them. They may also get into conflict with other family members, the others seeing their misguided attempts to help as malicious when it's not. These people are often ones who challenge the family system, but usually in a much softer way than "scapegoats" do. Both do it out of desperation, but "scapegoats" are mainly prioritized with wanting their pain to stop (which is entirely understandable and reasonable for them to feel in that situation) while "mediators" want to actually help people feel better, especially a "scapegoat." They often have a lot of success in getting the family to turn and heal but usually need the encouragement of someone backing them up before they'll confront the "leader." We see Julieta going in this direction right before the house falls where she, Agustin, Pepa, and Felix are confronting Alma about her mistreatment of Mirabel. -Isabela and Louisa are the "perfect, obedient, reliable ones." Out of fear of being put into a negative role or wanting to protect a family member who is in a negative role, they will garner exceptional attention within the family by being as perfect, obedient, and reliable as possible. This often causes "gifted kid syndrome" (a concept where teens and young adults glide through childhood and don't develop the skills they need to carry themselves through tough scenarios, so they fall apart or fail dramatically when encountering challenges at later ages. This can cause that person's role to shift, assuming the role of "irrational drama queen" or "scapegoat" most commonly. But if their issues aren't disruptive enough they will likely become a "quiet insider-outsider") and trauma-sourced anxiety disorders. Many of the stereotypes behind "basement-dwelling 30-year-olds who won't get a job and leech off their parents" are based around the scapegoating of these people. If these people can keep up with the impossible expectations of perfection well into adult-hood, they often become very close with the "leader" and are set up to become future "leaders" themselves. Based on what we see from the movie, Louisa was on track to cracking and taking on a "quiet insider-outsider" role while Isabela was solid in her role (even if she wasn't happy with it) and was being set up to take over after Alma. - Antonio will likely fall into "quiet outsider-insider," "funny-guy," or "perfect, obedient, reliable" if significant healing isn't done. He's still a bit too young and hasn't shown enough of himself to the rest of the family to truly take on a role, but based on what I see he'd be a lot like his brother but with less performance, like the middle point between Camilo and Delores. - Alma is the "leader" as well as being the source of this family trauma. As the leader, she's the main agent of perpetuating the system of family dysfunction. She is who is assigning roles to family members, policing their behaviors so they stay in their roles, and otherwise running the family. She is likely not doing it on purpose (after all, no one would willingly scapegoat their child if they knew how damaging those behaviors were), but their actions are still morally wrong and need correction. Their assumed, unchallenged authority makes it hard for most people to even want to confront them. But changing the heart of the leader and getting them to start healing usually results in either a top-down rechecking of the system by family members and collective healing or the splintering of the family, where those stuck in their roles (usually those set up to be new "leaders") start their own dysfunctional families elsewhere.

(FanBoySethy here) Ok, I wanna add something. I think Pedro didn't give Mirabel a conventional gift for the reason you stated. But I think he instead decided to give the gift of the miracle to Mirabel when his soul finally passes on. Cause Mirabel is the miracle, that's what her name means after all. Like, Pedro knew that he can't help his family anymore. His plans arent working. But the next generation, Mirabel, is there and can make them talk and finally start to heal in a way he couldn't help them do. So he gave her the gift of the miracle, set up when she first didn't get a gift, and finally being fully realized at the end of the movie.

I think I'd swap Julieta and Pepa as past and present. Julieta could represent the healing of past wounds and Pepa could represent to feel what you feel in the moment.

I love this theory! And... To take it one step further, the reason why Antonio’s gift was the ability to communicate with animals may be because Pedro needed to find a way to bring Bruno back into the fold of the family. So after Mirabel doesn’t get her gift, Bruno leaves and another ten years pass with the family not healing the proper way: even breaking down more and more when he leaves. So what does the next gift do? Gives Antonio a way to find his Tio Bruno by allowing him to speak to animals (including the rats in the walls with Bruno). Side note: Dolores saying she “could hear him (and the rats) every day” doesn’t necessarily mean she knew where he was or how he got into the walls. Add that to the stigma that grew around Bruno and no one is looking for him, hence why Antonio needs his gift.

I never thought that Pedro could have been the one controlling the Miracle and the Encanto, but it makes SO MUCH SENSE! Same with how he might have been the one guiding Mirabel to help the family. Pedro would have been so mad that his only son had been completely shut out of the family because of his Gift.

This movie was good hopefully Disney doesn’t make a bad sequel because we all know what happens when Disney makes a sequel Edit: Also stop mentioning Pixar sequels in this thing talking about Disney sequels

Fun fact:Bruno’s original name was Oscar but it was changed to flow with the song better

7:38 That caricature of Alma. I had to pause because I couldn't stop laughing.

i think everyone was so afraid of the grandmother because they saw that she succesfully demonized bruno to the point of driving him out of the family, and being seen as being right to do it. They saw that IF they dont comply to the espectations, they will be driven out.

8:12 its always "whos bruno?" but never "hows bruno?"

Isabella in “What Else Can I Do” really did give off “Let It Go” energy.

The “Snow White And The 7 storms” is the part of the video that made my day

Concept of grandpa Pedro being the candle and Casita freaks me out it's like a horror movie

Instead of a second movie I hope they make an Encanto series.

The Madrigals are seen as pillars of the community. Everyone has a gift that is useful, except maybe Bruno and Camilo, but every gift has a dark side and they are forced to deny that darkness and that is probably why the Casita is breaking. Isabel has a beautiful gift and is expected to be perfect, but she is nasty to Mirabel because she isn't weighed down by expectations. Same with Luisa who is on the brink of a burnout and probably is the second persin to notice the faltering of the magic early on, but is too scared to tell anyone. Being without a gift is fine, but if your family holds you to a certain standard based on the talents and performances of your other siblings and family, you are always going to feel lesser than and worthless. Many rich and/or successful families have their black sheep and things don't always end up well for them because they are shunned as "not really family" or "useless". Normal or good enough is not acceptable even if they can live a good life. The lesser familj member will always be seen as shameful without ever doing wrong so many give up or strive to always impress, like Mirabel. Mirabel Madrigal actually translates to latin as mirabilis matricalis "wonderful from the womb" which implies that she is born with her gift of compassion. I don't know if it's a case of intentional naming or just because Madrigal is a musical style and sounded good.

i find it so funny how much u love bruno (/pos) like he was perfectly engineered to activate cuteness aggression huh. i feel u, every time i think of him i get the urge to crush a soda can in my hands from how much i passionately adore him and want the best for him. idc that hes 50 cuteness is eternal

Bruno deserves lots and lots of love.

Also I think Bruno’s Jinx thing started with Pepa’s wedding; it’s why THAT was the first apology he started with. He realized he messed up with that joke and people started misunderstanding his abilities

Bruno was truly the best. I agree Finn he did nothing wrong! Great Theory. Hehe cinnamon churro protagonist. Cute way to describe Mirabel.

0:35 it’s about the Mets

I like your positive outlook on Pedro's intentions with the gifts of hoping that everyone would heal and then eventually leave. But the opposite works just as well. Let me explain: The family was attacked during the Columbian Civil War, which was infamously deadly. Pedro sacrificed himself and then made it so that the 4 attackers on horses perished, natural walls barricaded all around them, and formed a self sufficient shelter. Now then, what's next? Well the original triplets have very interesting abilities. Weather, healing, and predictions. This almost seems like these are precautions to if conflict will strike them again they will be prepared for it. Pepa would have perfect weather for the citizens but if there is a foreign attack, it would become almost impossible to invade due to the horrible weather conditions. If the citizens arm themselves and have to defend, Julieta would be able to Instantly heal every wounded individual to go right back to defending. And just to make sure that they prepare for every and any invasion, Bruno would be able to foresee it. Now we move on to the grandchildren. Pepa's entire prosperity are all information gathering based abilities: Dolores can hear everything, she can know where any foreign threats are located as well as what they are saying to each other. Antonio can communicate to animals that will give him information that can travel very far from multiple angles. Camillo can shapeshift, he can become the enemy and hide amongst them as a spy. Julieta's prosperity is defensive based: "I move mountains." Luisa can easily delay or push back threats with her strength. If you saw at the end of "What can I do", Isabella can fill the entire town with plants within seconds. She can easily block all invaders and cover them with plants or move them away instantaneously. Mirabel? Well she's like Abuela, another candle holder to keep the gifts going Pedro wanted the Madrigals and the rest of the people that fled to be their own sovereign society that would never get invaded again. I know this isn't the point of the film itself since each family member is a person beyond their gifts, but it's interesting that each gift seems so oddly specific and crafted to be Perfect for defending themselves. I mean if the abilities were made for eventually leaving, I feel like they would be more catered towards that.

This also relates to in Latin America families sons are raised a certain way. ALMA took his masculinity and made him fearful so he wouldn't be able to leave her or get hurt by the world like his father did.

Honestly I just love how this fandom is taken over by the side characters it's so funny 😭

8:22 had me laughing.

Okay, this is a great video and all, but what actually made me subscribe was the text at 2:20. Made my day

The triplets represent the Past, Present, and Future. Julieta healed past wounds Pepa controlled present weather And Bruno could see into the future

Poor bruno , hes my favourite character too , he wasn't doesn't deserve to be outside of his family ,his ability wasn't his fault ,

This theory perfectly explains my gripe with the fact that the family got their powers back in the end, as if nothing bad ever happened. I think the ending would have been much more powerful if they went on living as normal people.

This is a very good interpretation. While I watched the movie, I had so many realizations and reflections of how this magical dysfunctional family fell apart at the seams when the one person with vision of the future was demonized and outcastes only to be found, vindicated, and brought to fulfillment by another outcast who was filled with the virtues necessary to bring down the house and help rebuild it again. It was one of of the best storylines that Disney has ever produced, and I am sure that many of us could write special critiques upon this movie based on its story, character development, symbolism, and its deeper undertones hinging on philosophy, sociology, and what is means to be a family at every level.

The idea that the first 3 gifts were for past, present, and future healing is an interesting perspective. It makes Peppa's otherwise "strange/useless" gift make a lot more sense. Also, completely agree on nobody actually talking to Bruno being messed up. Bruno is awesome.

Also, can we all talk about how every single child in the Madrigals is stressed or has some drawbacks, not just Isa, Mira, and Luisa. Pepa: Needs to keep her emotions in check all the time Camilo: Identity Crisis, can't be himself Dolores: hearing everytjing and choosing what to keep shut, not really being able to talk about all the secrets and things she knows Antonio: will deal with loss and the harshness of relality early on Julieta: Has to keep a level head, heal, and be on top of everything Isabela: Needs to be perfect, can't be true to herself Luisa: overwhelming pressure of being strong enough for the town and family Mirabel: being an outsider, not being seen as equal in her own family Bruno: shunned for what he sees, even when it is literally not his fault these bad things will occur!

Bruno had a crazy big role

I think the big problem with Bruno's gift is that it was interpreted as set in stone future visions, which it likely never was. Most of the things he warns people of would actually be fixed if they acted on the information he gave them rather than wallow in the misfortune that hadn't even shown up. I mean he tells someone their goldfish is gonna die...yeah that's expected, they don't live super long. It's also evident that Bruno didn't even know the proper way his gift worked by the fact that Mirabel saw something in his vision that he didn't. His visions were likely just warnings of something so that steps could be taken to prevent them, but he and everyone else saw them as set in stone. Also on a side note, Mirabel was likely chosen to be the next caretaker for the house/magic, like Abuela, after Abuela passed or stopped filling that role. So she received a gift but no room as her room wasn't open yet, and her gift wouldn't be evident with Abuela still filling that role.

I really liked the interpretation, and I had many of the same thoughts but I do disagree that the grandkids generation had nothing to do with healing. All of their powers were Pedro doubling down on his plan. Let me explain: First is Isabela whose power is literally growth, something necessary to overcome and move past a tragedy like the one they suffered. It's probably because of the nature of her power that her reconciliation with her sisters was so important to the plot because the way Alma restricted and controlled her growth ended up restricting the growth of all those younger than her in her generation as they had to grow within her shadow. Second is Dolores who has the power of super hearing which is not just about listening to others' needs and problems but also being able to hear the cries for help that people suffering give, often far too quietly to be noticed in time. We even see this when Dolores knows about Luisa's anxiety because she could hear the twitching of her eye and recognized it as a stress tick. Third is Luisa who had the gift of strength, imperative whether it's protecting the family, helping them carry their burdens (emotional as much as physical), and just, in general, being a pillar that keeps the family together and standing in the face of strife. Fourth is Camilo whose shapeshifting is clearly the power of empathy in disguise, I mean, what better way to understand someone than to become them? To literally walk a mile in the shoes of others. While he may have just played a comic relief in the movie, we also see his ability to mediate and calm others when he's caring for his mother. Fifth is Mirabel whose gift was nothing (until the end of the movie but I'll get to that after). The lack of a gift wasn't a punishment, but a sign that they had every thing they need to recover already, the only secret ingredient they were missing was themselves (definitely not a kung-fu panda reference lol 😅). Mirabel was the sign that they needed to started having as much confidence in themselve as they did in their gift, another important aspect to healing. Her power then manifests (in the form of the "miracle' candle that Alma manifested decades prior) after her family realized the Mirabels true gift was herself, that's why the front door to Casita became her magic door, as her power (to make people believe in their own value above thier gift) had manifested within the whole family. Lastly, the sixth member of their generation, Antonio who received the gift of companionship. I don't think I need to explain the nuance of giving a charater in a movie about a family coping with tragedy and emotional strife the ability to summon and command an infinite number of therapy animals. Pet therapy is becoming one of the most wide spread, and successful, treatments for mental health patients even in our world of advanced medication. Enough said. p.s. Loved the movie, 9/10, will definetly watch again.

This is a movie that definitely needs an animated series exploring the world and continuing the story.

It's a story about Pedro trying to heal his wife and her unable to move on nor the family understand the meaning of their gifts. Pepa is charisma, Bruno is wisdom and Julieta is compassion. However, Pepa who can mobilize the entire town on a bad day can't use her gift because Abuela is controlling her & doesn't want outsiders involved, Julieta can heal anything except her family and simply goes along with the multi-generational trainwreck. Bruno is a modern take on Cassandra, who is smart enough to see problems in advance but too inept to get anyone to listen. So the candle tries again, with Isabela (talent), Luisa (Strength) and Mirabel (courage) along with Antonio (mindfulness), Camilo (understanding) and Dolores (empathy). But talent without courage is wasted like Isabela's controlled life, strength without courage is an entire song's worth of flailing panic, Antonio is given the courage needed to achieve mindfulness (Mirabel helps him unlock his potential by leading him) and is the first person helped, Camilo was too afraid to actually get to know people because he was so focused on cheering people up and Dolores screwed everybody over because she knows everything that's going on and was too afraid to ever say anything. That's the moral of the story, that every generation requires a courageous person to survive and you can't just charm, neurotically plan for every contingency or passively help your family by being the neutral one trying to constantly patch things up. You also have to accept your limits and seek help when needed from other family members and understand things from their side by listening to what they are saying, not what you want to hear them say. You yourself in their shoes (like Camilo) and speak their language. And also sometimes the weirdos have the best advice because they have a different perspective and it's worth a listen without judgment. You are on the money that Pedro is the candle, because the candle is courage and that knowledge and the power of the candle is Pedro's gift to Mirabel when she was finally ready to receive it.

Honestly Bruno has one if the most legit reasons of any person in the past 20 year to turn into an villain/ antagonist. Like imagine your whole family makes a song and dance about how weird you are and how they don't like you? Prime villain backstop material

Yay, you’re talking about Encanto today! This movie is my favorite Disney movie to date, the story is great and the characters are amazing

This makes even more sense if you consider that Antonio’s gift would allow him to help heard the donkeys/horses so that the town could go on an expedition, and that Dolores could tell where other towns and cities could be so they wouldn’t wander for days on end

What makes me unreasonably angry is that one of his family members literally heard him every day since he left. And left him to sit there and rot in solitude the entire time.

10:06 jesus Christ that gavel sound effect scared the hell of of me. the way its panned makes it sound like something behind me in real life

I actually think the problem started with the townsfolk, not with Alma. word of god says that when he was a kid, the townsfolk would come to him all the time asking for their futures, and because Alma values the opinion of the townsfolk over her own (fight me on this, she made that plenty clear at antonio's party), she felt the obligation to push Bruno harder and harder. this RUINED Bruno's nerves, as using his power can be very emotionally and even physically taxing for him. he doesn't NEED the ritual he does before having a vision, he can do it whenever just like the others, but he created the ritual in order to focus his mind, calm his nerves, and mentally prepare himself for what could possibly be very traumatic to experience. but as he got pushed harder and harder, and the townsfolk just vilified him for the warnings he gave, Alma became frustrated with her son's inability to live up to what she thought he should be. He wasn't this all seeing oracle, he was a scared kid who grew to hate and fear his own gift. After the fiasco that was Pepa's wedding, Bruno fully embraced his "role" as the loner of the family, something that was reflected in the location of his room. Apparently as he isolated himself more and more, his room moved away from his sisters and up those stairs. he stopped using his gift until Mirabel's failed ceremony, when the one person in the world who he wanted the approval of more than anyone, his mother, came and BEGGED for his help. and what does he get? A vision that he knows will get just as misinterpreted as literally everything else he's ever done. Alma had no idea what Bruno saw in that vision for ten YEARS, but whatever it was was enough to drive her only son and the baby of the family away forever. The pain of this, plus the opinion of the town, made her blame Mirabel for what happened, and it was far easier for Alma to pretend that Bruno just didn't care about the family than face her own part in his disappearance.

We shouldn’t talk about Bruno if we want banger songs, Finn

7:08 adorable bruno

Love this explanation and would've never broken it down myself to understand like this!! Great video 👍!

personally i saw the film as a message on "gifted kids" and how adults put extreme unhealthy pressure on kids who have tallent or intelegent kids while giving kids who dont little attention, neglecting them a real issue im extremly against

I completely believe this theory and it actually helps me see the movie in a new light, now it’s actually kinda sweet how casita watches over and takes care of Mirabel because that’s basically abuelo Pedro looking out for his granddaughter

I haven't been able to see the movie yet, but I do believe you may have hit the nail on the head with this Finn. This is coming from the understanding I have with my own experiences which have developed into anxiety, depression and PTSD.

I love these theories! they are actually unique from all the others, great job :)

In Frozen II, Elsa gets her magic because of the sacrifice her mother made. Pedro also made a sacrifice and that was how the candle was made. I love how Disney ties things in like that

"Are we sure this isn't just Frozen again?" It's the base concept of Frozen but executed better

aww. Bruno's my favourite character too! he's super funny, and even though he was shut out, he stays good

Is really nice detail that Bruno magic is green on purpose, because that color is used exactly for “bad people” in Disney old movies

He's just the messenger guys, don't blame him.

the thing i really like how i noticed is that i like how they portrayed bruno as the main villain of the story, when really there is no main villain at all. the song "We don't talk about Bruno" portrays him as if he was the main reason to all of the people's issues. when in reality, they could've avoided it if they done something different to change their future. the whole movie proves it too with mirabel and how she changed her whole families futures. he was only the WARNING of their future, so they had a chance to change what was happening in front of them.

Amazing analysis! I was thoroughly intrigued & sufficiently satisfied throughout :)

LOVE this video ... the ONE critique I have is not mentioning the need for Encanto to protect the family and the villagers from the violence of the Civil War in Colombia. At Least until it was over or safe to do so. EVERYTHING ELSE was on point ... thank you for taking the time to make this video and TALK ABOUT BRONO! ... I'm going to go wipe tears from my eyes now in gratitude and appreciation of that topics this movie has done to the community around us

I wish I had Bruno’s power, so that I can foresee what questions will come up in tests and exams and get all A+’s easily.

Personally I always believed that the grandpa's spirit created the candle and casita as a way for him to be close to his family. And that the gifts were actually meant as ways to protect eachother if ever there was another attack. Think about it: Bruno: predicts enemies attacks and movements Pepe: weather to drive them out Julietta: heal wounds caused in war Camilo: infiltrate and sabatoge Dolores: hear them coming Antonio: animal assistance Louisa: super strength in fight Isabella: grows dangerous plants to slow attackers down or hide the villagers Each gift has a way to protect themselves and their home from invaders should they attack again so the madrigals and the village wouldn't go through that pain again.

The run down that you gave was amazing and I think you're right

1:12 Yeah! I am a bit sick of people saying "We don't talk about Bruno". I wanna know about Bruno.

The sequel should be about Bruno leaving the town... Hear me out I love Maribel But she already went through her arc and saved the family Bruno however still kind of living with the people that abuse them so it makes the most sense for him to want to leave. Even ifThey forgave him and told BrunoThey love. I imagine there would still be some baggage so it makes sense for him to want to find his own family. I think it would be very cool if we did like a jostar different family members each movie.

Rumors of a series have been swirling around. I miss the awesome series adaptations Disney used to do. Aladdin and Tarzan series were pretty great.

12:20 Talking about Frozen, there are two mentions I belive, 1 when Mirabel steps with one foot on the floor ''in Elsa's style'' and it shifts with beautiful patterns (I belive it was in the introduction showing how magical was the Casita while she sang her intro song) and second in the ending when Bruno returns to the family he sings ''let it in, let it out, let it rain, let it snow, LET IT GOOOOO''. It was hilarious and more comming form him. Anyway, poor Bruno he is my favourite too. Seeing that he carved his plate and probably eat there watching the family without them knowing just to feel himsef closer to them even after the way they treated him made me cry, poor poor soul.

Encanto deals on many levels with a far deeper subject, the internal impacts of the deep interwoven aspects of Ancestral Trauma. Bruno's gift and why the shoved him under the table because of ability to "see" the impact of those layers is a very important aspect of the story.. The lyrics in the song , Let it go in the original frozen that state "And the cold never bothered me anyway"(slam's the Door) that also turn out to be a false viewpoint, what's really been "Frozen" ?

Some people, including myself, believe that Pedro instead became Casita

There are other questions to be asked. What was Casita's role in sheltering and protecting Bruno? I'm sure that house didn't originally have people size passages and chambers built into the walls. And what about Dolores? From the age of five, when her gift was triggered, she has been able to hear if Luisa's eye was twitching at night. What else did she grow up hearing in a house with married couples and babies being made? Can she turn the gift off when it becomes too overpowering, or is it actually more of a curse? And how does she sleep at night with all that ruckus going on?

The "we don't talk about bruno" thing started after the failed gift ceremony. Abuela went to him for help and he left them. As far as she was concerned he had up and left them when they needed him and it seemed like he didn't care. They never saw the vision so they didn't know he "left" to protect mirabel. Abuela would of been angry and upset by this. She would of got agitated whenever anyone mentioned him, talking about how he had chosen to leave them and that he didn't care. and so the rest of the family learnt to not talk about him. Bruno was seen as bad luck in the village anyway so after that it became that even mentioning bruno could cause bad things to happen (Edit:) I just want to talk about the doors and powers for a moment. I think they are actually connected to the desire to use the gift. When bruno left and decided to not use his gift, his door went dull. When Luisa was struggling with her gift and her door was flickering it was being she was under a lot of pressure but she wanted to use her gift less because she wasn't enjoying it. Even during moments when she wanted to /was trying to use her gift she was still thinking about not using it or (when she thought she was losing it) about not being able to use her gift. The reason pepa's door doesn't flicker is because even though she gets annoyed by her gift she still accepts it. Luisa was still fairly young when the family shifted even more heavily toward using their powers to help others, unlike pepa who had the chance to grow up having her powers without the pressure of needing to use them specially to help the ever growing village.

I like camilo for some reason even though we almost never see him he just feels so likeable

While I don't think Pedro was actually inside the candle and controlling the magic the whole time, the rest of it kind of makes sense. Although, I don't think the candle destroyed the house on purpose.

Great video! Something that stuck out to me, at the end, was when Bruno rode the horse or donkey (I can't remember) to confront Abuela and Mirabel. He tried to once again take the blame so Mirabel wouldn't be shunned like him. That moment hit hard, especially when he was surprised Abuela was not only glad to see him, but hugged and accepted him.

I like how this was thought out! This is great! This all made sense

The idea of a fortune teller vilified for bad fortunes coming true is such a good dynamic that we don't see enough and that encanto did SO WELL