Encanto is a great musical time, but there are a few scenes here and there that really get the waterworks going thanks to their emotional impact.

Encanto was a hit for audiences of all ages, and there are a lot of aspects we could thank for its popularity. Everybody was certainly bobbing along to the songs and wowed by the impressive visuals, but the reason why Encanto has stuck with so many was its surprisingly emotional core.

Audiences found themselves relating to the feelings of inferiority and pressure that the characters were subjected to by their family. It's difficult to deal with the fact that the people who love you can sometimes be the cause of your sadness, and Encanto captures that feeling very well.

Isabela Makes Something New

While the tone of the song is ultimately uplifting, the subtle context around why Isabela's so happy in the first place is why it's also a bit sad. Her joy at creating something "imperfect" and still beautiful is indicative of how much pressure she has placed on her shoulders.

Isabela's struggles with being the perfect child are the polar opposite of Mirabel's. Where nobody expects anything of Mirabel, everything is expected of Isabela. It's that contrast that shows how pressure may take different forms, but the stress they deliver is all the same.

Surface Pressure

Much like Isabela, Luisa also undergoes a lot of pressure, as her song blatantly states. However, Luisa's struggle is different because she doesn't get an epiphany that lets her healthily resolve her inner conflicts. The audience sees Luisa throughout most of the movie still struggling and hiding her insecurities.

Luisa, being the "strongest", has to hide her feelings because she doesn't deal with them in the same way Isabela does. Where Isabela has nearly zero signs of cracking, Luisa is not dealing with her pressure well. It's telling that Mirabel is the first person to get her to open up.

Mirabel Never Gets Her Gift

Encanto has a lot of quiet scenes that let the visuals do the talking, and this is a great example. The memories of what was supposed to be the best day of Mirabel's life contrast with Antonio's gift day. The festivities remind her a lot of what she never had.

The simple look of shock on both Mirabel and Abuela's expressions communicates everything to the audience. Audiences know that Mirabel is confused by the lack of powers and even a little scared, as she looks to Abuela for help. Meanwhile, Abuela's face reveals how shaken she is by the miracle fading for the first time.

The Madrigals Forget Mirabel

Mirabel, despite being loved by her family, is also an outcast from it. Her lack of a gift and overzealous urge to prove herself is looked upon with pity or derision by her family, and no stronger moment showcases this than the family photo celebrating all of them.

The Madrigals are so caught up in their little worlds and blessings that they forget to include Mirabel. One of the subtle ways that families can hurt each other is through simple ignorance. It's not malicious, but it hurts to know that Mirabel's family takes her for granted (much like the family in Coco) to the point that they forget to include her.

Mirabel's Prophecy

The preceding song may be upbeat and silly, but the ending shot is shocking and also a huge blow to Mirabel's morale. After living for years feeling like an outcast and hoping to become the person to save the family, it's not a great time to find out you are destined to destroy it.

Although we know the full context of the prophecy, later on, it's still a really sad moment. Knowing later that Bruno sacrificed years of his life to save Mirabel from being scorned by her family, for something she had no say in, it's a real dark look at the danger of expectations.

Bruno's Table

After the admittedly catchy number about not talking about Bruno, it's a bit of a punch to the gut to reveal just how upsetting the ostracization has been to Bruno in the next few scenes. Despite being a seemingly goofy guy, the silent scene of Mirabel realizing how much Bruno misses his family was heartbreaking.

Despite how ostracized Bruno was by his family, he still loved them all so dearly. So much so that he couldn't even leave the house and chose to live in secrecy than be away from his family. It's a simple scene, but it conveys so much about the character of Bruno.

Mirabel Confronts Abuela

The climax of the movie is Mirabel's emotional dam bursting. After spending the entire movie trying to save her family, Mirabel contends with the real root cause of the issues in her family: Abuela. Mirabel's voice, close to breaking, confronts Abuela with all of the unfairness that she has caused to her own family.

Abuela's domineering ways, despite being for the betterment of the family, have cost each generation of Madrigals so much stress and depression. Her tunnel vision towards her vision of the "perfect family" has ironically led them to become incredibly dysfunctional under the surface. Bruno's prophecy being fulfilled subverts expectations and shows real consequences to the character's actions.

Abuela's Story

Encanto couldn't leave audiences without one final gut punch, and Abuela's story is incredibly somber. Colombia's history was fraught with conflict, and the revelation that Abuela's husband was a casualty of that was an upsetting origin story for the miracle.

Abuela's pure despair, then stoic acceptance of cementing her loved one's legacy through her children, paints an image of a very tired old woman. Despite being the source of a lot of the conflict in the movie, it's hard not to understand where she's coming from. Encanto is brilliant for getting audiences to sympathize with an easy-to-dislike character.

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