Dive deep into the transformative messages of Disney’s ‘Encanto’ as it unravels the complexities of generational trauma, toxic family systems, and the power of healing. Explore how the movie’s characters mirror Family Systems Theory, uncovering the roles, struggles, and interconnected dynamics within the Madrigal family. Discover the profound lessons this enchanting narrative offers on breaking cycles, embracing vulnerability, and fostering authentic connections in the face of generational adversity.
A Beautifully Crafted Narrative
Every now and then, I like to revisit some of my favorite Disney films. Encanto has been one of my favorites since its launch because of the way it crafts an adventurous narrative within the confines of a family home; something few of its genre have dared to do. Coming from a family of immigrants, I particularly resonate with the film’s narrative of finding a way to survive in a new place after withstanding significant trauma. Particularly as I get deeper into my healing journey, the message of the film resonates even more deeply within me, and I’d love to share why with you today.
Disney’s “Encanto” masterfully represents the dynamics within families suffering from generational trauma and unhealthy attachment, reflecting the roles of caretakers, scapegoats, golden children, and lost children. These roles shape interactions, carrying unspoken expectations and responsibilities that permeate broader relationships. The movie’s exploration of these roles intertwines with manipulation and enabling behaviors, fostering unhealthy environments of emotional labor, breached boundaries, and conditional support. These roles are common throughout many types of families, but they can be exaggerated and even become abusive in many others. In this article, I’ll be diving deeper into Family Systems Theory and generational trauma, and how it relates to one of my favorite Disney films, Encanto.
Note: This article contains spoilers for the entire plot of the film, Encanto. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it now! I’ll still be here when you get back.
What is Family Systems Theory?
Family Systems Theory is a psychological framework that examines the complex interactions within families and how these interactions influence individual behavior and well-being. Proposed by psychiatrist Murray Bowen in the 1950s, this theory suggests that families operate as interconnected systems, where each member’s actions and emotions affect the functioning of the entire unit.
Key Concepts:
- Interconnectedness: Family Systems Theory views the family as a unit, emphasizing the interconnected nature of relationships. Actions or changes within one family member can reverberate throughout the entire system.
- Patterns and Roles: It explores recurring behavioral patterns and roles within families. These roles, such as the caretaker, scapegoat, or peacemaker, establish expectations and influence how individuals interact.
- Triangulation and Communication: Triangulation occurs when tensions or conflicts between two family members involve a third party, disrupting communication patterns. Effective communication within the family is crucial for maintaining healthy relationships.
- Differentiation: Bowen emphasized the concept of differentiation, referring to the ability of individuals to maintain a sense of self while staying emotionally connected to the family. High differentiation allows individuals to navigate family dynamics without becoming overly enmeshed or emotionally distant.
- Multigenerational Transmission: Family Systems Theory recognizes the transmission of behavior and emotional patterns across generations. Unresolved issues or dynamics from previous generations can impact the current family structure.
If you want to dive deeper into the topic of family systems theory and how you can apply it to improve your life, I’d highly recommend this book by Dr. Richard C. Schwartz, No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model. This book introduces the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, showing how true healing comes from understanding and integrating all parts of ourselves with compassion.
This directly connects to Encanto, where the Madrigal family’s journey highlights the power of recognizing each member’s unique role. Through the lens of family systems theory, we see how self-acceptance and understanding are key to both personal and family healing.
The Archetypal Roles Within Encanto and Family Systems Theory:
- Caretakers and Enablers: Illustrated through Louisa, caretakers often prioritize others’ needs at the expense of their own well-being, inadvertently enabling unhealthy behaviors.
- Scapegoats and Manipulation: Bruno’s role as a scapegoat showcases manipulation through constant blame or gaslighting, leading to feelings of isolation and invalidation.
- Golden Children and Conditional Support: Isabella represents the golden child, demonstrating how conditional support can lead to pressure for perfection and hinder genuine connections.
- Lost Children and Breached Boundaries: Mirabelle embodies the lost child, whose silence or withdrawal allows boundaries to be breached, leaving personal needs unacknowledged.
Family Systems Theory provides a valuable framework for understanding the complexities of family dynamics and their impact on individual behavior and mental health. By recognizing patterns, roles, and communication dynamics within families, individuals can work toward healthier relationships and stronger family bonds. The theory’s emphasis on the interconnectedness of family members underscores the importance of addressing family dynamics collectively for lasting positive change.
Dysfunction often thrives in family settings, leveraging power dynamics to control narratives and maintain dysfunctional patterns. Additionally, enabling behaviors stem from accepting unspoken rules, perpetuating cycles of dysfunction to preserve a façade of harmony and perfection.
Now let’s dive into how this psychological framework is laid out perfectly in this narrative by the main characters, the Madrigal family.
The Madrigal Family Curse
In “Encanto,” the concept of “the miracle” goes beyond magical gifts; it’s a poignant representation of resilience amidst adversity. The film gives clues that the miracle isn’t merely a magical power but an embodiment of Abuela’s strength during her darkest hour.
Abuela’s experience as a young widow, left to navigate a new and unfamiliar land while raising three newborns, becomes the genesis of the metaphorical candle—the beacon of light through her darkest times. In the film, the candle transforms into the magical, protective force of the Casita and the Encanto itself, symbolizing the shelter that provided solace and protection for Abuela and her family.
How Toxic Family Systems “Keep the Miracle Burning”
You might be wondering, why is the survival mechanism a “miracle” represented as a candle that they must work to keep aflame? Aren’t toxic family systems bad?
Yes, of course. But like a candle, they are a source of comfort in the present moment that consumes the entire system system at its core until it completely burns out.
Ouch, right?
Why the Candle Metaphor?
Toxic family systems, while undoubtedly detrimental, often play a paradoxical role—they serve as both a survival mechanism and a consuming force within our lives. This seemingly contradictory nature is likened to a candle, symbolizing a fragile source of comfort and illumination that, unfortunately, engulfs the entire system until it exhausts itself.
The metaphor of the candle as a survival mechanism stems from the duality inherent in such systems. While toxic family dynamics are undoubtedly harmful, they often provide a sense of stability or familiarity, akin to the warmth a candle offers in the darkness. This semblance of stability, despite its toxicity, becomes a means of survival—providing a fragile comfort in tumultuous times.
In acknowledging toxic family systems as a “miracle,” it’s not to glorify their damaging nature but to recognize the sheer resilience embedded within families navigating such environments. Surviving in these systems requires an extraordinary level of adaptability and endurance, akin to keeping a candle burning against the odds.
The Painful Reality:
The candle represents this survival mechanism because, much like the fleeting flame, toxic family dynamics provide a temporary solace but consume the system at its core. They can offer a semblance of light and warmth, masking the inherent dysfunction that erodes the family structure from within – leaving behind a hollow shell when it eventually burns out.
Survival within such systems often hinges on adaptive behaviors:
- Adaptation and Coping Mechanisms: Individuals develop coping strategies to navigate the turmoil, learning to anticipate, avoid, or mitigate conflict.
- Sense of Belonging: Despite the toxicity, the system provides a distorted sense of belonging and identity, which can feel crucial for survival.
- Resilience: Surviving in such environments fosters resilience, endurance, and the ability to navigate adversity.
Toxic family systems, despite their harmful nature, serve a paradoxical purpose—they provide a fragile sense of comfort and survival in the moment while eroding the system’s foundation. Recognizing this paradox illuminates the immense strength and adaptability required to survive within such environments, acknowledging the resilience inherent in those who endure them.
Abuela as the Villain
I love that despite being the “villain” of the film, Abuela is not depicted as a typical, ill-intentioned abuser. Instead, she is a human just like the rest of us. One who endured serious trauma that has the capability to trickle through generations. This trauma, caused by the death of Abuelo Pedro (which is why the house -“Casita”- is implied to have a connection to his spirit) is embedded in the very walls of the house and extends to every child who achieves the age of understanding their role, guesstimated at about five years old, it seems.
Abuela, despite her authoritarian presence, embodies a figure impacted by profound trauma. Her actions, while harmful, stem from a desire to protect the family’s survival. Her trauma, tied to the loss of her husband, echoes through generations, shaping the family’s dynamics.
The harm she is inflicting on her family is unconscious, as demonstrated by the scene where Mirabelle overhears her talking to Pedro. Far from ill-intentioned or intentionally abusive, the expectations and images she is upholding is out of a desire to protect her family from losing their home, their foundation, their method of survival. She endured the loss of her husband when she was a new mom of three newborn babies, the most vulnerable a woman could possibly be, if you ask me.
But there’s no doubt it’s abusive. I mean, did you notice no one is allowed to freely converse at dinner? Instead, they sit up straight and listen to Abuela speak.
The extension of the foundation of the family’s roles and responsibilities is not just from the individual to the family, but also to the whole community. It is stated several times throughout the film that the whole community was counting on their ability to give these gifts in order to help them survive, and in turn the community helps them survive in the end. Abuela has to maintain the illusion of their family’s health, abundance, and perfection to avoid pushback and rejection from the community they’ve built by sacrifice of their miracle.
A Hero Emerges: Mirabelle the Curse-Breaker
Generational trauma, sometimes referred to as a generation or family curse, will be passed down through these toxic family dynamics and manipulative behaviors until someone is brave enough to break the cycle, teach their family what it means to love unconditionally, and address past wrongs to introduce future healing and stronger bonds. Enter: Mirabelle Madrigal, the protagonist of Encanto.
“You are a wonder, Mirabelle Madrigal. Whatever gift awaits, will be just as special as you.”
Mirabelle, the protagonist of “Encanto,” embodies a poignant narrative of resilience and self-discovery within the Madrigal family. In a household where each member possesses a unique magical gift, Mirabelle stands out for not having received a magical ability. This absence of a distinctive gift positions her as the lost child within the family dynamic, navigating a landscape where her identity and place within the family are constantly questioned.
From a young age, Mirabelle’s journey is shaped by her lack of a defined magical talent. In a family where each member’s gift contributes to the collective harmony and wellbeing, Mirabelle’s perceived ‘normalcy’ is a stark contrast. Her struggle to find her place becomes evident through her silence and withdrawal, a reaction rooted in her desire to avoid conflict and maintain familial peace.
In the context of Family Systems Theory, Mirabelle’s role as the lost child is marked by her inadvertent allowance of breached boundaries. Her silence becomes a shield against confrontation, but it also leads to her needs being overlooked and her individuality feeling invisible within the family unit. The unacknowledged personal needs further reinforce her sense of isolation and detachment, creating an emotional distance between herself and the rest of the family.
However, it is precisely Mirabelle’s journey as the ‘non-gifted’ member that sets her on a profound path within the narrative. Her exclusion from the traditional family roles becomes pivotal in her evolution as the curse breaker. Mirabelle’s unique position allows her to perceive the underlying fractures within the family structure, the weight of unspoken expectations, and the limitations imposed by their roles and magical gifts.
As the story progresses, Mirabelle’s journey to self-discovery intertwines with her realization of the broader familial dynamics. Her journey is not merely about finding her own magical ability; rather, it’s a quest to break free from the suffocating confines of predetermined roles and expectations.
Mirabelle’s Hero’s Journey
Through her resilience and determination, Mirabelle emerges as the catalyst for change, challenging the established norms and inspiring a transformative shift within the family. Her courage to confront the norms and her unwavering belief in the need for authenticity and genuine connections pave the way for her to become the instrument of change—the one who breaks the cycle of familial roles and empowers others to embrace their true selves.
Mirabelle is the curse-breaker, the one who breaks the cycle and teaches everyone to break free from their roles and become their true selves. Antonio extending his hand to Mirabelle in the early scene where he is granted his power, this creates Mirabelle’s motivation to finally embark on her healing journey. She wants to do it for herself, but she realizes that the impact is not only on her – but on future generations to come who need her to break the cycle so that it doesn’t affect them and their children, too.
It’s not that Mirabelle doesn’t have a gift, as it is represented in the film; it’s that she doesn’t understand what her role is to uphold the toxic family dynamic and now outdated survival mechanism. Her role as the curse-breaker doesn’t occur to her until she is ready, willing, and conscious of its impact on the next generation.
“I’m ready, come on, I’m ready; I’ve been patient and steadfast and steady. Bless me now as you blessed us all those years ago, when you gave us a miracle. Am I too late for a miracle?”
In breaking the curse, Mirabelle’s journey signifies a profound realization for the family—that true magic lies not in extraordinary gifts but in embracing individuality, fostering genuine connections, and breaking free from the constraints of roles that limit personal growth and authenticity. Mirabelle’s evolution from the lost child to the catalyst of change exemplifies the resilience and strength inherent in those who challenge the status quo and pave the way for a more inclusive, accepting, and authentic family dynamic.
The new miracle is the shedding of the old survival mechanism in place of a new, more stable one.
Supporting Characters and Their Symbolism
The family’s magical abilities align with their roles, reflecting deeper struggles and obligations.
Peppa – Her Mood Affects the Weather:
Peppa’s power to control the weather reflects her constant need to conceal her fears and anxieties to maintain harmony within the family. Her ability to control the weather aligns with her role as the family’s emotional stabilizer, symbolizing her efforts to keep a sunny disposition for everyone’s comfort, even when facing inner turmoil.
“Clear skies, clear skies…”
Bruno – We Don’t Talk About Bruno:
Bruno’s foresight represents his ability to foresee potential outcomes and solutions for the family. However, his visions were dismissed and demonized, symbolizing the silencing of his perspectives within the family structure. His inability to voice his insights parallels his role as the outcast or scapegoat, highlighting the family’s resistance to change or unconventional ideas.
Bruna has a vision that Mirabelle will be the one to break the family’s curse, and he disappears rather than revealing the vision to maintain himself as the perpetual scapegoat and save Mirabelle from assuming this role.
“My gift wasn’t helping the family, but I love my family.”
Julieta – She Can Heal You With a Meal:
Julieta’s power to heal with her culinary creations represents her role as the caretaker within the family. Her ability to heal through food reflects her nurturing nature and her pivotal role in maintaining the family’s physical and emotional well-being. Julieta’s culinary gifts symbolize her capacity to provide comfort and sustenance, embodying the essence of caretaking and nourishing those around her.
Isabela – She Grows Flowers, the Town Goes Wild:
Isabela’s power over plant life aligns with her role as the epitome of the perfect, beautiful golden child within the family. Her abilities reflect the pressure to maintain an image of perfection and the burden of meeting familial expectations. Isabela’s talent to manipulate plants symbolizes her nurturing and aesthetically pleasing persona, striving to create beauty and harmony around her even at the expense of her own wants and needs
“I never wanted to marry him! I was doing it for the family!”.
Louisa – The Brawn, Do No Wrong:
“I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service.”
Louisa’s immense physical strength parallels her role as the family’s pillar of physical support. Her ability symbolizes the weight she carries for the family, both literally and metaphorically, emphasizing her responsibility to uphold the family’s physical well-being and stability.
“Give it to your sister, it doesn’t hurt, and see if she can handle every family burden. Watch as she buckles and bends, but never breaks. No mistakes, just pressure.” As she holds up the literal house, town, mountains, and the sun itself.
Dolores – Hearing Everything:
Dolores possesses the ability to hear everything but is expected to say nothing, reflecting her role within the family as the confidante and witness to various conversations. Her power mirrors her position in a system where gossip, triangulation, and the expectation of silence perpetuate a culture where compliance is equated with harmony.
Camilo – Shapeshifting:
Camilo’s shapeshifting ability represents his role as the family’s chameleon and people pleaser, adapting to different personas to please others. His power reflects his struggle to maintain a façade, suppressing his genuine self to mirror the expectations and desires of others within the family, highlighting the pressure to conform to various expectations.
Each family member’s magical ability serves as a metaphor for their internal struggles and the roles they play within the family. The alignment between their powers and their deeper emotional burdens emphasizes the complex dynamics and expectations within the Madrigal family, reflecting the challenges and pressures each member faces in maintaining familial harmony and balance.
The Unraveling and Rebuilding
In the climactic conclusion of “Encanto,” the Madrigal family confronts the deeply ingrained toxicity within their family system, leading to a transformative journey of vulnerability, authenticity, and healing.
When Louisa realizes she’s not strong enough to carry everything on her own, Mirabelle realizes Bruno isn’t the enemy after all, and Mirabelle’s parents start to set boundaries with Abuela, the house begins unravelling, and the family scrambles to find something to hold onto, someone to blame, or something to do to stop their illusion from cracking. The two family outcasts – Mirabelle and Bruno – and the younger generation, Antonio, work together to right the wrongs of their family and repair broken bonds. It’s no wonder the answer to the vision is uncovering the root of the trauma (the butterfly and candle shown in Bruno’s vision), and uncovering Isabela’s true self (the sisterly hug).
Finding Strength in Vulnerability
Through vulnerability, the family members find their strength. In some ways, this happens literally, with Luisa losing her superpower strength and finding the courage to advocate for herself instead, and in other ways with Mirabelle and Isabela mending their fractured relationship.
In a moment of vulnerability, Mirabel extends empathy and understanding towards Isabela, recognizing the weight of the golden child’s expectations and the pressure she’s carried. Through open dialogue, they confront the misunderstandings and unspoken pain that had driven a wedge between them. Mirabel’s willingness to listen and empathize helps Isabela feel seen and understood, creating an opening for genuine reconciliation.
As their conversation unfolds, Isabela begins to shed the façade of perfection, allowing vulnerability to surface. In this vulnerable state, Isabela rediscovers her true self beyond the confines of societal expectations and familial pressures. Mirabel’s acceptance and encouragement become a catalyst for Isabela to embrace her authenticity, acknowledging that true strength lies in embracing imperfections and being true to oneself.
As the family grapples with their vulnerabilities and confronts the truth, they reach a pivotal moment of reckoning. They realize the necessity of letting the old, toxic system crumble to its core—an act symbolized by allowing the candle, representing their survival mechanism, to burn out. This destruction signifies a necessary step towards rebuilding from the ashes, dismantling the fortress of protection provided by the Encanto.
What’s even more beautiful is that the very epitome of their foundation and survival – their home, completely crumbled to dust when these roles are shattered. The shaking of the house in the beginning of the movie symbolizes the fear, anxiety, and crumbling of their very survival mechanisms up until the point in time of healing. And of course, this magical home that represents their safety, security, and survival, came to them at a time when they needed it most. This teaches us to honor and give thanks for those dynamics that allowed us to survive at one point, and let them go as we build new, healthier relationships literally from the ground up.
Dos Oruguitas and Abuela’s Suffering:
The pivotal moment where the mountains of the Encanto break apart, revealing a path to the place where Abuelo Pedro died, serves as a profound turning point for the Madrigal family. It’s not merely a physical journey but a symbolic representation of confronting the buried past and addressing the source of the family’s trauma.
The significance of “Dos Oruguitas” lies in its emotional resonance—a song that encapsulates Abuela’s immense suffering and hidden anguish. Through this poignant song, the family begins to unravel the layers of unspoken pain and unacknowledged grief carried by Abuela. The lyrics encapsulate her silent suffering, painting a vivid picture of her enduring the loss of Abuelo Pedro and the hardships she faced as a young widow raising three newborns in a foreign land.
Two little caterpillars in love
Spend their nights and early mornings together
Full of hunger they keep walking
And navigating a world that changes and keeps changing
And navigating a world that changes and keeps changing
Two caterpillars stop the wind
While they embrace with feeling
They keep growing, not knowing when
to search for some retreat, times keep changing
They are inseparable and times keep changing
Ay, little caterpillars, don’t hold on anymore
You must grow apart and return, you’ll keep moving forwards
Miracles come, chrysalises come
You must leave and build your own future
Two disoriented caterpillars
In two well-wrapped cocoons
With new dreams, now all that’s missing is
To do what’s necessary in a world that keeps changing
Taking down its walls, there comes our miracle
Our miracle, our miracle
Ay, butterflies, don’t hold on anymore
You must grow apart and return, you’ll keep moving forwards
There are already miracles, chrysalises breaking open
You must fly, you must find your own future
Dos Orugitas, Translated into English
The Butterfly and Metamorphosis
The butterfly serves as a powerful symbol of transformation, embodying the essence of change and metamorphosis. Mirabelle’s connection to the butterfly is visually represented in her clothing and deeply tied to her grandmother’s plea for help from Abuelo Pedro, epitomized by the phrase, “I asked my Pedro for help, and he sent me you!” This linkage between Mirabelle, the butterfly, and Abuelo Pedro signifies a spiritual connection and a passing of responsibility to break the cycle of trauma. The butterfly motif can also be found within the bricks of Casita and on the candle itself, reinforcing the connection between Casita, the miracle, and Abuelo Pedro.
In a way, the miracle is also Abuelo’s sacrifice – how facing those endangering his family rather than running sacrificed his life, but built a home and a shelter to protect them for many generations.
Confronting Trauma and Rebuilding a Stronger Foundation
As Mirabel and Abuela traverse the revealed path to the place where Abuelo Pedro passed away, it’s a symbolic journey towards healing and reconciliation. The vulnerability they exhibit in facing this painful history becomes the conduit for understanding and empathy. Mirabel’s willingness to listen and empathize allows Abuela to finally confront her buried pain, acknowledging the weight she carried all these years.
This journey is a profound acknowledgment of the family’s shared trauma and the generational burden they’ve carried. By revisiting the place of Abuelo Pedro’s death, Mirabel and Abuela confront the unresolved wounds and begin the process of healing. The acknowledgment of past trauma becomes the cornerstone of reconstructing a healthier family foundation—a foundation rooted in authenticity, understanding, and compassion.
Through their vulnerability and the acknowledgement of past trauma, the family embarks on a journey to reconstruct a healthier foundation. This path, though challenging, leads to a deeper understanding and the potential for genuine connections rooted in authenticity. The vulnerability becomes the conduit for healing, fostering the rebuilding of a stronger, more authentic family dynamic.
The conclusion of “Encanto” underscores the transformative power of vulnerability and authenticity, emphasizing that healing and rebuilding require confronting the past, dismantling toxic systems, and embracing the courage to be true to oneself and each other. The journey through vulnerability serves as the gateway to a new beginning—a foundation built on truth, understanding, and genuine connection.
What We Can Learn From Encanto
The conclusion of “Encanto” offers profound insights into the complexities of generational trauma, toxic family systems, and the transformative power of healing, leaving us with invaluable lessons to carry forward:
- Acknowledging Generational Trauma: The film delicately unpacks the weight of generational trauma passed down through familial lines. It emphasizes that unaddressed pain and unresolved trauma have the power to shape family dynamics across generations. By shedding light on the silent suffering of Abuela and the Madrigal family, “Encanto” highlights the importance of acknowledging and understanding the roots of generational trauma.
- Impact of Toxic Family Systems: The movie vividly portrays the detrimental effects of toxic family dynamics—where unspoken expectations, roles, and pressures dictate individual identities and relationships within the family. It elucidates how these systems perpetuate cycles of dysfunction, suppressing individuality and fostering emotional strain. The portrayal of each family member’s struggle with their roles within the family serves as a stark reminder of the toll toxic family systems can take on individuals.
- The Power of Vulnerability and Authenticity: Through Mirabel’s journey and her willingness to confront the family’s unspoken pain, “Encanto” emphasizes the transformative power of vulnerability and authenticity. It underscores that healing begins with acknowledging and embracing vulnerabilities, fostering open communication, and allowing for genuine connections rooted in truth and understanding. Mirabel’s empathy and courage to confront difficult truths pave the way for healing and reconciliation within the family.
- Breaking the Cycle and Healing: The film beautifully illustrates the significance of breaking the cycle of generational trauma and toxic family patterns. It highlights the need to confront and address past wounds, fostering a sense of compassion and empathy within the family. By acknowledging the pain, expressing empathy, and offering forgiveness, “Encanto” portrays how individuals can contribute to breaking the cycle and fostering a healthier family environment.
- Building Authentic Connections: Ultimately, “Encanto” emphasizes the importance of building authentic, supportive connections within families. It illustrates that genuine connections thrive in an environment where individuals are free to be their true selves, devoid of imposed roles and expectations. It champions the idea that healing and building stronger familial bonds stem from accepting each other’s vulnerabilities and embracing authenticity.
In essence, “Encanto” serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities inherent in familial relationships, the impact of generational trauma, and the transformative potential of healing. It inspires us to acknowledge, understand, and break free from toxic family cycles, fostering environments grounded in empathy, authenticity, and mutual support for generations to come.
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