The writer behind Disney's Encanto breaks down and explains the significance behind Mirabel's elaborate costume that she wears during her and Antonio's gift ceremonies. Encanto was released in 2021, garnering both acclaim from critics and audiences, earning multiple Oscar nominations for Best Original Score, Best Original Song, and Best Animated Feature.
The music for the Encanto is beautifully conducted as well. Featuring original songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, it has quickly become one of Disney's most famous and successful soundtracks of all time. The movie follows the character of Mirabel Madrigal on her journey to reunite her family as their ancestral, magical gifts begin to slowly fade away. Although Encanto has been praised for its soundtrack and brilliant script, the film would be nothing without the intricate character design, as the exterior world vastly mirrors the inner world. What makes Encanto so magical is that each member of the Madrigal family is given a certain feature, attribute, or article of clothing that is personal and reflective of their past - capturing without words, the story of who they are. Therefore, the details found in each character are like tiny clues meant to uncover the family’s past - pieces of the puzzle for audiences to decipher and put together. However, fans finally have some clarity in regard to the meaning behind some of the character’s famous hallmarks.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the creators of Encanto analyze the scene in which Antonio receives his gift. The film’s co-writer, Charise Castro Smith, seized the moment to break down one of Mirabel's outfits in a flashback to her gift ceremony and compares it to what Mirabel is wearing in the film's present day. Castro Smith made sure to draw extra attention towards the stunning butterfly embroidery on Mirabel's dress, claiming that it reflected her uncertainty but perhaps her willingness as well to take flight, regardless.
“And then, also her costume, we were really thinking that this moment of becoming in the family Madrigal is like a little first communion - It’s a rite of passage," Castro Smith said. "Antonio has his cute white little suit, and Mirabel has her little first communion looking dress. It's like a ritual they all have to go through. The embroidery on her dress is little butterflies because she doesn’t have her gift yet. Everyone’s costume, once they get their gift, has something to do with their gift - but this means she’s in this moment before it happened. She’s got butterflies because she doesn’t know what her gift is going to be yet.”
Castro's explanation of the symbolic representation behind Mirabel's butterflies is incredibly spiritual in nature - as it stands for the metamorphosis, the renewal, the hesitant wind behind a butterfly taking its first flight. There have been rumors of a possible Encanto 2 or even a spin-off series ever since the film’s release. Yet, their team of creators have set quite the expectation, equating to lots of pressure surrounding a sequel.
Encanto is currently available for streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: Vanity Fair