Encanto is about a family that's been given a miracle and is terrified of losing it. Fifty years before the film begins, a young mother named Alma fled her home with her three newborn babies. Her husband, Pedro, died protecting their group, and in that moment Alma's candle became a magical flame. It raised mountains to shelter them, created a village, and built a living house, Casita, for the family. Ever since, each Madrigal child has received a magical gift at the age of five, symbolised by a door in Casita that bears their face.
Everyone except Mirabel. The film follows her over a single eventful day and night, as the house starts cracking and the family's gifts begin to fade. Released in November 2021 by Walt Disney Animation Studios, directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush, co-directed by Charise Castro Smith and with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. This guide covers every Madrigal, their gifts and the people of the village.
- Studio
- Walt Disney Animation Studios
- Directors
- Byron Howard, Jared Bush; co-director Charise Castro Smith
- Released
- November 2021
- Songs
- Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Setting
- A hidden village in the mountains of Colombia
The Madrigal family
The family has three generations living under one magical roof. Abuela Alma is at the top; her triplets Julieta, Pepa and Bruno are in the middle; and the grandchildren, each with a gift, are expected to serve the village. Use the filter to see the gifted family members, those without gifts, or a single generation.
Mirabel Madrigal
Protagonist · No gift
Mirabel is the warm, funny, slightly awkward middle daughter of Julieta and Agustín. At five she went through the gift ceremony like everyone else, but her door never appeared, and she's spent ten years trying to prove she belongs anyway. When she alone sees the house begin to crack, she sets out to save the miracle, and ends up uncovering what's actually breaking it: the pressure each of her relatives has been hiding. Her real talent is noticing people, and the film quietly makes that the most important gift of all.
- Voice
- Stephanie Beatriz
Abuela Alma Madrigal
Matriarch · Keeper of the candle
Alma is the head of the family and the village. She doesn't have a personal gift; she has the miracle, the candle that has burned since the night she lost her husband. Grief and fear made her controlling. She treats the family's gifts as a debt owed to the village, and she's hardest on Mirabel, who she sees as a threat to the miracle. Her reconciliation with Mirabel by the river, where we see what happened to Pedro, is the emotional climax of the film.
- Voice
- María Cecilia Botero (singing: Olga Merediz)
Bruno Madrigal
Gift: seeing the future
Bruno is Alma's son and Julieta and Pepa's brother. He can see the future, and because the future isn't always happy, the village came to treat him as a curse. After a vision of Mirabel and the cracking house, he vanished, and the family stopped talking about him. Mirabel finds him living inside Casita's walls with a crowd of rats, patching cracks and acting out little plays with characters like "Hernando." He's gentle, superstitious and lonely, and he never stopped loving his family.
- Voice
- John Leguizamo
Julieta Madrigal
Gift: healing through food · Mirabel's mother
Julieta's cooking can heal any injury, so there's a constant line of villagers at her kitchen. She's the calmest and most nurturing Madrigal, and the person who most reliably tells Mirabel she's enough as she is. She's married to Agustín, whose accident-prone nature keeps her busy.
- Voice
- Angie Cepeda
Pepa Madrigal
Gift: weather controlled by mood
Pepa's emotions shape the weather around her: sunshine when she's happy, a little rain cloud when she's upset, and thunder when she's angry. She spends much of the film trying to keep her mood in check, often with help from her husband Félix. A story the family tells about her wedding day, when Bruno predicted rain and a hurricane followed, is the funniest scene in "We Don't Talk About Bruno."
- Voice
- Carolina Gaitán
Isabela Madrigal
Gift: making flowers grow · Eldest sister
Isabela is the "perfect" eldest daughter who makes flowers bloom wherever she goes. Abuela has arranged for her to marry Mariano Guzmán, a match Isabela doesn't actually want. When Mirabel accidentally pushes her into admitting it, Isabela discovers she can grow cacti, vines and all sorts of strange, wild plants. Her song is the clearest expression of the film's idea that perfection can be a cage.
- Voice
- Diane Guerrero
Luisa Madrigal
Gift: super strength · Middle sister
Luisa is the strong one. She can move churches, reroute rivers and carry donkeys, and the whole village relies on her to do it. Under that, she's exhausted and frightened that if she ever stops being useful she won't matter. Her song "Surface Pressure" struck a chord with older siblings everywhere, and her gift weakening is one of the first signs of trouble. She's also a big softie who loves cute animals.
- Voice
- Jessica Darrow
Dolores Madrigal
Gift: super hearing · Pepa's daughter
Dolores can hear everything, from whispers across the village to the rats in the walls. That means she knows every secret, including the fact that Bruno never really left. She's quiet and a little twitchy, and she's secretly in love with Mariano Guzmán, which pays off at the end of the film.
- Voice
- Adassa
Camilo Madrigal
Gift: shapeshifting · Pepa's son
Camilo can turn into anyone, and he uses his gift mostly for jokes, impressions and getting extra food at dinner. He's a natural performer, and he plays several characters during "We Don't Talk About Bruno," including Bruno himself. He's the cousin closest to Mirabel in age.
- Voice
- Rhenzy Feliz
Antonio Madrigal
Gift: talking to animals · Youngest cousin
Antonio is Pepa's youngest child, and the film opens on the night of his gift ceremony. He's nervous and shy until his door appears and opens onto a rainforest full of animals who adore him, including a jaguar. He shares a sweet bond with Mirabel, who sleeps in his room at the start of the film, and it's his animal friends who help rebuild the house.
- Voice
- Ravi Cabot-Conyers
Agustín Madrigal
Mirabel's father · Married into the family
Agustín is Julieta's kind, clumsy husband and a constant source of bee stings and bruises. Like Mirabel, he has no gift, and he's the one person in the house who really understands how she feels. He'd much rather support his daughters quietly than stand up to Abuela.
- Voice
- Wilmer Valderrama
Félix Madrigal
Pepa's husband · Married into the family
Félix is Pepa's cheerful, easygoing husband and father of Dolores, Camilo and Antonio. He's the one who launches into "We Don't Talk About Bruno" in the first place, and he spends most of the film trying to keep everyone's spirits up and Pepa's storm clouds away.
- Voice
- Mauro Castillo
Pedro Madrigal
Alma's late husband
Pedro died the night the miracle was born, staying behind to face the men who drove the family from their home. He appears only in flashback and in a portrait, but the whole family's history flows from his loss. Yellow butterflies, tied to Pedro and Alma's love story, run through the film's imagery.
Every Madrigal gift at a glance
Gifts appear at a ceremony when each child is five. The child opens their glowing door in Casita, and inside is a room shaped by their gift: Antonio's is a rainforest, Isabela's is a garden, and Bruno's is a towering cave of sand.
| Madrigal | Generation | Gift |
|---|---|---|
| Alma | Grandmother | Keeper of the miracle candle (no personal gift) |
| Julieta | Daughter | Heals people through her cooking |
| Pepa | Daughter | Her moods control the weather |
| Bruno | Son | Sees visions of the future |
| Isabela | Granddaughter | Grows flowers and plants |
| Luisa | Granddaughter | Super strength |
| Mirabel | Granddaughter | No gift |
| Dolores | Granddaughter | Super hearing |
| Camilo | Grandson | Shapeshifting into other people |
| Antonio | Grandson | Talks with animals |
| Agustín, Félix | In-laws | No gifts (married into the family) |
The Madrigal family tree
The family is easier to follow once you see that Alma's triplets each lead a branch. Julieta's branch is Mirabel's household; Pepa's is the cousins; Bruno has no children.
- Alma Madrigal + Pedro Madrigal (deceased)
- Julieta + Agustín — daughters Isabela (eldest), Luisa and Mirabel (youngest)
- Pepa + Félix — children Dolores (eldest), Camilo and Antonio (youngest)
- Bruno — no spouse or children
The village and other characters
The Encanto's townspeople depend on the Madrigals for everything, from healing to heavy lifting, which is a large part of the pressure the family feels.
Mariano Guzmán
Isabela's intended
A handsome, sincere young man whose marriage proposal to Isabela is meant to be the family's big night. He's sweet and a bit oblivious, and ends up much better suited to someone who's been listening to him all along.
- Voice
- Maluma
Señora Guzmán
Mariano's mother
Mariano's mother is very keen on the Madrigal match and has firm opinions about how the proposal dinner should go.
Casita
The living house
Casita is as much a character as any Madrigal. Its tiles, shutters and floorboards move to help the family, it reacts to their moods, and when it collapses it feels like a death. Its rebuilding by the whole village shows the miracle was never only about magic.
Bruno's rats
Bruno's companions
Bruno's only company for ten years. He gives them names and roles in his telenovela-style games, and their antics are a running joke in his scenes.
Encanto voice cast
The cast is almost entirely made up of actors with Latin American heritage, many of them Colombian, which shaped the film's accents and music.
| Character | Voice actor | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Mirabel | Stephanie Beatriz | Brooklyn Nine-Nine |
| Abuela Alma | María Cecilia Botero / Olga Merediz (singing) | Colombian film and TV / In the Heights |
| Bruno | John Leguizamo | Ice Age (Sid) |
| Julieta | Angie Cepeda | Colombian telenovelas |
| Pepa | Carolina Gaitán | Colombian TV |
| Isabela | Diane Guerrero | Orange Is the New Black, Jane the Virgin |
| Luisa | Jessica Darrow | Feast of the Seven Fishes |
| Dolores | Adassa | Reggaeton and pop music |
| Camilo | Rhenzy Feliz | Runaways, The Penguin |
| Antonio | Ravi Cabot-Conyers | Child actor |
| Agustín | Wilmer Valderrama | That '70s Show, NCIS |
| Félix | Mauro Castillo | Colombian music and TV |
| Mariano | Maluma | Reggaeton star |
What the Madrigals are really about
Encanto has no villain, which is unusual for a Disney film. Instead it looks at how one family's love turns into pressure, and how each child copes with an expectation placed on them:
- Luisa believes her worth depends on being useful.
- Isabela has been perfect for so long she's never asked what she wants.
- Bruno was turned into the family scapegoat because his gift told uncomfortable truths.
- Mirabel carries the shame of being the one without a gift.
- Abuela is driven by grief she has never spoken about.
Many viewers recognised their own families in it, particularly the idea of intergenerational trauma: the fear one generation carries forward without meaning to. Mirabel's journey is less a quest than a series of honest conversations. If you like that, Inside Out 2 handles anxiety and self-worth in a similar spirit, and Frozen is another Disney story about sisters and a family secret. Moana shares Lin-Manuel Miranda's songwriting and a heroine who defies her elders to save her home. For more Disney casts, see our Disney characters hub.
Where to start
Encanto is a single film, and it stands entirely on its own. A good order for fans who want more:
- Watch the film — about 100 minutes, streaming on Disney+.
- Rewatch "We Don't Talk About Bruno" — the song plants clues about Bruno's prophecies that pay off later.
- Look for the doors — each grandchild's door shows their gift, and Mirabel's absence is visible in nearly every hallway shot.
All Encanto character names A–Z
A
- Abuela Alma Madrigal — Matriarch
- Agustín Madrigal — Mirabel's father
- Antonio Madrigal — Talks to animals
B–D
- Bruno Madrigal — Sees the future
- Camilo Madrigal — Shapeshifter
- Casita — The living house
- Dolores Madrigal — Super hearing
F–I
- Félix Madrigal — Pepa's husband
- Isabela Madrigal — Grows plants
J–L
- Julieta Madrigal — Heals with food
- Luisa Madrigal — Super strength
M
- Mariano Guzmán — Villager
- Mirabel Madrigal — Protagonist
P–S
- Pedro Madrigal — Alma's late husband
- Pepa Madrigal — Controls the weather
- Señora Guzmán — Mariano's mother
Frequently asked questions
Who is the main character of Encanto?
Mirabel Madrigal, the 15-year-old middle daughter of Julieta and Agustín. She's the only grandchild who didn't receive a magical gift, and when cracks start appearing in the family's enchanted house, she's the one who sets out to find out why.
What is Mirabel's gift in Encanto?
Mirabel never receives a gift in the usual way: her door didn't appear when she was five. The film's ending suggests her real role is holding the family together. When the Madrigals rebuild the house, the new Casita's front door bears her face, and the magic returns when she places the doorknob.
Why did Bruno leave the family?
Bruno could see the future, and his visions were often bad news, so people started blaming him for what he foresaw. When he had an alarming vision about Mirabel and the house, he hid it to protect her and disappeared. He actually spent ten years living secretly inside the walls of Casita.
What are all the gifts in Encanto?
Julieta heals with food, Pepa's mood controls the weather, Bruno sees the future, Isabela grows plants, Luisa has super strength, Dolores has super hearing, Camilo shapeshifts and Antonio talks to animals. Abuela Alma holds the miracle candle itself, and Mirabel has no gift. Agustín and Félix married into the family and don't have gifts.
Who voices Mirabel and Bruno?
Stephanie Beatriz voices Mirabel and John Leguizamo voices Bruno. The cast also includes Jessica Darrow as Luisa, Diane Guerrero as Isabela, María Cecilia Botero as Abuela Alma (with Olga Merediz singing), and Wilmer Valderrama as Agustín.
Who is the villain in Encanto?
There isn't one. The threat to the family is internal: Abuela Alma's fear of losing the miracle, and the pressure she puts on everyone to be perfect. The film resolves by having the family talk honestly rather than by defeating anyone.