Disney's movie Encanto has one of the most diverse and relatable families Disney has ever showcased. It is a powerful tale of a family with magical abilities, but despite the magic, the realistic way Disney portrays the family relationships and how they grow together, from trauma to healing, resonate with families everywhere. When you take a deeper look at the Madrigals and the Encanto family tree, you might see some very stark similarities to your own.
It can be a bit tricky to follow the slew of Madrigal characters and how they all fit together—but the movie provides a very handy cheat sheet. Have you ever looked at the Madrigal family tapestry and wanted something like that for your family? You don't have to be a genealogist to build a family tree, cherish your heritage, or strengthen family relationships. FamilySearch, a free website for anyone wanting to document or learn about their family, is built to help you do just that. As you consider characters from the Madrigal family below and how they all fit together, please also take advantage of the free family tree template tool and more simple tools that can help you learn about your own family.
Please note: If you haven’t watched the movie, spoilers ahead!
Mirabel—The Main Character
Mirabel is the youngest daughter of Julieta and Agustín and the film’s main character. For unknown reasons, she is the only child born into the family Madrigal that did not receive a magic gift. Despite this, she finds ways on her own to help the family heal and grow closer than ever.
You Are Part of Your Own Family History
As the focus character for the movie, Encanto, anyone who watches the movie comes to know Mirabel well. Despite initially struggling with her self-identity and place in the family, Mirabel comes to know each of the family members better than they know themselves—and along the way she learns more about her own self and her place in the family.
The more we learn about ourselves and others in our family, the stronger we can become. As you are learning your family story, don't neglect your own personal history and identity. The All About Me experience on FamilySearch is a great place to start. Learn all about the origins of your name and about events that happened during your birth year. Then you can do the experience again to see how things are different or the same for different family members.
Abuela Alma and Abuelo Pedro—Grandparents
Abuela Alma is the head of the family Madrigal, as showcased in one of the first songs (“But let’s be clear, Abuela runs this show”). When Abuela Alma was younger, she fell in love with and married Pedro. Together, they had triplets, Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno.
Tragically, Pedro’s story ended shortly after the birth of the triplets when he sacrificed his life to protect his family as they fled from invaders. This sacrifice led to the family’s blessing of a magic candle, which gave the triplets and their future children magic abilities.
Abuela and Abuelo mean grandmother and grandfather in Spanish. The main character of Encanto, Mirabel, grew up knowing Abuela Alma very well, but Mirabel only knew her grandfather through stories. However well you know your grandparents, learning about them can help you get started with your family history. Here's how:
Grandparents Tell Good Stories
If you are able to visit or talk to your grandparents—even from a distance, consider asking them about your family. Perhaps your grandparents didn't find a candle that blessed your family with magical powers, but they may know some of the origin stories of your family. How did your family get to where they are? What are some traditions your grandparents grew up with that you could pass on? What do your grandparents know about people you are adding to your family tree?
Even if your grandparents are deceased, search out any journals or family writings they might have left behind. Interview other family members who knew your grandparents, and save these stories somewhere so you can find them again. Sharing these stories can create a family identity, just like Abuela Alma's origin stories for the Madrigal family.
Grandparents Are Keys to the Shared Tree
On FamilySearch, living information is kept private, so your first deceased grandparents on both sides are the links that can connect you to the shared family tree—a tool that can quickly fill in a lot of your family tree for you. The shared, public tree on FamilySearch allows you to enter what you know about your ancestors and find what others have shared, all across the world. You could have a lot of family information just waiting for you!
To get started, you'll want to know a few basic things about your deceased grandparents, such as their names, their birth or death dates, or where they lived. This will help you get an accurate match. Just as Mirabel could go to Abuela Alma to learn about Abuelo Pedro, someone in your family might be able to help you learn these basic things about your grandparents. Searching historical records might help with the rest.
Julieta and Agustín—Parents
Julieta is one of Abuela’s triplets, and she married Agustín. Julieta has the ability to heal injuries with home-cooked meals, making her the perfect counterpart to accident-prone Agustín. Together, they have 3 daughters, Isabela, Luisa, and Mirabel.
Don't Forget Your Closest Relatives
Mirabel's parents do not have very large roles in the movie, but they are there throughout the story and have very distinct personalities. As our very closest ancestors, our parents are often the branches of our family tree that we know the most about. If you're interested in your family story and family tree, don't forget to include what you know about your closest relatives.
On FamilySearch, you can add your parents and any other relative to your tree. If you mark them as still living, their information will be kept private. It's a good idea to learn as much as you can about living relatives while you can still talk to them and verify details. If you have stories or photos you want to add to the shared family tree about these living relatives, you can choose to make the memories private as well.
Isabela and Luisa—Siblings
Isabela is the oldest of Julieta’s three daughters. She has the ability to grow plants in mere moments, mainly using this power early on in the film to decorate everything with flowers. As she learns to accept herself, imperfections and all, she starts to grow all sorts of plants, including vines, cacti, and more.
Luisa is the middle daughter to Julieta and Agustín. She has the power of strength, making her one of the village’s busiest workers by performing tasks such as herding donkeys, rerouting rivers, and moving buildings.
A Family Tree Isn't Complete without Everyone
If you ask anyone about the characters from Encanto, Isabela and Luisa might be 2 of the easiest to remember. Aside from starring in some of the best songs in the show, Isabela and Luisa are Mirabel's siblings. They are a big part of her life, and throughout the movie, she learns a lot from them about their personal struggles, hopes, and strengths.
The Madrigal family tree tapestry includes spaces for both of Mirabel's siblings. Although many traditional family trees focus on ancestors, a family tree can include anyone in your family—even siblings and adopted relatives. FamilySearch has free family tree templates that you can use to make your own family keepsake. They come in all shapes and sizes, including some that work well for showing siblings and other relatives in your tree. Try one of the tools below to create and print a family tree for yourself or someone else.
Tia Pepa and Tio Félix—Uncles and Aunts
Pepa is one of Abuela’s triplets, and she married Félix. She has the gift of changing the weather with her mood, sometimes landing the family in trouble as her mood shifts. Together, Pepa and Félix had 3 kids, Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio.
Sharing a Family Name
Aunt Pepa and Uncle Félix are great examples of how families can be a mix of cultures and traditions. Félix's dark skin indicates he might have African heritage, or at least a different cultural heritage from the other Madrigals. Although known to be based on Colombian culture, the Madrigal family all seem to collectively share the Madrigal name—which is different from traditional Colombian naming customs. In a Colombian family, Pepa would likely have had both her father and mother's last names. When married, she might have adopted Félix's names.
Learning about last names is a great way to explore a family's history. For example, "Madrigal" is a Spanish name and a habitational name (a name that comes from a place an ancestor once lived). In the FamilySearch shared tree, there are many ancestors with the last name Madrigal, mostly found in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Spain. Do you know where your family's last names come from?
Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio—Cousins
Dolores is the oldest child of Pepa and Félix. She has the magical gift of magnified hearing. It’s impossible to keep secrets from Dolores, who can hear whispered conversations across the casita.
Camilo is the middle child of Pepa and Félix. He’s still in his teen years and has the ability to shapeshift. He takes on the appearance of other people in the family and community at will.
Antonio is the youngest child of Pepa and Félix, as well as the youngest in the entire family. He initially shares a room with Mirabel, the main character, and the 2 share a close relationship. At his gift ceremony, he gains the ability to communicate with animals.
Getting to Know Cousins
All 3 of these characters are Mirabel's cousins. They each have a featured spot in her song at the beginning of the Encanto movie, but as mentioned, she's particularly close to Antonio and helps him in significant ways. Unless you come from a long line of single-children families, you have cousins too. In fact, you probably have more than you think!
Since a cousin is anyone related to you who isn't a parent, ancestor or sibling, you could be walking by cousins every day and not even know it. Whether you want to learn more about close or distant cousins, these FamilySearch activities can help you learn more about cousins—and even discover new ones.
Tio Bruno
Are we going to talk about Bruno? Yes we are! Tio Bruno is Abuela’s only son and is not married, but he makes a great uncle for his nieces and nephews. He has the power to see visions of the future and eventually left the family to hide in Casita’s walls, attempting to save his family from his visions.
The Healing Power of Family History
When Mirabel starts to ask questions about her family and their past, she discovers an uncle who was outcast from the family. As you dig into your family history, you may discover things you didn't know before. Some parts of your family history may be sensitive or hard to talk about. Family members may be more distant, or relationships may be strained. Although each person and family has to decide for themselves what to share about their family and what to record, working on family history has been shown to strengthen family relationships.
Just as Mirabel sought out Bruno—whom she didn't know well—to discover his true history, you might be able to find more about your own family story by reaching out to family members you don't know as well. In safe ways, working with your parents if you are underage, consider who among your family might not have had a chance to share their story. While some family members might not want to talk about their past, some might be very willing once they understand that you want to know about their story or what they know about your shared ancestors.
Your Family Tree
As you can see, despite being a fun-filled, magical tale, Encanto at its core is all about family relationships. Family is a powerful source of connection and belonging, but it can also be complicated, just like it is with the Madrigals. Throughout the film, the Madrigals experience both friction and bonding in their relationships, a reflection of what most real-life families are like. While no relationship is perfect, there are opportunities to learn from each other and grow closer together, just as the Madrigals did.
As you reflect on your own family, imperfections and all, try your hand at creating a family tree. Start by adding living relatives to your tree. Then add those who have passed on. FamilySearch may be able to help with this, by allowing you to connect to the shared family tree or by searching public records that might have details about your family.
As you create your tree, record memories or add photos to fill your family tree with meaningful and personalized experiences. You don't have to shy away from complicated truths, which are sometimes the most impactful moments.
The Encanto family tree is decoratively painted at the heart of their casita, right above their dining table. If you’d like to use your new family tree as a centerpiece in your home, you can use these free designs as keepsakes.
