What is Encanto?
And what makes it special?
You’re about to find out.
Disney’s Encanto is an Oscar-winning animated film from 2021 that has amazed and entertained audiences worldwide.
Some of the songs from the film’s soundtracks were even big on the Billboard chart!
Why do people love Encanto so much?
There are many great reasons why:
The unique setting, beautiful scenery, and songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda are all great parts of the film.
But its many characters are a key part of what makes Encanto special.
Have you seen characters as unique and appealing as the ones in Encanto?
Encanto’s characters are diverse in how they have many characteristics and features.
They are different from one another not only in what powers they have, but also in how they act.
These characters are loveable and entertaining, plus they’re ones that people can see themselves in.
When you see what these characters are like, you’ll see why so many people love them.
So, who are these people in the story?
And why are they so beloved?
Here’s a look at some of the many characters who are in this memorable film and how each has a significant role in the story.
It’s time to head to the world of Casita…
Ready?
Mirabel Madrigal
Let’s get to the main star first:
It’s Mirabel, of course!
Who is she?
Mirabel Madrigal is the main character of Encanto and the only member of the family who doesn’t have a magical gift.
She is insecure about herself, what with her not having a gift. But she is always willing to do what she can to help the family.
But things are about to change!
As the magic in the Colombian community of Encanto and their enchanted home starts to wane, it is up to Mirabel to save the day.
Mirabel’s relationships with her family members are positive. No one feels shame over her for how she doesn’t have a power.
When Alma says that she’s the one who caused Casita to break, Mirabel immediately forgives her.
Mirabel also helps calm Antonio when he’s anxious.
Mirabel may be Waiting on a Miracle, but she eventually discovers that you don’t have to hold a magical power to be special.
Who Plays the Voice of Mirabel? | Stephanie Beatriz in the present day, Noemi Joesfina Flores as a younger Mirabel in flashbacks |
Who Are Mirabel’s Parents? | Julieta and Agustin |
Who Are Mirabel’s Siblings? | Isabela (older) and Luisa (older) |
Luisa Madrigal
Let’s build up some strength with Luisa.
Who is she?
Luisa Madrigal is the middle child in Julieta’s family tree branch.
She has the power of super strength, but she is known to have rough emotions at times.
Is she always powerful?
That depends on who you ask.
While she is always cool under stress, she begins to lose that coolness as she loses her power.
She also feels plenty of Surface Pressure, as she feels it’s a challenge to meet the expectations people have for her.
Who Plays the Voice of Luisa? | Jessica Darrow |
Who Are Luisa’s Parents? | Julieta and Agustin |
Who Are Luisa’s Siblings? | Isabela (older) and Mirabel (younger) |
Isabela Madrigal
Next:
There’s the beauty of Isabela.
Isabela Madrigal is Julieta and Agustin’s oldest daughter. She has the ability to get many plants and flowers to grow wherever she goes.
Strong emotions often prompt her to trigger her power at random.
But she isn’t always about beauty.
Why?
Isabela is tougher on Mirabel than everyone else in the family. Still, Isabela often feels trapped in the community and wishes for something more out of her life than to create plants.
She also feels as though she’s under pressure to be perfect all the time. She’s not Senorita Perfecta in any way, and she wants people to respect this point.
Who Plays the Voice of Isabela? | Diane Guerrero |
Who Are Isabela’s Parents? | Julieta and Agustin |
Who Are Isabela’s Siblings? | Luisa (younger) and Mirabel (younger) |
Julieta Madrigal
Here’s the second generation of the family.
First, Julieta.
Julieta is the mother of Mirabel and her sisters and the wife of Agustin. Her ability is to heal people through the food she prepares for them.
She is always calm towards everyone in the family, and she respects her husband and children equally.
She also appreciates everyone in the family. Her face especially lit up when Bruno returned.
Who Plays the Voice of Julieta? | Angie Cepeda |
Who Are Julieta’s Parents? | Pedro and Alma |
Who Are Julieta’s Siblings? | Pepa and Bruno |
Agustin Madrigal
We can’t forget about Julieta’s husband.
Who is he?
Agustin Madrigal married into the community of Encanto.
He doesn’t have any powers, as he wasn’t directly born into the family.
But that’s not going to make him less of a person!
He isn’t necessarily the most professional person, but he is always willing to look out for his wife Julieta and his three daughters.
He’s also pretty clumsy, and he appears to be more of a city boy.
But he’s willing to help his family, even if it means trying to climb Casita to save Mirabel.
Who Plays the Voice of Agustin? | Wilmer Valderrama |
Who Are Agustin’s Parents? | Unknown |
Who Are Agustin’s Siblings? | Unknown |
Felix Madrigal
We can’t forget about the other one who married into the family.
Who is this man?
It’s Felix, naturally.
Felix Madrigal is Mirabel’s uncle and the wife of Pepa.
Like Agustin, he doesn’t have a distinct gift because he came from outside of Encanto. But he has a positive attitude to everything in life.
He gets by much better than many of the other men in the Madrigal family tree.
While Pepa often loses her temper with him, Felix always has a way to calm things down and make everything better.
After all, Felix is Latin for “happy.”
Who Plays the Voice of Felix? | Mauro Castillo |
Who Are Felix’s Parents? | Unknown |
Who Are Felix’s Siblings? | Unknown |
Pepa Madrigal
Let’s get back to talking about the family’s amazing powers.
Here’s Pepa.
Pepa Madrigal is the wife of Felix and has the ability to control the weather. The weather often changes based on Pepa’s mood.
Is she capable of preparing sunny skies each day?
Not exactly.
She can be a challenge to manage at times. She has to remind herself of clear skies on occasion.
The weather conditions can become increasingly dangerous when she is unhappy. She has the least control over her power in general. But Felix still manages to keep her in check.
Pepa particularly has hostile feelings towards Bruno, what with him ruining her wedding and not being a part of the family for so long.
So if it rains, you’ll know why.
Who Plays the Voice of Pepa? | Carolina Gaitan |
Who Are Pepa’s Parents? | Pedro and Alma |
Who Are Pepa’s Siblings? | Julieta and Bruno |
Dolores Madrigal
The three other children in the Madrigal family also have exciting powers.
First, let’s look at Dolores.
Dolores Madrigal is the oldest of Pepa and Felix’s three children.
What is her power?
She has a supernatural sense of hearing. She can hear things that the rest of the family can’t hear.
She probably hears you too.
She can even identify things that people are saying even when they’re thinking to themselves.
She can also hear the rats in Bruno’s room. But she never tells anyone.
This power makes Dolores a trusted person, as she can tell others what everyone else in the family is thinking.
But while her power of hearing is impressive, it has caused her trouble in the past.
How?
People often consider her too observant or willing to barge into everyone else’s lives. But she still tries to be quiet when possible.
She even blurted out one of Mirabel’s secrets.
But it was mainly to protect everyone. She was worried about the future of Casita and had to say something.
Who Plays the Voice of Dolores? | Adassa |
Who Are Dolores’ Parents? | Felix and Pepa |
Who Are Dolores’ Siblings? | Camilo (younger) and Antonio (younger) |
Camilo Madrigal
Now we’re moving toward the boys in the family.
Camilo Madrigal is the middle child of Felix and Pepa and can shapeshift into various people.
He is often a prankster, as he likes to shapeshift into Mariano. He also enjoys shapeshifting into other people to try and get more food.
Sometimes he will shift into different forms when scared or alarmed. This point usually happens unintentionally.
He is still trying to figure out his position in the world.
But he will get there someday.
For now, it’s about fun.
Who Plays the Voice of Camilo? | Rhenzy Feliz |
Who Are Camilo’s Parents? | Felix and Pepa |
Who Are Camilo’s Siblings? | Dolores (older) and Antonio (younger) |
Antonio Madrigal
We can’t forget about the baby of the group.
Who is he?
Antonio Madrigal is the youngest member of the Madrigal family tree.
He has the power to talk to and listen to animals.
He talks to animals of all sorts. The two he befriends the most are a toucan and jaguar, respectively named Pico and Parce.
While other family members like to include him in things, he often struggles to communicate with people, as he seems to prefer the presence of animals.
But he does talk with other people.
He likes talking with Mirabel, as he finds it easy to make friends with her. He also has more of a connection with Bruno than the rest of the family, as he hears about what Bruno is doing by talking to Bruno’s rats.
Who Plays the Voice of Antonio? | Ravi Cabot-Conyers |
Who Are Antonio’s Parents? | Felix and Pepa |
Who Are Antonio’s Siblings? | Dolores (older) and Antonio (younger) |
Bruno Madrigal
Yes, we should talk about someone.
The rest of the Madrigal family would prefer not to discuss Bruno.
The Billboard charts say so too.
But he is still an essential part of the Encanto story.
So, why not talk about him now?
What makes Bruno powerful?
Bruno Madrigal has the power to see into the future. But he is often shunned by the rest of the family. He has behaved improperly and hasn’t been easy to trust even when his future visions are true.
Many of his visions are also ones that make people unhappy, but they are still honest ones. He also left the family years ago without an explanation.
No one wants to hear the truth.
But…it’s something Bruno says.
But Bruno isn’t a bad guy in the least. You just need to learn more about him.
Bruno is still sympathetic to Mirabel. Bruno knows that Mirabel will one day be involved in possibly destroying the community.
But he does not tell her or anyone else because.
But why?
It’s not about being afraid.
He doesn’t want things to be even worse for her.
This move shows how much he cares for Mirabel. But it also makes him more complicated, as it’s peculiar why he would stay quiet.
He eventually learns the importance of finding ways to protect people from bad things that could happen in the future. It’s about preventing bad things he sees before they happen.
Who Plays the Voice of Bruno? | John Leguizamo |
Who Are Bruno’s Parents? | Pedro and Alma |
Who Are Bruno’s Siblings? | Pepa and Julieta |
Alma Madrigal
The elders in the Madrigal family are also essential to the film.
First, we have Alma, or Abuela.
Alma Madrigal is the matriarch of the Madrigal family. She is the holder of the magical candle that has given the Madrigal family their magical powers.
She was given the candle by her husband Pedro. The tears she cried into the candle after Pedro’s death are believed to be what caused the family to receive their gifts.
Alma used to be proud and happy, but she has since become dreary since the death of her husband. She has been a real control freak over her family, as she focuses on protecting the community and her family.
Is she the villain of the series?
Not really, although some like to think so.
She is controlling and domineering, but it’s all about protecting people.
Who Plays the Voice of Alma? | Maria Cecilia Botero plays Alma’s speaking voice, while Olga Merediz plays her singing voice |
Who Are Alma’s Children? | Pepa, Julieta, and Bruno |
Who Are Alma’s Grandchildren? | Dolores, Camilo, Antonio, Luisa, Isabela, and Mirabel |
Pedro Madrigal
While Pedro only appears for a moment, his presence is still felt throughout the film.
What makes him important?
Pedro Madrigal is the former husband of Alma. He was responsible for helping Alma and her newborn children escape during an attack where he died.
The story doesn’t show much of him. He appears to be someone willing to protect the rest of the family, even if it means dying while doing so.
Who Plays the Voice of Pedro? | No one; Pedro is never seen speaking |
Who Are Pedro’s Children? | Pepa, Julieta, and Bruno |
Who Are Pedro’s Grandchildren? | Dolores, Camilo, Antonio, Luisa, Isabela, and Mirabel |
Mariano Guzman
There are many characters outside the Madrigal family to talk about as well.
But only one will be joining the family soon.
Who is this man who will be there soon?
It’s Mariano.
Mariano Guzman is a young man that Dolores has a crush on, but Mariano is expected to be the husband of Isabela in the future.
He is very muscular and attractive, and he cares about other people. But he also isn’t the brightest person in the community.
Who Plays the Voice of Mariano? | Maluma |
Who Are Mariano’s Parents or Grandparents? | Senora Guzman is his grandmother; his other family members are not seen |
Senora Guzman
Senora might not show for much, but she is still important to the story.
Who is Senora?
Senora Guzman is the grandmother of Mariano Guzman. She is proud of Mariano and is especially happy about Mariano’s plans to marry Isabela.
Who Plays the Voice of Senora? | Rose Portillo |
Who Are Senora’s Children or Grandchildren? | Mariano is the only other member of the Guzman family the audience is aware of |
Osvaldo Orozco Ortiz
Osvaldo loves candy. That’s what Bruno once said.
And he’s proof that many of Bruno’s visions can come true.
Osvaldo is a local candy merchant who doesn’t think about what he says before saying it. He often upsets other people in town, but it’s never on purpose.
Osvaldo is especially unhappy with Bruno, as Bruno once predicted that Osvaldo would become overweight. This prediction came true, as Osvaldo loves candy a little too much.
Who Plays the Voice of Osvaldo? | Juan Castano |
The Town Kids
Every story needs a narrator.
So, who is the narrator of Encanto?
The Town Kids are the closest we have to it.
And who are they?
The Town Kids are a grouping of local kids fascinated by the Madrigal family. They appear throughout the film as a Greek chorus who explain and comment on what’s happening.
There’s nothing too special about them, although one really loves coffee.
But they are essential in sharing the story and moving it forward.
Who Plays the Voice of the Town Kids? | Alyssa Bella Candiani, Noemi Josefina Flores, Paisley Day Herrera, Brooklyn Skylar Rodriguez, and Ezra Rudolph |
What Are the Names of the Town Kids? | The film credits the Town Kids by that name, but three of them are mentioned by name. Alejandra and Cecilia are among the kids, while Juancho is the one who is always seen drinking coffee. |
The Horsemen
Are the Horsemen the film’s villains?
There’s the closest thing we have to one, considering what they do.
But we know little about them.
They are still essential to how the story moves forward.
The Horsemen are characters who appear at the start of the story. They were the men who attacked Alma and Pedro’s home and led them to where they are today.
The names of the Horsemen are unknown, and their faces are never shown.
Bruno’s Rats
Disney films have great animal sidekicks.
So who are the sidekicks in Encanto?
Bruno’s rats might as well be those.
Bruno has a whole bunch of rats who keep him company in his house. These rats are very loyal to him and are always working on cooking food and entertaining him. Antonio communicates with the rats to learn more about Bruno’s concerns.
Casita
The last character in Encanto to discuss is the main setting.
A house is a true home, and Casita is a perfect example.
What is Casita?
The Casita is the home where the Madrigal family lives. The house is a character in its own right.
Why is Casita such a character?
Casita is a vibrant house that feels alive thanks to the family’s many magical gifts. Casita exists as a place where the family can stay protected.
But the house starts to break apart as the family loses its powers. Some of the house’s fixtures and other parts can even move to let it communicate with others.
Conclusion
All of these characters in Encanto are unique and have many appealing characteristics. These characters are essential to the story and are a great part of what makes it special.
Which of these Encanto characters do you like the most? Leave a comment with us, as we’d love to hear from you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Encanto Characters
Most of the characters in Encanto are in the Madrigal family.
Although the characters are completely fictional, writers and directors Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Charise Castro Smith loosely based many of the characters in Encanto on some of their family members.
While the Horsemen at the start of the film are villainous, the film doesn’t have a character that people can see as a direct villain.
Some members of the Madrigal family consider Bruno to be a villain, plus there are concerns over how Alma controls much of the family. But Encanto is unique among other Walt Disney Studio films in that it doesn’t have a specific villain.
Whether Encanto has a villain depends on what the audience thinks about the film and its characters.
People have posted various theories online, with Alma, Bruno, and Dolores being among the most common candidates for the film’s villain. There’s even an argument that Mirabel is her own villain.