Who doesn’t love a good Disney movie? I’ve been a diehard Disney fan since I was a child, and like most people got swept up in the Encanto mania of 2021. I’ve been seen singing along to the songs as I drive to work, and must have watched it six or seven times (admittedly several of those were due to the pleadings of my pseudo-step-daughter). But what exactly is it about the film that made it so popular?
Aside from the fact We Don’t Talk About Bruno is super catchy?
Well, when creating Encanto the filmmakers decided to create a family of characters who were based on archetypes. Specifically, the 12 personality archetypes that were developed to explain and understand the psychological makeup of individuals. Essentially, we are all one of these 12 archetypes, as is everyone else we know. This makes them extremely familiar and relatable to us, and creates characters that we instantly connect with.
Since I’ve got a bit of a passion for archetypes myself (I literally wrote a book on it and use it as the base of my content marketing strategies), I tend to notice when film characters perfectly fit their descriptions in a very literal way. Watching Encanto, I knew the writers had based the characters on these archetypes. So here’s a rundown of the Encanto archetypes, and why they make the film so popular.
What Are Archetypes?
Archetypes are fundamental, universal patterns or models that exist in the collective unconscious of humanity, as described by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. They are innate and instinctive, shaping the way we perceive and understand the world around us. Archetypes manifest in various forms, such as characters, symbols, and themes, and they appear across cultures and time periods.
Jung proposed that archetypes represent primal themes or motifs that are deeply rooted in the human experience. They reflect our shared human nature and can evoke powerful emotional responses. These archetypes are often associated with specific characteristics, roles, or behaviours.
These archetypes and many others are present in myths, literature, and art throughout history. They provide a framework for understanding human behaviour, motivations, and the collective unconscious. It is important to note that archetypes are not fixed or rigid; they can vary in expression and interpretation across different cultures and individuals.
Why The Encanto Creators Used Archetypes
Archetypes have been the province of film makers since someone first realised you could record people on film. George Lucas famously used The Hero’s Journey (the mother of all plot archetypes) when he wrote Star Wars, but that same archetypal plot has been used as the basis for innumerable other films, from Harry Potter to The Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz, The Lion King, and pretty much every superhero origin story ever made.
Same plot, different details. Epic movies.
Film creators use archetypes because they are so powerful, and speak to us on such a deep and fundamental level. They resonate so strongly that we love the film, even if we’re not quite sure why. With the hero’s journey, we instinctively recognise the start and anticipate the payoff at the end. When we sit down to watch Iron Man we understand he’s a cad to begin with, but we don’t care, because we know he’s going to transform into a hero through the course of events. Luke Skywalker is a whiny brat at the start of the film, but we’re rooting for him to become something more. Frodo is an odd choice for a dangerous adventure, but we have faith his story will be epic, partly because his uncle Bilbo already embarked on exactly the same quest, just with a different fellowship to face a different foe.
Using the personality archetypes (or character archetypes as I often think of them) in Encanto was a stroke of genius. Many films have archetypal characters, and many films have several characters who strongly represent an archetype, but I can’t think of another that so perfectly encapsulates so many archetypes in a single family.
The Encanto archetypes aren’t just there in the background, they are the core of each of their characters. That goes for their actions and dialogue in the story, and also their songs.
What makes a hit song?
I’d tell you, but we’re not supposed to talk about Bruno.
What Are The 12 Archetypes?
While Carl Jung identified several archetypes in his work, there isn’t a definitive list of only 12 archetypes. However, one popular interpretation of archetypes that has gained traction is based on the work of Carol S. Pearson in her book “Awakening the Heroes Within.” Pearson suggests a model of 12 archetypes that are commonly found in literature, mythology, and human experience. These archetypes can be seen as universal patterns of behaviour and personality traits.
Here are the 12 archetypes proposed by Pearson (along with the names I use for them in my book, Divine Blogging, if they’re different):
- The Innocent (Dreamer): Represents the desire for simplicity, purity, and goodness. It embodies optimism, trust, and a belief in the inherent goodness of people.
- The Orphan: Reflects a sense of being alone, abandoned, or disconnected. It represents the longing for belonging, and the search for support, guidance, and acceptance.
- The Warrior: Embodies courage, discipline, and the willingness to fight for what is right. It represents the desire for strength, mastery, and the ability to overcome obstacles.
- The Caregiver (Nurturer): Represents nurturing, selflessness, and compassion. It embodies the desire to protect and care for others, often at the expense of one’s own needs.
- The Seeker: Reflects the quest for meaning, purpose, and personal growth. It represents the desire for discovery, exploration, and new experiences.
- The Enchantress: Represents passion, desire, and emotional connection. It embodies the pursuit of intimacy, beauty, and deep relationships.
- The Destroyer (Rebel): Reflects the transformative and destructive aspects of life. It represents the willingness to let go, release, and make way for new beginnings.
- The Creator: Embodies the impulse to bring something new into existence. It represents the desire for self-expression, innovation, and leaving a mark on the world.
- The Ruler: Represents leadership, authority, and the desire for control. It embodies the aspiration for order, responsibility, and the ability to make decisions.
- The Magician (Mystic): Symbolises transformation, wisdom, and the mastery of the unknown. It represents the ability to access hidden knowledge and facilitate change.
- The Sage: Embodies wisdom, insight, and deep understanding. It represents the desire for knowledge, truth, and enlightenment.
- The Jester: Reflects playfulness, humour, and spontaneity. It represents the desire for enjoyment, light-heartedness, and breaking away from conventions.
These archetypes are not definitive or exhaustive, and there may be variations or additional archetypes in different interpretations or cultural contexts. Archetypes serve as useful frameworks for understanding and exploring human behaviour and motivation, but individuals are unique and can embody a combination of archetypal energies.
The Encanto Archetypes At Work
By this point you’re probably eager to know which character is which archetype. And, if you’re familiar with the archetypes you’ve likely figured a few out already. The only part where the Encanto archetypes stumble slightly is in how much screen time supporting characters get. Yes, there are twelve archetypes, and yes, the main characters can clearly be seen to be specific archetypes. I will say though, it gets a little blurry on who is meant to be which when we get down to the last three, as they have so little screen time we don’t see much of them.
The top cast, however, are very easily recognised for the archetypes they are…
Mirabel Madrigal – The Rebel
Our main character and the heroine of the film, Mirabel is the quintessential Rebel. She challenges the norm, breaks the mould, and does it in an unexpected way; rather than being an oddball with magic powers, she’s a normal with no apparent gifts at all in a family of highly gifted individuals. She’s treated as a bit of a defunct member of the family as a result. Everyone expected her to get powers, everyone assumed she would, and when she didn’t everyone was very confused and disappointed.
But Mirabel’s role in the film is to challenge the status quo. This is the role of the Rebel. To shake things up. To question if the was it’s always been done is truly the best way to do it. She encourages her siblings to pursue their individuality rather than allowing themselves to be defined and confined by their powers and the expectations of the family and town.
As the story progresses we see her empowering her sisters, all in the pursuit of freedom and happiness. At the same time she’s repeatedly told she must stop what she’s doing as it’s putting all of them, and their future, in danger.
This is often how other archetypes respond to a Rebel, particularly the more controlling ones. They try to curb their rebellious behaviour because they’re convinced it’s a threat to their way of life. And of course, it is. The Rebel lives to stir things up, not (usually) for the sake of causing trouble (though this certainly can be the case) but to better things.
In Mirabel’s case, she sees one sister is being crushed by the weight of other people’s expectations and finds it impossible to do anything for herself, while the other sister is poised to marry a man she doesn’t love ‘for the family’. Meanwhile her cousin is besotted with the same man and is heartbroken with unrequited love. Her youngest cousin, poised on the verge of gaining his own powers, is filled with fear and uncertainty; what if he lets the family down?
As for her uncle, he’s been driven out altogether, nobody has seen or heard from him in years, and everyone seems to be perfectly okay with that because his brand of magic was as unsettling to them as Mirabel’s lack of powers.
Abuela Alma Madrigal – The Ruler
Remember I said the controlling archetypes have particular issues with Rebels? Well, Abuela, Mirabel’s grandmother, is the Ruler in the mix. She’s the matriarch of the family – and for that you’d be forgiven for thinking she’s the Nurturer plays this clan.
You’d be wrong.
Abuela rules clan Madrigal. What she says goes, everyone follows her lead, she’s responsible for the family as a whole and takes that responsibility very seriously. She expects a great deal from her family in return, holding them to a high standard and displaying obvious disappointment and disgust when they fail to meet those expectations.
Not because they have let her down, but because they have endangered the family. They have threatened the status quo. The core of the plot of Encanto is the fact that the magical abilities held by Abuela’s family are under threat. First Mirabel is not given a gift, then Mirabel’s lack of a gift appears to be threatening the gifts of the others.
Throughout the film Abuela is very harsh on Mirabel. It’s clear she sees her as lacking due to not having gained a power, and while the root of that is likely a deep seated fear that the family will lose its magic and be destitute without it, it’s not pleasant to witness.
While Mirabel follows her heart and attempts to do the right thing and save the family magic, she is met at every turn by Abuela, or one of the other family members echoing Abuela’s orders and beliefs.
Abuela is a successful Ruler in the sense that she took her children and built a successful life for her family on the back of her husband’s tragic sacrifice. She has created a dynasty that is beloved and powerful. She’s a Ruler not only of the Madrigal clan but of the community that evolved around them.
She also embodies some of the more disturbing elements of the shadow self of the Ruler archetype. According to Jungian theory, all archetypes possess a shadow; elements of their personality and physiological makeup that counter their positive traits. Many people mistake the shadow as a negative or ‘dark’ side of a person, but in reality shadow traits can be positive or negative depending on how aware a person is of having them. Awareness allows a shadow trait to be transformed into a strength.
Abuela, unfortunately, is lacking in enough self-awareness to see the shadow elements in her personality: a highly controlling nature, coupled with authoritarianism and an arrogant, even narcissistic belief that she is categorically right.
Bruno Madrigal – The Mystic
Bruno is the misfit brother who is (spoiler alert!) missing for most of the film. He’s described to Mirabel as the shadowy relative, the weird and mysterious brother who’s ability to foretell the future was deeply disturbing and caused terrible trouble. Bruno’s gift was is the gift of prophecy, which of all the gifts displayed by the Madrigal clan is the most mystic. Yes, all the family’s gifts are magical, but they fall within the realm of nature; creating things that exist in reality from nothing, enhanced versions of skills or abilities normal humans possess. Julieta cooks, and that cooking has healing powers – this is an extension of real-life cooking and medicine; Ravi has the ability to talk to animals, an extension of natural language abilities; Luisa has enhanced strength, Dolores enhanced hearing; Isabela can create flowers found in nature. Of all the gifts the strangest are Camilo’s ability to shapeshift and Pepa’s ability to control the weather. Yet even here, Camilio appears to only shapeshift into other forms that exist in nature, while weather is a natural phenomenon.
Bruno’s gift is completely outside the realms of what people know, and as a result, it frightens them. This is quintessential of the mystic; to be misunderstood. To have a gift they try to use for good, and have others react to it as if it were evil. To be judged weird or even dangerous. To be misjudged.
When Bruno is first described it’s as a seven foot tall terror, rats on his back, who summons these prophecies and seals your terrible fate. And yet, when we actually meet Bruno, we find him small, meek, rather goofy, and see the rats he has befriended are simply that; friends. Kindred spirits who understand him where humans have always failed to.
More than that, when we listen to the terrible prophecies listed, we can clearly see a lot of them aren’t ‘prophecies’ so much as pointing out the obvious, which happened to come to pass. If you eat too much you’ll get fat. As you age, your hairline will recede. The fear of Bruno’s ability turned his every word into a prophecy, where in reality it seems likely much of what he said was simple conversation that people took the wrong way.
We find his sister completely misunderstood the words he spoke on her wedding day; what was intended to be encouragement and voicing his belief that she could be anything she wanted to be and shouldn’t be afraid was taken as ominous, causing her to make it rain due to her emotional reaction.
Bruno is brave, loyal, and loves his family. He’s simply misunderstood until Mirabel drags him out of hiding and helps people understand who he truly is.
Isabela Madrigal – The Enchantress
Isabela is another easily recognisable archetype. Actually, she’s two: the golden child and the enchantress. She’s the one everyone loves, who can do no wrong in the eyes of her family, yet suffers from the expectations this places on her and her fears of what will happen if she ever does something wrong.
Isabela is all set to marry a man she doesn’t love because it’s expected of her. Because Abuela has made it clear this is the plan, this is what the family needs. She’s easily beloved by the man in question, for everyone loves her, yet while she is beautiful and makes the world around her equally stunning, the poor girl craves something in her life that is real.
That is imperfect.
That ignores all the expectations and wishes of other and is simply, purely, her own thoughts and feelings. Again, Mirabel is the one to draw this out of her and show her that it’s safe to step outside the boundaries of other people’s expectations. To express herself and stretch herself in new ways.
Luisa Madrigal – The Warrior
Luisa’s archetype is perhaps the most on-the-nose. She’s strong and mighty and called upon by all for her protection and abilities to get things done. Yet, the pressure of being the one required to be strong for everyone takes a toll. Luisa feels the pressure, and wonders who she is outside of her heroic strength.
She’s the first person besides Mirabel to sense something is wrong, and while everyone else is telling Mirabel to sit down, shut up, and do as she’s told, Luisa has the courage to admit the truth. In doing so, she allows Mirabel to question other things she’s been told, and ultimately discover the path to saving them all.
Julieta Madrigal – The Nurturer
As the nurturer of the family, Julieta is the caregiver. The one who takes care of everyone. The nurturer archetype often finds themselves in the role of home-maker (both men and women) or some form of medical or caring role. Doctors, psychologists, ministers, these are all professions frequently held by a nurturer (although they don’t always have such a job). Julieta is both a homemaker and a medic. She cares for her own family but also the town as a whole; her cooking heals.
While she’s a minor character and we don’t get to see much of her, we see enough to know she’s a quintessential nurturer.
Pepa Madrigal – The Creator
Pepa is another minor character yet she also falls effortlessly into the role of creator. Her ability allows her to control the weather; literally create rain, clouds, storms, sunshine out of nowhere. Yet, like so many creators, she’s at the mercy of her creative nature. She’s emotional, and her talents are driven by her emotions. She often struggles to control her gifts, yet as we learn through the film this is largely due to a lack of self-belief and, as her confidence improves so to does her ability to create what she wants, when she wants, rather than perpetually having her feelings and whims reflected in the creations appearing around her.
Camilo Madrigal – The Orphan
As another minor character we know even less about Camilo, other than the fact he’s a chameleon. The ability to fit into whatever social group you happen to be with, to take on the role of the ‘everyman’ who is eternally affable, relatable, understood and understanding no matter who he is with is the gift of the orphan. In Camilo’s case it is also literal – he can morph into whatever the situation needs, literally becoming an identical version of the person he is speaking to and putting them at ease with the sense he truly understands them.
Dolores Madrigal – The Sage
I wish we’d seen more of Dolores in the film as she’s intriguing. There’s a fun fan theory about her that puts her in the role of instigator of everything, and has her using her ability to hear all as a way of manipulating the entire situation to get what she wants. We learn early on that Dolores is in love with Isabela’s fiancé, and she ultimately gets her man once Isabela realises he’s not what she wants. Dolores would also likely have been aware that Bruno was still in the house (she’d hear him in the walls), and would have heard whenever anyone expressed personal doubts, thoughts, or feelings. She was likely aware of Louisa’s growing stress, and Isabela’s mounting doubts, yet couldn’t do anything about it herself so ensured Mirabel became aware of it all.
Of course, this is only a fan theory, but even within the film we see that Dolores is intelligent, observant and highly astute; all hallmarks of the sage. She cares about knowledge and understanding, and puts her heightened awareness to good use.
Félix Madrigal – The Jester
The only other minor character we see enough of to really speak on them is Félix, the husband of Pepa. We see enough of him to know he’s sweet, affable, and always lends a little humour to the situations; this is the Jester in a nutshell.
Antonio – The Dreamer, And Agustin – The Seeker
That leaves only two characters in the family, and two archetypes – Antonio and Aguston, and the Dreamer and Seeker. We don’t really see enough of them to know which is which or if they truly fit their archetypes, but given how many characters are in the film it’s hardly surprising there wasn’t space in the run time to fully develop everyone. We do know the film creators intended to have there be twelve family members and for each to fit an archetype. Hopefully we’ll get a sequel and see more of them and their archetypal personalities.
Love Learning About Archetypes?
If the Encanto archetypes have inspired your curiosity on how the psychology of a person’s archetypal nature influences their character, ask yourself how useful it would be to understand the archetype of your ideal client. Over the years I’ve seen a lot of people using archetypes to help with their branding, but I find them infinitely more useful in the full understanding of a business’ ideal client.
By understanding how your ideal clients think, what they need, and what they want, you can create content that speaks directly to them on a powerful, psychological level. This is exactly what I do for my clients on my signature Divine Blogging content marketing service. And it’s exactly what I teach you to do in my book. If you’d like a sneak peek at that book I have advance reader copies available now. Get access to yours now, just fill in the form below.
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