Film Theory: Encanto, The Madrigal Family SECRET!

Kinda impressive how MatPat was able to take a movie like Encanto and managed to conclude that everyone was simply a result of methodically planned out inbreeding.

Regarding the road and the bridge, my interpretation is that Luisa is re-arranging the town for the wedding. That's why she's moving the church to a more central location, that's why she's diverting the river and moving the bridge because she diverted the river and now it flows on a new path, thus needed her to move the existing bridge to a new location.

I love how mat pat is one of the nicest people ever and he starts with topics like inbreeding and cannibalism

Mirabel, her sisters and cousins are the first generation of their family to be born within the Encanto. Presumably, there have only been one or two generations for other families in the village. Another comment mentioned how one of her family members (who married into the family) came from outside the village. But it couldn't hurt to have some more generic diversity lol

"We haven't stopped" is the struggle of a parent, good luck with the rest of the movie binge watching Mat

A lot of people probably think you're exaggerating when you say you've seen the movie 50+ times with your kid, but as a parent I want to assure y'all that it's not an exaggeration. When a kid gets hooked they may watch a movie 2-5 times a day. Two weeks in and you've had it in the background 59+ times.

Hey MatPat! The first cracks scene is real, but because Mirabell is likely the connecting agent between Casita and the Miracle, when Mirabell sees the first cracks, nd informs her family, she feels inportant and apart of her family, thus removing the cracks.
Idk, found this theory somewhere, and edited it to my liking. Have fun with it!

It's actually said by one of the creators that Julieta can cure everything, even her husband and daughter's eyesight, but she gives them a choice.

Mirable: * is getting scolded for lying *
Hernando: * just finished his spackle speed run * * panicking silently*

On a random note, I'm now just mentally hearing MatPat singing "We Don't Talk About Bruno" while walking around the house planning his theories for Encanto. That just lives rent free in my head now, especially cuz MatPat's voice is *amazing.*

Some people: wow what a great kids movie that talks about some family problems but in the end everything becomes great!
MatPat while watching Encanto with his 3 year old family member: *hold my apple juice*

IF one of the next generation of kids (the offspring of Camilo, or Isabela, or whomever) had a child who could teleport, that child could help extend the family line, and ensure that inbreeding wouldn't happen. That child could teleport outside of the Encanto, and would bring someone back.

About the cracks: I think they represent the resentment/distress of Mirabel towards her family. In that moment she feel abandoned and disconnected from her relatives but, the moment she realizes something is going wrong, her naturally caring nature takes over, "reconnecting" her. Because she deeply care about her family, despite everything.
Does this makes sense to anyone?

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who wondered how each generation panned out for these Colombians- I mean, they literally surrounded a small group of people in a wall!

Deep down we all know Encanto 2 would deal with the characters exploring the rich and exotic cultures of South America faster than you could say "Trolls: World Tour"

Mirabel, her sisters and cousins are the first generation of their family to be born within the Encanto. Presumably, there have only been one or two generations for other families in the village. Another comment mentioned how one of her family members (who married into the family) came from outside the village. But it couldn't hurt to have some more generic diversity lol

I read 100 years for school, and I never put together the similarities to Encanto. Mind blown. (very weird book, had to keep a google doc of all the characters cause there’s so many and they all have the same name basically)

On the cracks appearing the first time: there’s a theory that Mirabel is somehow intricately linked to the magic, hence why she never got a door till the end of the movie.
To support this, think about what took place shortly before the cracks appeared the first time: Mirabel feeling hopeless, shown by the line “am I too late for a miracle?” At the end of her song.
This theme of Mirabel losing hope being tied to the cracks is shown again when Abuella starts verbally attacking Mirabel later and even during the initial dinner scene too, as Mirabel seems to be struggling to hold on to having hope but once Abuella, who always assumes Mirabel is useless or in the way due to her not having a gift, sees the prophecy, her mind automatically went to feeling dejected and hopeless.

I love how film theory takes a Disney movie and makes it slightly more terrifying than the freezeframe of the dancing donkeys with 0 context

If you listen Mirabel when she runs into Antonio's room to warn the family, she says and I quote "The house is in danger, the house is in danger. There were cracks everywhere." Instead of saying "there ARE cracks everywhere" Implying that the cracks disappeared before she went to warn the family.

Don't think I've ever clicked on a Film Theory video so fast before. I've had a few theories myself, so this made me really curious

You know what’s funny, I was wondering if they had outside visitors when I finish the movie. Thanks MatPat, you made another Disney movie a horror movie.

It's actually said by one of the creators that Julieta can cure everything, even her husband and daughter's eyesight, but she gives them a choice.

Bridge in middle of road explanation theory: they had a boat too tall to go under the bridge, so Luisa picked up the bridge, puts it on the road off to the side (in a way that people can still walk over it so as to not cause a roadblock) then after the bridge passes and mirabel walks up into it, Luisa puts it back

The first cracks were real since later in the movie after Marible and Isabella make up the cracks heal themselves. The house was cracking but it is trying it's best to keep it together.

Words not to be taken out of context “Nope, inbreeding is still in play!” 😂 and to have been there when you asked, “can you run me a bunch of mathematical hypotheticals to tell me if the people in encanto are inbreeding?” Dead 💀😂

I was saying through out the video, "please talk about the open encanto!" So, inbreeding didn't occur in the encanto. Thanks so much MatPat! Such an interesting video! Will you do more minecraft lore theories? I love the minecraft theories so much!

It takes 3 generations to minimize genetic defects. Granted it’s always best to outsource genes, but still. They seem to have sufficient people so as long as they are careful it should be fine.
Not to mention, natural mutations generally occur. While mutations occur in very small changes every generation, it’s still there.

That’s fair but it’s revealed in the art book that Augustine is from outside the encanto so chances are there’s a trickle of people coming in

Don't think I've ever clicked on a Film Theory video so fast before. I've had a few theories myself, so this made me really curious

Dark theme "we don't talk about Burno"
"Isabelle, Your boyfriend is here!"
"Time for dinner."
Anyone else get cannibal vides? I mean through the movie, I do t remeber seeing any graveyards.

I am normally not a big fan of this channel, mainly watch Game Theory but seriously have been loving the recent uploads.

Matpat finely on his break one day and he just starts humming "we don't talk about bruno-no-no-no"

I always thought there must be some connection to the outside world as the encanto appears to be a melting pot of different cultures in Colombia.

This is the question my wife and I have been asking since we first watched it XD. Like, it makes a ton of sense that the only people living there were from the grandma’s town when they fled, and there’s nothing else in the surrounding area. But glad to see good ol’ MatPat noticed too!

Matpat, i know how you feel. Ever since i bought the dvd for Encanto, My little brother and sister will not stop watching it. I’ve watched it with them over 14 times.

I’ve been forced to listen to the entire soundtrack of this movie so many times that I hear “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” in my nightmares 😅

0:13
“Know diving in today friends because this gene pool is shallow.”
Just the a perfect line 👌🤣
Mix between phrases, science, and just comedic timing
I’m sorry I’m making this a whole thing I just loved that line.

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!!!! This theory has legit been living rent free in my head for a while. I've been waiting for someone to talk about this and finally!!!! I've got my answers. Thank you MatPat for answering.
I feel free guys. Free.

I’d love to see a theory of how strong Lisa is that scene with the bridge she’s holding it from the end the forces must be insane
Would definitely be up Austin’s street

The cracks were real they were an extension of meribel feeling like she wasn’t a part of the family for the first time and her “power” as the “patron” effected the house when she tells everyone what has happened she forgets those feeling and the damage is restored.
Patron in the concept of warlocks as she is the next replacement for the candle so too is she tied to the magic of the house.

I love how much Matpat goes and puts lots of his time in just one video.

I get that "We haven't stopped" part. My parents told me that when I was young I forced them to watch cars 1 like 100 times. Now my brother does that with cringey youtube videos in our room

Mattpat, thank you for your dedication in counting multiple fictional people to the best of your ability and the countless times you have watched this film to bring us entertainment.

I love how much Matpat goes and puts lots of his time in just one video.

One big flaw in this theory: despite starting with so few people they started with large amounts of diversity. Naturally, there would of been a mix of Native and Spanish genetics, and then there was also African genetic citizens as well. This makes it so there are large amounts of dominant genes to start that would combat any defective recessive.
This also might be the reason for the ununiform studies for what a stable gene pool would need to be to start. Start with a bunch of similar people the you'll need to start with more, but if you have a heavily diverse pop you can start with less. And the Encanto starts with a fairly diverse population.
So, you might need to get Austin back on the program to get more variables in there to included the amount of diversity that 3 genetic regions could have.
Also, this would actually be a break through in considering a unifying formula to genetic diversity of small populations. So, definitely a worth while goal if nothing else. And maybe a revisit to other movies with small and/or devastated populations like Raya, Dragon's, and even Brave (considering the lack of diversity of those small populations)... Oh god, Hiccup is inbred...

I love it when Matpat turns innocuous looking cute animated movies into horror films

The house repairing itself after the first cracks was because the family came together in that moment because Mirabel told Abuela about it and she believed her.

Isn’t there a point at which two individuals, despite sharing common ancestors, aren’t considered related? After all, the entire human race is essentially descended from a small group of apes that evolved. That means that at some point, inbreeding becomes a non-issue because, despite coming from the same gene pool, there is enough genetic diversity to prevent major issues.

From what I remember, the cracks in the Casita are Hernando (Bruno). It might sound impossible, but I think it is possible if the rats are there to help Bruno. We know the rats are somehow capable of putting together the entire vision of Bruno during the dinner, showing a measure of intelligence not seen from rats usually.

i have another theory though, i think the magic of the encanto is actually that it is a literal safe place. anyone who needs a safe haven or means no harm to it or its people, can find it and travel to it easy, but if anyone wo wants to find it and means to bring harm to anyone there, will be wondering around in circles and never find it. kind of like storybrook in once upon a time.

I have family with history of inbreeding on Hispanic hills. You're right, luckily, it ain't that bad for my family. Not to mention, it didn't last long.
Edit: should wait to watch full episode before commenting. O well, I deserve any snark.

If you’ve watched e canto so many times, did you realize that in the song ‘’family madrigal’’ during when it’s Mirabellle’s mother’s part there’s a person who has cactuses all on him coming to get healed

When the kid is older, I wonder how he’ll react to what Mat’s been doing after every movie night all these years

I remember somewhere people talking about how the two husbands were actually from outside the wall, so its not a matter of no one coming in. It's just very very hard to get in. But I would love to see how everyone learns about tech beyond the mountains now. lol

Despite having never watched the movie, I’m watching this. Is it only because every time Mirabel talks I realize my sister was actually correct about who voiced her? Yes.
My sister and I started watching B99, and the woman who plays Rosa plays Mirabel.

One of the things that needs to be taken into account with the 50/500 rule, is that it is sort of species dependent. Some species have far fewer problematic recessive genes and can inbreed more than others without issue. Some species have far more and can tolerate less inbreeding. Of course, we are speaking of humans here, so really, the survival of the people of Encanto would really depend on the prevalence of recessive genetic disorders. The lower the prevalence, the longer the population can be sustained, and the more inbreeding that can be tolerated. Yes, eventually, without some new genetic material being introduced into the population, there is a high likelihood that the majority of the population will eventually suffer from multiple genetic disorders (one specific genetic train we know will become prevalent is an allergy to bees). All of that being said, taking into account the birth rates mentioned in the video, the possibility of multiple breeding partners in the original group (culturally less likely to be the case), the size of the original group and the time frame of 50 years, the population would be fine. They would likely be ok for another century and a half, with only inbreeding occurring between peoples that are at least 2 generations removed from each other, which is not uncommon, even today.

I would love to see a theory on how Belle's 'U' system works. The movie describes it as "reading your biometric information" but what does that mean, how close are we to that with today's technology, things like that.

This reminds me, I've been re-thinking your "Dolores being evil" thing from a while ago and I think there's 1 thing that throws a wrench in it. Dolores' little squeaks. In a supercut video of her doing those cute little squeaks someone in the comment section said that that is something some Colombian people do when at a state of unease. Knowing that, think about each time Dolores squeaked. 1st time was telling those kids that Mirabel doesn't have a gift which is a touchy subject, 2nd time is her telling Mirabel about Luisas' twitchy eye which involves the magic fading out, an even more touchy subject. Times 3 and 4 both happen when she over hears that Mirabel found Brunos' lost vision, what it's about and her and Agustin saying to keep it on the down low. On the one hand she can't say anything about Bruno because of her mom Pepa holding a salty grudge on the guy for causing her wedding to become a mess. On the other hand Dolores is Almas' little stool pigeon and has to tell her everything of major importance. Then there's the long drawn out squeal she dose during the dinner with her being all "I must say something" and Mirabel staring at her all "Don't you bloody dare". Basically Dolores might've been under the heel of keeping up appearances like everyone else.

“We haven’t stopped” well if you are feeling a bit bored about Encanto may I suggest another animation film released around the same time as Encanto? It’s called Luca and I think that has a lot of theory potential, go check it out! It’s a very good movie!

Honestly I would love to know the implications of twins in the inbreeding process. Abuela had triplets, which means that all three of them have the twin gene to pass on to all their offspring. And it is common that it skips one generation, so if there was another person among those first 50-75 to enter the Encanto with said genes, you could probably see a boom in twin births when the grandkids start marrying other people from the current 310 population.

Plus, I’ve always been more curious how the economy of such a small village works. If you have maybe 300-ish people tops in this Encanto, but no trade with the outside world…how are they getting all their luxuries? Glasses, fine clothing, metal-working and jewelry, THE INSTRUMENTS. Those kinds of things take skilled work and lots of resources, which ok, I’m sure there were probably some skilled artisans among the initial population of refugees, but taking into account all the people you would need for construction, raising animals, farming fields, mining metals (do they just have all the iron, copper, gold, silver, nickel, and tin deposits in that one valley?), quarrying stone…does the Encanto just poof these things out of thin air when they’re needed, like the Casita?

Matpat… Who is the most insane Madrigal Luisa who can lift the entire town! (We learn that in her song, surface pressure.) or Isabella who can make flowers from seemingly nothing or someone else?

I’ve been forced to listen to the entire soundtrack of this movie so many times that I hear “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” in my nightmares 😅

I did not expect the end result to this one, but I'm glad it ended on a more positive note for the characters in question

Here’s my question if every kid gets a power how long would it take for the whole world to get some sort of super power or would we get more and more kids with no powers?

I like how film theory makes his videos interesting and makes his edits incredible on his video :)

I love the science theories. Especially the dark ones.

I thought about the population growth during my 2nd or 3rd watch, and guessed that it wouldn't become a problem until Mirabel's grandkids' generation. Good to know that my guesstimate was pretty spot on

You know, as wild as this may go, imagine how it would have been for the Ishigami village in Dr. Stone.
Only bringing it up because the theory about Dr. Stone is my top recommendation.

Feel bad for Bruno who never got to have kids, technically he would have also been the one to carry the family name aswell.

I mean, they're not exactly isolated, right? Augustin's design implies that he's not from the village so I'd assume anyone willing enough can just go there (also one of the scrapped concepts shows civilization is relatively near the village)

This makes "we dont talk about bruno" a whole lot weirder...
Edit: I am talking about the wedding scene, and the 5 babies scene outside of the song LOL

I’ve been forced to listen to the entire soundtrack of this movie so many times that I hear “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” in my nightmares 😅

Welcome back Matpat. I was highly looking forward to more of my favourite things being ruined

Deep down we all know Encanto 2 would deal with the characters exploring the rich and exotic cultures of South America faster than you could say "Trolls: World Tour"

the first kids would have grown up and entered the pool already right? so if their were any orphans in that group the pool would be a bit bigger. also there is a chance that nobody had fertility issues

Regarding the road and the bridge, my interpretation is that Luisa is re-arranging the town for the wedding. That's why she's moving the church to a more central location, that's why she's diverting the river and moving the bridge because she diverted the river and now it flows on a new path, thus needed her to move the existing bridge to a new location.

my personal head Canon to the first set of cracks is that they get healed in that moment because Mirabel trusts her family enough and believes in their belief in her that it heals since the cracks are directly related to familial discourse

So long as you don't breed back to a prior generation(with aunts or uncles) and the same-generation partner is a first cousin or more distant in genetic relation, things ought to sort themselves out.
Prehistoric Humans have survived bottleneck evolution plenty of times before, long before eugenics was ever a concept to consider.

MatPat you forget one thing: Isabella has plant magic and could simply reorganize the family tree

They have not been there long enough and there was enough people fleeing the village that I think that it hasn’t happened.

Dang, you sure know how to make many theories out of a single movie. You sir would be a really good promoter for something old to be seen as new.

My seven year old twin nieces, can Actually sing the song “we talk about Bruno” from line to line.

The first thing I noticed about this movie was the fact that each section of the family tree had a color and my family just said it was a coincidence

In my IB English 11 class we just read Chronicle a Death Foretold and it had a similar setting. It's cool to see the cultural aspects in both literature and new movies

Your videos have always brightened my day. Perfect Summer Break gift ❤ love you and the team so much, MatPat

I just thought that with the madrigals after so long there would be thousands with powers since well the kids of any of the madrigals have powers

Trust me matpat,
*I've watched Encanto more then you'd imagine.*

Hey Matt, can you do a theory on how with all their powers combined, the Madrigals could practically create a drug empire?

I've been trying to be able to just say how much you are good at doing this and everyone who helps is amazing

As a colombian, the restriction on no one being capable to get into the encantó is really weird as the culture of different characters,as Félix or Agustín, is clearly reflecting origins from parts of the country that are not in the mountains of the center of the country. So I had this theory that the encantó is really difficult to access but not imposible, as a proof, Agustín talks about getting adapted into the family and it could be his way to describe the process of getting from the capital of the country to the country side.
Sorry if my English has some issues I'm clearly no native in this lenguage

It wasn't specifically mentioned but you would also need to account for the fact that 50 people randomly escaping would be maybe only 10 separate families so you are probably more limited than you realise.

I'm sad Matpat didn't cover a bit more on the inbreeding thing, with so many studies going around, he'd probably find the one that showed it was moderately safe to breed with anything outside of 3rd cousin.
That's were the term "Kissing Cousin" came from.
Thank you, Alabama.

here's a fun detail: the melody of "two caterpillars", the spanish song, is not worked into the finale song, but it however is worked into Abuela's verse from the FIRST song in the movie.

Sounds legit, and honestly this is where some of the more recent powers will come in to play. Antonio can talk to animals, meaning that he can talk with creatures who can pass innocently near the villages outside the Encanto. Getting a lay of the land means that you know if the people outside the Encanto are friendly, how many of them there are, what their routines are, and--most importantly--where you can sneak in. That leads us to Camilo. In the context of the small Encanto, someone changing to look like someone else feels like an outlier with no clear benefit, but with the greater world available? You need someone who can get in, and get even more information, see if anyone is plotting against you, and find potential allies who may be willing to fight alongside you if the leadership is hostile. Based on the magic providing for the long-term needs of the people inside the Encanto, it would appear likely that the world outside is still hostile. This isn't a guess, either--the Encanto was locked away from the outside world only as long as it needed to be.
The family has been refocused on what is important. Bruno is back in the fold meaning they can see the results of their actions and potentially provide backup that does not necessarily attach to those visions. (Bruno could see that the house would be destroyed, but he did not see the town coming to help rebuild, so you could potentially build in safety to your plans--weapons, food, books, etc. provided by people not involved with the actions you are monitoring.) Camilo can integrate and hide among the people outside the Encanto and Antinio can find the weaknesses in their enemies. You have a healer and someone immensely strong. Isabella has realized she can create more than just flowers, and we have seen her create carnivorous plants. Delores can hear what the enemy is saying without being close. What we are witnessing in the movie Encanto is more than the family coming together; we are seeing the formation of the resistance and now is their time to strike.

The end meme would have been funny if it said “the towns folk spending all day building a house when all they needed was a door and a knob”.

Hey! The cut on Mirabel's hand is the same as Eugene's cut from Rapunzel! Haven't heard any one talk about this one, so I thought I would mention it! Have a good day. 😊

Theory idea: In the how to train your dragon series is there enough wood for all the housing there and the fires and the rebuilding of the housing etc?

As someone who has to watch this movie once a day with my two-year-old I feel your pain