More Javi angst? Yes. So I’ve introduced that Javi’s room reflects his emotions , Ive made a list of colors that could be associated to a certain type of emotion and I wanna present it in like a comic exploring more of Bruno’s relationship with his son Javi and how close they used to be. (Basically a two birds with one stone thing)
Javi’s Room Colors:
-Teal: Default Color/Calm
-Mint Green: Happy
-Red: Anger/Pain
-Deep Blue: Sadness
-Magenta & Purple: Fear/Stress
-Chartreuse: Disgust
- Light Purple: Surprise/Shock
-Gray: Shame
Theres no doubt that Javi’s room is beautiful, its just that a vast and dark cave was a little too frightening for young Javi— so it kinda took some time for him to be comfortable in his new room.
I'm fully on board the "Mirabel gets her own room" train, but I've also got a ticket for the "Mirabel doesn't technically NEED a gift because she's special as she is" Express. We all want good things for Mirabel, but I don't want to downplay the idea that gift or no gift, she's still special.
With that in mind, I like the idea of her getting a room to replace the nursery, but with a few key differences from the other magic rooms:
Her door is an image of her with a needle and thread in hand and the candle above her head, representing how she stitched the family back together. In the background is either the mountain or Casita with a stitched up heart. It's a celebration of her accomplishment and all the work she put in and a symbol of how she is, in theory, the new candle and source of magic. Abuela doesn't have to keep carrying a torch-so to speak- for the past and the trauma that came with it. Mirabel is the future. It'd help explain why the house came back but the candle didn't. The candle is a symbol of the past and eventually Abuela needed to let go of it.
Her room is a lot like the nursery but much bigger and more personalized. It celebrates the talents she worked hard to cultivate. She's got her sewing machine back and tons of shelving for fabric and yarn. There's her own bed with a bedspread with embroidery featuring the symbols of her family. There's also a set up similar to a therapist's office where people can talk to her, or where she can talk to them. Casita doesn't expect her to do everyone's emotional labor all the time, after all.
The best part is that unlike the other rooms, Casita is fully connected to it. It can still communicate inside the room so Mirabel is never cut off from her dear friend.
I think something like this would really be the best of both worlds. Mirabel doesn't have a Gift per se, but she's no longer shunted to the side and left with less than the rest of her family.
(Yes, I know she's front and center on the front door but like. She's fifteen. Girl needs her space.)
I've been thinking about this statue and trying to get into Bruno's head in case he decided to put it up, and it didn't just appear as a result of Casita's magical rooms. What was the motivation behind it? How long has it been there? And most importantly, what does it mean?
Meaning 1: "Climb all those stairs to get a vision from me."
The most on-the-nose interpretation is that this was simply meant to be a signpost to his Vision Cave for the villagers or other visitors. I can imagine it was set up when there were already a decent number of stairs in Bruno's room. At least, it would make the most sense at that point in time.
Meaning 2: "The way to Heaven/God in Christianity."
So, I saw some gravestones with a similar engraving: a hand with its forefinger pointing up to indicate the deceased's soul has risen to Heaven.
This was a prevalent symbol in the Victorian era (1837 - 1901). Of course, this concept doesn't have to apply to 19XX's Colombia, but it's an interesting thought, especially when one considers the heavy Catholic themes in Encanto and, perhaps, that Bruno might be a little old-fashioned/traditional in one way or another.
Also, most references of these headstone images I found feature the right hand as the "correct" hand for this symbol, regardless of if it's shown from the front or back. Bruno's possible left-handedness shown throughout the movie and his rock statue subverts this theme. He is different, and he is "wrong" in the eyes of the villagers.
Meaning 3: "Now listen up, the Prophet is speaking."
Bruno's expressive hand gestures often come into play when he tries to share his thoughts with other characters (Mirabel and Alma, for example.) I imagine their intention has changed from "Please, listen to me." to "May I just… please… say some–– Okay, never mind." over the course of his life.
large references for the Encanto’s size and town map. first map is a good indication of location/house types/streets and layouts/farming locations. The screenshot with dolores gives the indication there’s room for expansion so the town can become even bigger. (it also makes it seem less quaint and perfect.) the little abstract second waterfall next to casita that doesn’t lead to any river gives me a headache btw.
Thought of some angst inspired by the Isabela room scene
Maybe at some point Mirabel wanted to ask for Javi’s help figuring out how to save the magic but after trespassing his room (which is a BIG NO NO for Javi) and Mirabel reminding him of how his absent father is involved in all of this ( especially in the middle of a stressful situation the whole family is facing in the film ) can really take a toll on his mental health . Of course Javi asked her to give him space at first but she still insisted which caused his room to turn red and it’s temperature to turn alarmingly cold (since the atmosphere of his room reflects his strong emotions) before he demanded her to leave him alone. This goes to show how Javi has a tendency to push people away (sometimes literally) even to his loved ones. After Mirabel promptly leaves ( more like dragged away by his powers ), he goes to hide away at the deepest corner of the cavern. The room slowly fading to hues of deep blue.
So I was having a conversation with my twin sister about Encanto. And it quickly became a thing like “What would they have as pets?” and here are my thoughts.
Agustin - He’d be allergic to most things, so I think he’d have a lovely aquarium full of colorful fish.
Julieta - The woman has bunnies. Several in fact. And their names would be based on spices or herbs i.e Cinnamon, or Sage etc.
Isabela - Snake. Isabela gives me snake owner vibes. She’ll let them play in her garden.
Luisa - She would have the smallest dog, or the most fluffy dog. She’d give it sweaters and it would practically own half of her bed.
Mirabel - She is difficult BUT I feel like she’d have a hamster. Mainly because I love imagining Mirabel walking around with her hamster just on her head. Like it is a normal thing to do. “He likes the view”
Felix - He is a dog owner. He has the energy to match a dogs. But he is the one character (other than Antonio) who I think could work with any pet.
Pepa - Hear me out. Pepa owns several colorful song birds. Cockatiels, Parrots, you name it. Imagine them bathing in the drizzle of rain she causes.
Dolores - She’d have the most quiet cat on this planet. It would only allow her to hold it and it would hiss at Camilo the most but otherwise still likes him enough to allow pets.
Camilo - This boy owns either a frog or a bearded dragon. I lean more toward frog because of his face at the dinner table when Dolores tells him about the vision. But he is a reptile kid.
Antonio - He is difficult. He is def the type of kid to bring home random animals he finds that are lost or hurt. So I’d say he has quite the few pets. I lean more toward him having birds just like his Mama and maybe a couple of reptiles too.
Bruno - Rats.
Abuela - I will stand by this. I will take zero critique on this. Alma owns a chinchilla. I will not elaborate on this.