#mirabruno analysis

[andtheyweresiblings]

Hello! First of all, I want to tell you that I like your blog. I have read your analyzes and HC's of the brumira ship and I loved them very much. What a way to expose through reasonable arguments a veiled relationship that goes beyond the familiar between this pair! I want to tell you that pairing them didn't even cross my mind at first, but as the movie continued I kept raising an eyebrow in suspicion that something was happening between them, but I didn't know what. I had this funny feeling until the infamous post-credit scene where the two of them were sitting on that hill under a starry night. I digress, I'm writing to you because I wanted to know your opinion on one of Jared Bush's answers in the last Q&A. Attached image.

I don't know why, but I feel like his answer was quite direct, pessimistic and realistic (I know he wouldn't have to answer with a super analysis either because it's twitter but still). Do you also consider that the family would have fallen apart? Taking into account the coexistence and the dependency that they would possibly develop, do you believe that the relationship between Bruno and Mirabel would have rushed towards the romantic? What do you think would have been the future of both parties? Do you think they would ever meet again? And if that was the case, how do you think both sides would react? I know that there are a million possibilities for these questions, but I would love to know your opinion or possible HC's in a situation like this. Thanks for your attention. I hope you have a good day.

Thank you so much! I'm glad you've enjoyed my thoughts on these two. And thank you for this ask! It's been awhile since I've done anything on here, and I don't keep up with what Jared Bush has to say about Encanto, so this is very cool to see.

To get to your ask, this has been a very fun and interesting scenario to play around with. Let me answer this in parts so I don't get lost.

Do you also consider that the family would have fallen apart?

To put it simply, yes, and it's because Mirabel and Bruno are the family's cycle breakers. But I can break it down further.

Everyone in the family aside from Mirabel and Bruno is working to uphold the status quo that has been set by Alma. A few things about this status quo:

It is incredibly maladaptive and toxic for the mental health of individual Madrigals and the overall cohesion of the Madrigal family.

It was developed directly from Alma's trauma responses in the aftermath of Pedro's death.

The miracle is central to upholding the status quo and without it, the family loses the tenuous foundation keeping them together.

In the film, we see the negative impact the Madrigal's status quo has on individuals. We specifically see this impact with Pepa, Isabela, and Luisa. We see Pepa in constant distress and at complete mercy of her gift, and we see Alma reinforce this dynamic by telling Pepa to tone down her weather (and by extension, her emotions) a couple times in the movie. With Isabela and Luisa, we get to see a slightly different story. A generation younger than Pepa, both Luisa and Isabela have a grasp on how detrimental the family's current dynamics are to their personal well-being, but they don't really know how to change it, and when they try to fix it, it backfires miserably on them, mostly due to Alma's wrath (which for nuance's sake is powered by her trauma-influenced worldview about needing to be worthy of the miracle and not lose anymore of her family). With Pepa, Luisa, and Isabela, we get to see how the different generations within the family interact with the family dynamics. And without any cycle breakers to aid them, they're not able to effectively make any lasting changes to the family.

This is all to say what we already know, and that is that Mirabel and Bruno are not the ones that cause the house—a metaphor for the family's dynamics/cohesion itself—to collapse. They are the ones who were able to see the cracks in the family's foundation, and for that reason alone, they are the only ones who have a chance at guiding the family towards healing. Because you can't fix a problem if you don't recognize it's there, as is the case with the triplet's generation. And even if you do recognize there's a problem, you still can't fix it if you don't know what it looks like or understand what is wrong, as is the case for the grandchildren's generation.

So, if Bruno and Mirabel completely left the family after the house collapsed, which ultimately serves as a metaphor for the family no longer being able to sustain their toxic system, then the rest of the Madrigals would be at a severe disadvantage for healing the family. Not only would the Madrigals have lost their two cycle breakers, but they would also have to navigate losing their gifts and estranging another Madrigal due to the family's toxic dynamics.

When I think about it, the gifts are what is really keeping the family together. The miracle garners a sense of duty within each of the gifted Madrigals. Within the film, Mirabel's reconciliation with Alma is directly what causes her to rally the Madrigals to rebuild. Mirabel keeps the family together in their gift-less state. Without Mirabel, I think it would be very easy for the oldest grandchildren decide to take off as well and finally escape Alma's standards and visions for them.

Really, Mirabel is the key to the family's destruction or rebirth. Bruno paved a way for her, but Mirabel is the one doing the heavy-lifting. That being said, if Mirabel left after the destruction of Casita, I can't think of a single compelling reason for why Bruno would hang around the Encanto or the Madrigals. He was living in the walls to be near his family, but he would see immediately that there is no family without Mirabel's help, and he certainly would not have the courage nor the reason to try to re-enter the family with Mirabel gone.

Headcanons and musings below the cut because this got really long.

Taking into account the coexistence and the dependency that they would possibly develop, do you believe that the relationship between Bruno and Mirabel would have rushed towards the romantic?

Like you said, I think there are a TON of ways this can play out.

If Mirabel and Bruno both decided to leave after the destruction of Casita, I think it is likely that they would both decide to journey together when they do find each other outside the Encanto. They might not know each other very well, but they are each other's last connection to their family and the town they're leaving behind.

In this scenario, I think Bruno and Mirabel's relationship would develop more quickly into a romantic one than if they had stayed with the family. After all, they are not going to be around other family members they can harm with their mutual attraction. It's going to be harder and harder for them to justify staying away from each other when they are all the other has. But I do think it would still take awhile before either of them develop feelings, acknowledge their feelings, and then decide what to do with their feelings.

I guess once they both realize they have feelings for each other, they might be more likely to act on their mutual attraction in this scenario. And the angst over what this means for the family would be lessened greatly because they're not a part of the family anymore.

You know, as I'm thinking about it, one way this could play out is that they really lean into this idea that they were the destroyers of the family, so yeah, of course they're going to have incestuous feelings for each other. Just par for the course.

So in this case, we have much more potential for Mirabel and Bruno being much more unapologetic about their feelings and their relationship with each other. Plus, aside from the obvious age-gap, they would be able to be as open as they want about it as they travel from town to town. (Because I guess in my head they become travelers. It adds to this idea that the only home they have at this point is each other, but I digress.)

What do you think would have been the future of both parties?

Let's focus on the rest of the Madrigals. Following the conclusion that Mirabel leaving would result in the destruction of the family, then I would have to say that if for some reason Mirabel and Bruno do ever return to the Encanto, it is highly unlikely the family is all still together.

I think Julieta and Augustin probably would have stayed behind with Alma, trying to maintain some semblance of the family that used to be. Plus, Julieta is the eldest daughter, so she might feel a deeper sense of responsibility to keep up the old ways best she can. Even if Alma's actions resulted in the estrangement of her youngest daughter.

Pepa and Felix are also probably nearby, or at the very least, in contact with Julieta and Augustin. But I don't see them living together. After all, after Bruno, Pepa had the most issues with Alma.

It's with the grandchildren that you can really see the fallout of the Madrigal family.

Isabela absolutely would leave as soon as she deemed that Mirabel was not going to return. She probably becomes a florist or a gardener a few towns over, exploring her other interests (and bisexuality).

Luisa would probably stay behind due to a blend of sense of duty and guilt over not wanting to leave her parents completely alone. But I can't imagine she would be too happy about it. She likely would still be in secret communication with Isabela, though it would break her heart that it has to be secret.

Whenever Dolores does end up with Mariano, they would probably find their own place together, either in town or just out of town. Either way, it would be away from the family.

Camilo would probably stay with his parents for a few years, but since these are my headcanons, I think he would also go looking for Isabela at some point. Once he finds her, they end up together.

For the most part, Antonio gets to grow up as a normal kid since Pepa and Felix move away from the family. He doesn't get the full experience of living in a close-knit multi-generational family, but at least he gets to be a kid with friends and more appropriate amount expectations set on him.

Do you think they would ever meet again? And if that was the case, how do you think both sides would react?

I imagine that the fragmented parts of the Madrigal family probably wouldn't meet again. At least not until far into the future. But if they were to meet again, it would have to be due to an event that would cause all the Madrigals to come together again.

Maybe it's Alma's funeral. Maybe it's the birth of Dolores's first child. Either way, something so big happens, that even the estranged Madrigals are notified. How? Probably Dolores. I think she would be savvy and covert enough to know where her estranged relatives are without outing them to the other relatives. So she's probably the one to let them know so they can decide if they should return, even temporarily.

When Mirabel and Bruno get the news, they have to decide first if they want to go back and second how they will present themselves to the family.

If Alma is still alive, they would totally go the unapologetic route of being openly together as a final middle finger to her before leaving again. If it's her funeral, they might be more secretive about it out of respect to the other grieving Madrigals.

Either way, enough time has passed that Mirabel is a fully grown woman, so if/when the family does find out, I think there would be some disgust and upset, but it would be much more worn than if the family had stayed together. Partially because of how much time has passed and how clear it is that Bruno and Mirabel are in an established, stable relationship, and partially because the family is broken and most of the Madrigals have made it to the acceptance stage for this brokenness. So an uncle and niece are in a relationship? Well, now that's a part of the family Madrigal.

But if Mirabel and Bruno are found out, Camilo and Isabela would come forward as a couple as well, as a show of unity to them.

Nothing like finding out there are two incest couples in one family to really send home the message that this family is beyond repair.

After that, I think the Madrigals would be taking sides. Mirabel, Bruno, Isabela, and Camilo would probably start reconnecting again, while the other Madrigals decide who they are willing to maintain relationships with and who they are disowning.

Luisa is pretty firm about not disowning her sisters, though she is secretly a little uneasy about Bruno. Mostly though, she's just happy to see Mirabel and Isabela again. It's probably what gives her the final push to move away from her parents and closer to Isabela and Camilo. Antonio is torn, but ultimately glad to be reconnected with his cousins and brother. Dolores and Mariano, of course, are opening their arms to everyone. It's Bruno's siblings and in-laws that are having a harder time.

But that's okay, because Mirabel and Bruno have reunited with the family who is willing to accept them. This gives them incentive to finally settle down, choosing to live close to Isabela, Camilo, Dolores, Mariano, and Luisa. It's not perfect, and it's certainly not normal, but the seven of them are able to slowly rebuild the Madrigals into something new. Possibly something a little better.

[ID: A set of tweets. User Sara Amelia asks: "What would have really happened if Mirabel and Bruno had left Encanto after the destruction of Casita to never return again to avoid harming their beloved family?"

User Jared Bush responds: "The destruction of the family." ED]

#madrigalcest #mirabruno #brumira #isamilo #mirabel x bruno #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #family weirdos headcanons #madrigalcest headcanons #asks #secretgreymoon96 #atws #c

[sandcoveredwings]

12/2023 update: I'll be using @andtheywererelated for Brumira stuff from now on. Please feel free to join me over there!

Word of warning, it is a multifandom blog, so I might keep this one up and running for the folks who prefer brumira-only.

Old pinned post below cut.

Hello! This serves as an archive for all my mirabruno posts from my main. I wanted a way to keep them organized in a slightly different way than I do on my main blog, so I created this. Of course, feel free to follow, but I don't anticipate there being any different content on this blog than my main.

As of now, I am only planning to include my posts, asks, and submissions from my main blog. But that may change to include reblogs in the future.

Tag Guide

Types of posts by tag:

images

fanart

headcanons (and submitted headcanons)

fic recs

analysis

asks

submissions

Analysis Tags:

couple coding - analysis focused on canon dynamics and interactions of Mirabel and Bruno in the film.

encanto (2021) meta - general discussion and analysis of Encanto.

antimirabruno mention - any mention of ship/fandom discourse.

NSFW Tags:

smut mention

smut explicit

Mirabruno Adjacent:

brumiramilo mention - any post that mentions or includes the OT3 of Bruno x Mirabel x Camilo.

AUs

to be added.

[andtheyweresiblings]

I saw a tag in an AO3 Mirabruno fic that said Mirabel and Bruno are coded as a couple, and this was definitely a thought I also had during my first watch of the movie. Especially considering that in an animated film, any potential chemistry between actors is not going to play a huge role in what’s happening on screen. Rather, any chemistry between characters is going to be due to the choices animators and writers made, which is fun to think about. So I thought I’d try my hand at analyzing what I think so many of us were picking up on.

Now I’m not saying all of these points support romantic coding alone, but I think when put together, we get something significant between Mirabel and Bruno. I would love to hear any possible additions or elaborations to this that I might be missing.

**use the numbered points as the TLDR**

1. Bruno estranged himself from his family to protect Mirabel.

There is a lot to be said about this move. On one hand, Bruno was motivated to do this because he had already developed a bad reputation amongst his family and the townsfolk that his prophecies were bad news and that he was somehow playing a role in them. It can probably be argued for this reason alone, he left to protect himself. But he was also protecting Mirabel because he knew that with this prophecy, she would be dragged down with him. When Mirabel meets/confronts him in Casita’s walls, Bruno says, “no one was supposed to see that prophecy.” Considering how superstitious/paranoid Bruno appears (to the point of probably meeting OCD criteria), I think it is a fair assumption that at some point, Bruno started internalizing that maybe just maybe he was part of the problem and was to blame for the outcomes of some of his prophecies. So, in addition to protecting Mirabel from his mother’s wrath, I think Bruno may also have been trying to protect her from some doomed fate he might have thought he brought upon her. I think his logic was, if no one else sees the prophecy, maybe it cannot come true. I got on a little tangent there, but ultimately, while I think Bruno had a couple motivators for leaving the family after making the prophecy about Mirabel, it seems the main motivator was to protect Mirabel. While not inherently romantic, it is definitely a decision with a lot of love behind it. 

2. They defend each other to the family matriarch.

In the final act of the film, both Mirabel and Bruno defend each other to Alma. While Mirabel is defending herself and her sisters against her abuela’s impossible standards, she also leaps to Bruno’s defense, stating that Alma always saw “the worst” in Bruno and that Bruno does in fact love the family.

Likewise, Bruno literally rides on a horse to Mirabel’s rescue to defend her against any wrath Alma may have against her. This is especially important when considering that Bruno previously expressed to Mirabel that he was afraid of facing Alma. In this scene, he shows he is willing to overcome this fear to once again protect Mirabel. He literally tells his mother, “I don’t care what you do to me.” I think the fact that he is riding on a horse just adds to the coding of a knight in shining armor rescuing his damsel in distress, even if Mirabel is perfectly capable of managing conflict.

3. Bruno comes across as younger than his age.

Bruno holds himself in a smaller posture. He appears shorter than his sisters. And frankly, he seems timid and unsure of himself. He often uses more informal language and catches himself and tries to use more formal language, and I think it’s to appear more mature than he feels he is. It doesn’t help that all of the Madrigal adults look much younger for their age, and he’s no exception. Now, I am going to refrain from going into why he may seem younger than his sisters (despite the graying hair). The point here is that Bruno acting and looking younger created a weird dissonance in my mind. On one hand, I knew he was Mirabel’s uncle and was the same age as her mother. On the other hand, his portrayed youth makes it a little easier to interpret their interactions as a little more romantic than familial. Because honestly, if the plot was just a little different and Bruno was just some seer that Mirabel was seeking out, then a lot of their interactions would read as very shippable to me. I’m sorry I cannot elaborate this more eloquently.

4. “After you save the miracle, come visit.” “After I save the miracle, I’m bringing you home.”

No elaboration for this. Just the way they look at each other during this exchange:

5. Bruno is canonically interested in incest romances.

Ok. I know this has been a central point of discourse between us and antis, but I want to look at this within the context of the narrative. Which is to say, Bruno talking about an aunt/nephew romance plot comes across as a foreshadow when considering the fact that 1) it can be assumed Bruno came up with this plot by himself and enjoys it, 2) Bruno started talking about this plot basically unprompted to his niece who he hasn’t seen in a decade, and 3) this was right after he had saved said niece from what he had assumed was death. I think having one of the characters in a shipcest pairing being canonically interested in incest already gives us a lot of shipcest fuel, but more than that, Bruno’s interest in incest and how it is introduced within the narrative very easily reads as a foreshadow in the first viewing of the movie.

6. Bruno is starved for affection and love, while Mirabel is starved for respect.

I think this is what ultimately colors everything between these two as potentially romantic. Bruno has been isolated for ten years, so any positive regard and affection to him is going to be so meaningful. We can see it on his face when Mirabel is reassuring him that she doesn’t think he makes bad things happen and that he just got a bad rap. We can see it in countless other scenes of Bruno receiving affection from other characters in the movie. He is shocked and very clearly doesn’t know what to do with it:

Likewise, Mirabel rarely receives respect from the adults and even children of the family. Tía Pepe and Isabela tend to be annoyed with Mirabel at baseline. Abuela Alma at her kindest is still shutting down Mirabel and telling Mirabel she has very little value to offer the family. Meanwhile, her parents sometimes accidentally support Alma’s opinion of Mirabel in their reassurances that she has “nothing” to prove. From their first interaction, Bruno listens to Mirabel and talks to her like an equal, like an autonomous adult who matters. As the two work together, Bruno continues to demonstrate that he respects Mirabel. He doesn’t talk down to her, and he apologizes for raising his voice at her when she was spiraling about hugging Isabella to save the miracle and reemphasizes her autonomy (“it’s up to you”):

Ultimately, these two unconditionally offer each other what they are both craving—what they each never properly received from the rest of the family—and this is a trope often used in a romantic narrative. Not to mention, they can also relate to each other; they are both misfits and both feel incredibly displaced from the rest of the family. Add to the fact that the two treat each other more like equals and less like uncle/niece, and suddenly, the couple coding seems more evident.

7. The blocking and imagery choices.

Honestly, most of the ship vibes I saw came from a lot of the blocking/imagery choices the animators made, so I’m just going to have to include some screenshots of the most damning ones because I don’t know how to make gifs. They are as follows.

The concern/desperation in Bruno’s eyes when he saves Mirabel from falling:

All the hand holding during the prophecy scene:

This scene in which we see a lot of mirroring between the two, supporting the idea that they see each other as equals:

This scene in which her parents are singing, “and to watch our little girl grow.” Of all the things to pan to in order to demonstrate that Mirabel is growing up, they chose to show her interacting with Bruno. It’s an interesting choice to me:

And then, of course, the last minute or so of the movie where we get a lot of mirabruno eye contact and shared smiles:

And Casita literally brings them together into a pseudo-dance:

Then there is the family picture. The way Bruno is holding/touching Mirabel does not come across as a typical uncle/niece interaction. Look at them. Regardless of the nature of their relationship, there is a high level of physical intimacy shown here:

And of course, the end credits silhouette:

So there you have it. These are the biggest reasons why I think these two are coded as a couple, but I’m sure there are many more that I’m not thinking of. I love these two so much, and I would love to hear other thoughts in support of their coding as a couple.

#mirabruno #brunobel #madrigalcest #proshippers please interact #brunibel #shipcest #mirabruno analysis #bruno x mirabel #brumira #brunomira #sorry for being obnoxious and putting all the ship names i know of this #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #atws #c

[andtheyweresiblings]

I love that Bruno is basically Mirabel's Knight/Prince, whatever. ♡ He came to her rescue on a horse! About to fight his mother! Lmfao.

Oh yeah, he was totally ready to fight his mother. Makes me think about the possibility for a slightly darker au in which Alma needs a little more than Mirabel telling her off for her to understand the generational trauma she is perpetuating and how Bruno could have played into helping Alma understand the harm she was causing. (I think Bruno deserved a moment where he got to voice his own thoughts to his mother, like Mirabel). Or maybe even a villain!Bruno or villain!Alma AU. The potential this scene has! But I digress.

Personally, in my first viewing of the movie, I was hoping it was Bruno that was going to find Mirabel first. I had a very elaborate prediction/fantasy in my already mirabruno-addled mind that the similarities between Bruno and Mirabel were going to help him figure out where she was quicker than the other family members. Then they were going to have a very important conversation about prophecies, fate, and the roles Bruno, Mirabel, and the family played in the destruction of the encanto, before ultimately deciding to return to the family together. It was going to complete my romantic coding dreams, but alas.

I was a little (a lot) disappointed when Abuela was the one to find Mirabel. I understand why they did it. It was the best way to drive their message on generational trauma home, and I think that was an effective choice.

This is all to say that Bruno riding in on a horse to defend Mirabel's place and image in the family to Abuela Alma was the second best thing that could have happened for my mirabruno heart.

#mirabruno #brumira #mirabruno analysis #asks #anon #am i salty that alma was the one who introduced bruno back into the family? yes #and that's mostly because i think they glossed over her redemption too quickly #but also #narratively it would have made sense for mirabel to introduce bruno back into the family #ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING #the whole [visit me/I'll bring you home] exchange those two had #they could have given us some follow-through #but it's ok #i guess they really wanted to shoddily mend the relationship between alma and bruno instead #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #c

[andtheyweresiblings]

I've been thinking about Bruno's motivations in the film. While Mirabel is most motivated to save the family's magic to prove her worth, everything that Bruno is seen doing in the film is done for Mirabel. Yes, he plays a crucial part in saving the family, but it's all for Mirabel.

He estranges himself to protect Mirabel. He agrees to "see more" of the vision for Mirabel. He wasn't willing to come back to the family, but he asks Mirabel to visit him. Textually, we are led to believe that if everything had worked out for Mirabel after hugging Isabela, Bruno would have not felt the need to come back into the family because the fear of doing that was not worth it to him. What was worth it to him? Protecting Mirabel. The only reason why he was willing to confront Alma and by extension reveal himself to the family was to protect Mirabel.

Romantic or not, that is some incredible devotion he has for her.

#mirabruno #brumira #madrigalcest #bruno x mirabel #brunomira #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #atws #c

[andtheyweresiblings]

Maybe I'm reading into things, but I did a double take when Mirabel shyly tucks her hair behind her ear when reassuring Bruno in the prophecy scene, because that's exactly the gesture Disney used to indicate Ana having a moment of nervous attraction to Kristoff in Frozen (after they've fallen off the cliff into the snow). I know they're different franchises, but it's the same company, and the context of the gesture jumped out at me as an indicator (subconscious or not) of attraction.

Ah yes. The infamous prophecy scene. This is were we get a lot of (presumed) eye contact and (confirmed) hand holding. The hair tuck thing is something that I didn't noticed myself, but a couple people pointed it out. I remember hearing "the hair tuck" as a gesture is something a lot of people consider a sign that a girl/woman is attracted to someone. I don't know the validity of the claim, but I assume that belief came from somewhere.

To me, this gesture comes across as Mirabel feeling a little sheepish about drawing the parallels between her and Bruno as "family weirdos," as well as her suggestion that as family weirdos they should stick together. I can see how it can be read as something a little more complex, especially if Disney has used that gesture to demonstrate budding attraction before.

Either way, the scene is really cute:

Bonus Bruno's reaction:

#mirabruno #brumira #brunibel #madrigalcest #mirabel x bruno #family weirdos #family dynamics #asks #anon #family weirdos analysis #c

[andtheyweresiblings]

Not sure if you've mentioned this before, so I'm sorry if it's been said, but someone on Twitter pointed out that in 100 years of Solitude a cloud of butterflies was used before the arrival of a forbidden lover... So that scene with Abuela and Mirabel hugging, the butterflies and Bruno immediately showing up on a horse... (and it was in the book too)

I have not. I'm not on Twitter, so thank you to everyone who has pointed this out to me! Also thank you for the first link. Because I haven’t read 100 Years of Solitude, I've been having a hard time pinning down any evidence that yellow butterflies did in fact represent forbidden love in the novel.

For those who do not want to click on the links, here is the screenshot from an official Disney book (not sure which):

Along with the blog post excerpt on the symbolism of yellow butterflies:

“In his most famous work One Hundred Years of Solitude, published in 1967, a host of yellow butterflies would follow the character Mauricio Babilonia. Yellow butterflies were one of his most famous literary images, and he used this device in more than one story, where clouds of yellow butterflies would precede a forbidden lovers’ arrival. Yellow was also his favourite colour, he adored yellow roses and used this colour in his writing as a metaphor for change and destruction.”

#asks #anon #mirabruno #brumira #brunomira #madrigalcest #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #c

[andtheyweresiblings]

Ever noticed how Bruno and Mirabel look at each other with the same tenderness and adoration as Alma and Pedro? Especially when she says she will bring him home? Now compare it with the first look between Alma and Pedro! I have spent my life enjoying studying this kind of stuff and they are not intended to be seen as family to the keen eye and open-minded.

This ask came in the same day as the other Bruno/Pedro parallels ask, so I love that the fandom psyche is circling in on this. I, once again, took this as an excuse to watch through the film to get some screenshots. I had to get creative with the image limit, but let's take a look, shall we?

Comparison of the way Bruno and Pedro look at Mirabel and Alma, respectively:

Comparison of the couples looking at each other:

Comparison of the hand-holding shots:

We can also compare the physical proximity we see between Pedro and Alma that we see in the above images to some of the physical proximity we see between Mirabel and Bruno in these:

Unfortunately, these are most of the scenes we get with Alma and Pedro, but if there were more, I'm sure there would be just as many Mirabruno parallels to be found.

Thanks for the ask, anon! This was a fun one.

#mirabruno #brumira #brunomira #madrigalcest #bruno x mirabel #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #asks #anon #c

[andtheyweresiblings]

Mirabel and Bruno holding hands felt...intimate. That part was undeniable, and it was when I realized they were couple coded. (The incest telenovela was also a lowkey hint.)

Hmmm, I'm trying to remember the moment I realized they were couple coded. I think I started shipping them the moment Bruno saved Mirabel and Mirabel saved Bruno from "falling" down the house chasm. Especially after they both get back up on the flooring and Bruno looks over Mirabel before saying, “bye.” Something about his eyes and how committed he was to staying away. In that moment, I knew I was going to fall hard for their dynamic.

But I think I realized I wasn't pulling it out of nowhere during the prophecy scene. Yes, when he invited her to hold her hands and also all the eye contact they were making in that scene. It was intimate and they felt really in sync in that moment.

If we’re being real, I was getting ~vibes~ during “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” when Camilo dances with and cradles Mirabel as Bruno. What were they thinking with that move? But at that point in the film, I was still trying to behave and not ship anyone.

#mirabruno #brumira #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #madrigalcest #anon #asks #atws #c

[andtheyweresiblings]

I've noticed that in most brumira fanfics/headcanons, Mirabel is portrayed as unapologetic and fearless regarding her feelings for Bruno. This doesn't really seem right to me. Throughout the movie, we see Mira as a mature girl, loving her family too much and in constant fear of letting them down. I think she would definitely experience heartache and shame in processing having romantic feelings for her uncle. I can see them both in denial for years, until finally some kind of breaking point comes

Ah, Mirabel-oriented angst. You raise a very interesting point. Of course, everyone is welcome to their own headcanons and interpretations of characters, but I have to agree with you. When we look at Mirabel's arch in the film, there is a lot of basis for angst surrounding her attraction to Bruno when she does recognize it. I've focused a lot on Bruno's POV, but I do think they both would experience shame, guilt, denial, and attempt to repress their feelings for some time. Though, I think the reasons for this and how they manifest slightly differ based on their experiences with the family and what messages they have internalized.

Consider Mirabel. As you pointed out, in the film, we see Mirabel constantly trying to serve the family, uplift them, and make them proud, but we also see throughout the film that no matter her efforts, she somehow lets them down. Everyone in the family is working hard to prove their worth to Alma, but I think Mirabel probably works the hardest because she never got a gift. And in a family where how useful your gift is determines your value, Mirabel was given the message that she is essentially worthless since the age of 5.

Then we have Bruno. Bruno has a gift, and at first it was incredibly valued for its power. But that power quickly became feared because many people really only want to see the future they want. Not of what will actually be. And as Bruno's gift became notorious, so did he. By association, people believed Bruno made bad things happen. It seems that even his presence could be considered a bad omen, let alone anything he said, whether it was related to a vision or not. It's unclear how quickly it fell apart for Bruno, but it is clear that the message Bruno received is that he is inherently bad.

And they both internalized those messages. It is clear in the film. Mirabel must save the miracle to contribute the family because she is worthless. Bruno hides in the walls because he is essentially trying to contain the "bad things" that happen around him from his family.

To illustrate it, I think the internalization goes something like this for each of them:

Mirabel: I did not get a gift, I get in the way, I mess everything up, I can't do anything right = I am worthless.

Bruno: My gift upsets people, it makes bad things happen, I make bad things happen = I am inherently bad.

So how would these messages manifest when Mirabel and Bruno develop feelings for the other? For Mirabel, I think her attraction and feelings to Bruno would tap into the fears of, "I can't even be a functioning member of the family without doing something wrong (developing feels for Bruno).” And lead into thoughts like, “What is wrong with me? This needs to stop because it could destroy the family and destroy my relationship with Bruno." For Bruno, I think it would tap into the fears of, "I am evil." More specifically because he would have developed feelings after Mirabel saved the miracle, I think his thoughts would play out like, "I have evil thoughts for the one person who was willing to save me, who I should not be feeling for like this. Look how evil I am. I should have stayed away."

I do think that if someone was going to be unapologetic and brave about their feelings, it would be Mirabel, but I also think that she wouldn't start out at that place. I'm happy to elaborate on this, but I think I'm getting away from the original ask. Ultimately, I do agree; there is a lot of shame, denial, and angst to be had on either side of this pairing, if you are so inclined to explore it.

#mirabruno #madrigalcest #brumira #brunomira #analysis #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #asks #anon #atws #c #commentary

[andtheyweresiblings]

Okay, you are both much more perceptive than I am because I did not pick up on the significance of this color parallelism between Mirabel and Bruno until I read the script. And this is actually something I’m been wanting to talk about, so thank you both for bringing it up and breaking it down so well. To start things off, take a look at what the script says during the vision scene:

What I love about this is that it demonstrates that Bruno's gift is strengthened when another person is working with him like Mirabel is in this scene. He needs another perspective to see the whole vision. And more specifically, it's Mirabel who is the one to do it. It's pretty incredible to think about that in all the years Bruno had his gift, only Mirabel thinks to try to support him, and by doing so, she amplifies his gift's power.

And if you haven't seen this post by an official Encanto artist yet, I think you are going to want to take a look. Because I think you both are right on target with that color analysis. I mean, look at this comment by the artist:

And if that wasn’t enough, take into account this trauma therapist’s analysis of Mirabel and Bruno as the cycle breakers and scapegoats of the family.

All things considered, it seems absolutely intentional that Mirabel's glasses of all things match Bruno's color scheme. It visually emphasizes the parallel between these two to “see” what others either cannot or choose to ignore. Not only that, but it is clearly demonstrated that this ability of sight is strongest when Mirabel and Bruno are working together.

Image descriptions below the cut.

[ID: First image, Anonymous asked: "I watched Encanto mostly because of your post about the couple coding and did indeed ship it by the end (the last few scenes especially, as BrunoMira was framed in a very permissive manner). One thing I found extraordinarily shippy between Bruno and Mirabel that I haven't seen discussed elsewhere, is his gift makes his eyes glow green, while Mirabel has green glasses, and she's the one who saw past his initial vision. And I think it's neat that the one part of Mirabel's costume that is linked colour-wise to Bruno, and not to Abuela or Julieta, represents what she helps him with: clarity of vision"

Second image, Anonymous asked: "So I was casually appreciating how Mirabel’s clothes and embroidery are representative of her love for each family member, and while thinking “what would she have for Bruno” it smacked me in the face that her GLASSES are the most hiding in plain sight (if unintentional) reference to Bruno. I’ll sound big dumb if this has been brought up before but her bright green glasses perfectly mirror Bruno’s eyes when they glow green and it has to be intentional, right? Obviously it’s more of a creative decision than a decision on Mirabel’s part but I think there’s some symbolism there. Mirabel’s the only Madrigal with glasses, and with no gift, so she and Bruno are the two in the family who are seeing things through different eyes.

Third image is a script excerpt from Encanto that reads as "TIO BRUNO (over the noise): You're looking at the same thing that I am! If there was something else -- Mirabel, gets an idea... turns the opposite direction. Bruno sees her, thinks it's pointless. Mirabel looks and... spots a glitter of gold. MIRABEL (holy shit): There -- over there -- Confused, Bruno turns, and it illuminates... a BUTTERFLY... flitting through chaos. Bruno can't believe it."

Fourth image, camille.andre.art comments in response to a question on what material Bruno's vision tablets are made of, "it is made of emerald! A reference to the belief in Colombia, that emerald allows to predict the future. That's also why Bruno's color is associated with green."  ED]

#mirabruno #brumira #brunomira #bruno x mirabel #madrigalcest #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #asks #anon #atws #c

[andtheyweresiblings]

Any thoughts on the parallelism between Pedro and Bruno? Like, both sacrificed something for love and their family, and both Alma and Mirabel are coded as being the head of the family (present/future) aka the glue that holds everyone together!

This didn't occur to me until I read @hello-nichya-here's Brumira analysis posts. She breaks it down really well here and the last bullet point here. I highly recommend you read them if you haven't already.

I think that if Mirabel and Alma hadn't paralleled each other so much, the parallels between Bruno and Pedro would be non-existent, which is interesting to think about from a couple-coding perspective.

I also agree that Mirabel is supposed to be viewed as Alma's successor. So it is interesting that Bruno is the one making sacrifices on Mirabel's behalf in an attempt to keep the miracle's magic afloat. It's not so much that Bruno helps Mirabel save the miracle; it is more about the fact that he makes sacrifices for Mirabel that creates this parallel. Pedro's sacrifice brings about the miracle, and Bruno's sacrifice eventually leads to the rebirth of the miracle. Also, both men are acting to protect women they care about and their families. The creation and saving of the miracle are really secondary effects for both Pedro and Bruno.

And when you consider the fact that a big plot device in 100 Years of Solitude is the use of intrafamilial reincarnation and cyclical time to explore its themes, you get something really thought-provoking relating to the parallels between Mirabel/Bruno and Alma/Pedro.

I know technically it is impossible for Mirabel and Bruno to be reincarnations of Alma and Pedro, but when you consider the fact that Encanto is essentially exploring and resolving a lot of the source material's themes and conflicts in child-accessible way, it becomes easier to argue that Mirabel and Bruno are meant to be the next iterations of Alma and Pedro. They are both cycle-breakers, so like what Alma and Pedro were doing when fleeing their home, Mirabel and Bruno are saving their family from danger, ultimately leading the family to a new, better life.

In this way, it actually makes a ton of narrative sense that the miracle has to die and then be reborn. It serves as a parallel to the night Pedro sacrificed himself. The threat to the Madrigal family in Mirabel's generation (emotional, generational) is different than that in Alma and Pedro's generation (physical). Regardless, the effect is the same (trauma). Once Mirabel and Bruno "rescue" the family from that danger, the miracle is renewed.

#mirabruno #brumira #brunomira #madrigalcest #bruno x mirabel #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #asks #anon #atws #c

[andtheyweresiblings]

Is it just my shipping goggles or did they intentionally make Bruno seem younger and Mirabel seem older than their given ages? Her mom looks older than Bruno even though they are both 50 and Mirabel and even Camillo don't come across as 15 especially is the song when he almost seems to seduce her and holds her bridal-style? It really messes with the mind lol

You know, it's funny. In my original analysis I wanted to go deeper into the fact that Bruno seems younger than his canon age and Mirabel seems more mature for her age, but I did not have a lot of concrete reasoning as to why this is, so I left it shorter, and ended up removing another point relating to this—specifically that they treat each other like equals and not like how other aunts/uncles are seen interacting with nephews/nieces in the film. But since you are bringing it up, I might as well share my jumbled thoughts on the topic.

Her mom looks older than Bruno even though they are both 50

I'm glad you mention this because when we look at Julieta vs Bruno, aside from who has more graying hair, Julieta actually looks to be in much better shape that Bruno. That's not to say it's an indication of youthfulness, but she does seem less worn out, at least psychically (her face and eyes specifically), than Bruno. But I agree that she comes across as more motherly (parent-like?) and mature than Bruno does. That could be explained by a couple of things, though, including stereotypes relating to birth order (Bruno was "the baby") and the fact that Bruno never had children.

I don't remember if I talked about why I think Bruno seems younger, but ultimately I think a lot of it has to do with how he holds himself and how he talks compared to his siblings. He slouches, holds his arms close to him, and ducks his head a lot. All of these posture choices are to make himself smaller, possibly less intimidating, and given the town's view on him, it's likely that this is intentional on his part. Then, of course, he talks pretty informally or, maybe more accurately, uses different phrasing and vocabulary compared to his siblings. Neither trait point to him actually being younger, but it does highlight the differences between him and his siblings, and the roles they play in the film. Julieta and Pepa are essentially family elders (for a lack of a better term), or at least on their way to that position. Whereas, because Bruno was essentially estranged long before he decided to live in Casita's walls, I think he got stuck in that role of younger adult with lower status in the family hierarchy.

Side note: I don't know if other Latines can relate, but I know in my family, you are not really considered or treated as a "full" adult until you are married with kids, regardless of your work/living/etc. status. Honestly, I could see that also influencing how Bruno is viewed by the family, which would also impact his own maturity and views of himself, though I doubt that would be anything the writers were trying to depict.

I also think Mirabel interacts with and talks to him differently than she is seen with the other adults in her family. From a writing perspective, this is probably due to the fact that they wanted Mirabel and Bruno to be working together as equals. From an in-universe perspective, it's also explainable when you consider that Mirabel didn't grow up with him, and because of this, she might not necessarily see him on the same level as the other adults in her family.

Mirabel and even Camillo don't come across as 15

This point raises another issue. I find in a lot of children's media, especially those by Disney, characters are often behaving in ways that I would consider more mature than expected for their age. And when considering the ages of other Disney characters, I honestly really don't care too much about canon ages because they don't always make a ton of sense to me.

Slight tangent: A lot of times, the canon age of a character is not a crucial part of the story. As in, the age doesn't make or break the plot, so to speak. I think the canon Encanto ages are a great example of that. I'd argue that most of the characters' ages (especially Mirabel's) could be changed in either direction, and that difference would do very little to how we view what happens in the film.

Of course, we could always use the "trauma affects how people develop and behave" explanation, but while it's very relevant for this film, I don't think it's necessary to apply, considering that this age/maturity incongruity is something that happens a lot in other media. I think this mismatch is more a logistics thing. The writers want to tell a story, and they want a character to be a certain way, but it's still directed towards children, so they feel the character needs to be within a certain age-range, so they make the character younger than what one might expect. I have no evidence of this, by the way, this is just me making guesses as to why this seems to happen so much.

That being said, I think it's within reason that Mirabel and Camilo are 15. It's one of the instances in which their behaviors can fit into a range of ages. 15 is just probably towards the bottom of that range.

To answer your question, I think there was some intention in how they depicted the age/maturity of Bruno and Mirabel, but I do think it comes from a place of Mirabel being the main protagonist and Bruno being one of her supports more than anything else. As I've said before, I do think that their couple coding was a result of a series of "unfortunate" coincidences, and this just happens to be one of those.

#madrigalcest #analysis #mirabruno #bruno x mirabel #brumira #brunomira #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #asks #anon #we're going in the madrigalcest tag because it's the closest thing i have to the main fandom tag #family weirdos couple coding #atws #c #commentary

[andtheyweresiblings]

(@brunobel-mirabruno) How would you say Bruno and Mirabel confessed their feelings? When?

Hello @brunobel-mirabruno!

Hmm. This is a tough one. I've seen so many good confession ideas in various fanarts and fics, that I'm not sure I have an original idea myself, but here are some of my thoughts on this topic.

When we consider canon, we see Mirabel using gifts (Antonio's plush jaguar, the candle decorations) and acts of service (decorating/preparing for events, trying to save the miracle) to communicate her love and desire to be a part of the family.

Now let's consider canon for Bruno. He comes across as an acts of service (having visions at the request of loved ones) and quality time (trying to be with the family even while in the walls, asking Mirabel to visit him) type of guy to me.

Considering their love languages, I think there are a lot of quiet confessions and expressions of love between these two. I do think they spend a lot of time with each other and help each other with chores, hobbies, and other tasks.

In terms of confessions, I think extra acts of services and extra quality time is the extent Bruno ever intends to take his feelings for Mirabel because he does not want to cross that line, and has no intention to even some time after Mirabel confesses. He wants to be good so badly, and that's the motivation for this hesitancy.

But Mirabel is a different story. I think it's believable to say that Mirabel might create something, be it something tangible or intangible, as a gesture of her romantic interest in Bruno. Considering Bruno's treatment of Mirabel in the movie, he would accept the gift, whether it be a song, a screenplay, or an embroidered piece of art. But he would also firmly and gently urge Mirabel to not pursue this. Mirabel would not sincerely follow this request for long, if she does at all.

As for when—I think Mirabel would not make a move to confess until a couple years, give or take, after canon. They start quietly confessing to each other probably a few months after Casita is rebuilt, but Mirabel's confession doesn't come till later. And Bruno's explicit reciprocation will probably take even longer. But Mirabel is willing to wait; she already waited patiently for a miracle once before. She can do it again.

#asks #brunobel-mirabruno #mirabruno #brumira #brunomira #madrigalcest #headcanons #analysis #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #family weirdos headcanons #atws #c #commentary

[andtheyweresiblings]

I was really interested to find your post about the coding between Mirabel and Bruno, because I watched the film with a confused "am I supposed to be picking up on so much weird chemistry and imagery here??" I think you broke it down really well, but the only think I would add is that I got super sexual coded vibes from WDTAB. When Camilo starts imitating Bruno, his movements are pure 'villain stalks heroine', with undeniably romantic/sexual imagery such as catching and holding her bridal style.

Thanks! I think I mentioned it in another ask, but that part where Camilo is dancing with Mirabel while shapeshifting into Bruno was the first moment in the film where I was realized that I was going to have a hard time engaging with the movie in an "unproblematic" way. I'm no expert in dance, but I think it's fair to say that the dancing between Camilo and Mirabel is very sensual, and to me, it was a very confusing choice for the animators to make, considering that the one dancing with Mirabel like that was her cousin shifting into her uncle.

Honestly, the only reason why I didn't put it in my original analysis is because I couldn't decide if it was more couple-coding for Mirabel/Bruno or for Mirabel/Camilo. I guess it works for both.

#mirabruno #brumia #brunomira #madrigalcest #asks #anon #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #miramilo mention #c

[andtheyweresiblings]

People don't want us to ship Mirabel and Bruno, even though the two of them are so similar that they "ruin" things on their own, but make things work together. They fix the issues around them the moment they met. They compliment each other, and go hand-in-hand. ;) And yet, people like to pretend the world is wholesome when it never was. Let the problematic fiction thrive in its small corner, it's not hurting anyone. It's just fiction!

This is such a beautiful point. Thinking about it within the broader scope of the film. Within the old family dynamics, Bruno and Mirabel were family scapegoats and they each "ruined" things in the eyes of the family, town, and Alma. When they meet, they immediately can offer each other some comfort and healing from these dynamics. And ultimately, they are both willing to work to change the dynamics. I love this. Thank you for bringing this up!

#asks #anon #mirabruno #madrigalcest #family weirdos #family weirdos analysis #atws #c