All of You - The Song from Encanto that Makes Me Cry

I'll stop talking about Encanto when it stops being awesome. 

Let's talk about the part that makes me feel the most feelings. 

Mirabel's Journey

Mirabel hit a note being the forgotten family member. She is the muggle of her family with no special gift and the rest of the family just doesn't know how to treat her. Mirabel's parents try to be supportive and understanding, to the point of being #Lifegoal parents, Abuela and Isabela treat her like the bumbling household servant, and the rest of the family mostly ignores her. 

Our first emotional hit was during the opening song The Family Madrigal.

The entire town knows her family has gifts and that Mirabel does not. They try to make her feel better about it but she still has to get asked questions like "What's your gift?" and "Why didn't you get a gift?" reminding her constantly that, no matter what, she is the oddball in everyone's eyes. Mirabel doesn't let this sour her to her family though as she is enthusiastic to help anyway she can with the party that night, and talks up her family to everyone in town (though she does subtly throw Isabela under the bus in her song). 

Our second hit was in the family photo during Antonio's gift party, when without realizing it she's excluded from the family picture. Nobody actively tells her not to be in it, they just get caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would think though that if Luisa was busy eating they would've grabbed her, but nobody said a word to Mirabel. 

We can tell despite her brave face that she's in pain. The show's second song Waiting on a Miracle shows that she more than anything wants to be like them and prove her worth to the family, which is probably why she is constantly going around being extra whenever she can and takes on the quest to save the family's magic. 

You're wondering when we'll get to the song and we're getting to it. 

Fast Forward to the Song

So Mirabel runs around, the house gets wrecked, Luisa, Isabela and Bruno each get songs, something about a butterfly and a candle and we get to Mirabel rallying the now de-powered and de-toxified family to rebuild the house and we get the song: 

And here's what makes me cry: 

We see how bright you burn
We see how brave you've been
Now, see yourself in turn
You're the real gift, kid, let us in

Mirabel goes through a massive pile of nonsense for her family, all the while being ignored or demoralized by the same family. On top of that, ever since her magic door ceremony, she has had to put on a brave face and do everything she can to live up to them, and now, finally, she is being acknowledged for the amazing person she is. Her family sees all that she's been through and honors her for everything she's done. 

For those who feel marginalized, who feel like the outsider, or who are trying to live up to a legacy and feel like they aren't making it, this simple acknowledgement of being seen can mean everything in the world. It can mean the difference between continuing a toxic family pattern or creating a healthy family. It can sometimes even mean the difference between life and death. 

Mirabel is given a doorknob that matches her magical family's magic doors. They have no intention of the magic coming back, but it's symbolic to her. The special gift Mirabel always had was the ability to unite her family, not just physically but emotionally, all by being there for those that need her and being herself, without any magic. 

Cue Joe ugly crying. 

-JOE