#her crying felt like it was being made fun of

Ok, time to share some scenes I would’ve liked to add to Encanto’s story to add some extra kick to the angst of familial pressures and not feeling good enough.

I’ll start with Luisa’s music scene and how off-putting it felt for me. The other music scenes feel treated with respect, taken seriously, showing valuable imagery to get their emotional points across. Luisa’s to me felt like Disney needed its quota of ‘quirkiness’ and so they have our girl sing about her understandable and heartbreaking problem with being labeled the 'strong’ sister all while she smiles and dances with donkeys. Idk it just felt jarring to me and like such a missed opportunity for some stuff that could’ve hit me harder.

Like maybe they could’ve kept her 8n reality as she sang, doing the jobs around town as more people keep piling on her, and we progressively see her getting more and more tired, her reflexes getting slower to reacting to stuff (like a runaway cart coming their way). When she starts talking about wanting 'simple pleasures and relaxation’ maybe her staring longingly at people her age hanging out, drinking, implying her isolation because her responsibilities keep her from having a social life. And as the music goes to its emotional drop, we see it cut from that to a memory of a time as kids where both her and her sibling (maybe Mirabel) got hurt as kids but the attention is on Mirabel and treating her while Luisa can only pick herself up and keep running to go help Abuela, trying not to cry as little her runs and goes by flashes of other memories of her doing work.

And then she’s back in the real world, with renewed vigor finishing the jobs she was getting tired of, but with an anger behind her movements. The song ends as she shuts the door behind the last donkey with a harsh slam, and her shoulders quake not wanting to face Mirabel.

Mirabel I felt could’ve had a bit more to do with Luisa dropping her guard too, instead of Luisa hugging her first and telling her that maybe she has a problem. Something softer. Mirabel slowly hugging Luisa after the song as Luisa flinches and tries not to cry. Mirabel reassuring her that she’s human and that she deserves a break and Luisa taking in a sharp breath and we see her MELT into her little sister’s embrace. That’d be powerful, man.

…. OK next up, scenes I would’ve added to Bruno’s past.