Ah yes, to relate that first paragraph back to the main post, I feel like you're definitely on the right track in thinking this links to the increased awareness of online communities like those of families with narcissists. The scapegoat terminology is from there, and conversely, Isabela is the "golden child" in their parlance. (Although, some of those communities have also been... well, I can't follow them anymore. There's been an interesting shift online recently that is a bit off topic)
Ah, I got the impression she did know Bruno was there! During the "We Don't Talk about Bruno" song she mentions always hearing him, is far more sympathetic towards him than the others, and then later in the same song says "I can hear him now"... which serves as a double meaning for both the guy she's in love with arriving and Bruno (who Mirabel is still asking about at the same time). That in itself is awkward though, as I was left with more questions than answers about it.. Does she talk with him regularly? Or at all? Or does she pretend he's not there for the sake of family unity? I'm guessing these questions were never answered since there's only so much time in the movie and, aside from Antonio who mainly serves as a contrast to Mirabel in terms of acceptance before/after being granted power, the cousins were given less prominence. Antonio does quickly show up after he learns everything from the rats, maybe she did something similar as a child?
All of which is a bit away from the main topic, but I got the exact same impression as you in regards to the rest of the family. That is, they assumed he left, while he remained in order to help them, but it's still a bit... uncomfortable since the core behind all of that was that he left to protect Mirabel. Specifically, he was afraid how they would treat her if they found out what he saw. In the end, his motivation feels like a mix of love, but also fear and dread of them at the same time? The others all have very mendable situations in contrast. They're also totally cool with one of them describing him as as a generic villain who "feasts on your screams," lol.
Ahh yes, to me, it often seems to be on the tripwire of 1 and 2. The ending definitely leans towards 2, but some of the more absurd situations in the song about him feel more like 1. As an aside, I find the communication issue interesting since I feel like it was left open ended if his eccentricities are caused by him living in relative isolation for many years or were present to some degree *before* all of that. If the latter, it's a pretty good analogy for the neurodivergent communities you described. It's... not really surprising to me, since autism runs on my mother's side strongly, but I wasn't told by a medical professional until later in life that I also most likely have it, and that it was also probably why my father's side picked me to blame things on. While many of the characters in this movie feel pretty human to me, I think that made me a bit more passionate about Bruno as I related to him a bit more and felt conflicted over the conclusion, lol.
The increased awareness of those communities is interesting, but I feel like it may also be blending with... as they become more well known, those with less extreme circumstances also join them? I don't know how else to put it, but it would cause many of the situations here to fit well.
That said, I can't think of another recent movie that I enjoyed - or thought about - quite as much as Encanto, especially as far as Disney is concerned. Movies tend to be rather self-contained, and some of the time restraints in that medium seem to be a bit of the issue here.
no subject
Ah, I got the impression she did know Bruno was there! During the "We Don't Talk about Bruno" song she mentions always hearing him, is far more sympathetic towards him than the others, and then later in the same song says "I can hear him now"... which serves as a double meaning for both the guy she's in love with arriving and Bruno (who Mirabel is still asking about at the same time). That in itself is awkward though, as I was left with more questions than answers about it.. Does she talk with him regularly? Or at all? Or does she pretend he's not there for the sake of family unity? I'm guessing these questions were never answered since there's only so much time in the movie and, aside from Antonio who mainly serves as a contrast to Mirabel in terms of acceptance before/after being granted power, the cousins were given less prominence. Antonio does quickly show up after he learns everything from the rats, maybe she did something similar as a child?
All of which is a bit away from the main topic, but I got the exact same impression as you in regards to the rest of the family. That is, they assumed he left, while he remained in order to help them, but it's still a bit... uncomfortable since the core behind all of that was that he left to protect Mirabel. Specifically, he was afraid how they would treat her if they found out what he saw. In the end, his motivation feels like a mix of love, but also fear and dread of them at the same time? The others all have very mendable situations in contrast. They're also totally cool with one of them describing him as as a generic villain who "feasts on your screams," lol.
Ahh yes, to me, it often seems to be on the tripwire of 1 and 2. The ending definitely leans towards 2, but some of the more absurd situations in the song about him feel more like 1. As an aside, I find the communication issue interesting since I feel like it was left open ended if his eccentricities are caused by him living in relative isolation for many years or were present to some degree *before* all of that. If the latter, it's a pretty good analogy for the neurodivergent communities you described. It's... not really surprising to me, since autism runs on my mother's side strongly, but I wasn't told by a medical professional until later in life that I also most likely have it, and that it was also probably why my father's side picked me to blame things on. While many of the characters in this movie feel pretty human to me, I think that made me a bit more passionate about Bruno as I related to him a bit more and felt conflicted over the conclusion, lol.
The increased awareness of those communities is interesting, but I feel like it may also be blending with... as they become more well known, those with less extreme circumstances also join them? I don't know how else to put it, but it would cause many of the situations here to fit well.
That said, I can't think of another recent movie that I enjoyed - or thought about - quite as much as Encanto, especially as far as Disney is concerned. Movies tend to be rather self-contained, and some of the time restraints in that medium seem to be a bit of the issue here.