A Subtle Twist Could Explain A Silly Encanto Plot Hole

Disney’s Encanto appears to put Dolores in multiple places at once, but a subtle twist could explain the situation. In Encanto, Alma Madrigal (María Cecilia Botero) receives a miracle on the night her husband dies. Pedro Madrigal sacrifices himself to save Alma and his village in the film. The sacrifice then gives Alma an enchanted candle, a magical house, and her family members receive special powers. For instance, Dolores (Adassa), one of Alma’s granddaughters, receives supernaturally good hearing, and Camilo (Rhenzy Feliz), Dolores’s brother, can shapeshift into other people.

The Encanto soundtrack, which comes from Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda, has had unprecedented success. The world is talking about “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” as the song continues to top Billboard’s Hot 100 list and now also tops Billboard’s Global 200 list. Other Encanto songs in the Hot 100 list include “Surface Pressure,” “The Family Madrigal,” “What Else Can I Do,” and “Dos Oruguitas,” which also has an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. In addition, the entire Encanto soundtrack sits at the top of Billboard’s Top 200 albums chart.

In Encanto, there’s a silly plot hole involving Dolores, but a subtle twist could explain the issue. During “Family Madrigal,” Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz) explains all the family members and their powers. However, during the song, she says the lyric, “My cousin Dolores can hear this whole chorus a mile away,” and the film shows Dolores off in the mountains and grooving along to the music. Then, moments later, Dolores is back at the family’s magical house, revealing to the village’s children that Mirabel doesn’t have a gift. Of course, considering Encanto is an animated film, showing Dolores making it back to the house unexplainably fast isn’t a plot-destroying issue. Still, a fan theory (via Reddit) explains it away anyway. According to the explanation, the Dolores at the house was secretly Camilo shapeshifting into his sister.

If viewers have a problem with Dolores getting to the house unbelievably fast, the theory should quell any issues. Camilo notably shapeshifts into his sister in Encanto already, using her appearance to get extra food during a meal. So the idea that he imitates his sister, even down to her signature squeak, makes sense. Plus, Camilo was around the magical house and the village during other parts of Mirabel’s opening Encanto song, so he could easily slip into the scene as Dolores to reveal Mirabel’s secret. Camilo also likes pranks, so telling the village kids that Mirabel doesn’t have powers fits his character.

The supposed Encanto plot hole isn’t a big issue. Encanto regularly uses surreal imagery throughout its songs. For instance, during “Surface Pressure,” Luisa (Jessica Darrow) and Mirabel ride around on donkeys with unicorn horns in one scene and end up around exploding geysers in another. On the other hand, “Family Madrigal” is mostly grounded with its imagery, making Dolores’s locations in the mountains and the house more jarring. But Encanto is about a magical family, and thanks to Camilo, the magic could even explain away its silliest plot hole.

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Bill Bradley
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Bill is an experienced reporter who’s covered entertainment and fandom since 2014. He’s done everything from unearthing the discarded Game of Thrones pilot script in a library in Texas to finding out why Steve left Blue’s Clues. He also enjoys eating Taco Bell and drinking chocolate milk.

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