Encanto’s Isabela Secretly Repeats Another Disney Princess’ Story

Watching Isabela’s story play out in Encanto may have felt very familiar and that’s because it secretly repeated the story of another Disney Princess. Though Encanto is jam-packed with original storylines and musical numbers, anything regarding Isabela’s narrative is not. While still powerful in many ways, Isabela’s character arc lifts a number of significant beats from one that audiences have already seen before.

In Encanto, each Madrigal obtains a special gift thanks to the family’s miracle. Isabela Madrigal’s (voiced by Diane Guerrero) gift grants her the ability to manifest a variety of beautiful plants and to cause living flora to grow. As the oldest sibling of Julieta (Angie Cepeda) and Agustín Madrigal (Wilmer Valderrama), she uses her power to enhance her “perfect” image as an ideal member of the Madrigal family. However, this image of perfection proves difficult to maintain and Isabela eventually opts to exchange this illusion for the freedom to express herself. Though Isabela’s journey delivers this important message, her development has already been portrayed years prior by a popular Disney princess that has been in the spotlight for a very long time: Elsa (Idina Menzel).

Encanto’s Isabela and Frozen’s Elsa follow the same arc. Both characters, who have powers, are the oldest in their immediate families, depicted as having a weakened relationship with their powerless youngest sibling. Isabela and Elsa are unable to strengthen this bond because Elsa has convinced herself that hiding her true feelings is the best course of action for the sake of her sister Anna’s safety and family reputation. Isabela, meanwhile, is not close with Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) as Mirabel’s bumbling ways and lack of powers undermine Isabela’s perception that she always has to be flawless and present the perfect image for her family. However, Isabela and Elsa change their perspective after singing power ballads about the joy of being free to express themselves in the form of “What Else Can I Do?” and “Let It Go,” respectively. Once each realizes that living as a perfect image is no way to live at all, Isabela and Elsa are able to be honest with themselves and heal their strained relationships, Isabela with giftless Mirabel Madrigal, and Elsa with Anna (Kristen Bell). Throughout their movies, Isabela and Elsa learn to embrace their quirks and gather the courage to share them with their loved ones.

This repeated storyline explains why Isabela’s arc is largely overlooked in comparison to other members of the Madrigal family. Mirabel may be the undisputed star of the film, but supporting characters like Bruno (John Leguizamo) and Luisa Madrigal (Jessica Darrow) have had their own moments to shine. Encanto song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” has now surpassed Frozen’s hit “Let It Go” on the music charts and Luisa’s “Surface Pressure” is unanimously praised for showing the negative effects of taking on too much responsibility. These songs share new and exciting insights about Bruno and Luisa that instantly grab attention. Isabela’s “What Else Can I Do?,” on the other hand, doesn’t have this same impact as Frozen‘s “Let It Go” provided the same insight about Elsa years prior. Isabela’s song’s message about freely expressing oneself is just as important as it was a decade ago. Unfortunately, its lack of novelty hurts the song and Isabela’s character from receiving the same attention as her other family members.

Though Isabela’s journey bears a striking resemblance to Elsa’s, the two are still very different characters. For instance, while Elsa is more reserved and gentle, Isabela is shown to be extremely social and sassy. Such distinctions in their personalities justify the existence of Isabela’s all-too-familiar story. Likewise, it’s a message that bears repeating simply for the fact that so many girls and women put pressure on themselves to be absolutely perfect. By repeating Elsa’s lesson with Isabela, Encanto shows that flaws are not weaknesses and reminds viewers that being imperfect is just fine.

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