Madrigal Sisters

Madrigal Sisters
GENERAL
Encanto
Character	Mirabel Madrigal
Character	Isabela Madrigal
Character	Luisa Madrigal
Canonical?	Canon
Status of Relationship	Sisters
IN FANDOM
Type (?)	Family

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Madrigal Sisters is the family ship between Mirabel Madrigal, Isabela Madrigal and Luisa Madrigal from the Encanto fandom.

Canon

The three characters are biological sisters and the daughters of Julieta and Agustin Madrigal. Isabela is the oldest (21 during the events of the movie), Luisa is the middle child (19) and Mirabel is the youngest (15). The film's events focus on Mirabel's relationships with each of her sisters, with only a few interactions between them as a group.

Mirabel and Isabela's relationship is the most fraught with tension, as the two bicker and argue a lot during the film. Co-director Jared Bush stated that they used to be close when they were younger, but gradually few apart after Mirabel did not receive a magical Gift. He also stated that both of them are partially at fault for their frayed relationship. When Mirabel sets out to save her family's miracle, she is annoyed when she's told that she has to embrace Isabela in order to fix things. Isabela also views Mirabel as a pest who always gets in the way, such as when Mirabel caused a ruckus that disturbed Isabela's engagement dinner. During the fight that follows, Mirabel learns that Isabela's "perfect" image is a facade, and she is under constant pressure to put on an image for her family and town. She encourages Isabela to express herself more freely and grow different kinds of plants. After this sequence, the two start to understand each other better.

On the other hand, Mirabel's relationship with Luisa is fairly positive from the start. Luisa seems protective of Mirabel, warning her to be careful and trying to pull her away from dangerous situations. During her musical sequence in "Surface Pressure," Luisa is once again seen multiple times to be pulling Mirabel out of harm's way (although this scenery is non-diegetic, the interactions still reveal Luisa's character). Mirabel, being oblivious to much of this, hounds Luisa to tell her what she knows about the magic failing, until Luisa finally cracks and tells Mirabel all about her insecurities. Like Isabela, Luisa also felt constant pressure to keep up an image, and be strong for everyone else. Mirabel empathizes with Luisa and encourages her to take care of herself.

After coming to this understanding about her family's problems, Mirabel gives an impassioned speech to her grandmother, Alma, about the unhealthy habits that their family has formed. She names both of her sisters as primary examples of this, stating that "Luisa will never be strong enough," and "Isabela will never be perfect enough" to meet Alma's expectations. During this, both Isabela and Luisa can be seen sharing glances with each other. Mirabel's defense of her sisters shows how much she has grown to understand them. At the end of the film, the three sisters are seen rebuilding the house together. Luisa admits that she often cries despite her strength, and the other two give her a hug and reassure her that they cry as well. Then they all encourage each other to step forward into their new, confident selves. When Mirabel is walking to the front door to place the doorknob at the very end of the rebuilding, Luisa and Isabela sing a line together for her: "We see how brave you've been."

Since the movie takes place in Mirabel's point of view, not much is shown of Isabela and Luisa's relationship with each other. They are seen standing next to each other, and sharing glances or affectionate touches a few times in the background. However, a bit of interaction exists between them in some spinoff material. A comic printed for an issue of Disney Stars shows Luisa asking for Isabela's help to find some donkeys, by growing flowers for them to follow (this does not work). Isabela seems happy with helping her sister and waiting with her for the donkeys to appear. Additionally, an Encanto-themed event in the Disney mobile game Disney Magic Kingdoms had some dialogue between them. In the story, Luisa is trying to take a day off but is bored. She sees Isabela working on some kind of project and wants to help, but Isabela insists on keeping it secret so Luisa can take a break. Eventually, though, they start working on it together (along with Mirabel, Antonio, and Bruno). In these scenes we see Isabela and Luisa exchanging a bit of banter, and they seem very comfortable with one another. It's likely they have built a close relationship due to their shared struggles, and the fact that they are only two years apart in age. While the events in Disney Magic Kingdoms are not considered canon, they are at least part of an officially licensed Disney game.

Fanon

The Madrigal Sisters are one of the three sibling trios of the Madrigal family, and the Encanto fandom. The sisters get a lot of attention in the film, with their youngest being the protagonist. Additionally, with both Luisa and Isabela having their own songs, this allowed both Mirabel and Encanto fans to get to know them better.

Much of the fan content revolving around the three takes place after the events of the film. Since the movie covers the main arc of their relationships, fanfics and art explore the continuing effects of their development. For example, Luisa is often seen having more of a work-life balance and being encouraged to do so by her sisters, especially Mirabel. Similarly, Isabela is always being encouraged to stay true to herself and grow lots of different plants. Mirabel and Isabela still bicker sometimes, but usually get along much better. Since the movie didn't show much of Isabela and Luisa's relationship, fans like to expand on that aspect as well. The two are often seen supporting each other in theri shared struggle of perfection, having a mutual understanding, or being exasperated by Mirabel's antics. Another perspective is to have them be horrified and surprised that their sister was also struggling the whole time right under their nose.

Many stories show the three of them having hangouts or mini-adventures as sisters, trying to maximize on their new bond. Additionally, since none of the characters have canon love interests, a common trope is for one of the sisters to meet someone (usually an OC or a crossover character), and have the other two tease her and/or support her in her relationship.

Some fan content takes place pre-movie as well, exploring what their relationships were like before they confronted their problems. There's usually a sad undertone and an emotional wall that exists in these types of stories. Mirabel and Isabela are still at odds, with Luisa sometimes being portrayed as the harrowed peacemaker (while this trope exists in post-movie content as well, it is treated more seriously in pre-movie content, as another example of Luisa's burdens). Luisa would get along cordially with both her sisters, but no one wants to confront their problems or communicate much, even if there are small, failed efforts. Many fan authors like to have the characters get introspective as well, reflecting on their sisterly relationships. It's pretty well-agreed in the fandom that Isabela was jealous and resentful of Mirabel for having no responsibilities, while Luisa may have viewed her little sister as vulnerable and in need of protection.

A lot of pre-movie content also goes back to when they were young children. In these, the three usually get along much better, with only hints of the impending emotional pressure on the two older ones beginning to appear (or are not present yet at all). These stories like to explore the reaction Mirabel's failed Gift ceremony, and how the sisters gradually grew apart as they aged.

Interestingly, this familyship was not very popular in the very early days of the Encanto fandom. Since they had gotten a lot of focus in the film, fans were turning their attention to less utilized characters and relationships, especially those involving Warm Family members. However, as the fandom continued growing, people noticed an imbalance of content and created more for the Cool Family, especially the three sisters. Now, the amount of content is much more balanced.

Fandom

FAN FICTION

Isabela & Luisa & Mirabel tag on AO3

TUMBLR

Madrigal Sisters tag on Tumblr

Madrigal Sisters posts on Tumblr

INSTAGRAM

Madrigal Sisters tag on Instagram

Gallery

Screenshots

Fan Art

All art in this section is fan made, and must be sourced back to the original artist. It also must have permission from the original artist to be posted here. If your art is here without your permission and you wish to have it taken down, please inform an admin, so that we may delete it.

manip by dijmong

art by wiccatwolf

art by ro994

art by CinnaVee

Variations

Cool Family refers to the ship between the three, Julieta Madrigal and Agustín Madrigal

IsaMira refers to the ship between Mirabel Madrigal and Isabela Madrigal

Luisabel refers to the ship between Luisa Madrigal and Mirabel Madrigal

Luisabela refers to the ship between Luisa Madrigal and Isabela Madrigal

Madrigal Family refers to the ship between the three, Alma Madrigal, Pedro Madrigal, Julieta Madrigal, Agustín Madrigal, Pepa Madrigal, Félix Madrigal, Dolores Madrigal, Camilo Madrigal, Antonio Madrigal and Bruno Madrigal

Madrigal Girls refers to the ship between the three and Dolores Madrigal

Madrigal Grandkids refers to the ship between the three, Dolores Madrigal, Camilo Madrigal and Antonio Madrigal