‘Encanto’ and Dolores

I could barely stand some of the country music my babysitter would play, I couldn't imagine hearing everything within a mile at five years old.

Disney has done it again, they literally print money now with whatever they do.

‘Encanto’ is an incredible movie about family and letting go of grief and the expectation of perfection and family obligations.

So, naturally, I’m going to get emotional over a few of them and we’re going to start with Dolores.

At first, Dolores may seem like a simple secondary or even tertiary character especially with a gift like super hearing.

To be honest, I didn’t expect a lot from her character when I watched this movie for the first time.

I also did not expect to sob like a baby within the first 20 minutes into the movie and not stop until the credits start to roll, but here we are.

Let’s break down her Gift first.

Dolores has the Gift of Super Hearing which is incredible when you think about it. She can hear everything within the mountain range they live in, all the gossip and secrets and laughs al happen in tandem for her.

She has obviously learned how to control and block out sounds that become ‘white noise’ for her, like when you fall asleep to the radio or the tv.

Although, one h to wonder how much she can hear. I was sick with COVID a couple weeks ago and my head was so stuffy I could hear the blood rushing through my ears and it drove me crazy for three days. I have childhood traumas so I depend on my hearing to let me know if someone walking behind me or fidgeting with my doorknob or even approaching my door. So not being able to hear those little things was very hard to deal with. Can Dolores hear the heartbeats of those around her? Can she hear when someone’s organs are beating weird or when someone takes their first or last breath?

Think that’s dark? Well I’ve got more for you.

Obviously, it’s a mystery as to what Gift each child gets on their fifth birthday, or even if they receive one to begin with. Until they touch their door, they have no idea what their Gift will be.

So how can you prepare for something when you don’t know what it is?

What happened to poor little Dolores when she touched her door?

It must have been so painful o get all that noise, especially when it’s a party, all at once for her.

I grew up in a very VERY Mexican household, when my family threw a party it was massive and loud and had way too much food on hand. Latino parties are big no matter the occasion.

So to put poor Dolores right in the idol of all that noise that rushed her all at once must have been horrible for her, especially when it wouldn’t stop.

Can you imagine what the people at the party must have said?

“What is her Gift?”

“Is she okay?”

“Can she not handle it?”

“What was her Gift anyway? Did she even get one?”

All those kinds of questions can really damage a person, let alone a five year old.

Also, I remember being that young and when I was crying my Abuela would interrogate me about if I was really upset or sick or if I was just looking for attention. So, I can 100% imagine Abuela Madrigal asking tiny little Dolores what’s wrong and he she’s avoiding people or trying to cover her ears and to just get over it for the good of the community.

Also, I believe if Dolores had a song, it would be soft but make you cry just as hard as ‘Surface Pressure’.