Encanto’s details reveal how much thought Encanto’s creators put into the animated feature, especially into characters like Dolores and the effects of her powers. Encanto tells the story of the Madrigals, a Colombian family that was given a miracle after being driven from their village. As generations passed, every Madrigal child received a magic power, except Mirabel, the family’s youngest daughter. While Mirabel’s lack of a gift was the focus of Encanto, many of her family members’ powers were important to the story as well.
For example, Dolores, Mirabel’s oldest cousin, had the gift of enhanced hearing. This contributed to both Encanto’s plot and Dolores’ character in multiple ways. Since Dolores could hear everything, she tended to gossip, telling Mirabel about Luisa’s anxiety and telling Camilo about Mirabel being in Bruno’s vision. In addition, the Madrigals used Dolores as a method of communication. When people spoke, Dolores could easily relay their messages to those she was with, such as when she told Abuela when Mariano would visit the Madrigals to propose to Isabela. Near the end of Encanto, Dolores even revealed that she had known where Bruno was hiding due to hearing him inside the walls of the house, which she had hinted at in the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.”
However, certain background details reveal more about Dolores’ powers. Even when Dolores was not the center of attention, Encanto’s creators paid attention to the effects of her gift on her actions and daily life. Through a series of subtle nods and distinctive ticks, Dolores becomes a far richer character than she would have been had her abilities only been displayed directly. These details made Dolores’ power better by highlighting not only the strength of her power, but the issues it caused for her.
In Encanto’s opening song, “The Family Madrigal,” Mirabel established that Dolores’ gift was incredibly powerful. For example, Mirabel explained that Dolores could “hear a pin drop” and “hear this whole chorus a mile away.” Dolores’ actions emphasized the strength of her gift by showing how they affected her daily life. For example, one post (via Reddit) pointed out that whenever people applauded, especially at Antonio’s gift ceremony, Dolores clapped by simply tapping her index fingers together. It is also notable that during Dolores’ first solo in “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” she whispered as she sang. Although this could partially be because Dolores was sharing secret information, it could have a deeper meaning when compared to her clapping. Combined, these choices suggest that since Dolores heard so well, she purposely made less noise to adjust.
In addition, some of Encanto’s details reflect the overlooked problems that Dolores faced due to her powers. Like Luisa, Dolores’ could not simply turn off or stop using her gift. Since sounds came at her continuously, the world was often too loud for her. Due to this, Dolores covered her ears several times throughout Encanto. When all of the Madrigals’ gifts were acting up during Isabela’s proposal dinner, Dolores plugged her ears to block out both yelling and the house cracking. As one post noted (via Reddit), Dolores even had to cover her ears during happy events, such as when the village began shooting off fireworks to celebrate Antonio receiving his gift. In this way, Dolores’ power was a gift, but it could also be a burden. Moments such as these show that Encanto’s creators considered the consequences of Dolores’ powers and included details to add depth to both her character and her gift.