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With all of Encanto‘s awards, positive reviews, and chart-topping music, it’s no surprise that the Walt Disney Animation Studios filmmakers have capitalized on Encanto‘s popularity with plenty of Encanto merchandise. What may surprise many Disney fans, however, is the fact that one specific character’s merchandise and products are becoming particularly popular — even more so than another, more traditional Disney character!
The Madrigal family: Luisa (voiced by Jessica Darrow), Isabela (voiced by Diane Guerrero), the matriarch Abuela Alma (voiced by María Cecilia Botero), Felix (voiceded by Mauro Castillo), Julieta (voiced by Angie Cepeda), Pepa (voiced by Carolina Gaitán), Agustín (voiced by Wilmer Valderrama), Camilo (voiced by Rhenzy Feliz), Antonio (voiced by Ravi Cabot-Conyers), and Dolores (voiced by Adassa) and Mirabel Madrigal (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz). John Leguizamo voices Bruno (not pictured). Credit: movies.disney.com
Luisa Madrigal, the “strong” sister in the Madrigal family (a family who was gifted with unique abilities after the family was blessed by a candle), is a character whose body type, emotional fragility, and singing have all endeared her to Disney fans. The result? According to the Tweet below, the Encanto character’s merchandise is actually outselling the merchandise for her sister, Isabela Madrigal!
Apparently Luisa merch is outselling Isabella merch by a significant factor. Turns out children relate harder to women who are strong, honest, flawed and interesting than those who are just seen as beautiful. Go figure. #Encanto pic.twitter.com/FewHPqprDH
— badly-drawn barbenheimer 🤯 (@soapachu) January 19, 2022
Credit: cbr.com
Since Isabela is the “perfect” woman in the family with a sweet and feminine magical ability to grow flowers, and since everything from her appearance to her mannerisms is more in line with a traditional Disney princess, many audience members might have assumed that Isabela’s products would be the most popular. But Luisa’s products are more in demand, serving as another testament to just how popular the character is worldwide!
Credit: Disney
Although the contrast between Isabela and her other sister Mirabel Madrigal is more accentuated in the Disney movie than the contrast between Isabela and Luisa, there is a clear contrast between all three sisters — and Isabela is definitely the most traditional Disney princess character in the movie, even though she isn’t technically a Disney princess.
Isabela (voiced by Diane Guerrero) and Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz) in Encanto Credit: cbr.com
With her high voice, traditionally-beautiful appearance, slender body type, and flowery feminine aesthetic, it would be expected that most little girls or customers who have loved previous Disney princesses or Disney princess dolls would gravitate towards Isabela.
Her sisters Mirabel and Luisa are both imperfect with self-doubts and vulnerabilities (although we do learn that Isabela has those too, in her own way), so to see a more relatable character like Luisa taking the lead when it comes to merchandise sales is refreshing!
Which Encanto character was your favorite, Isabela or Luisa, and would you rather have Isabela merchandise or Luisa merchandise? Did you have a different favorite character?
