Expectation and family hierarchy pressure: A semiotics analysis of colors in Encanto (2021)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to observe how colors depict expectations and pressures within a family. Encanto is an animated musical movie that describes hierarchy in a family which inevitably triggers a hierarchy of expectations and pressures from Abuela Alma, the oldest member of the Madrigal family. She treated her children and grandchildren as her own expectation and desire for the sake of the continuity of the family’s descendants. This study belongs to a descriptive qualitative study where observing, recording, and analyzing the data are applied. Roland Barthes’ theory about denotation and connotation will be used to analyze the meaning of the colors attached to each character of this movie. The various colors presented are magenta, baby blue, tiffany blue, lilac, white, yellow, faded green, scarlet, black, and bluish colors. Each color symbolizes characters, the hierarchy of expectations, and the kinds of pressure in this family. The colors and patterns of each individual's outfit, according to the explanation of the contrasts between the characters on each side, indicate the degree of Abuela's influence over them, as she is the person in charge of the family hierarchy. Abuela, aware of the community's dominance of magical power, tries to keep it in her family, resulting in a hierarchical disposition in her family based on her perspective of how their magical ability benefits others.