Alma Madrigal/Relationships

The relationships of Alma Madrigal.
==Romance==
===Pedro Madrigal===
Pedro is Alma's late husband and she remembers him fondly. Alma met Pedro when she was young sometime during Day of the Little Candles in her hometown. As soon as they saw each other for the first time, Alma and Pedro fell in love, as they looked at each other with affection and adoration while having joyful smiles on their faces. Over time, the couple got to know each other, they fell in love with one another very quickly, got married, and had three children. Alma was very happy with the life she had with Pedro and both were very affectionate with each other and hoped to start a family together. When the village they lived in began to be attacked by soldiers after the birth of their children, Alma along with her husband, children and other villagers were forced to flee and leave their home. After the marauders caught up to the refugees, Pedro sacrificed himself and was killed in the process, leaving Alma widowed and heartbroken. 
Even decades later, Alma could never get over the death of her husband, since she could not return to being happy as she was before and lived in constant fear of losing someone else in her family. She has Pedro constantly in her thoughts by having photos of him in various parts of the Casita and making sure that both their family and the townspeople see him as an important emotional figure, values the gifts given to each of her relatives to honor her husband's sacrifice. Alma also thinks of him when referring back to how the miracle started when she becomes worried about the magic, praying to him about her fears of losing everything again. With their family's support, Alma is able to make peace with what happened to Pedro and move on with her life, now realizing the true way to honor his sacrifice was to cherish the family she still had from him.
==Family==
===Julieta Madrigal===
Julieta is Alma's eldest child. Alma's relationship with her daughter while she was growing up is unknown, but Julieta was always willing to help her mother take care of her family from a very young age because her father had died on the day of her birth, likely with Alma trusting Julieta to take care of her siblings when she is busy being the leader of the village and was too busy to do it. However, at the beginning of the film, it is clear that Alma's relationship with her daughter is quite strained due to her harsh treatment of Mirabel and Agustín, as well as Alma keeping a tight grip on Julieta and her other children to make them perfect. Although Julieta respects Alma as her mother and the matriarch of the family, she is not afraid to disobey or confront her when she demands too much of her. Alma was skeptical that Julieta would fall in love with Agustín since he was probably not Alma's first choice to marry her daughter, but Julieta loved Agustín so much that she did not follow Alma's words and married the man years later. 
Before the night of Antonio's gift ceremony, Julieta makes a point and tells her mother to be nice to Mirabel because of how difficult the night was going to be because her gift ceremony didn't work out ten years ago. When the Casa Madrigal starts cracking and the magic starts to fade after Bruno's vision is revealed to the family, Alma was more concerned about what was happening to their house rather than Julieta and Agustín's concerns about how Alma was always too hard on Mirabel. Despite the multiple run-ins she had with Julieta and how harsh he was with her, it is clear that Alma loves her daughter. After realizes her mistake of caring about the magic more than the family in "All of You", Alma sincerely apologized to her and Pepa for the stress and hurt she had caused the entire family, while at the same time lovingly holding Julieta's hand.
===Pepa Madrigal===
Pepa is Alma's middle child. Alma's relationship with her daughter while Pepa was growing up is unknown. However, at the beginning of the film, it is clear that Alma's relationship with her daughter is quite strained. In addition to keeping a tight grip on Pepa and her other children to make them perfect, Alma often negatively criticized Pepa for her emotional tirades, not supporting her when she needs it, never tries to talk to her daughter or reassure her that her feelings matter and often pesters Pepa to keep her emotions under control, normally because of its negative impact on the people around her. This is shown a few times, such as when Pepa was anxiously looking for Antonio for his gift ceremony, Alma told her that she had a cloud following her. Another time was during dinner with the Guzmán family, Pepa had storm clouds hovering over the table because of what she found out about Bruno's vision, and Alma reminded Pepa to get rid of the clouds, and when the Casa Madrigal started to crack, she tried telling Pepa to calm down. Pepa in turn can get angry with Alma and responds to her when she cannot keep her temper under control. 
Although she respects her as the matriarch of the family, Pepa isn't afraid to contradict her or yell at her when she stresses out too much. Despite the multiple run-ins she had with Pepa and how harsh he was with her, it is clear that Alma loves her daughter. After realizing her mistakes in "All of You", Alma sincerely apologized to her and Julieta for the stress and hurt she had caused the entire family as she lovingly caressed her cheek. In addition to becoming more affectionate with Pepa, Alma also watches with joy when her daughter dances happily under a rain cloud after the reconstruction of the Casita, happy that Pepa can express her emotions.
===Bruno Madrigal===
Bruno is Alma's youngest child and only son. Alma's relationship with her son in the past is unknown, however it is apparent that as Bruno got older, his relationship with Alma became strained, as well as his relationships with other members of his family and the people in the Encanto. Due to the problems of his gift, supposedly along with, unlike his sisters, being unmarried and childless, Alma often doubted Bruno's contributions to both the community and their family, causing her relationship with him to become so strained that her son through the years began to fear and avoid her. Despite this, after Mirabel didn't get her gift, Alma relied on Bruno to look into the future to see what it meant. However, after Bruno did look into the future, to avoid telling Alma or anybody else what he saw, he decided to disappear. When Bruno didn't come back from his room after doing the vision he had asked for, Alma went to check on him and realized that Bruno had disappeared. After Bruno's disappearance, Alma would go ten years without seeing or speaking to her son and was left heartbroken due to the pain of losing him (contributed by his resemblance to his late father). But Bruno's disappearance also caused Alma's opinion of her son to turn sour over the years. 
This being shown during Alma's argument with Mirabel when Alma accused Bruno of not caring about the family. Like Pepa, Alma held a grudge against her for abandoning her and the family without saying anything, and she at some point made Bruno's name a taboo in the entire Encanto. Although Alma initially had negative opinions about her son, it's clear that she still loves Bruno because when she saw him for the first time since he disappeared, she greets him with a hug and kisses him on the cheek while calling him "Brunito". When he returns to the family, she is very affectionate towards Bruno and lovingly guides him to reunite with his sisters when he is afraid to do so. After she apologizes to their family for her mistakes and they all come together to rebuild the house during "All of You", Alma's relationship with her son become close. In the graphic novels and comics, Alma has completely forgiven Bruno for abandoning their family and has accepted him for who he is, not seeing the worst of his visions like in the past and enjoying the novels that Bruno's rats act out.
===Isabela Madrigal===
Isabela is Alma's first grandchild. Ever since she was a little girl, Isabela has been Alma's favorite granddaughter, referring to Isabela as perfect on several occasions due to her perfect gift. Being the first grandchild, she placed very high expectations on her granddaughter from an early age and this forced Isabela to have to be the “perfect golden child” of the family. Another reason why Alma has so many expectations on Isabela to be perfect and that she wanted her to marry Mariano to have another generation of Madrigals is that, since Isabela is the one who most strikingly resembles Alma when she was younger, this physical resemblance makes she see herself in Isabela and remind her of her trauma, which is why she has such high expectations for Isabela's future. Throughout the film, among all the members of her family, Alma is notably more affectionate with Isabela and treats her better than her other grandchildren, this doting placing a lot of pressure on her while at the same time making her sisters and cousins feel inadequate living in her shadow, which would negatively affect her relationships with some of them. 
In "The Family Madrigal", Alma is seen affectionately kissing Isabela on her cheek and looking at her with pride when she grows different roses in the village. After "What Else Can I Do", when Isabela had expressed her true self, Alma became infuriated and commented that Isabela was out of control. Although she can get angry at Isabela's actions when she doesn't meet her expectations, Alma never really gets to the point of yelling at her granddaughter or blaming her for something directly. Isabela in turn seems to be very afraid of upsetting or disappointing Alma. When she gets mad at her for the mess she accidentally caused in the town, Isabela goes from confident and happy to scared and ashamed. However, realizing that the real miracle is their family and not the gifts, Alma no longer expects Isabela to be perfect and allows her to express her true self.
===Dolores Madrigal ===
Dolores is Alma's second grandchild. She has a good relationship with Dolores and to have a positive opinion of her granddaughter. Alma trusts how she appropriately uses her gift, although she is confused when Dolores suddenly appears in conversations. Even though her gift being not very useful to the community as Isabela or Luisa's, Alma relies Dolores to hear anything for her and other's needs, while not putting her under as much pressure as her other granddaughters. Dolores in turn seems to try to please Alma and be useful, to her because on several occasions she uses her enhanced hearing when she asks her to know or find out something. Like the rest of the family, Dolores respects Alma as the matriarch and treats her with great affection. Dolores is quite obedient to Alma, obeying her orders without hesitation, like when she asks her about the date of Mariano and Isabela's proposal. As important as dinner with the Guzmans was, Alma doesn't angry with Dolores when she reveals Bruno's vision about the house being in danger over dinner, indicating that she knows Dolores was worried about safety of their family.
After the Casa Madrigal collapses, Dolores is briefly seen taking care of a frightened Alma and sits her on a small piece of debris to calm her down. During "All of You" Alma smiles amused when Dolores and Antonio joke with Camilo about Bruno's return. While she would have previously had some problems with Dolores and Mariano's romance due to her desire for the man to marry Isabela, realizing her mistake of caring about the magic more than the family and everyone coming together to rebuild the house, Alma has no problems with their union and is happy for them, acknowledging that Mariano and Isabela's engagement wasn't meant to be. In the graphic novels, Alma supports her granddaughter's romance with Mariano and is excited by the idea of the two getting married in the future.
===Luisa Madrigal ===
Luisa is Alma's third grandchild. Thanks to her magical gift, Alma has very high expectations of Luisa and expects great things from her. In the film, Alma does not seem very close to Luisa as she rarely interacts with her, dependent on her physical strength and often expects her to do the heavy lifting. Luisa is shown to do whatever she asks without hesitation, but Alma inadvertently subjects Luisa to a great deal of pressure and insecurities from a young age. Although Alma was visibly concerned when Luisa had stated that she was starting to lose her gift and had a worried expression on her face when it was clear how upset Luisa was about it, she doesn't run after her granddaughter to comfort her when she needs it. During dinner with the Guzmáns, Alma doesn’t offer Luisa any support when she’s asked to bring the piano into the dining room nor when she is struggling and crying for loss her gift because she was focused on Mariano and Isabela's marriage proposal. Luisa trust her a lot, as when she realizes she is losing her gift she immediately runs to tells Alma. Luisa is also shown to care for her wellbeing since when the house was collapsing, Luisa catches Alma when everyone, except Mirabel, was pushed out by the house. Despite ignoring Luisa on a few occasions, Alma loves her granddaughter and wants her to be happy. After the reconstruction of the Casita, Alma smiles when she sees Luisa relax, showing that she no longer expects her to be strong.
=== Camilo Madrigal===
Camilo is Alma's fourth grandchild. Although it is unknown what relationship she has with him, Camilo being her first grandson and the only boy in the Casa Madrigal with magic for a decade, her relationship with her grandson is described as difficult (possibly contributed to him reminding her of Bruno's disappearance). In the film, due to his gift being not very useful to the community like the rest of their relatives, Alma rarely interacts with Camilo and he seems to be one of the family members she places the least responsibility on, possibly implying their interactions similar to the ones Alma has with Mirabel albeit to a lesser extent. Camilo respects Alma a lot and she is one of the few people he does not play pranks on. While preparing Antonio's gift ceremony, Camilo quickly obeys Alma when she tells him to help José hold the banner that hangs over Antonio's door. After Alma mentions the plans of Isabela's proposal the next day during breakfast, Camilo waits for her to finish talking before starting to make fun of Isabela, showing he knows when to behave somewhat around Alma. As the house collapsed, Camilo tried to save the candle because Alma has repeatedly said that it is the most important object in the Encanto, showing that he was pursuing Alma's previous ideals. In "All of You", Alma smiles amusedly when Camilo is confused by Bruno's return and later she is working on rebuilding Casita alongside her grandson, suggesting that they have become close.
=== Mirabel Madrigal===
Mirabel is Alma's fifth grandchild. When Mirabel was younger, Alma was very close to her granddaughter and was affectionate with her. However, after Mirabel's fifth birthday when she didn't get her gift, Alma became very distant from Mirabel to the point of not hugging her since her granddaughter's failed ceremony. Throughout the film, Alma doesn't acknowledge Mirabel's attempts of trying to help the family and would try to push her away on different occasions, much to her frustation. When the magic started to fade, Alma openly blamed Mirabel for the negativity that the family was going through, upon the revelation of Bruno's vision, all because she wasn't given a gift. When Mirabel angrily blames her for being the true cause of magic's death because she deems no one good enough for her, Alma tries to contradict her but realizes that she is right after she looks at Mirabel in utter shock. After Mirabel runs away following the fall of Casita out of belief she did cause harm to the family, Alma went looking for her at the river where Pedro died and they have a heart to heart conversation where Mirabel expresses empathy towards Alma for the sorrow she endured as a young woman and how her heart had never fully healed ever since she lost her husband. Alma thanks Mirabel for her words of comfort and also realizes her mistake of caring about the magic more than the family, causing the two reconcile and embrace for the first time in over ten years, becoming close again.
===Antonio Madrigal===
Antonio is Alma's sixth and youngest grandchild. She has a good relationship with her grandson and, like with Isabela, is very affectionate with him from the beginning. Being too young and not having a gift yet, Alma never put expectations or pressures on Antonio's shoulders. At the beginning of the film, on the day of his grandson's fifth birthday and gift ceremony, Alma helped Antonio get ready for his special day. Although Alma never put any responsibilities on Antonio, when she is seen helping Antonio into his gift ceremony outfit, he's not smiling and looks nervous before immediately smiling when Alma looks at him, showing that, similar to his siblings and cousins, Antonio is very stressed over the fear of disappointing his grandmother, but refuses to show his nervousness to her in fear of not making her proud.
As Antonio walked to his magical door during his ceremony, Alma was visibly scared that the door would fail, but when her youngest grandchild received his gift, Alma sighs in relief and is filled with pride for Antonio's successful ceremony. Before gathering the family for a photo in Antonio's new room, Alma approached her grandson and congratulated him, grabbing his face with affection as she showered him with praise for getting his new gift, even hugging him in the novelization. She smiles happily when Antonio is having fun during the party in his new room and the next morning, Antonio has some of his animals warm Alma's seat for her at breakfast. While she's surprised and definitely a bit weirded out by the gesture, Alma sweetly thanks Antonio while calling him "Toñito". In "All of You" Alma smiles amused when Antonio jokes with Camilo about Bruno's return, hinting she's not upset that he discovered his uncle's whereabouts and didn't reveal it sooner. Having her mistake in pressuring their family and everyone coming together to rebuild the house, she has allowed Antonio to discover his own way of using his gift once the magic returns to the Encanto.
===Agustín Madrigal===
Agustín is Alma's first son-in-law. It is unknown what she thought of him before he fell in love with Julieta, but after Agustín began a romance with her daughter, Alma to harshly judged him for his clumsiness and was skeptical that Julieta would fall in love with him. Alma's opinion of Agustín only worsened after Julieta married with the man and the two had children, given that he was probably not Alma's first choice to marry her daughter and unwillingness to understand why Julieta chose him. Due to Alma's harsh opinion of him, Agustín initially felt like an outsider upon becoming a member of the Madrigal family and feeling "not exceptional". In the film, Alma's relationship with her son-in-law is quite negative and Agustín was wary of angering her, since he was afraid of how Alma would react if Isabela and Mariano's proposal dinner was ruined if Bruno's vision of the miracle's death was revealed. However, Agustín is not afraid to confront her to protect his family. After the failed dinner, Alma confronts Agustín for not telling her about Bruno's vision and tells him to think about the family, to which he replies that he was thinking of his daughter.
===Félix Madrigal===
Félix is Alma's second son-in-law. Despite their limited interaction in the film, Alma's relationship with Félix is quite close and the two are on good terms with each other. In contrast to her negative opinion of Agustín, Alma always thought well of Félix due to his charisma and willingness to cheer up others. Alma's opinion of him only improved when Félix began helping her daughter Pepa control her volatile power and the two began to fall in love over time, quickly accepting him as part of the family when they finally became engaged. Currently, Alma feels comfortable that Félix is a member of the Madrigals due to his warm and protective tendencies towards other members of the family. At the celebration of Antonio's gift ceremony, Félix is the only one to get Alma to dance before the party is interrupted. Although Félix respects Alma as the matriarch of the family, he does not approve of the pressure she puts on Pepa to maintain control of her emotions, defending his wife when Alma criticizes her after Isabela and Mariano's failed proposal dinner. When magic returns to the Encanto, Alma is happy to see Félix and Pepa having fun being themselves.
Category:Relationships
Category:Encanto relationships