- “Long ago, when my three babies had just been born, your Abuelo Pedro and I were forced to flee our home.
And though many joined us, hoping to find a new home... we could not escape the dangers... and your Abuelo was lost.” - ―Abuela Alma telling how the soldiers killed her husband.
The Soldiers are minor antagonists of Disney's 2021 animated feature film Encanto. They were a group of corrupt Colombian soldiers responsible for the death of Pedro Madrigal, the patriarch of The Madrigals.
Description[]
The soldiers are never truly seen in person. They were shown in a flashback as shadowy figures riding on horseback with swords. What is known is that they are completely ruthless, having destroyed a village and presumably killed murdered several people for as-of-yet unknown reasons, and even chased after those who managed to survive and flee.
Appearances[]
Encanto[]
Before the events of the film, Pedro Madrigal and his wife Alma were living in peace in a Colombian village with three children named Julieta, Pepa and Bruno. However, tragedy struck when the soldiers attacked the village with torches, resulting in several houses being burned down and several people supposedly being murdered, an act witnessed by a horrified Pedro and Alma from a distance. The Madrigals are then forced to evacuate from the village with several survivors, but then they see the soldiers charging up towards them in the river they're crossing. To ensure the safety of his family and the survivors, Pedro bravely sacrifices himself to the soldiers, much to Alma's complete grief. Following Pedro's death, a candle that Alma held onto became enchanted with magic, causing an explosion that blows the soldiers away. They were never seen again since then and are presumed deceased as a result of the explosion.
The magic candle also creates a new sentient house called Casa Madrigal for the Madrigal family to live in for decades, and allowing a new village to be created in the presence of the Casita to protect them from the soldiers. However, their actions have left a traumatized Alma unable to cope with her grief over Pedro's death, leading her to become a perfectionist by relying solely on the magic to protect her family. Also, due to her unwillingness to explain to the family what happened to Pedro, Alma made it her goal to ensure that the family remain useful and appreciated by the community by having them service it with their magic, the emotional pressure leading to the collapse of Casa Madrigal and for the Madrigals to lose their gifts. However, after a brief talk with Mirabel, Alma finally explains the events before reconciling with Mirabel and the rest of the Madrigal family, restoring the Casa and the family members' gifts for good.
Trivia[]
- The soldiers' attack on the village serves as an allegory for Colombia's real-life history of armed conflicts and political violence that the country suffered ever since the 1960s. The war the soldiers were fighting in is implied to be the Thousand Days' War, a civil war that lasted from 1899 to 1902 between liberal rebels and conservative government forces. It is unknown if the soldiers were rebels or government loyalists.
- Despite being the only villains in Encanto, the soldiers play no active role in the present-day plot of the film. However, the soldiers' actions are what led the well-meaning Alma to develop her sense of perfectionism that caused the film's events in the first place.
Gallery[]
