OVERLAY REPORT

In *Encanto*, the song **"Dos Oruguitas"** (written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and performed by Sebastián Yatra) serves as the emotional and narrative bridge between Abuela Alma’s past and her reconciliation with Mirabel in the present. It plays during the film's most pivotal sequence: the wordless flashback that reveals the origin of the Madrigal family miracle. Here is how the song specifically relates to Abuela’s backstory: ### 1. The Metaphor of the Two Caterpillars The title translates to **"Two Little Caterpillars."** The lyrics describe two caterpillars who are inseparable, clinging to each other while navigating a changing world. * **In Backstory:** This represents young Alma and her husband, Pedro. They met, fell in love, married, and had triplets (Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno). They were "entwined" and building a life together, much like the caterpillars in the song finding their way through the "cold and the rain." ### 2. The Necessity of Change and Sacrifice The song’s central theme is the inevitability of change and the pain of growth. The lyrics state that the caterpillars cannot stay caterpillars forever; they must enter the cocoon and eventually fly apart as butterflies. * **In Backstory:** This mirrors the moment they were forced to flee their home due to civil conflict. The "cocoon" represents the period of hardship they faced as refugees. The most heartbreaking parallel occurs when Pedro realizes he must sacrifice himself to save Alma, their children, and the other villagers. Just as the caterpillars must change to survive, Pedro’s death is the catalyst for the miracle (the butterfly symbol on the candle). ### 3. The Instruction to "Let Go" A recurring line in the song is *"Ay, mariposas, no se aguanten más"* (Oh, butterflies, don't hold on any longer). The song encourages the butterflies to find their own future and "wonders to come." * **In Backstory:** After Pedro’s death, Alma spent 50 years "holding on" too tightly. Out of the trauma of losing him, she became rigid and controlling, trying to protect the miracle by demanding perfection from her family. * **The Connection:** The song plays as Alma finally explains her trauma to Mirabel at the river where Pedro died. It highlights that while Alma was stuck in the grief of the "caterpillar" stage (the loss of her old life), she needed to "let go" and embrace the "butterfly"—the messy, imperfect, but beautiful reality of her family as they are now. ### 4. Visual Symbolism: The Yellow Butterfly The butterfly is the primary symbol of the Madrigal family (appearing on the candle, in the house’s architecture, and on Mirabel’s clothes). * **In the Song/Scene:** As the song reaches its climax, a physical yellow butterfly appears at the river. This signifies that Pedro is still with her in spirit and that the "miracle" was never the house or the powers, but the family itself. The song's shift from a melancholic acoustic folk style to a more soaring, orchestral sound matches the visual transition from the dark memory of Pedro’s death to the golden light of the present-day reconciliation. ### Summary of Detail "Dos Oruguitas" is the first song in the movie to be kept in its original Spanish across all dubs of the film, emphasizing its status as a foundational "folk legend" for the family. It serves as a confession: Alma admits to Mirabel that in her effort to keep the "caterpillars" safe, she forgot that they were meant to fly. It reframes the tragedy of her backstory as a story of transformation rather than just one of loss.