Maybe your Gift is being in denial.Encanto · 2021 — Chapter 3 of 19 · 3'10" · B1
Mirabel Told to Step Aside, Explained: step aside
The whole family is getting ready for Antonio's Gift ceremony, and everyone has a role except Mirabel. When she tries to help, Isabela calls her in the way and Abuela tells her the best way to help is to step aside: "Let the rest of the family do what they do best."
What happens
It is the morning of Antonio's Gift ceremony, and the Madrigals are preparing the house. Mirabel keeps trying to help, but Isabela tells her she is in the way and Abuela tells her to step aside so the others can do their best. Her parents insist she has nothing to prove.
Listen for
in denialsomething won't decorate itselfstep asidehave nothing to prove
00:00 / 03:10Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
step aside
to move out of the way or give up your place
阿布埃拉对米拉贝尔说，对家里有些人来说，帮忙的最好办法就是让到一边。
He stepped aside so a younger colleague could lead the project.
Also in this scene
- in denial
refusing to accept an unpleasant truth
- something won't decorate itself
used to say a task requires someone to do it
- have nothing to prove
not needing to show others your worth
Everything marked in this scene
33 notes across 69 lines
Get the chairs out of the way.imperative
Get the chairs out of the way.liaison
Get the chairs out of the way.Hey, nice job over there.My baby's night has to be perfect, and it's not perfect. And people are going to be coming.has to for necessity
My baby's night has to be perfect, and it's not perfect. And people are going to be coming.Did someone say flowers?-Thank you. -Oh, it's nothing.A little sisterly advice,if you weren't always trying too hard, you wouldn't be in the way.if you weren't always trying too hard, you wouldn't be in the way.second conditional
if you weren't always trying too hard, you wouldn't be in the way.Actually, Isa, this is called helping.Mi vida, you okay? You don't have to overdo it.weak form
Mi vida, you okay? You don't have to overdo it.Mi vida, you okay? You don't have to overdo it.I just wanna do my part like the rest of the family.I just wanna do my part like the rest of the family.-She's right, amor. -Eesh.When me and your tío Félix married into the family, outsiders who had no Gift, never, ever would...Mi amor, if you ever wanna talk...The house isn't gonna decorate itself.not needing to show others your worth
-You have nothing to prove! -You have nothing to prove!But tonight must go perfectly.must for strong necessity
But tonight must go perfectly.to move out of the way or give up your place
So, the best way for some of us to help is to step aside.liaison
So, the best way for some of us to help is to step aside.Let the rest of the family do what they do best.causative let
Let the rest of the family do what they do best.But now I can't find Antonio. What do you want from me?You know tonight will be hard for her.elision
If the Gift ceremony doesn't go well this time,Mirabel Told to Step Aside, explained
What's really going on
Everyone in the family has a Gift and therefore a job, and Mirabel, the one without one, is the odd person out. The morning is a rehearsal of that order: people are assigned tasks, and Mirabel's only assignment is to stay out of the way. Isabela is sharp about it, "if you weren't always trying too hard, you wouldn't be in the way," and Abuela makes it doctrine, "the best way for some of us to help is to step aside." The cruelty is that it is said kindly; Abuela frames exclusion as helpfulness, and Mirabel accepts it with "I just wanna do my part like the rest of the family." Her parents try to soften it, telling her she has nothing to prove, but that is exactly the problem: in this family, worth is proved by usefulness, and she has none to offer. The scene sets up the whole film's wound in a single morning.
Theme
Family conflictAbuela's drive to keep the family perfect sets Mirabel apart and makes her feel she has no worth.
IdentityWithout a Gift, Mirabel is defined as the one who must step aside, not as herself.
What you'll learn
- Use un-ceptional in a comparable exchange.
- Listen for the attitude around un-ceptional.
- Notice how the reply changes the scene.
Listen for
- out of the way — liaison
- have to — weak form
- step aside — liaison
- doesn't go — elision
Maybe your Gift is being in denial.A joke that turns the family's obsession with Gifts on its head: if you keep denying there is a problem, that is your special power.
I just wanna do my part like the rest of the family.Mirabel's real wish: not to be special, only to count as a working member of the family.
But tonight must go perfectly.Abuela's fixed idea said out loud: the ceremony is a performance for the whole town and cannot be allowed to go wrong.
So, the best way for some of us to help is to step aside.The line that wounds the scene: Abuela dresses exclusion up as a form of helping.
Let the rest of the family do what they do best.Her follow-up, telling Mirabel to leave the work to those with Gifts and stay out of the way.
You know tonight will be hard for her.Julieta's plea to Abuela, reminding her that Antonio's ceremony is a painful echo of the night Mirabel got no Gift.
Questions about this scene
Why does Abuela tell Mirabel to step aside?
Mirabel has no Gift, so in Abuela's plan for a perfect ceremony she has no role. Abuela asks her to stay out of the way so the gifted family can do the work.
Does Abuela mean to be cruel to Mirabel?
She frames it as helpfulness, saying the best way some of them can help is to step aside. The sting is in the effect rather than open malice, which is why Julieta asks her to be nicer.
Why is Antonio's ceremony so hard for Mirabel?
It is the first Gift ceremony since her own, when she received no Gift. Watching another child be celebrated reminds everyone of that night.
Why does Julieta ask Abuela to be nice to Mirabel?
Julieta knows the ceremony brings back the night Mirabel got no Gift. Her plea that tonight will be hard for her is a mother trying to shield her daughter from the family's judgment.
What does Abuela say the town expects from the family?
She says the whole town relies on the Madrigals and their Gifts, which is why she insists tonight must go perfectly and cannot be allowed to go wrong.
Encanto · 19 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 4all to myselfMirabel Comforts Antonio Before His Gift
Chapter 1in our darkest momentAbuela Tells Mirabel the Miracle Story
Chapter 2Between you and meMirabel Introduces the Madrigals
Watching · Chapter 3step asideMirabel Told to Step Aside
Chapter 4all to myselfMirabel Comforts Antonio Before His Gift
Chapter 5step into the lightAntonio's Gift Ceremony
Chapter 6move the mountainsMirabel Sings Waiting on a Miracle
Chapter 7all in my headAbuela Denies the Cracks
Chapter 8worth a shotMirabel Asks Dolores About the Magic
Chapter 9under the surfaceLuisa Sings Surface Pressure
Chapter 10a heavy liftWe Don't Talk About Bruno
Chapter 11Fix your faceThe Proposal Dinner Falls Apart
Chapter 12assume the worstMirabel Finds Bruno Behind the Walls
Chapter 13get a bad rapMirabel Reenters Bruno's Vision
Chapter 14hug it outMirabel and Isabela Hug It Out
Chapter 15good enoughAbuela Blames Mirabel for the Miracle
Chapter 16let me help youThe Family Searches for Mirabel
Chapter 17lose sight ofAbuela Apologizes to Mirabel
Chapter 18want to helpBruno Defends Mirabel
Chapter 19take after someoneThe Madrigals Rebuild CasitaChapter 3 of 19 · about 57 min to go