Determining who is the eldest between Pepa and Bruno, the matriarch and patriarch of the Madrigal family in Encanto, requires analyzing all available information about their ages and the timeline of events in the film. Encanto takes place in a magical town in the mountains of Colombia, where each member of the Madrigal family is blessed with a unique gift except Mirabel. As the parental figures, Pepa and Bruno’s ages provide context for when the magicalEncanto came to be and how their family grew over the years. Examining visual cues, narrative context, and character backgrounds sheds light on this question.
Evidence Pepa is Older
Several pieces of evidence suggest Pepa, the mother who controls the weather with her moods, is the elder of the two parents.
Pepa’sigher Generation Status
As the matriarch and mother figure of the family, Pepa occupies a higher generational status than Bruno, which implies she is older. She acts as the primary parental figure along with her husband Felix, making important decisions about Mirabel’s ceremony and other family matters.
Pepa’s Adult Children
Pepa already has adult children old enough to have their own Ceremonies of Gift Giving by the start of the movie. Her oldest daughter Dolores got her gift of enhanced hearing 5 years before the events of the film. This suggests Pepa had to be at least in her 30s or 40s by the start of the movie, since she had adult children.
Pepa’s Appearance
Pepa’s more mature appearance also hints that she is older than Bruno. She has some visible wrinkles and grey hairs mixed in with her dark curly hair. Her face shape also hints at being middle-aged. Bruno has a full head of black hair with no signs of greying. His face shape also looks more youthful. While not definitive proof, their visible ages suggest Pepa is older.
Evidence Bruno is Older
However, there are also clues that suggest Bruno may be the elder sibling, not Pepa:
Bruno’s Disappearance
Bruno disappeared from the family when Mirabel was very young, around 5 years old. This means he had to be old enough to have received his gift and become the family oracle prior to disappearing. This suggests he is likely older than Pepa, since she was still living with the family and had young children.
Bruno’s Prophecies
As the family’s oracle, Bruno’s gift lets him see visions of the future. He makes major prophecies about Mirabel and the magic before disappearing from the family. His important status implies he was the firstborn child who received his gift early on.
Bruno’s Maturity
During his time hidden in the walls, Bruno assumes a quiet, mature, wise demeanor as he watches over the family, hinting at his older age and experience. He dispenses thoughtful advice to Mirabel during their encounter. His personality contrasts with Pepa’s more eccentric, tempestuous mood swings.
Analyzing Family Lineage Evidence
To get to the bottom of this mystery, we need to closely analyze what the movie reveals about the Madrigal family lineage over the generations.
Timeline of Gifts
The grandmother Alma narrates that the miracle of the Encanto happened after her husband Pedro saved the family from violence in their old village. This event granted magical gifts to their children. Later scenes imply the order of gifting was:
| 1. Bruno – gift of prophecy |
| 2. Julieta – gift of healing cooking |
| 3. Pepa – gift of weather control |
So Bruno received his gift first, followed by his sister Julieta, then Pepa. This suggests the birth order was: Bruno, Julieta, Pepa.
The Triplets
Further evidence comes from Pepa’s children. She has a set of triplets: Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio. Antonio is shown as roughly 5 years old when he gets his gift. Dolores is said to have gotten her gift 5 years ago. This means Pepa had to be pregnant with the triplets over 10 years ago.
Mirabel’s Age
Additional clues come from Mirabel’s age. She is said to be 15 in the movie. Her failed gift ceremony was 10 years prior, when she was 5. That means 15 years ago, Pepa had to already have been married to Felix and have children.
Putting Together the Timeline
Piecing together all these clues, the most consistent timeline is:
| 50+ years ago | – Pedro and Alma get married |
| 45+ years ago | – Bruno is born, first child |
| 40+ years ago | – Julieta is born, second child |
| 35+ years ago | – Pepa is born, third child |
| 25+ years ago | – Pepa marries Felix |
| 15 years ago | – Triplets Dolores, Camilo, Antonio born |
| 10 years ago | – Mirabel born; Bruno disappears |
This timeline positions Bruno as the eldest sibling, born at least 5-10 years before Julieta and 10-15 years before Pepa.
Conclusion
Though there are hints on both sides, careful analysis of the Madrigal family history and timeline of events strongly suggests that Bruno is the elder sibling compared to his sisters Julieta and Pepa in the film Encanto. The biggest clues come from the order of magical gifting, Mirabel’s age, the approximate ages of Pepa’s triplets, and Bruno’s status as family oracle before he disappeared. Piecing these clues together, Bruno appears to be the oldest of the three, roughly 10-15 years older than his younger sister Pepa. This means the eldest between them would definitively be Bruno.