Directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush based the character upon the family archetype of the golden child, which resulted in her being written as the eldest Madrigal grandchild.

[5] Howard and Bush started to discuss Latin-American culture at length with Juan Rendon and Natalie Osma, who had previously worked with them on the making-of documentary Imagining Zootopia.

[1][3] Rendon and Osma both happened to be from Colombia and repeatedly drew upon their personal experiences with Colombian culture in their discussions, which caused Howard, Bush, and Miranda to focus their research on that country.

[7] After attaching the archetypes, the directors incorporated "very relatable family dynamics, and then ma[de] them magical and big and beautiful and visually stunning".

[10] Isabela's gift originated from consultant Alejandra Espinosa's request for nature to be a major element, since Colombians considered it to be a great source of pride.

Though Antonio's gift, to communicate with animals, was inspired by this request, story artist Samantha Vilfort opted to give Isabela floral powers due to the popularity of Colombian plants.

[10] Colombian-American actress Diane Guerrero instantly understood the reason she was cast in the role; she said she somewhat personifies the character.

Several different designs were explored for the change; the ultimate iteration depicts bolder colors and flowers mentioned during the song.

Renato Dos Anjos, Encanto's head of animation, noted the crew always wanted Isabela to look graceful from every angle, even if she was not the primary character in the shot; she is aware she is "always on stage".

[17] Disney incorporated "this subtle undercurrent" of simultaneous anxiety into Isabela, despite her physical appearance as the golden child.

Isabela is angered at this and chastises Mirabel; the latter, through a new prophecy by Bruno, believes she must hug the former to save the family's miracle.

This prompts Isabela to complain about the constant expectation of perfection on her; how Mirabel only sabotages her attempts to conform with it; and that she never wanted to marry Mariano and was only doing so for her family.

Finally understanding her sister, Mirabel assists Isabela in becoming more imperfect, and the two grow more flawed but beautiful plants.

[24][25] Disney based much merchandise upon her, including a Lego set titled "Isabela's Magical Door", which depicts her room;[26] a garden room play set; the "Disney Isabela Core Fashion Dress";[24] a hair play doll; makeup; and jewelry.

/Film expressed disappointment in the abundance of Isabela-related merch and lack of individual toys based on the other members of the family—except for Mirabel.

"[30] Screen Rant and Comic Book Resources both ranked Isabela as the seventh most-likeable character in Encanto.