Summary

• Mirabel's true gift in Encanto is the miracle itself, as she keeps her family's gifts alive and helps them flourish.
• Mirabel's power lies in her ability to bring people together and unite her family through love and support.
• Mirabel not having a magical gift in the traditional sense is thematically important to the story, emphasizing that her real power is her value within her family and community.

The ending of Disney's Encanto reveals that Mirabel actually has a power of her own — and it's perhaps the most important of all. The enchanting family drama suggests that its protagonist is the only one of Encanto's Madrigal family members without a gift from the miracle, a magical candle born from Abuela Alma's and Pedro's love. But powers like super strength, talking to animals, and shape-shifting aren't the only kinds of magical power. While there isn't an obvious Encanto Mirabel power, the stories central Madrigal may have received a gift after all.

Each of the Madrigals has a unique power (except for the husbands and Abuela Alma, the keeper of the miracle). But the miracle can feel like a curse, particularly to the sisters Mirabel, Isabela, and Louisa. During "Surface Pressure," Louisa tells Mirabel her fear of being useless if she can't be of service. One of the best Encanto soundtrack songs is "What Else Can I Do?" where Isabela explains how she feels constrained by her fake persona. Mirabel has issues of self-worth because she isn't "special," and yearns to contribute to the Madrigal legacy.

Mirabel's Power Is The Miracle Itself

Mirabel's Gift Is Enabling The Madrigal's Magic

If the movie is read a certain way, Mirabel does get a gift by the end of Encanto. The ending reveals Mirabel's true gift: the miracle itself. She keeps her family's gifts alive and helps them flourish despite not having tangible powers. When she helps Isabela accept herself, the cracks in Casita heal and her sister discovers new abilities. When Mirabel and Abuela fight over the problems in the family and the miracle wanes, the symbolic cracks in Casita — mirroring the cracks in the Madrigal family — ruin their home.

It is only when they finally reconcile at the place where Abuela first received the miracle, and when they rebuild the house with Encanto's real-life-influenced Colombian community, that the magic can come alive once again. In essence, Mirabel's power is love and support.

Mirabel's Power Is Her Ability To Bring People Together

Mirabel's Name Reveals The Truth Of Her Gift

In a strange inversion of the Disney trope of a Princess going to find herself, Mirabel's magical power is the cornerstone of her household. She is the personification of how important the family unit and staying together is. When she opens the new door to Casita, the magic returns, even though the candle is no more. Mirabel, with the uniting love of her family, empowers everyone. It's no mistake that "Mirabel" sounds like "miracle" — the same way "Madrigal" sounds like "magical." The movie points out her power in lines of dialogue.

Before Encanto's Mirabel opens the door, Bruno says: "You’re the real gift, kid. Let us in."Abuela tells her that Pedro "sent me you," and calls her the miracle. As Abuela professes in the song "All of You," the miracle of Encanto is everyone: "The miracle is you, not some gift, just you... All of you." It's a beautiful thematic close to the film. Mirabel empowers everyone through both magic and love, and it is because of their family and community that the miracle continues.

"Mirabel empowers everyone through both magic and love"

Why Mirabel Didn't Get Her Power As A Gift

The Encanto Mirable Power Is Unseen And Hidden

Encanto doesn't fully answer the question of whether Mirabel gets a gift at the end of the movie, at least as far as a superhuman skill that matches those of her family goes. While she's an indispensable family member with the power of the miracle, Mirabel still doesn't have a noticeable magical ability by the film's end. There are numerous Encanto theories that Mirabel's gift was sabotaged by herself or Abuela, or that she does have a subtle magical power, such as communicating with Casita.

However, it's thematically on-point that Mirabel doesn't have a magical gift in Encanto. Since Mirabel's real power is love, support, and unifying the family, she already has everything she needs without obtaining a special ability. This is precisely what makes Encanto's story so inspiring, so the absence of any magical abilities is the best choice for the narrative.

Mirabel Getting A Power Would Ruin The Movie

The Core Themes Of Encanto Require Mirabel To Be Without Magic

Though there are plenty of theories about Mirabel's powers or lack thereof, it is essential to the story that she does not gain the same abilities as the rest of her family. Though it is not uncommon for Disney movies to end with the heroes getting everything they wanted, some of the best ones also reveal that the thing these characters thought they wanted wasn't what they needed all along. Such is the case with Mirabel who discovers her place and value within her family without needing powers.

The message of the movie is that Mirabel is special and perhaps the most helpful member of her family. That is ruined if she is also a super-powered member of the family. She learns her value goes deeper than those abilities. Likewise, it is important for the family that Mirabel doesn't have abilities like them. Abuela's journey in the movie is equally important, and she has to come to terms with her family not being as powerful as she tries to convince herself of.

Mirabel is a reminder of that vulnerability, but accepting her as a part of the family without any powers. Had Mirabel achieved powers in the end, it would have erased that arc for Abuela and allowed her to continue with her narrow-minded view of the family. It opens an interesting new chapter for the Madrigal family which could be explored in an Encanto sequel.