Summary

  • Mirabel's lack of a magical gift in Encanto doesn't define her worth or importance. She becomes the gift herself by bringing her family together and restoring Casita's magic.
  • While there are theories about Mirabel's hidden gift, the movie emphasizes that her intelligence and problem-solving abilities are her true gift. She doesn't need external magic to make a difference.
  • The focus of Encanto is on self-acceptance and finding one's true purpose. Mirabel's journey shows that having or not having a specific power doesn't determine someone's worth or role in the family.

Though Encanto makes it look like Mirabel gets snubbed during her gift ceremony in Casita, the character may have secretly had a gift all along. So, what is Mirabel's gift in Encanto? Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz) isn't like the rest of her family in Encanto. The Madrigals all get magical gifts to help the family and their village in the film. For instance, Mirabel's sister Luisa (Jessica Darrow) gets super strength, and her cousin Dolores (Adassa) has the power of keen hearing. However, in the film, Mirabel doesn't get a gift, which causes problems in her relationship with Abuela Alma (María Cecilia Botero).

Alma is constantly worried about losing the magic and letting down her family, and the village. She's especially disturbed when Mirabel doesn't receive a gift during her ceremony day. Though it seems like Mirabel doesn't get a gift, Encanto may reveal she had one all along. In Encanto, the Madrigals have a special ceremony when a family member receives a new gift. The child goes up to Abuela Alma, touches the enchanted candle, and then reaches for a magical doorknob that reveals their new room in Casita and their new gift. However, when Mirabel reaches for the door during her ceremony, the room disappears. According to a theory (via Reddit), the door didn't truly disappear. It simply became the front door of the house.

Encanto's Mirabel Had A Gift All Along

A blended image of Maribel and Casita in Encanto

Then, what is Mirabel's gift? Since Mirabel follows in Abuela Alma's footsteps, the Encanto theory about Mirabel's gift is plausible. At the film's end, Alma admits to Mirabel that she asked Pedro for help when she thought the miracle was in trouble, and she realizes that Pedro sent Mirabel to be the help she needs. Like Alma, Mirabel puts others before herself, and is willing to sacrifice for the good of the family and the village. When Mirabel's image appears on the door of the rebuilt house at the film's end, it's evident that Mirabel will follow Abuela Alma as a family leader. However, it's possible the door to the Casita was secretly Mirabel's all along. After all, Casita responds to Mirabel the most throughout the film.

Though there's evidence that Mirabel's gift door changes to the front of the house, that future was never a certainty. In Encanto, Uncle Bruno (John Leguizamo) has a vision that Mirabel will cause Casita to crumble, but he tells his niece that her future isn't set in stone. Bruno tells Mirabel there was "no clear fate" when he had his vision. The revelation means that Mirabel's gift door more likely had the potential to change to the front of the house. However, it wasn't necessarily there all along. After all, Mirabel was the one who truly made it happen by putting her family before herself.

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Encanto: Mirabel Is Reincarnated Pedro - Theory Explained
Encanto constantly uses imagery and symbolism to connect Mirabel to her Abuelo, and now a theory claims Mirabel is the reincarnation of Abuelo Pedro.

Alternate Theory: Mirabel's Ceremony Was A Harsh Personality Dig From Abuela

Mirabel looking shocked in Encanto.

The premise of Encanto is that Mirabel is searching for her true self, so one interpretation of the scene is that Mirabel didn't get a gift as a slight from Abuela, implying that she didn't have a defining feature. All the Madrigal family members had distinct facets to their personalities. It's entirely possible that Abuela and her magic candle skipped over Mirabel because her personality wasn't defined enough. This is supported by the premise of the coming-of-age tale since the focus is on young Mirabel as she finds herself outside of who her family is and what's expected of her.

That being said, it's unlikely a Disney movie would choose to go that route. Pixar films are generally known for being uplifting tales about the human condition and people's paths to finding peace and balance. Other Pixar coming-of-age movies like Turning Red, Luca, and Inside Out hone in on accepting oneself in the midst of growing up, and all the struggles that accompany such a journey.

It's not likely that Encanto would take such a hurtful route by making Mirabel's lack of a gift a sign of a personality deficiency. It's much more apt to believe that Encanto gave Mirabel an unspoken gift. Therefore, the theory that she is supposed to take Abuela's place does hold some weight. So while there's evidence that Mirabel's gift was secretly the front door, the film also shows that Mirabel wasn't truly gifted anything. Instead, she earns the front door to the house in Encanto.

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Mirabel Accidentally Sabotaged Her Own Gift In Encanto - Theory Explained
In Encanto, Mirabel is the only child in the Family Madrigal that doesn't get a gift, and a small detail shows it may have been her fault.

There's Another Theory On Mirabel's Power

A collage of the Encanto family with Mirabel smiling in the center

One interesting theory about Mirabel’s gift is the result of the song “The Family Madrigal.” During the song, Mirabel introduces all of her family members, including her sisters, whom she references as the brawn and the beauty of the family. Typically, brawn and beauty are referenced with another trait - brains. The idea behind the theory is that the three sisters represent those three traits.

For Mirabel to represent the brains, the theory follows that she wouldn’t need the candle or Casita to bestow a magical gift on her because her brain is the gift she really has. Mirabel uses her own intelligence to problem-solve, which doesn’t need to be augmented by any kind of magic. Mirabel has had this particular gift all of her life, so it doesn’t need to be given to her, so her not receiving the power makes perfect sense, even though it initially hurts her feelings and makes her feel disconnected from her family.

Mirabel's Lack Of Gift In Encanto Has Spawned Dozens More Theories

Mirabel is looking at something in the distance in Encanto.

These are far from the only theories about Mirabel's gift in Encanto. Disney's movies have spawned some of the best cinema fan theories on the internet, with everything from Snow White to Frozen having plenty of hidden meanings and secret plots put forward by the Internet (and before that, in print media). However, Mirabel's gift in Encanto has created an almost unbelievable amount of theories. There are some who have put forward that Mirabel in Encanto is a reincarnation of Pedro, that her gift is a hidden link to Bruno, or that Mirabel is a manifestation of the Madrigal's house itself.

While all of these theories are entertaining to read, there's a grain of truth running throughout them all — Disney needs to make Encanto 2. While there are no plans for a sequel to Encanto yet, the sheer volume of theories about Mirabel's powers shows that audiences still have many burning questions which need answers. Encanto was a compelling narrative, so compelling that its unexplored world and history clearly can't be left that way.

Encanto has been received well by audiences and critics, but for a company as large as Disney this isn't necessarily an indicator that a sequel could happen. If nothing else, the volume and depth of the numerous Encanto Mirabel's power theories should be seen by the House of Mouse as a clear signal to move Encanto 2 forward, since there's clearly an unparalleled hunger for more exploration of its world, lore, and why all the Madrigals other than Mirabel have powers (despite the ending being wholesome and emotionally satisfying).

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Encanto: Mirabel’s Gift Is Directly Connected To Bruno - Theory Explained
In Disney's Encanto, Mirabel Madrigal may have a secret gift after all, and it has everything to do with her Uncle Bruno and his visions.

Mirabel Doesn't Need A Gift - That's The Point

A blended image features an adult Mirabel and a child Mirabel with the candle in Encanto

While many wonder "what is Mirabel's gift?", the entire point of Encanto is that she doesn't get one — and that's ok. As interesting as the Mirabel gift theories are, they entirely miss the point of the movie, which is that Mirabel is the gift. In the end, she's the one responsible for bringing the entire family back together and restoring Casita's magic. The movie in and of itself isn't about the superpowers that the Madrigal family possesses.

Rather, it's a story about a young outsider who risks it all to bring her family back together. She reminds her family that they are more than just the Madrigal's otherworldly powers, and that having a power or not having one changes nothing about someone's importance. Mirabel's gift was never meant to manifest, which is why she didn't explicitly receive a gift at the end of Encanto. Rather, Mirabel herself is the gift, and it's thanks to her that the Madrigal family is whole again.