Encanto director Jared Bush has officially debunked the theory that Mirabel sabotaged her gift, which is for the best. Due to its enormous popularity, Disney's Colombian-set animated feature has garnered a lot of careful attention from viewers, which has, in turn, led to hundreds of fan theories. But while some, like Dolores lying to Isabella, have turned out to be true, there are just as many that have been disproved.
Encanto is particularly ripe for theorizing because of the mysterious magic which drives so much of the story. While the movie explains the basic mechanics of the Madrigals' magic, which is that each family member gets a unique power on their fifth birthday, many other questions remain unanswered. These include where exactly the miracle came from, what Abuela's power is in Encanto, and why Mirabel doesn't get a gift. Combined with the fact that Encanto also includes plenty of Easter eggs referencing other Disney movies, there's no end to the realistic or outrageous theories that can be created.
One theory, however, isn't quite so fun. This hypothesized that the reason Mirabel never gets powers is that she wiped her hands on her dress after touching the magic candle, thus removing whatever magic was about to be imparted to her. Fortunately, however, Bush has debunked this theory, which means that the film's original treatment of Mirabel and its message remains intact. Given the power of Encanto's original intended message about acceptance, family and togetherness, news that this interpretation is incorrect actually saves a fundamental aspect of what makes the movie so effective.
While it's interesting to theorize about why Mirabel is the only Madrigal without a gift, the real power of Encanto's story lies in how she finds purpose without one. Instead, Mirabel becomes Abuela's replacement in Encanto, bringing the whole family together through love and perseverance. Ultimately, this is her real power, and thus the film doesn't need to assign her a magical ability. Likewise, the fact that Mirabel can be the hero of the story without being special sends a positive message to Disney's target audience, kids. All of this meaning would be significantly diminished if Mirabel was always intended to have a power but simply made a small mistake that ruined it. Not to mention, this scenario would feel a bit cruel.
Self-sabotage is certainly on the table in many Disney stories, and plenty of heroes and heroines make mistakes. For Encanto, however, blaming an unknown offense on Mirabel's part for not getting a gift wouldn't make sense given that she wouldn't deserve it and it would hurt the film's message. Thus, it's better that Mirabel's lack of powers remains unexplained in Encanto, as it allows the film to focus on her real gifts instead.