Disney's Encanto largely keeps its miracle a mystery, but one detail reveals a heartbreaking truth about Abuela Alma's magical gift. Unfortunately, Encanto never genuinely seems interested in explaining the details behind Abuela Alma's (María Cecilia Botero and Olga Merediz) miracle. In the film, Alma receives magical gifts following her husband's death. After Pedro Madrigal sacrifices himself to protect his family and village from marauders, Alma cries out in grief, and the Colombian forest seemingly gives her an enchanted candle, a sentient house, and mountains to protect her village. Her family members also receive superpowers when they get older.
Abuela Alma is protective of her gift, which puts her at odds with her granddaughter Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). Unlike the rest of her family, Mirabel doesn't receive a magical power. Instead, the door that was supposed to lead her to her magical ability disappeared during her childhood gift ceremony. Not wanting her family to face more hardship and lose the magic's protection, Alma becomes worried by Mirabel's lack of powers. However, the pair eventually reconcile after the magical house falls apart, and Alma shares her story with Mirabel during Encanto's Oscar-nominated song, "Dos Oruguitas."
There's a heartbreaking detail from Encanto that reveals more about the miracle. Though the film is scant in information on the miracle, Encanto's directors aren't. One of the film's directors, Jared Bush, answered fan questions (via Twitter), explaining more about the miracle. According to the director, Abuela's magical candle didn't just appear out of nowhere. It was the same candle from Alma and Pedro's wedding. The revelation is an important detail that further connects the miracle to Alma.
Without the detail, Encanto's magical miracle seems oddly random. After Pedro's sacrifice, there's no rhyme or reason why Alma receives a candle, a house, and her kids get powers. However, knowing the candle is Alma and Pedro's wedding candle, the puzzle pieces fall into place. The candle represent's the couple's love for each other, so the object makes sense as a vessel for the miracle. The magic also creates a butterfly image on the candle, which is an image that represents Pedro. The pair were both looking at a butterfly and holding candles when they first noticed each other. This further explains why Alma seemingly prays to the candle for help early in the film, as it's deeply connected to Pedro Madrigal's tragic sacrifice. The candle then manifests the miracle into a house to keep the family safe, which also makes sense since the Madrigals just lost their home to marauders.
Encanto leaves many details about the miracle ambiguous on purpose. For instance, the directors won't explain why Mirabel doesn't receive her powers, and the actual rules of the magic are left vague. By not focusing on the details of the magic, Encanto makes the miracle feel more a part of accepted everyday life in the film. It also leaves the film up to the audience's interpretation. However, considering the history of the candle, some Encanto details are clearly more devastating than viewers even imagined.