In Disney's Encanto, Casita crumbles to the ground, and there's a reason why the movie had to destroy the Madrigals' beloved house. Throughout the film, Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz) tries desperately to fix the cracks in the family's magical house. The young, magic-less Madrigal first notices cracks on the night of her cousin Antonio's (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) gifting ceremony. And her journey to discover the cause reveals her perfect family isn't so perfect after all. Because of problems in the family, the house ultimately crumbles to the ground. However, Mirabel also leads the effort to rebuild Casita.
The Madrigals' house has a tragic backstory. In Encanto, Alma Madrigal (María Cecilia Botero) receives a miracle on the night her husband Pedro sacrifices himself to protect her. Following her grief over losing Pedro, Alma receives a magical candle, the Madrigal children get supernatural powers, and the family receives a sentient house. The house responds to the Madrigals' requests and is so protective of the family that theories claim Pedro Madrigal's spirit brings the house to life.
Though losing Casita is a sad moment in Encanto, there are reasons it always had to happen. Disney's Art of Encanto reveals behind-the-scenes stories about the film, and the book explains why Casita always had to crumble. According to Nancy Kruse, the film's head of story, the Madrigals have a certain balance within the family, but that balance doesn't work for everyone. So when Mirabel "starts rocking the boat and showing cracks in that balance, everyone tells her to stop." However, Kruse explains, "Sometimes you have to destroy the boat in order to build a new one that can fit everyone." Producer Clark Spencer also recalled how directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush talked about the fall of the house representing the family's fall and that the house had to be rebuilt for the family to heal.
The various reasons for Casita's crumbling illustrate the direct link between the state of the house and the state of the family. According to the filmmakers, patching up the cracks in Casita wasn't enough to fix the deep rifts in the family. Instead, the family and the house had to completely break down to start a new foundation and build stronger familial bonds. The Madrigals' problems run deeper than what's on the surface, so nothing less than a complete rebuild can fix them.
Regardless of why Casita has to crumble, it's a tragic moment in the film. Casita is a character all its own, responding to the Madrigals, waving its shutters, and generally helping the family in their everyday lives. Because of that, Casita's death is a profound loss in the film. And unfortunately, the house had to take the fall because the Madrigals couldn't learn to get along with each other. Still, the house embodies the Madrigals' family bonds in Encanto, and it's stronger than ever after Mirabel leads the rebuild.