The Miracle Candle, a magical candle in Disney’s Encanto, was created after Pedro Madrigal sacrificed his life to save his wife Alma and their community. Mirabel and Isabela’s embrace led to the candle regaining its power, granting the triplets magical powers. Abuela Alma, the Madrigal matriarch, had no power of her own, but Mirabel, the main character, was the only one without a magical power from the enchanted house.
The directors kept her gift a secret, with some theories suggesting she accidentally sabotaged it by wiping off the magic from Abuela’s candle. However, the magic was channeled into a butterfly-shaped candle, which always remained lit. The mystery remains: who listened to Alma?
The Madrigals’ gifts and magical house are powered by a candle that Abuela prayed to during her flight from her original home 50 years ago. The candle was the wedding candle of Pedro Madrigal and Alma Madrigal, and the miracle was born from Pedro’s sacrifice and Alma’s unconditional love for her family. The candle’s flame flickering signify the magic wavering.
Mirabel’s gift ceremony, where her door faded and the candle dimmed/flickered, signified the connection between Abuela and Mirabel. When she opened the new door to Casita, the magic returned, even though the candle was no longer there. Mirabel, with the uniting love of her family, empowers everyone.
The Enacnto team believed the candle’s magic was connected to Abuela’s unconditional love, and the flame wavers as a symbol of the magic. Mirabel’s ability to transfer the magic of the candle to herself allowed her to transfer the magic to others. The Miracle Candle holds the miracle that is the source of the Madrigals’ magical powers in Disney’s Encanto.
📹 Where Does The Magic Come From? | Encanto Candle Theory
Hello Guys. Today on Gate of Theories we are looking at Encanto and wondering where the magic comes from to give the candle …
Why did Mirabel wipe her hands after touching the candle?
The text describes a scene in which the character touches a candle and wipes off the magic, a concept created by an exceptional animator and commended by our sound designer. It is a distinctive and noteworthy method of expressing emotions.
What brought the magic back in Encanto?
Mirabel, a princess in Encanto, is a symbol of the importance of family and staying together. Her magical power is the cornerstone of her household, and she empowers everyone through the uniting love of her family. Mirabel’s power is highlighted in dialogue, where she is called the miracle by Abuela, who believes that Pedro sent her her. The movie emphasizes that the miracle of Encanto is everyone, not just a gift, but all of them.
Mirabel’s power is exemplified by her ability to empower everyone through both magic and love, and it is through their family and community that the miracle continues. The movie highlights the power of family and community in empowering everyone.
Where does the magic come from in Encanto?
The film Encanto follows Mirabel, a young girl born into the magical family of the Madrigals. The magical family’s supernatural abilities begin after Abulo Pedro’s death, leading to Abuela, Abuelo, and their triplets fleeing their home. The magic erupts from a candle, granting supernatural powers to each child born into the Madrigal family. The Madrigals’ supernatural talents are a natural extension of archetypes tied to the country where the film is set.
The film’s creators used a type of magic that was unique, a magic born of emotion, personality, and character. Magical realism in Disney films employs a soft magic with unknown rules and backgrounds. In Encanto, magic is an everyday occurrence, and the Madrigal family’s magic aids the community. The film’s creators were excited to play in this realm, allowing them to explore a unique form of magic.
How did Abuela get the candle in Encanto?
Disney’s Encanto is a film that largely keeps its miracle a mystery, but one detail reveals a heartbreaking truth about Abuela Alma’s magical gift. Alma receives magical gifts following her husband’s death, and after Pedro Madrigal sacrifices himself to protect his family and village, the Colombian forest seemingly gives her an enchanted candle, a sentient house, and mountains to protect her village. Her family members also receive superpowers as they grow older.
Alma is protective of her gift, which puts her at odds with her granddaughter Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). Mirabel doesn’t receive a magical power, but the door that led her to her magical ability disappeared during her childhood gift ceremony. Alma becomes worried about Mirabel’s lack of powers, but the pair eventually reconcile after the magical house falls apart.
Director Jared Bush, in an interview with fan questions, reveals that Abuela’s magical candle was the same candle from Alma and Pedro’s wedding, which further connects the miracle to Alma.
Why didn t the candle give Mirabel a gift?
The narrative focuses on Mirabel, a marginalized individual who is compelled to take considerable risks in order to reunite her family. She underscores that the significance of these individuals is not contingent upon their abilities and that Mirabel’s endowment was never destined to manifest. Instead, she represents the gift, and her presence serves to reunite the Madrigal family, thereby underscoring the significance of a robust familial structure.
Is Mirabel the source of the magic?
Mirabel, unlike the other Madrigals, is the embodiment of the miracle candle, symbolizing hope and the source of the Madrigals’ powers and magic. She is relentlessly hopeful despite challenges, as seen in the film’s reconstruction of Casita. Mirabel’s gifting ceremony, where she touches a doorknob that dictates her ability, disappears, but the magic comes from within her.
In the first act, Mirabel decorates Casita by placing colorful candles in front of her family’s doors, hinting at her connection to the candle. The candle reacts to Mirabel’s emotions, especially when her hope wanes. When she sings “Waiting on a Miracle”, the cracks begin to appear on Casita, and the candle flickers. When she reconciles with Isabela, the candle burns brighter and fortifies its flames. However, in the climactic confrontation with Abuela, her anger and confrontation lead to the candle flame dying, and the house is destroyed.
In summary, Mirabel’s connection to the miracle candle is evident throughout the film, as she is portrayed as a beacon of hope and resilience despite the challenges she faces.
Why did the candle become magical in Encanto?
The film revolves around the magical candle, which was the wedding candle of Pedro Madrigal and Alma Madrigal. The miracle was born from Pedro’s sacrifice and Alma’s love for her family, resulting in a connection between Abuela’s unconditional love and the magic. The candle’s flame flickering signifies the magic wavering.
Alma shows Mirabel the candle, which transformed into a vessel for the miracle that gave them protection from the threat she and many others fled from after losing her husband, Pedro Madrigal. The miracle within the candle created a magical house for Alma and her triplet children to live in. The candle’s magical flame never went out, and its wax showed no signs of melting away. As Alma’s children, Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno, were given rooms, the candle blessed them with magical powers to help the town of Encanto.
Years later, when Antonio Madrigal was given his own magical gift, it was revealed that the candle didn’t bless Mirabel with one. Alma shows the candle to people who came to see him, reminding them that the candle had blessed her family with a miracle. After Antonio was given his gift, Mirabel notices that the candle’s flame nearly went out after her family’s house began to crack.
Mirabel overhears her grandmother asking the late Pedro to help her ensure they don’t lose their home again. This makes Mirabel make it her personal mission to save the miracle by discovering what is happening to the candle.
Is Encanto 2 confirmed?
On November 24, 2022, the sequel to the first film was announced, featuring most of the same team members who worked on the first film. The sequel will feature a new set of characters and Lin-Manuel Miranda was called in to work on the music. Miranda was tasked with writing a song for a character who had a talent for making music everywhere she went. On June 13, 2023, Joseph Leanos announced his first-ever movie role as the new main character, José, and announced the rest of the cast and their roles. The film is set to release next year.
Why can’t Casita help in Bruno’s room?
Encanto is a film that explores the theme of family secrets and the bond between the Madrigals. Casita, a member of the family, is tasked with hiding a secret about Bruno, a member of the Madrigals. Bruno has stepped away from the family, and Casita’s magic no longer works in his room. The room serves as a metaphor for the heartbreak Bruno endured trying to protect Mirabel. Casita is bound by the love for one another and relies on the family’s unity to survive. Casita also doesn’t hesitate to challenge the Madrigals, especially Abuela, when they misbehave.
The film’s theme of family secrets is evident throughout, as Casita helps Bruno hide and live a life of relative safety. One theory suggests that Casita knew exactly when it would die and that its magic wouldn’t be strong enough to carry the Madrigals forever. Casita made the choice to conceal Bruno so that Mirabel could find him and restore the family bond before Casita crumbled.
Casita’s ultimate goal is to protect the Madrigals, and even though she is sometimes absent, there is a greater plan in the works. The family dynamic improves when the Madrigals reveal their secrets, and Casita can only be rebuilt when Bruno rejoins the family and is no longer an outcast. Encanto is not only a fun, whimsical film but also grounded in the honest aspect of difficult family dynamics and the desire to live up to expectations.
What is Mirabel’s true gift?
Encanto fan theory suggests that Mirabel’s gift in the film is her intelligence, not her brains. This is a unique twist on the trope of a female trio with beauty, brawn, and brains. Mirabel’s intelligence is the key to understanding Casita’s deterioration, and she never needed supernatural gifts to solve the mystery.
The ending of Encanto reveals Mirabel as the future leader of the Madrigals, but it remains unclear why she never received powers. Some theories suggest that Mirabel sabotaged her own ceremony, but she will lead her family and village into the future, uniting the family.
Various fan theories have emerged regarding Mirabel’s gift, such as the possibility that she unwittingly activated her gift by touching the doorknob. This dark theory suggests that the entire Madrigal family and town are trapped in Mirabel’s fantastical nightmare-turned-reality, which also accounts for the musical aspect of the movie.
The cracking apart of Casita could have been due to Mirabel seeing her cousin Camilo getting a gift, which could have triggered her gift to go crazy. Another theory suggests that Mirabel’s door during the ceremony became the new front door to the Madrigals’ magical home, supported by facts like Abuela Alma’s request for help and Pedro’s response.
Why didn’t Marbella get a gift?
The theory suggests that Mirabel’s gift in Encanto is her intellect, which she already possessed before the movie began. This gift is the one that could pave the way for the Madrigals to reunite and fix Casita. Mirabel’s gift is the one superpower that could pave the way for the Madrigals to reunite and fix Casita. However, she doesn’t get a gift ceremony like the others, as she already had the brains to take over as the family leader after Abuela Alma.
This is consistent with Encanto’s overarching theme of processing intergenerational trauma, which emphasizes the importance of intelligent and objective observation and analysis in understanding complex family problems. Casita’s traumatic event pushes Maribel to realize and use her gifted brain. This theory fills significant gaps in the film, as Mirabel’s gift is her intelligent determination, which she had all along. The inclusion of a female trio with beauty, brawn, and brains is a common trope in storytelling, but Encanto twists it by not calling Mirabel the brains.
📹 Casita DID Give Mirabel A Gift, (Her REAL Powers REVEALED!)
Casita DID Give Mirabel A Gift, (Her REAL Powers REVEALED!) As you know if you’ve seen the movie, in the end, though things …
I felt that her gift was pretty clear in the movie, she was the only person in the family that had a relationship with Casita, everyone lived there, but she seemed to have more control over it, being able to use Casita as an extension of herself in multiple situations. I felt like she was the next chosen Matriarch.
Also supporting your connection between Mirabel’s outfit and the butterfly on the candle, we see Abuela and Mirabel surrounded by butterflies at the exact moments when Dos Oruguitas changes to Dos Mariposas. Two butterflies – two matriarchs. Mirabel is the next matriarch. Her gift was everything – la Casita, the family, the candle – all of it. She isn’t given a room in the house because she is given the entire house, which we see evidenced by her door being the front door at the end of the movie.
I believe Mirabel IS the gift. Plus, the fact that she did indeed get her own door at the end. She was in the center of the whole family as it showed on her door which clearly says that she’s destined to lead the family when the time comes. I watched the movie 3 times to finally understand everything
Mirabel’s gift was pretty clear even from the start of the movie. She’s the next Matriarch. She prepared Antonio for his ceremony like Abuela did for her, at the end of the movie she waves at Casita like Abuela did when Abuela first greeted Casita, her door was the front of the house with her in the middle of the family and she guided each of her family members to better things, therefore, strengthening their characters. She is the gift for sure.
At the end of the movie my take on it was similar, that Mirabel became the next Abuela and that Casita chose her to lead the family once Abuela passed on. She was given the gift of leadership, which worked so well with her naturally hopeful disposition that there really wasn’t a change. Mirabel acts like a leader for the family in how she sees what’s wrong and takes charge fixing it. She is the matriarch that Abuela should have been. In the future, when Mirabel nears the end of her days, there will likely be another child who ‘doesn’t get a gift’ but this time they will know what it means.
When she opens the door to the repaired home, it suddenly lights up and glows like the magic gift doors. It seems implied that Mirabel’s door wasn’t a bedroom, it was to the entire Casita, which reignited her family’s powers, without a new candle, thus her gift was always the living source of their power.
I feel like some people missed the symbolism of the line: “Look at this home We need a new foundation” The old regime of how Abuela ran things had to be torn down to make way for a new way of running the family. I felt like maribel’s gift was to become the new matriarch of the family. She was seen nurturing and helping each family member discover their true worth.
At first It seemed as Bruno’s vision was about embracing Isabella but, I realized the vision was about the family EMBRACING MIRABEL. Notice how Isabella embraced Mirabel, casitas cracks were reversing and the candle got brighter. At the end when the whole family embraced her…Casita came back and everyone got their powers.
I think Mirabel is the candle, at least symbolically. The candle’s brightness and the cracks in the casita always mirror Mirabel’s state. Also, Antonio receives a gift that matches Mirabel’s gift to him (the jaguar stuffed animal and Antonio’s jaguar companion). At her ceremony, Mirabel’s outfit visually echoes the candle (gold butterflies on a white dress). Abuela says that Pedro sent her Mirabel, and we know that his sacrifice also created the candle. The candle created the mountains, the living casita, and gives the gifts. Mirabel gives Antonio his gift, reshapes the mountains around the encanto, and revives the house and magic. The candle burns out in the climax only when Mirabel is in her lowest emotional state. It even explains why the door disappeared. Casita made the door to prepare for the gift the candle would give Mirabel. Then Mirabel became the candle, which has no room of its own. Being the candle would also require Mirabel to bond with the family members before they received their gifts, so she stays in the nursery. She gave Antonio the jaguar toy and then walked him to the door, and Antonio’s gift wound up matching Mirabel’s intuition of him perfectly. Also, if Mirabel is the candle and Abuela is the candle’s keeper, it makes perfect sense that the magic starts to fail when Abuela begins to mistreat her as a 5-year-old, gets worse when she feels like she isn’t part of the family, and completely implode when Abuela yells at her that she caused all of the problems in the family.
Pedro was Casita. His spirit took hold of the candle and became Casita, hence his picture falling so dramatically as soon as the house began to crumble. The cracks started when Mirabel, the key, voiced her pain, as the house itself and its spirit of her grandfather were hurt by Mirabel’s dismissal, and Abuelas abuse of the gift she was given and how this impacted her loved ones.
Okay but also Bruno says at the end “you’re the real gift kid, now let us in” FURTHER proving that she is an extension of the candle and just how in the beginning the candle made the house and lead Abuela and the kids in. Now Mirabel is an extension of the candle letting everyone in again and thus brings the Casita back to life when she opens the door.
When I watched the movie I felt that Maribel was the gift to her family, she understood all of their struggles and tried to help them to be the best version of themselves and as they were falling apart she brought them back together. I also felt like for the most part the was the main one that interacted with Casita verbally, so I thought it was fitting that the main doorway of the house ended up being her door in the end.
Actually, Abuela’s powers are protection. She got her powers through the prayer and the candle’s first light. She raised the mountains that protects them! She’s very protective, over protective actually… and her dress has mountains on them! :3 So she is the protector and that’s why she herself has a door. If she didn’t have a power, she wouldn’t have the door. She protects her family, the village and the candle.
I always thought that Merabel’s gift was “ownership of the miracle”, a Matriarch. She didn’t get a room to fit her gift, because, her “room” was the entire Casita. The cracks only show up when Merabel is heartbroken or scared. BUT, the casita had been cracking on the inside for years. Casita is Merabel.
Mirabel’s gift is not just hope, it’s the ability to see and value people for who they really are. That’s what she does for everyone in the family, and that’s why she causes so much disruption, because she sets people free to be their real selves, which messes up the controlling, perfectionist dynamic Abuela has unwittingly set up. So the family sees her as dangerous but in fact she’s fixing things, not breaking them. It’s a super interesting story in a lot of ways.
Mirabel’s gift is controlling the house and everyone’s gifts. When she’s happy everything is okay but when she’s sad the house cracks and their gifts are affected. In the end when she was utterly hopeless, the house crumbled and they all lost their gifts. It all depends on how she feels. She’s a gift herself.
I felt Mirabel’s gift also had to do with her obvious talent, embroidery. She was the thread that kept the family together. Abuelo Pedro was the embodiment of the candle and he burned brightly when the family felt their unity breaking. In the end Pedro became the butterflies when the family found that they could do more when they worked together with or without magic.
Now I notice that according to this theory of the “embodiment”, when infant Mirabel comes to the door to get her gift, the door “vanishes”…I think the door didn’t vanish, the power of Casita passed on to Mirabel when she touched it. And it totally makes sense with the whole theory and the fact that Mirabel holds a very special relationship with Casita.
You notice casita only followed orders/direction from two people. Abuela and Maribell. Obviously Maribell is the next matriarch of the family and keeper of the magic. That’s why she didn’t get a gift. And since the miracle is still in it’s infancy they wouldn’t know this. So I wonder now if every other generation a child gets chosen by the magic to be the next matriarch by not receiving a gift.
Mirabell has also the Gift of sight. She SEES her family, each member and helps them to find their voice of (self)doubt to finally surpass that with the help of the others. She is the one who gets told what bothers them and that they are not alone. She’s the one who listens and hears them out. She is the best embodiment of what a familymember should do for one another.
I almost immediately asked what the grandmother’s power was during the intro song and since she didn’t have one, said “I bet Mirabel’s the next matriarch.” And when we see all the extra interaction between the house and her (it just seemed affectionate), “The house totally chose her. She doesn’t need extra powers when she’s got the house.” And when the kid gets his animal room and it became apparent that the power was representative of what was important to them/a reflection of who they were, I said “Oh, she’s definitely getting the house, because the house holds the family and family is what Mirabel holds most dear.” Lol. Great movie.
I think that Mirabel’s gift is in getting people to communicate – especially via the fantastic and impossible song and dance numbers. Luisa didn’t want to talk about how she felt, but she sang about it ONLY with Mirabel. No one wanted to talk about Bruno, but they sang about it with Mirabel. Bruno wanted to hide away, but he couldn’t resist Mirabel. Mirabel even got her own song singing about what she was hiding even from herself.
I’ve noticed that butterflies seem to be a big theme in this movie, the house has butterfly prints and tiles and Mirabel has them decorated all over her. They seem to be her symbol and may also be a sort of connection to the house. What’s also interesting is in the Greek myth of Pandora’s box, after all of the world’s evil leaves the box what flies out last is a butterfly named hope. I think that Mirabel is like that butterfly, the hope in the family during their dark times, and that is her gift.
I saw a theory somewhere that casita is the ‘reincarnation’ of Abuela’s late husband Pedro. The family was given a miracle right after Pedro died by the river, also worth noting that when casita started to break, it’d sometimes pan to Pedro’s portrait. It never left my mind since then. EDIT: Also, the first time Alma (Abuela) met Pedro, he waved hello at her. Same as how casita also waved at Alma and the triplets when it appeared in front of them.
NO, she got magic. At the end the door lights up for her, so that shows she did have a gift. It was a strong connection to casita and the family in a way no one else had. It’s not as flashy, but she was the glue holding everyone together and helping everyone grow and be themselves. She’s the future matriarch of the family, and leader of the village.
I love this theory. Someone else may have also added this to the comments already, but I think further proof is seen in Mirabel’s interactions with Antonio. She literally gives him a gift that she made, one that is directly reflected in his magical Gift. Antonio in turn, in a moment of childlike insight, knew that he needed Mirabel in order to succeed in his ceremony. Gosh, I love this movie.
Something else to consider is Mirabel’s relationship to the house, that goes back at least to the day she was supposed to get her gift. She is the only one who names the house and speaks to it like a person. In return, the house literally bends to serve her. This might suggest that the disappearing door didn’t disappear at all. It was always the front door. The entire house is her room.
I think that Abuela’s power was literally a ‘head of the household’ type of power. We see Casita respond to her commands throughout the movie, especially in the scene where Casita moves Mirabel to the other end of the table at Abuela’s command. I also think that Mirabel inherited that same power bc she’s the only other character that Casita seems to respond to directly, even helping her get dressed in the mornings. The reason she didn’t get her own door is bc she is meant to inherit Abuela’s room and take her place as the head of the house when that time comes. It might even be part of Abuela’s power to help bestow the powers onto each family members as they come of age.
I have a theory… Mirabel received a gift when she came of age. She is able to adapt/influence the gifts of those in her family. She doesn’t have a door because she needs to live in the nursery with the children before they come of age in order to assign a gift that suits them for who they truly are. Evidence- Antonio – Mirabel makes and gifts Antonio a stuffed jaguar and tells him “he’s an animal guy” right before he received the gift of being able to talk to animals. Luisa – After “Surface Pressure” when it becomes clear to Mirabel that Luisa is struggling under the weight of expectation surrounding her strength she hugs Louisa and says “I think you’re carrying way too much”. The next time we see Luisa, she isn’t able to carry anything, she has lost her strength Isabel – After Isabel admits she doesn’t want to marry and that she’s only doing it for the family, Mirabel comes to the realisation that she is not the “perfect golden child” that Mirabel thought she was and instantly, Isabel is able to create plants that she’s never made before, things that are more representative of how she feels inside and not just what people expect. If Mirabel’s gift is to assign/influence the gifts of those in the family, it makes sense that whenever Mirabel feels like she isn’t part of the family the magic fades. (When they leave her out of the photo, when she sees Bruno’s prophecy, when her and abuela argue) This theory also makes sense of the duality surrounding Bruno’s vision, as part of the family, Mirabel can keep the gifts and the magic strong, if the family reject her, the magic will go with her.
there’s too many theories, but they all include -Mirabel’s empathy towards the other family members -Mirabel’s connection (and communication) with the Casita -Mirabel’s door being the entrance and her “room” being the Casita -Mirabel’s mood affecting the Candle and the Casita’s conditions -Pedro being the Candle and/or the Casita -Abuela getting her own door for some reason?
Mirabel internalized the candle at her gift ceremony. She holds it, then wipes her hands on herself before reaching for the door knob. Mirabel’s clothes have symbols for everyone in her family. She is the center. She is a bridge from the past to the future. There are many bridge images throughout the story. She also projects Antonio’s gift in the decorations she made on the box, plus the jaguar.
Also worth noting that, for all the other powers being considered “gifts”, they ranged from being annoying (hearing everything) or a burden (poor Luisa), to being the reason their lives were destroyed (Bruno), so not quite a gift. Mirabel’s freedom from those restrictive identities allowed her to move freely to help her entire family, which is actually a gift, not just a magic power.
It’s also very symbolic and interesting that in the final song Bruno himself sings: “You are the real gift, kid, let us in” as Mirabel is about to place the new doorknob therefore assuming her place as the next Matriarch of the Madrigal’s. The new main door shows a drawing with all the Madrigals with Mirabel at the center holding the candle!
I personally felt like her gift was connection and empathy. Like whenever she’s seeing someone for who they are she’s going along on the ride in their “Music articles”. With Isabella she starts out disconnected and can’t keep up with her at first until she sees her truly and then she’s with her all the way!
I also remember Mirabel saying to Antonio that he was an animal guy when she gave him his birthday gift of the stuffed jaguar (the gift box was even decorated with the animals that he would eventually have as his friends). Then Casita responded and gave Antonio the gift of the ability to communicate with animals. Yet another sign that her gift was the embodiment of the magic within Casita as well as the candle itself. Pretty awesome to think about. Great article! This confirmed my suspicions as well.
You can’t fill a cup that’s already full. It seemed to me that, while Mirabel was always filled with hope for her family, the future, and the like – she’s always had a superpower. She continuously felt like she had no part in her family – but she was literally the ONLY person anyone was able to speak to about their insecurities. It was almost a compulsion. Her little cousin and the ceremony, Louisa and her strength, Isabela and the way people perceive her and what she wants, Bruno and his confession as to why he left, her Abuela and the story of how it all came to be. Her power was to bring out the inner shames of everyone and turn it into something more. It helped Bruno use his Sight, gave Louisa a support system, and freed Isabela and Abuela from their respective cages (the need of perfection and fear of losing everything). Mirabel made her family stronger from the start, even though nobody was able to see it.
Mirabel is the door, the casita, and the candle. She is a born leader because of her humility, perseverance, and compassion, and her ability to communicate well with all the others. . These qualities are part of her even without magic, but with them she also can be the most responsible person to cultivate the magic. When she brings together the family, reconciles all of it’s parts, and repairs the magic, she also has brought together the entire village held within the mountains of the Encanto. This is confirmed when she is presented with her own doorknob by the family, and the new house, built by unity due to her own actions, comes to life again, like a second generation miracle.
I do prefer the idea that Mirabel is still without a gift. Because that makes her special, in a family of magical people, she is the most unique. And she is able to bring her family together in the end and heal the long lasting scars that come with expectation and the family’s name and reputation it and all of its members needed to uphold. It tells those of us who feel like they don’t fit in that it’s okay that we’re different. The people who love us most will accept us as we are. A very important message for those of us who feel like we’re lesser or don’t measure up to our family members’ achievements or strengths and abilities. We don’t need any special powers, because we’re already good enough for the people who love us. Her ‘gift’ in this theory basically supports the same idea, though, to be fair.
I actually think Mirabel became the miracle herself. They always touch the candle before opening the door, right? My theory is that Antonio was able to open his door not because of the candle but because of Mirabel. Remember, Mirabel walked Antonio while holding his hands. Also, the cracks were not responding to her family’s problems but to her own emotions.
I’d also like to point out after Antonio got his powers and everyone went into his room to celebrate and they took a picture without Mirabel and she basically went into a song about how she really isn’t okay about not having a special gift like the rest of the family. When the song finished, it showed Casita cracking all of sudden and I think that shows her having that little breakdown because once she tried to show everyone, all the cracks disappeared which most likely displayed Mirabel having hope (or determination) again because she then goes on to figure out why that happened to Casita and I think that really pushes the theory even further that Mirabel IS Casita in human form.
There was one massive clue that was missed. Mirabel was the only member of the family that could “command” the casita! Every other member of the family had the home react to their needs, but only Mirabel was able to actually intentionally control it, we see this with her request at the very beginning of the film to have the home provide percussion in the form of the drawers, doors and floors which reacted to her song as if it were an extension of her will. We see it again later when the casita began to crumble, while it reacted in a protective way to get the rest of the family to safety it continued to follow Mirabel’s direction and intention to get to the candle and continued to do so, even protecting her and the candle until every iota of magic was drained, and she was safe. In fact, the only time the casita failed to follow her command was when she was in the hollows between the walls with Bruno, but that may have had more to do with them simply being inside the walls and the casita being unable to fully move without potentially damaging the family, as noted with the wall expansion that caused Peppa to be thrown in her chair etc. Little things like that and the incredible familiarity with how the home works and contorts around Mirabel compared to every other family member leads me to believe that this bond is much greater than even the one Abuela has with the family home.
also, another thing i’ve noticed that really confirms the fact that Mirabel is an embodiment of the family’s gift is Antonio’s gift ceremony. The few gift ceremonies we’ve seen in the movie show the kid about to receive a gift touching the candle before going to open their door, so I think touching the candle in an important part of the whole process. During Antonio’s ceremony, he is so nervous he asks Mirabel to hold his hand and to stay with him all the way to his door. You could even say she’s guiding him to his door. I think it was sort of a transition between the candle and Mirabel. Now that the candle has died, and I don’t think a new one was created at the end of the movie, it would make sense that during every new gift ceremony, Mirabel would be the one guiding the kid to their door, because she has now replaced the candle as the embodiment of the family Madrigal’s miracle.
Casita responds to Mirabel much the same way it does Abuela (and the strife caused between the two is what caused Casita to split in earnest instead of gradually like it did when Abuela essentially exiled Bruno and became harsher on everyone else following his disappearance.) Along with Leadership I also think Mirabel recieved a second Gift: she can literally see everyone’s mindscapes. She sees and reacts to every Retelling in “We don’t talk about Bruno,” every single metaphor as if it’s literal in “Surface Pressure” (prompting Luisa to at times pull Mirabel to safety), and in Abuela’s Memory (forget the song title hear; I don’t speak spanish unfortunately) Mirabel is actively shown witnessing the memory and reacting to it as it unfolds…instead of showing her Reaction after the Song Ends and Memory Fades. Mirabel is IN It as an active witness But as far as why Mirabel didn’t recieve a door initially…well I don’t think her Abuela would’ve reacted well to either of Mirabel’s Gifts made public, OR the Casita feared what these sorts of Gifts would do to Mirabel if they became public to the Encanto and Household. As it was Bruno was shoved away for a somewhat similar gift, Luisa was taken advantage of for every petty little task instead of the Encanto taking care of themselves, and Mirabel’s Mother’s gift no doubt became an excuse for them to not learn some basic first aid and more advanced medicine (tho she’s not shown to be as burdened by the family or encanto like her three daughters are; but I think that’s more due to her age than anything.
Never noticed the clothes! Like the symbols of each power on them! So yea confirms that the butterfly on the candle was a gift and a butterfly on maribel means she was a gift to the madrigals and abuela says that too that she prayed and realized marbel was the gift the family needed! 🥰 that’s why the end door shows maribel got the front door cause she was the gift to the family and the whole house is her room!
I kinda feel like Mirabel is sort of similar to Yue from Avatar The Last Airbender. For those who don’t know who that is: Yue is a princess who was given a peice of the moon spirit as an infant. The moon gave her people the gift of water bending, but Yue herself didn’t have that ability. When the moon spirit later died, and the people lost their powers, Yue took its place in the sky and returned the gift to her people. My headcanon is that Casita is, to some extent, the spirit of Pedro and that his soul is the fire burning in the candle. When Mirabel didn’t get a gift, the candle flickered as if the magic weakened, or was somewhat moved elsewere. Mirabel had more of a relationship to Casita than anyone else in the movie so Casita, rather than giving Mirabel a magical gift instead made Mirabel herself magical so that when and if the house fell apart, she could bring the magic back. That’s why the cracks in the walls follow Mirabel’s mood and the candle burn brighter when she’s happy. At least that’s what I think.
You were SO CLOSE! But no. The power that created the gift was Alma’s intense desire to protect. She lost Pedro, and that intense urge to protect and save her children and family is what created the encanto originally. But as time goes on, she loses sight of that and twists that into something that becomes broken. When you look at the rest of the family, it’s clear the kids all went to the doors with some kind of idea in their head what they wanted. But not Mirabel. She only cared about one thing, her family. And that shines through in all that she did. No matter how much they ignored her talents and skills (of which she excelled in many things dancing, singing, seamstress, crafting, playing the accordion, parcor) no matter how badly they treated her, she loved her family so intensely she went through hell and back to save them. Casita knew she loved the family enough to power the miracle. Casita didn’t give her a gift, instead Casita CHOSE her to be the next head of the family. Note she is the only one in the entire family, including Alma, that actively TALKS to Casita. Alma ORDERS Casita, Mirabel treats Casita like a member of the family. This is clearly evident by the door to the house at the end where Mirabel is standing at the forefront. She will power the Casita, instead of through fear and the intense desire to protect, but through unconditional and whole hearted love.
I think Mirabel‘s emotional state reflects the casitas’ state. because the first time we see A crack in the casita she says that she’s waiting for a miracle which means that the casita is waiting for a miracle and the Casita is in a state where it doesn’t have the miracle yet. and things like this happen throughout the movie
I think she always had her door and was magical.The Casita was hers the minute she touched doorknob when she was a child. All the movie you can see her interactions with Casita and when right before candle go out, Casita only responded to her will, not the others. She wanted to grab the candle but lead everyone else out safe at the same time. So Casita forced all of them out but helped her and protected her. When other children touched doorknob something came out of them to create a room, but Mirable absorbed the power, at that moment when she felt sad the candle flame reacted to her sadness and got weak. Her mood controls the whole power, when she feels abandoned Casita starts to crack, but when she runs to help the others cracks heal. When she rebound with her sister, her power blooms and candle become stronger, but when she argues and accepts she isn’t enough for grandma then nothing is enough anymore. At the end in the lake she saw the place was shown in the vision and finally she realized what’s need to be done. Even Mirable staying in nursery is symbolic. She is the connection to the next generation. Unknowingly she even chose her cousin’s gift for him, she said you are a big animal guy and there it is, he become an animal guy! Notice that his room is the biggest of all, and he’s most well behave and understanding of all too. I think living with Mirable in nursery made him better and that’s why Mirable shouldn’t live separated therefore no separate room was there for her.
Every Madrigal family member has an outfit that matches their gift (Dolores with soundwaves, Camilo with chameleons, Luisa with weights, etc…). Mirabel’s outfit has butterflies which represent change and hope, yes, but her outfit also contains one thing that represents each family member: flowers, rain clouds, toucans, herbs, and a candle. Even her shoes have some symbolism. Technically her outfit was designed so she could stand out as much as her family, but I also think it represents her being the magic of the family. just something i noticed 🙂
I always thought that whilst her gift was almost like being chosen by casita, as she’s the only one that can utilise and fully understand and communicate w it, as well as her being the glue that kept the family together, that she was almost meant to be a vessel of sorts. The candle went out in her hands and I saw that as the magic choosing her to hold it until a new casita was built so that it never truly went out. The only one without powers would have enough space to store all of it yk? But reading all the comments about being the next matriarch as well makes a lot of sense! She was a trailblazer and managed to create a brand new system, healing old wounds and creating a better dynamic, seems like she was always meant to lead.
I think it isn’t just hope Mirabel received, but also the gift of empathy. She seems to feel more deeply than the other Madrigals in general, but also sees the things the others ignore, miss, or shove aside. The other characters open up to her readily, even about the things they would never tell anyone else, and she has a talent for sniffing out when somebody is hiding something. In a manner of speaking, even La Casita confides in her by showing her the spreading cracks. Not even Julietta is aware that something is amiss with her beloved daughters, whereas Mirabel got them to reveal their hidden truths before they hit the crisis point the way she did in the “Waiting on a Miracle” sequence. I mean, none of the other Madrigals realized she wasn’t in the first picture, despite both of Mirabel’s parents being fully aware of how difficult Antonio’s special night would be for her. Mirabel not only sussed out Antonio, Luisa, and Isabela’s worries, but she was able to connect with Bruno, the uncle she only barely remembered, and find out why he left and what was going on with him in less than ten minutes after meeting him, while he was being evasive and fidgety. I don’t think even Dolores knew why he was there, despite hearing him all the time. Hope is a wonderful gift, but it goes hand in hand with empathy. After all, if you can’t understand somebody, how are you supposed to give them hope in the first place?
This makes so much sense! The theory that Mirabel is the “miracle” and the candle that gives everyone powers is, I think, hinted when she sang “Waiting on a Miracle”. In the song, when she was singing the things she would do for her family, she said: I would move the mountains Make new trees and flowers grow Someone please just let me know, where do I go? I am waiting on a miracle, a miracle I would heal what’s broken Show this family something new Who I am inside, so what can I do? I’m sick of waiting on a miracle, so here I go I am ready Come on, I’m ready I’ve been patient, and steadfast, and steady Bless me now as you blessed us all those years ago When you gave us a miracle If you listen closely, you can already see that what Mirabel sang became the ending. She moved the mountains when she was angry. She made new trees and flowers grow by comforting Isabela. She healed her broken family. She showed them something new. And she was able to do all that because she IS the miracle/candle herself. When she sang “I’m sick of waiting on a miracle, so here I go. I am ready”, that’s when she finally took on her power: the magic that powers the Madrigals. Although I do think that she had been gifted this power since she was young (by wiping the power off of the candle and to her dress–eventually transferring it to herself), it was only after she sang Waiting on a Miracle did she fully accept this responsibility.
The thing that I like about Mirabel true gifts is actually reminds me of what I always do recently: inspired actions! What I mean is your action is driven by the intuition that gives you the answers from God directly and prayers when you know there’s still hope inside you. Sometimes, God answers your prayers through inspirations around you: birds chirping, people talking about the topics they like, etc. Whatever it is that makes you inspired and you take actions from there, that’s how God answers your prayers 😊
This actually makes sense! when Casita first started to crack, it was when Mirabel was singing about wanting to be noticed and appreciated in the family more. the rest of the family most likely did not see the cracks because they were all too focused on helping out the townsfolk, who rely on the madrigals too much throughout the whole movie.
When Abuela and her husband met, they were BOTH holding a candle. They went from each having one small candle to having ONE big candle, aka forming a family. The candle is just a symbol. The “miracle” is the family that they both started. Abuela lost sight of that, mistaken the candle as the source of the magic instead of the family itself. And the familly is only the sum of its parts. By puting pressure on each member, she weakened the family bond. The NAMES are a big indication as well. A “Madrigal” is a song sung by several singers without any musical instruments. Each voice is unique and sings a different note, but hey are supposed to harmonize. Abuela didn’t let them “harmonize”. “Luisa” means “famous warrior”. Quite fitting, no? And “Mirabel” means… “Wondrous”. Mirabel Madrigal then literally means “the wondrous madrigal”. She indeed IS the embodiment of the “miracle”, the familly. I also believe that her door “dissapearing” was missunderstood. When the others get a gift, they also get a room deeper in the house, a magical space. Mirabel doesn’t get a room: she gets the WHOLE HOUSE. 😉 She was apppointed as the next pilar of the family, the next candle. Abuela failed to see that.
There are so many layers to this. Trauma is the overlying message, and how it’s passed down. A less obvious layer for me was I saw the Gifts as mental health crutches not blessings, for trauma related issues — and Mirabel didn’t need one. She was the only one who seemed to see the person under the Gift. Tia Pepa needed help with managing her wild emotions, so the Casita made them visible and palpable, so her family couldn’t ignore them. (Though eventually, having them visible made her less stable, since the family didn’t have strategies for supporting her.) My husband told me I need to stop yelling “someone get her a therapist!” at the TV. Luisa’s anxiety and hypervigilance for threats resulted in a Gift of super strength. (Though she took on the same approach to physical strength, and ultimately needed reassurance that she had worth beyond her strength.) Isabella was a people-pleaser who conformed to expectations, and her Gift was to naturally please everyone with grace and beauty. (Eventually she was trapped by the expectations, nearly marrying and having 5 kids just to please others… until through Mirabel she broke through to an unconventional artistry.)
I can see her possessing the gift of leadership; she has the brains, she communicates, listens and empowers everyone. She was able to witness almost everyone’s confessions about how they felt abt all the burdens/pressure they have to endure just to honor the Madrigal name (ex. Luisa and Isabela) and Mirabel understood and acknowledged that. She’s a fresh new start for a next gen leader to look after the Madrigal household and she’s eligible to be one.
I really do think Mirabel is the embodiment of the magic and is supposed to lead them in the future. Abuela has a butterfly chain on her dress and Maribel has butterflies all over her dress. Abuela has been the leader for over 50 years and Maribel became the embodiment of the magic in order to take over as the new matriarch of the family.
I honestly think that Mirabel’s power is essentially a stat boost for the others around her, but it’s entirely dependent on her interaction with the person. With Luisa for example, she saw how much the power was causing her pain so Mirabel subconsciously debuffed her power. On the other hand, she buffed Isabela’s power when she saw how happy she was.
Hints: Candle have Butterfly Mirabel’s clothing have butterflies and candles Mirabel and Abuela’s hugged showed a Butterflies circling them When the house was built in the first place there are butterflies showing up The Kitchen has Butterfly paterns In Bruno’s vision they had to follow the Butterfly When Abuela and Abuelo first met, they met because of a butterfly In Disney’s lyric article’s there are Butterflies So Mirabel is a Miracle, and also she can interact with the house
She is the gift and the one thing that would bring the magic aka the family back together again. The house saw how too depended her grandmother became the house and her families abilities, thus treating some more favorable than others. Her gift was making her grandmother realize she’s putting to many expectations on her family and that their more than just their gifts.
I actually liked the fact that Mirabel didn’t end up with a gift because it doesn’t push the narrative that the gifts were directly correlated with a person having worth in the family. I don’t know if I’m explaining it well but I think not getting magic sends a better and more realistic message to younger viewers even if it’s not the most satisfying ending.
Her gift is gifting others powers. I noticed with her cousin, and her outfit. She gives him a box with multiple animals on it, gifting him a tiger. He ends up with the gift of communication with the animals. Her dress has representation of all the powers – the butterflies represent her abuela. We don’t see her power because she is able to sense how heavy of a burden it maybe for her family. So she unknowingly takes them – example her sister. The only one she had a heavy interaction with. While being the embodiment might have been the message Disney wanted to show – the actual gift is being able to give and take away. The house wasn’t going to give her a door because there was no way to represent it. Hence the vision Bruno had.
the butterfly also noticed the butterfly symbol from the candle, the butterfly on mirabel’s outfit, the butterfly when abuela and pedro met, the butterfly mirabel saw in bruno’s vision, and when abuela and mirabel hugged. she IS the gift and might be the next head of the house as she gets her own door at the end<3 mirabel is the miracle
And bonus we can see Mirabel has everyone’s powers on her dress. This already gives us a very big spoiler to understand that she is already a wonderful GIFT to everyone. Even she has a good connection with the Casita this another bonus to make us understand that she is already has place of Abuela. When I was watched the movie for the first time I already understand the topic. Mirabel is like a secret miracle and gift to her family but nobody wants to understand that because everybody only thinking their powers but not sticking to the family and being hopeful.
Whatever your interpretation, I think the coolest aspect of Mirabel’s story is how beautifully it represents all the people in the world who don’t feel special because they don’t fit the world’s standards. The people who aren’t the best looking, the most talented, the strongest, the smartest, the most romantically desirable, etc. This movie sends the clear message that these people are just as valuable as everyone else, in their own special way. They don’t have to achieve anything, or marry anyone, or prove anything, or get a makeover. They’re special just the way they are. THAT is magic. Great message, and a message that’s been needed for a long time in movies like this. Thank you Disney!
I always thought the movie played on the proverb “a homes foundation is built upon a woman”. Abuella was the original foundation but due to the pressure she placed on everyone, the family was starting to crack and break (like the house). Mirabella however is the one that listens and fights for her family, thus becoming the new foundation. Her “gift” is her empathy and love for her family.
I must say that was the best Disney film I ever seen in my life. It is totally different from other films I’ve seen cause I think that the protagonists in ecanto try to solve their issues by sharing what they have been feeling all these years. Sth that did not happen in previous films. As for mirabel, I believe that she didn’t receive a gift because she was the gift for her and her family. Actually, it is as if she should be born to remind to her family what is most important apart from being perfect and that it is okay to lose what you have in order to start anew. For me, mirabel was a gift herself for her and her surroundings. P.c my favourite character was Bruno. 😅❤️
The final image on the front door is Mirabel front and center, and everybody else around her. Her destiny is to be the matriarch of the family, with even Abuela falling in line slightly behind. Her mother earlier praised her for her brain and big heart. She is literally the “heart” of the household.
Love many of the comments here as well as the theory by the narrator…In my opinion, I noticed Mirabel is the only family member who wears glasses which allows her to see more clearly than anyone else that she has the gift of insight into the family and as many of you have mentioned her empathy & resilience to intervene and help connect everyone as well as having that bond with la casita…Butterflies are literally everywhere throughout the film as they are embroidered on Mirabel’s dress, there are butterfly bricks on la casita early on and in the rebuilding of la casita, the butterfly on the candle, the scene where there is a magical display of butterflies at the brook, and lastly an arch of magical butterflies & a portrait of the entire family on the front door after Mirabel connects the M door knob to the newly built la casita…beautiful film and beautiful animation…
I think it’s also important to note that Mirabel is a seamstress and essentially the “thread” or connection that helps mend what is broken into something new. I really loved that subtle detail and the symbolism behind it. In the later scenes, Abuela Alma actually find a piece of the thread from Mirabel’s outfit when she runs to the river. Notice how the thread is pink? The embroidered butterflies on Mirabel’s outfit are pink 🙂 I thought that was very beautiful and and very big moment that doesn’t get enough credit.
The song “Dos Oruguitas” explained Abuela in a very profound way. The song starts explaining how she and Pedro were hungry for life and moving together in a world that keeps changing. It then talks about how the 2 caterpillars have to separate. Abuela loses her husband and creates a cocoon as a chrysalis. The mountains literally shoot up around her as a cocoon for her and the community. As she sits on the floor of her new casita she starts to harden. She places the black shawl that she wears through out the movie on and you can tell she has transitioned into the chrysalis. That candle is her life source, everything is good and she’s content as a chrysalis until her life source (the candle) is threatened. Now, during the movie, Abuela and Maribel are the only family members that don’t have powers, and work and communicate with casita the most. They are more alike than they can see. Now that Abuela sees that maribel is threatening (unintentionally) the life source and all she has left of her husband, things get uncomfortable. So when the fight comes to a head, Abuela is most uncomfortable at that moment, and that’s when the house collapses, but, that’s also when the mountain shatters and her cocoon is broken. This allows Abuela to finally leave her cocoon and revisit where she lost Pedro. Maribel, as she has with everyone else, listens to Abuela and helps her soften her heart. Abuela, facing the hard facts and breaking out of her cocoon, becomes a butterfly. The song begins focusing on the butterfly.
I see it as Mirabelle was gifted with the essence of the miracle making her the “new source” because Abuella was growing old and her faith in the miracle was growing fragile so in order to protect them all Mirabelle was the heir and gifted with the essence of the candle itself so when it eventually went out the miracle would continue
6:45 That kinda sounds like the magic of family and friendship to me. I agree, that Mirabel is the Magic. I think the reason she wasn’t given a room is because she’s connected to the whole home and thereby personifies the connection of the home and family. Casita itself IS her magical room. We can see that the way Casita interacts with Mirabel is VERY different from how it interacts with the rest of the family. Casita is like an assistant to everyone else, pushing things toward them, moving the tiles of the floor like a treadmill for Luisa, rearranging the seats at the table when Abuela tells it to. But with Mirabel Casita is a friend, it communicates with her in a way we don’t see with ANY other Madrigal and Mirabel understands what Casita is telling her. (And in the Family Madrigal song, she and Casita play together, where Casita tends to interact with the others in a more practical way. The only other time we see Casita turn the stairs into a slide is to keep the neighbor kids from going upstairs where they shouldn’t be.) And towards the end, when the house is crumbling and the candle is burning out, Casita is forcing EVERYONE else outside, but gives Mirabel the chance to try and get to the candle. Casita understands what Mirabel is trying to do and acts on her intention to protect her family by pushing them all out. And then, when Casita can’t hold itself together any longer, it gives its LAST bit of magic, last bit of life and willpower to shelter and protect Mirabel from the falling debris.
I have a theory that Mirabel’s power is actually the casita itself. She can talk to the casita like it is a human and through out the movie whenever she got sad or angry she creates destruction in the casita like when she got sad in Antonio’s party she made cracks in the walls and when she got angry at Abuela she made the entire house collapse but when she was embracing Isabella the candle’s flare got stronger and she was the one who fixed the house as well. At the end of the movie when the casita was fixed she became happy and when she opened the door and the whole casita lit up and became magical again and everybody’s powers were restored, so this leads me to believe that her emotions and mood probably affects the casita and the reason why she did not get her own door is because the front door of the casita with a carving of her and her family ”is” her door and the casita itself is the room.
There is also one other thing, a bit easier to see, and that’s the fact that casita “talks” only to abuela and Mirabell, as the sources of the magic. For example whem Mirabell goes into Bruno’s room casita tells her, that their power doen’t reach there, just by floating the floor. Other family members never talked to casita, and never understood it
I allways assumed Mirabell was born to be the new head of the family. She helped them to stay strong together and didn’t get a seperat room to care mor for the others. Just look at the ceremonies. For Mirabells ceremony grandma brought her to the door, but in the newest ceremony Mirabell is the one giving out the hope and confidence needet to the younger family member. And about her gift: I think she actually has one but she never noticed it. Her gift is/are the scenes in the songs. She has a special way of understanding poeple and learning about their feelings, somehing a assume her to share with her grandma, who she might replace in a few years.
This theory is what I was thinking too. Except I focused on the fact that Abuela also doesn’t have a gift because she started the chain, she was the candle holder. I felt like Casita or the Candle or whatever the magic is, was setting Mirabel up to be the Next Magic Keeper or like Candle Holder, since Abuela was growing old. It’s kind of like a way of keeping the Head of the House in unbiased, by giving them no powers. But when candle burnt out and then the Casita was rebuilt, Mirabel became the head of the Household, at least Magically. Though this would mean that Abuela’s room would technically become Mirabel’s because she’s now the Overseer, thus resides in the central bedroom. Not sure the specific rules of the magic.
Her gift was made pretty clear 🤨 Mirabel’s gift was becoming the “new abuela”. Mirabel will take over the care of her family, candle, the house and the town. The magic trusts her to care and protect, that why it choose her to handle the responsibility. That’s why it gave her visions to save the magic, but no one else got them. That’s why her gift didn’t come to until she was much older. It’s also why at the end Mirabel finally gets her door, the main front door, with her pictured standing in the middle surrounded by her family. Mirabel is the center of the family and a extension of the house
I believe Maribel’s gift is reading feelings, in other words, empathy. I think it perfectly explains why she had the visions of Casita crumbling and why she didn’t receive a room. The house was communicating to her its emotions. Also, because her gift is meant for understanding others, she was meant to live in the kid’s room where she could nurture and emotionally be there for her family; she was exactly where she should be, and yes, it might not seem like an extraordinary power, but perhaps the movie shows us that it is the most powerful of all the gifts. In the end, she receives her door because she and her family realize her talent. You see, throughout the movie, she has an uncanny way of allowing people to opening up and communicate thier issues to her.
This…is exactly what I was looking for! I did notice everyone else’s symbols, but failed to see Mirabel’s (who is now my favorite Disney character design). I enjoyed this movie way more than I expected and loved the music. As a lover of Salsa, Bachata, Cha Cha, and others; I have to give props to Lin Manuel. We don’t talk about Bruno is by far my favorite. Wanted to dance to that one.
and someone commented this I agree, about casita being abuelo spirit cause even with the house falling apart etc his picture would appear and would never crack or tear it stayed intact. you can tell abuelo holds Maribel dear through that house and the relationship it had with Mirabel, to help and protect just as he did before he died. abuelo saw himself and the grandmother in Maribel from the start and chose her to be the candle, having it power and taking grandma place of keeping the family together. cause that’s all he wanted and that’s why he died.
What I thought while perusal the movie is that the family members receive gifts to help/protect the village, but Mirabel didn’t receive one because she wasn’t meant to protect the village, but her own family. It does matches well with the fact that the ’embodiment’ power would be a passive power that she cannot consciously use like her family members who have active powers use theirs.
You know there’s a little Easter egg where if you pause it right you can see a few of the madrigals get there gift but what’s REALLY weird is that all of their doors represent their self in their present model but when ANTONIO gets his gift it’s him as he is now while it’s probably because they didn’t really bother designing new doors I suggest you do a lore article on this and how it works
Im pretty sure Mirabel is the passer of the grandma, aka candle keeper, since the grandma was the first, nobody knew about this, which makes sense since someone needs to pass on the grandma’s leadership. Maybe next time a child gets “no gift” the family knows. So, this means that when that happens the magic will fluctuate out and pulse back again.
I can buy this–I think the question you’re not answering is “why didn’t Mirabel get a DOOR when she got this gift”. My thought is that it was necessary for her to feel like something was missing, so that she’d be forced to look deeper and start the journey to heal the family. If she’d had her own room, it would have been easy to say “well, I got my power, all is well, nothing is wrong” and fall into the same trap the rest of the family did of focusing on living up to Abuela’s expectations.
I said the same I agree, notice how in the end the candle disappears and never reappear, its because Mirabel became that candle that sustains the home, the family, and everyone powers. notice how when mirabel lost a little hope because of abuela not having hope in her, the candle started to die out the more mirabel was broken and angry, the house fell apart and everyone lost their gifts, but when she had that hope back, abuela giving that hope as well then everything went back to normal, even better. and the butterflies on the candle and on Maribel clothes is so obvious lol. and Maribel didn’t get the gift of her being the candle herself (the source of the magic) when she was young because the clothes she wore had a caterpillar on it, it just wasn’t her time that’s all for her to show this cause its not as obvious as the other gifts, but whos to say she didn’t receive it. when she touched the door knob everything disappearing hinted at her gift to me, its cause it couldn’t be seen, hope can’t be seen you just need to believe and take action, also her being the source of their magic can’t be seen as well lol. her gift isn’t by sight its by faith. she had it in her all along. its like the saying faith without action is dead.
I feel the magic is tied between the matriarch and the house. Abuela is the magic for Casita #1 and needed to pass the torch (candle) onto the next generation (since she’s getting old). Casita knew the one to take over was Mirabel, but Abuela was too rigid and not accepting of her family; her need for perfection created cracks in the family and their home. Mirabel begs for her miracle to start and that’s when Casita started the process for her, knowing that it would need to crumble away to give Mirabel a chance to rebuild the family stronger than before. It was only when Abuela and Mirabel accepted each other that the magic started to return… as seen by the butterflies (there’s a butterfly on the candle, so they must be connected somehow).