Does Mirabel Really Not Have a Gift in 'Encanto'? [SPOILERS]

Spoiler alert: This article contains major spoilers for Disney's Encanto.

Disney’s Encanto has delighted audiences with its heartwarming story about the importance of family and tradition. With a stellar voice cast that includes Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz and Maluma, the movie is sure to find a special place in the pantheon of Disney’s animated features.

Encanto centers around the extraordinary Madrigal family who have magical powers and live in an enchanted house. Each member of the family has their own magical gift, except for young Mirabel. But why is Mirabel the only one of the Madrigals without a magical gift? Is she able to get one by the end of the movie?

The Madrigal family lives in a tiny town in Colombia and each member, blessed with a particular magical power, uses their abilities to help the townspeople prosper and grow. Mirabel's aunt Pepa can control the weather, her mom Julieta can heal people with food, and her sister Luisa has superhuman strength. The list goes on, but each character’s power is a reflection of their personality.

However, little Mirabel is the only one in the family who isn’t blessed with a special gift. This makes her feel like she doesn't fit in with the rest of her family and like she can't contribute in the same way others can.

But while it may seem that Mirabel is the only one in her family not to receive a gift, by the end of the movie it turns out that she actually had one all along.

The ending of the movie reveals that Mirabel’s gift is herself. After cracks start to appear in La Casa Madrigal, Mirabel discovers that the cracks in the family home are actually a reflection of the fractures in her family’s relationships with each other. This is confirmed after Mirabel's big blowout fight with Abuela Alma that causes the entire casita to come crashing to the ground.

It’s only when Mirabel and Alma reconcile at the river where the magic first revealed itself — and work together with the family and the townspeople to rebuild the casita — that the magic returns and the house comes back to life.

Our protagonist discovers an important part of herself. It turns out that she did not get skipped over when it came to the miraculous gifts of the Madrigal family, but is, in fact, the gift itself.

While she doesn’t have any tangible abilities, Mirabel’s special power is love and her ability to bring the family back together allows the magic to come back. It’s through her actions that various members of the family, like Isabela and Bruno, are able to embrace their true selves and flourish.

At the end of the movie, the candle that was supposed to be the source of the family’s magical powers also does not re-light, suggesting that its powers now reside within Mirabel. As Bruno says before she opens the door to the newly built house, "You’re the real gift, kid. Let us in."

During Encanto, we see that each member of the Madrigal family gets their gift by turning the knob of a magic door that leads to a room made just for them. Isabela's room is full of flowers, for example, and Antonio's room fits an entire jungle. But since Mirabel didn't get a gift when she was expected to, she doesn't have a door. In fact, during her ceremony, the door she would have had disappeared in front of everyone.

Toward the beginning of the movie, we see that Antonio is nervous before his gift ceremony. He asks Mirabel what would happen if he didn't get a gift or if something didn't work. Mirabel says that, if anything, he would stay in the nursery with her where he had already been living. But she assures him that he will definitely get his gift.

We know that at the end of Encanto, the candle isn't lit again. Instead, the magic flows over the entire rebuilt home and land of their village. We don't see Mirabel get a door, but the family presents her with a doorknob just like the ones from the gift ceremony. She uses that to open the front door of the new house. This could be a symbol that she doesn't have a door to her own room because the whole house belongs to her.

On Reddit, some users say that the entire house is Mirabel's because everyone else got a room where they could be alone. "But Mirabel was the glue of her family, and the room she desired was the one where they could all be together," said one person. Someone else said that this sets her up as the new matriarch of the family, and another person pointed out that throughout Encanto, she is the only one who can understand the house when it "speaks" to her.

Mirabel and the house clearly communicate with each other when she goes into Bruno's room and the house tells her it can't help her in there. And when the house is breaking down, she instructs it to get her up to the candle. So they have a connection no one else could have. But Mirabel could also have her own room. Just like with Abuela who also doesn't have a specific power, we just don't see it.

You can stream Encanto on Disney Plus now.