Encanto Theory: Mirabel Actually Receives A Gift In The Film
Encanto is a charming film that follows the adventures of the family Madrigal, and it's just plumb full of fan theories. They live in the enchanted Casa Madrigal (Casita for short), which sprung from a magical candle decades before, unleashed through the grief of the family's suddenly widowed grandmother and matriarch, Alma Madrigal: Abuela.
The family Madrigal is three generations strong by the start of the story, and each member of the clan possesses a supernatural gift, with a couple of exceptions — more on that in a second – which, frankly, leaves all kinds of unanswered questions.
There are two exceptions to the magical-powers-bedroom rule. The first is Abuela herself. The reasoning here is pretty obvious: As the matriarch, Casita and all of the powers associated with it are basically her gift. But her granddaughter Mirabel? The film's protagonist doesn't get a gift. Period. Her door melts away, and she's left powerless. Or is she?
Reddit user u/XarraUK refutes this notion, pointing to the end of the film for some pretty compelling proof. Mirabel is given a doorknob, which she uses to re-open the front door of the newly-built Casita — a front door that the fan points out looks suspiciously like a Gift Door, adding that, "She doesn't need a room as she has the whole Casita/Encanto."
Mirabel and Abuela's gift?
Redditor u/XarraUK builds her case that Mirabel's gift is, in fact, Casita by explaining that, "Mirabel's door didn't not work; it just disappeared to be the front door of the Casita, only to be revealed when she got a 'Gift' doorknob." The user elaborates that the door opens for her, rather than her opening it, and that Mirabel is the only one that appears to both understand and even command Casita — along with Abuela to a lesser extent. The theory adds the idea that there's no point in Mirabel having an "inner door" because the entire house was hers.
It's a pretty solid fan theory. From our own research (rewatching the scenes in question), we also noticed that Mirabel's door initially melts when she reaches out to touch it. At the end of the film, she withdraws her hand in the opposite direction, initiating the resurrection of Casita (theoretically her gift). The house also pulls her through the door first before letting anyone else in.
Perhaps this is a deep-cut interpretation of the source material that director Jared Bush and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda tucked away in the story. Then again, maybe this is simply fans reading into the obvious imagery of Mirable getting a "door" in the form of the front door of Casita. Of course, it also could be another fan theory with nothing to back it up but a popular Reddit thread filled with fans that buy into the idea.