Encanto's Mirabel didn't get a door and a room because she didn't get a gift, but Abuela was also powerless and had her own door – and here's why.
At the end of Encanto, the family creates a doorknob for Mirabel to open their new house with. Unlike all other members who received their gifts at the age of 5 by opening their respective doors in the casita, Mirabel's magic shines at the end, when she is 15 years old.
But in the film, when Mirabel finally is able to put her hand on a doorknob after her childhood attempt fails, it brings the magical casita of the Madrigals back to life. Perhaps her gift is the greatest one, the power to keep her family, their home and all their magical separate gifts, together and thriving.
Does Mirabel get a gift by the end of Encanto, however? The ending reveals Mirabel's true gift: the miracle itself. She keeps her family's gifts alive and helps them flourish despite not having tangible powers. When she helps Isabela accept herself, the cracks in Casita heal and her sister discovers new abilities.
So while there's evidence that Mirabel's gift was secretly the front door, the film also shows that Mirabel wasn't truly gifted anything. Instead, she earns the front door to the house in Encanto.
Every other person in her family got to open their door, receive their gift, and get a gigantic magical room that's the stuff of dreams. But NothingReallyAndYou reveals that, actually, Mirabelle doesn't get a door or a room because the entire Casita is hers. Her gift was the magic in the very walls of the Casita.
What happened to the door in Encanto? Once the house is fully mended, they hand Mirabel a doorknob with an “M” on it. She puts the doorknob on the front door and turns it and the house returns to its magical glory (and the powers return to the family members).
Because she rubbed her hand on her dress, causing her to lose her gift.
Posting on Twitter over the weekend, Encanto co-director Jared Bush shared a short post-credits scene that was ultimately axed from the final film. "We considered an after-credit joke to end the movie, but ultimately felt going out on the emotion and joy of the family coming back together was the way to go," he wrote.
Essentially, Abuela and Mirabel have the same gift: to bring everyone together with love and support. This is illustrated by scenes like their heart-to-heart by the river, the song "All of You" which Mirabel and Abuela lead together, and even small details like Mirabel and Casita's very close bond.
According to the theory, Mirabel sabotaged her own gift accidentally during her ceremony. After touching a magical candle, Mirabel wipes her hands on her clothes, and fans speculated that this was the reason the young Madrigal didn't get powers. One of the Encanto directors recently debunked the Mirabel theory.
Though Disney hasn't detailed official plans, Encanto 2 is likely on the way, especially as the original became the fastest movie to reach 200 million streaming hours on Disney+. The soundtrack has also achieved unprecedented success, spending several weeks at the top of Billboard's albums chart.
Bruno was banished from the family's compound years ago by his own mother, Abuela Alma, the matriarch of the family, because the magical gift with which he was “blessed” had a clairvoyant component to it. So when Abuela began to fear Bruno's prophecies might take away her control over the family, she made him leave.
The rooms also "amplify" each child's gift, "creating a space designed to allow each to learn, practice, & grow their gift." Unfortunately, since Mirabel doesn't get a gift, she doesn't get a magical room either, which would allow her to grow into the person she's supposed to become.
Background. Born into the Madrigal family, Mirabel is the youngest daughter of Julieta and Agustín, and the younger sister of Isabela and Luisa. In addition to being the niece of Félix, Pepa and Bruno, Mirabel is also the cousin of Dolores, Camilo and Antonio.
Mirabel's gift is her intelligent determination, and she had that all along. While the ending reveals Mirabel as the future leader of the Madrigals, it's unclear why she never received powers.
The Soldiers are the posthumous overarching antagonists of Disney's 60th full-length animated feature film Encanto. They were a group of corrupt Colombian soldiers responsible for the death of Pedro Madrigal, the husband of Alma Madrigal and the grandfather of Mirabel Madrigal.
Because Bruno has stepped away from the family, the light on his door is dim, indicating that Casita's magic doesn't work in there anymore. Just like any other room, though, it was once enchanted and Bruno's room may serve as a metaphor for the heartbreak he endured trying to protect Mirabel.
When everyone came to investigate and the cracks weren't there, Isabela expresses her dislike for Mirabel because she thought she was envious of Antonio's successful ceremony and wanted to ruin the day.
She can control the weather around her, which means she can conjure up anything from bright sunshine to powerful tornados. In theory, this should make her one of the strongest of the Madrigals.
The door disappeared for Mirabel because her gift would flourish best in a room where there was no magic. Think about the ending when Casita began to break. Everyone lost their powers that they had relied on, and the powers left them just as they tried to reach the flame.
Abuela Alma doesn't possess any particular gift, due to being the one who found the miracle that blessed the Madrigal family in the first place. Instead, she is in charge of all magic of the family.
However, Encanto puts a twist on it by not calling Mirabel the brains. Throughout Encanto, Mirabel has the nerve to figure out why the magical house is cracking, and she doesn't need supernatural gifts to accomplish her goal. Mirabel's gift is her intelligent determination, and she had that all along.
The most reasonable explanation for Abuela having her own door (which, is worth noting, glows like any other even though she doesn't have powers) is that the candle and Casita gave it to her because she's the Candle Keeper and “Miracle Guardian”, as was as the leader of the Madrigal family.
Of course, it's Mirabel's lack of gifts that drives her to help her family in the end. Though Mirabel doesn't get powers, the rest of her family has an assortment of gifts.