the powers of the of the Madrigal family, the origins of those magical gifts, and the role Casita plays in all this, and one theory explains that Casita had always known when the Madrigal's powers will peak. Disney continues its reign in the world of animation, and one of its most recent (and successful) movies from this branch is Encanto, directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, and co-directed by Charise Castro Smith, and which took the audience to Colombia to meet the Madrigal family, who are unlike any other family.
The Madrigal family is led by matriarch Alma Madrigal a.k.a. Abuela (María Cecilia Botero), who many years before the events of the movie, lost her husband, Pedro, while fleeing from an armed conflict, and so Alma was left alone with her baby triplets Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno. By a miracle, the candle Alma was carrying got magical qualities, which kept her and the triplets safe from their pursuers and built a sentient house for them, which they affectionately call "Casita", and located in a magical realm bordered by mountains. The candle continued to burn for decades, protecting Casita, the Madrigal family, and the whole town, while also granting special gifts to each Madrigal descendant. The only exception to the latter was Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), who became the first in the family to not get a gift during her ceremony.
As the only powerless Madrigal, Mirabel felt like an outcast in her own family, which led her to uncover some family mysteries related to her uncle, Bruno (John Leguizamo), and Casita, as this started to crack and the candle was at risk of losing its flame and magic. Throughout Encanto, the audience is given a good look at the powers of each Madrigal member and around Casita as well, and one of those made way for a theory that suggests Casita always knew when the powers of each Madrigal would peak, and it made sure to show it to everyone.
Encanto Theory: Casita Shows When The Madrigals’ Powers Reach Their Peak
Each Madrigal descendant goes through a ceremony at five years old in which Casita grants them their unique powers and creates a room for them, which is also unique to each of them as it's linked to their powers. Each of the doors has the image of its respective resident and their name carved in it, but a detail that has stood out is how these images on the doors don’t really seem to change. As mentioned above, throughout Encanto, the audience is given a look at the many details around Casita, and in various moments the photos of the ceremonies of each Madrigal member can be seen, showing them standing next to their door with Abuela. The doors, then, show each Madrigal not as kids as they were at that moment but as either adults or teenagers, and in Antonio’s case, it showed him as a kid.
It seems unlikely that this would be a mistake given the amount of details and attention to these that the filmmakers and studio put into Encanto, so it could be that Casita knew a lot more about the powers and future of the Madrigals than it seemed. Casita, then, could have been showing everyone when the powers of each Madrigal would peak – Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno are shown as adults as that’s when their powers would reach their full potential, while Isabela, Luisa, Dolores, and Camilo are shown as teenagers (the age they have during the events of Encanto). This could link to the theory about Casita knowing when it would die, as it could have been showing that their powers would peak near Casita’s end, either symbolizing the end of a phase in the history of the Madrigal family or as a way to give them a valuable lesson.
How This Theory Changes Mirabel’s Story In Encanto
As Mirabel didn’t get powers during her ceremony, she wasn’t given a room either, so she slept in the nursery. It’s been theorized that Mirabel did get a door and it was the main one at the new Casita, because her power is being Abuela’s successor, and she’s at the front and center of the family “photo” carved in the new door. Keeping in mind the above-mentioned theory, Casita didn't give Mirabel a room at the original house because she wasn’t aware of her “power” yet, and once she started questioning Abuela and learning about her family, Casita was ready to give her her door, but for that, it had to destroy itself so they could rebuild it, and the new main door would be Mirabel’s. The family “photo” in the new door shows the Madrigals as they are at the moment – the triplets as adults, Antonio as a kid, Isabela, Luisa, Dolores, and Camilo as teenagers, just like in their original doors except for the addition of Mirabel, her father, and her uncle –, ing the idea that that’s when their powers peaked and showing Mirabel was always meant to have a different type of power in Encanto.
