Summary

• Mirabel's lack of a gift in Encanto motivates her to help her family and ultimately leads to her becoming the future leader.
• A fan theory suggests that Mirabel's gift is her intelligence, which she already possessed before the movie began.
• The true gift of Mirabel's presence and her ability to solve problems without supernatural powers is a key theme in Encanto.

Why Mirabel didn't get a gift in Encanto is one of the biggest questions left by the hit 2021 Disney movie. However, though it appears that Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) doesn't get a gift, the film's opening song may have actually revealed it. While Mirabel's family all get magical gifts from a miracle Abuela Alma (María Cecilia Botero) received the night her husband died, Mirabel doesn't, and the lack of powers strains her relationship with Alma. Of course, Mirabel's lack of a gift ultimately motivates her to help her family when their magical house, Casita, begins to crack. However, one song from the movie's soundtrack may reveal what Mirabel's gift is in Encanto.

The fact Mirabel didn't get a gift defines her life, but a theory about Encanto's opening song may change things. Mirabel kicks off the Encanto soundtrack by introducing her magical family in the opening song, "The Family Madrigal." Mirabel sings about her sisters during the song, saying, "The beauty and the brawn do no wrong." A fan theory (via Reddit) points out that the only thing missing from that statement is the "brains" — and this reveals what Mirabel's gift is despite her seemingly having no powers in the movie.

The Song "Family Madrigal" Reveals Mirabel's Gift - Her Brains

Intelligence Might Be Mirabel's Gift In Encanto

As the theory explained, "Because Mirabel already had the brains to take over as matriarch, she didn't need a gift bestowed by the house, so it gifted the brawn and the beauty to her sisters so that the three of them make the perfect group to lead the family into the future." According to the theory, the reason why Mirabel doesn't get a gift in Encanto is that she already had the brains to take over as the family leader after Abuela Alma. Therefore, the miracle didn't need to give her an additional gift — Mirabel's gift in Encanto is her intellect, which she already possessed before the movie even began.

Although it's not as instantly impressive as Luisa's superhuman strength or Isabela's ability to control plants, Mirabel's gift is the one superpower that could pave the way for the Madrigals to reunite and fix Casita. However, why did Mirabel not get a gift ceremony like the others? Consistent with Encanto's overarching theme of processing intergenerational trauma, this is about how complex family problems and dynamics can only be understood through intelligent and objective observation and analysis, which often happens unsung in the background. Moreover, Casita allowing Maribel to go through this traumatic event is what eventually pushes her to actually realize and use her gifted brain.

Mirabel Has Always Had Her Gift

Mirabel Had A Gift In Encanto, But It Was Hidden (Even From Her)

This Encanto fan theory seems to fill in significant gaps in the film. Since Mirabel has two sisters representing beauty and brawn, it makes sense that Encanto was actually her brains/smarts. After all, having a female trio with beauty, brawn, and brains is a common trope in storytelling. However, Encanto puts a twist on it by not calling Mirabel the brains. Throughout Encanto, Mirabel never needed supernatural gifts to figure out why Casita was deteriorating. 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. Though Mirabel's gift being her intelligence makes sense, another theory postulates that Mirabel sabotaged her own ceremony in Encanto. Regardless, Mirabel will lead her family and her village into the future, and it's reassuring that the Madrigals have the beauty, brains, and brawn to make that future whatever they choose. This is ultimately what Mirabel's gift is for - uniting the family.

Other Encanto Fan Theories That Make Mirabel's Character Way Better

Mirabel Is One Of The Most Mysterious Modern Disney Characters

Encanto's runaway success has resulted in various other fan theories that provide interesting answers to what Mirabel's gift is. For instance, one suggests that upon touching the doorknob, Mirabel unwittingly and instantly activated her gift: the power to bend and manipulate reality. Similar to Mirabel's Aunt Pepa, whose control over the weather is dictated by her emotions, Mirabel's fears about not getting a gift could have prompted everything and everyone around Mirabel to change with her perspective. In this dark Encanto Mirabel fan theory, the entire Madrigal family and the whole town are trapped in Mirabel's fantastical nightmare-turned-reality, which also s for the musical aspect of the movie.

Indeed, Casita cracking apart could've been a result of Mirabel seeing her cousin Camilo getting a gift after she presumably didn't get one, which could've triggered Mirabel's gift to go crazy. Meanwhile, another Encanto theory suggests that when Mirabel reaches for the door during the ceremony, the door didn't disappear, but rather, it became the new front door to the Madrigal's magical home. This theory is ed by several facts, such as how, during the ending of Encanto, Abuela Alma reveals that she asked Pedro for help - and that Pedro responded by sending Mirabel.

Moreover, Encanto ends with Mirabel's image being carved onto the front door of Casita, which suggests that the very entrance to Casita was Mirabel's all along. Indeed, what is Mirabel's gift if not the fact that she's the one whom Casita responds to the most? Whether these theories reveal the truth about Mirabel or not, what's clear is that Encanto has managed to capture the imagination of its viewers, which bodes well for Disney's possible plans to make Encanto 2.

The Theory Is Fun, But Misses The Point Of Encanto

Explaining Why Mirabel Doesn't Have A Gift Ignorse The Movie's Core Themes

The whole point of Encanto is that Mirabel doesn't need a gift — she is the gift. Mirabel's name even means "wonderful." All the family is better for Mirabel's presence. Without her, the Madrigals wouldn't have been able to work through their issues, and the family might have lost Casita in Encanto's ending. Mirabel receiving a gift would have undermined the movie in a lot of ways. A key lesson learned by Abuela Alma, for example, is that Mirabel is an important member of the family even without a power and that the Madrigals are more than their gifts.

If Mirabel gets a gift at the end anyway, then the lesson would be entirely lost on Abuela, who needed to learn to accept how the next generation does miracles differently. Encanto may be a fantastical take on family dynamics, but at its core, it's about putting intergenerational trauma into context, grounded in the history of many real families. While Abuela Alma needed to stop emotionally abusing Bruno and Mirabel for not living up to her high expectations, Bruno and Mirabel needed to learn about how Abuela's expectations are rooted in protecting not just their family but their whole community from civil unrest.

Just like Encanto's civil war, which was inspired by true events, Mirabel's lack of magical powers is essential to the movie's core narrative. In fact, it's clear why the miracle chose Abuela Alma in the first place — her tenacity, determination, and intelligence made her the ideal leader and protector for her entire community. Whatever the fan theories say, Mirabel's gift is how she proved that the Madrigals don't need magic to accomplish great things — just like her Abuela.

Mirabel's Gift Will Be A Talking Point For Decades

Encanto Will Spawn Many Mirabel Theories In Years To Come

The mystery of Mirabel's gift in Encanto is already shaping up to be a question that will continue to be debated among fans and critics for years to come, which reflects how the animated musical has quickly achieved the status of a classic Disney movie. As detailed above, there is a multitude of theories surrounding Mirabel's gift, her relationship with Casita, and her true destiny. What is Mirabel's gift? It's a question with clear answers, but will nonetheless continue to haunt audiences who've been deeply touched by the film, and will likely spawn more related fan theories.

While many of these theories make sense, the truth about Mirabel's Encanto gift is bound to keep audiences occupied for decades, especially since there are currently no plans for an Encanto 2 that could delve further into Mirabel's gift. Despite the core message of the film requiring Mirabel to remain power-free, there will always be some who can't make peace with the fact that Mirabel didn't get a gift in Encanto. The theory that Mirabel's gift is her intellect does, at least, provide an explanation that doesn't leave Stephanie Beatriz's heroine without a miracle of her own.