Abuela treasures the ceremony in which the future generations get their gift, and when Mirabel doesn't receive one, she becomes cold towards her, despite not overtly having a gift herself. She is also harsh on other members of the Madrigal family, but Mirabel becomes distinctively left out.
Abuela, then, doesn't see her family as individuals and family members but more as powerful gifts that add to the Madrigals' legacy and role in the town. Mirabel didn't get a gift because that would have rewarded Abuela for her manipulation, as she pushed for Mirabel to exist just to add more powers to the family.
Encanto shows some use of substances. For example, Abuela Alba insinuates that Mirabel might have had too much to drink when Mirabel claims that the house is in trouble even though they can't find any cracks.
2 She Blames Mirabel For Hurting The Family And Causing The Issues. Following Isabela's empowerment, Abuela chastises Mirabel for her efforts in trying to save the miracle.
She puts an undue amount of pressure on herself to keep the family going in times of crisis by performing the role of a strong figurehead, trying to overcompensate with a sense of power and control because she had none over her husband's death.
As for Mirabel not getting a door during her ceremony, it;s widely acknowledged that Mirabel's “power” is as the guardian of the family's magic itself and Mirabel being Abuela's successor, so instead of getting her own room and door, Casita's front door became Mirabel's.
Isabela especially does not get along with Mirabel. Both sisters are mutually jealous of each other's lives; Isabela envying Mirabel being unburdened by expectations whilst she bears the brunt of Alma's expectations. Unaware of how unhappy the other was than they let on, Isabela had a strained relationship with her.
What traumatic event occurred in Encanto? An army attacked Abuela Alma and her husband Pedro's home village which forced the couple to flee with their young triplets. The armed soldiers chased both Alma and Pedro. Pedro tried to hold them off and ended up getting killed right in front of his wife.
Mirabel proceeds to do what she and the rest of the family have done the entire movie by apologizing, reassuring Abuela that nothing is wrong with her, that she is the reason all is good in the world, and that nothing is broken and everything is as it should be.
Though Bush seemed to put the theory that Mirabel sabotaged her gift to rest, the movie may have also debunked it long ago. According to Bush, Mirabel's hand-wiping scene was just a "character specific mannerism." And the movie apparently supports that.
Though Encanto doesn't have a traditional villain, one theory states Dolores could be the film's secret antagonist. According to the fan theory (via Reddit), Dolores wants her family to lose their powers. After all, the gift of super hearing isn't necessarily as helpful as increased strength or instant plant life.
In fan a theory on Twitter, Amber Coates suggests that when Mirabel sings "Waiting on a Miracle" to the Casita, it responds by showing her the cracks forming in the house. At that moment, Coates says that the house saw this opportunity to get the help it needed and blessed Mirabel with a different sort of gift.
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 ...
The Madrigal family, especially the Abuela, hold Isabela to incredibly high standards and expectations because she's so perfect. She feels like she has to be perfect all the time because that's what her family expects of her. She chooses to put on a brave face but she's tired of being someone she's not.
But NothingReallyAndYou reveals that, actually, Mirabel 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. She is the next caretaker, the leader, the center of the family. Mirabel is the Keeper of the Miracle.
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.
In Encanto, intergenerational trauma stems from Abuela Alma Madrigal, the family matriarch, who experienced the traumatic loss of her husband when fleeing her invaded homeland with their newborn triplets.
Turns out, Isabela didn't even want to marry Mariano; she was only doing it to make Abuela happy (foreshadowed during her engagement dinner when her powers start going haywire and one of her plants springs up and punches Mariano in the nose).
In reality, both were probably envious of one another. Isabela likely envied Mirabel for living without the burden of family expectations, and Mirabel envied Isabela for being the supposedly perfect Madrigal that everyone loved.
Mirabel's gift was never meant to manifest, which is why she didn't explicitly receive a gift at the end of Encanto. Rather, Mirabel herself is the gift, and it's thanks to her that the Madrigal family is whole again.
"Mirabel and [Abuela] are the only two people to be able to communicate with the Casita in the movie. This could show some sort of special relationship with the Casita and in turn, the magic in the house," they add.
Dolores' active role in undermining her family makes her the true villain of Encanto. Thus, the ending of the film is bittersweet. We see Dolores' plans fail and the family's gifts restored, but her actions do ultimately reward her with Mariano, meaning that her vile deeds do not go unrewarded.
