This Viral Theory Solves The Biggest ‘Encanto’ Mystery

The secret gift in Encanto has — maybe — been revealed. If you’re obsessed with the movie (or your kids are) this may blow your mind. Prepare yourself! Spoilers coming, too!

In the very first scene of Encanto, Disney’s latest movie about the magical Madrigal family, the kids of the town beg Mirabel to tell them all of the Madrigal family’s gifts. Mirabel, proud of her family, rattles them off in a catchy song (thanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda) Mirabel’s mom heals injuries with food. Her Aunt Pepa can control the weather, and Uncle Bruno can tell the future. Her sister Louisa is super strong, and Isabella has a green thumb. Her cousin Camilo can shapeshift and Dolores has superhearing. But what about Mirabel? Does Mirabel have powers? Does Mirabel get a door?

“Oh, Mirabel didn’t get a gift!” Her cousin Dolores pipes in. Encanto flashes back to show that when it was Mirabel’s turn to receive a gift as a little girl, she was skipped for some reason. She grows up “normal,” with no magical powers, surrounded by her super-powered family. No gift was given to her.

But what if that’s not true? A Reddit user by the name of NothingReallyAndYou posted a theory that has everyone rethinking the entire movie.

“Mirabel is the new Keeper of the Miracle.” The Reddit user wrote. “She’s the new Abuela — the new head of the family, and the village.” They go on to explain that no one else in the family except Abuela can address Casita, the enchanted house they all live in. Only Mirabel and Abuela have the power to command the house. Mirabel asks the house questions, like if it can turn off Bruno’s sand when she enters his room, and to help her climb up to Abuela’s tower when the house is falling down. The house obeys her command, talking to her through clinking floor tiles and swinging railings down for her to climb up. But no one else in Mirabel’s family besides Abuela and Mirabel can communicate with Casita.

Next, the butterfly. When Mirabel’s Uncle Bruno has a vision of Mirabel in front of a broken Casita, at first he’s not able to see the missing piece of the vision: the Butterfly. Only when Mirabel joins him is the butterfly revealed, which shows Mirabel the place she needs to visit so she can reconcile with her Abuela and heal her family’s lost powers.

Lastly, there’s Mirabel’s door. We’re led to believe that it dissolved when Mirabel was a little girl because she was denied a gift. 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, 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.

The internet is backing this theory, too. “This is 100% it. You nailed it.” One Reddit user said. “Yes yes yes yes! 1000000000000000% I love this!” wrote another. More users chimed in to add proof from the movie to this theory, going deeper into Abuela’s backstory and small details from the movie that others missed. This theory, it seems, holds up pretty well to the scrutiny

Watch the Golden Globe Award-winning movie Encanto with a Disney+ subscription, and definitely listen to the album (it just took the first spot on the Billboard 100 chart!)