A popular Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), the only Madrigal child without a magical gift. Mirabel feels like an outcast for most of the film, simply wanting to make her family proud. However, when the family's magic starts to wane and the enchanted house begins to crack, Mirabel discovers she may have had her own power all along.
The Madrigals don't necessarily understand the magic that's given them powers. For example, all Abuela Alma (María Cecilia Botero) knows is that the magic came on the night her husband, Pedro, died. Pedro sacrificed himself to help Alma and the other villagers, and that sacrifice manifested into a magical candle and grew into the enchanted house and the family developing powers. Likewise, Abuela Alma doesn't understand why Mirabel doesn't receive a gift. Still, the thought of losing the gift terrifies her, so she doesn't always treat Mirabel with the respect she deserves.
Though Encanto doesn't explain the magic in the film, one sequence hints that Pedro's soul is behind the enchantment. During the movie, the Casa Madrigal, a.k.a. Casita, begins to crack, and the magical candle is in danger when the house starts to fall apart. Several Madrigals try to save the candle, but they ultimately fail. However, the house uses what's left of its magic to keep them safe, even forming a final protective barrier over Maribel when everything collapses. According to a theory (via secretly Abuelo Pedro's soul all along.
Encanto has a wealth of evidence that Casita is truly Abuelo Pedro. In addition to the house mirroring Abuel Pedro's sacrifice, the film lingers on Abuelo Pedro's portrait during the collapse, perhaps hinting that he's the person behind the magic. Also, after the magic returns, the house pushes everyone together for a family photo, seemingly getting itself in the picture too. The moment shows Casita isn't just a house. It's a family member too. And much like Pedro waves to Abuela Alma when they first meet, the house also waves with its shutters.
Interestingly, Encanto never gets specific about the magic. The miracle showed up after Abuela Pedro's sacrifice, but if the magical Family Madrigal house is secretly Pedro, even Abuela Alma doesn't appear aware of it. When she asks Pedro for help early in the film, she talks to a picture of him in a locket, not the house or even the candle. Also, there was no indication before Pedro died that he knew magic or had a connection to magic. The signs hint at Pedro being behind the magic in Casita; however, much like those waving shutters, Encanto leaves the question open.
