Mirabel Madrigal doesn't get a special power or gift in Disney's Encanto, but the character's glasses may have had a secret purpose all along.
Mirabel doesn't get special powers like her family in Disney's Encanto, but the character's glasses may have had a secret meaning all along. Unfortunately, life didn't take it easy on Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz) in Encanto. Mirabel's family members all get magical gifts they use to help their town. However, Mirabel's lack of magic makes her an outcast in the family. The lack of magic even hurts Mirabel's relationship with Abuela Alma (Olga Merediz and Maria Cecilia Botero), as the Madrigal matriarch worries that the family's magic is disappearing. But Mirabel's lack of powers fuels her drive to discover why the family's magical house starts to crumble. And in the end, the film reveals Mirabel will become a family leader and follow in Abuela Alma's footsteps.
Encanto had a method for devising which powers went to which family members. According to Art of Encanto, the filmmakers looked to roles in their own families to devise which characters got specific abilities. For instance, Julieta (Angie Cepeda), Mirabel's mother, has the power to heal with her food because the filmmakers viewed a motherly role as nurturing. Along the same lines, families sometimes have a rock that everyone leans on the help with their burdens. Because of this, Luisa (Jessica Darrow) received super strength to help carry everyone's troubles.
Related: Why Mirabel’s Tragic Lack Of Gifts In Encanto Was Inevitable
In Encanto, Mirabel doesn't have powers, but she does get glasses that have a special meaning. Responding to fan questions, Jared Bush, one of the film's directors, explained (via Twitter) the symbolism in Mirabel's glasses. Bush said, "In Spanish 'Mira' means 'look' and the whole film is about learning to see each other fully." The director added that this was the reason Mirabel had glasses. "We wanted to draw attention to what/how we see," Bush said. The meaning behind the glasses further shows how Mirabel will help lead the family in the future.
Mirabel's glasses always hinted at the true meaning of Encanto, which is seeing others for who they truly are. Throughout the film, Encanto constantly points to the importance of seeing things clearly. When the magic has issues in the movie, Abuela Alma secretly prays, "Open my eyes." And during "Waiting On A Miracle," Mirabel sings to Abuela, "Open your eyes!" Abuela is so focused on protecting the miracle that she doesn't see what's really going on in her family. Though it takes the Madrigals' magical house falling apart to get through to Alma, she finally gets it by the film's end. Mirabel helps her see that the miracle is her unique family, not a special power or gift.
Mirabel's glasses also take on other meanings in the film. For instance, Mirabel's clothes hold icons to represent her various family members, and the green glasses appear to represent Bruno (John Leguizamo), who wears green and can see the future. Additionally, though Disney assigned the Madrigal powers in the film for family roles, many of them seem to represent the senses. For instance, Julieta's healing food could represent taste, and Luisa's super strength may represent touch. If that's the case, Mirabel's glasses represent sight, which perfectly fits with the character having a vision for her family's future in Encanto.
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Bill is an experienced reporter who's covered entertainment and fandom since 2014. He's done everything from unearthing the discarded Game of Thrones pilot script in a library in Texas to finding out why Steve left Blue's Clues. He also enjoys eating Taco Bell and drinking chocolate milk.