The Madrigal family was blessed (and, depending on how you look at it, cursed) with magical powers, thanks to Abuela Alma’s (María Cecilia Botero) careful tending of the candle that gives their casita life. They live in a small community in Colombia, where they use their gifts in order to help their friends and neighbors.
Encanto highlights domestic dynamics for children, but it's also about using your inner magic to better the world around you. The family's magic has brought them a high standing in the community, and all of their gifts are very useful. Luisa uses her strength to catch escaping donkeys, and Isabel grows flowers to decorate the casita for special events. However, some are certainly more beneficial than others.
9. Camilo: Shapeshifting
Camilo Madrigal (Rhenzy Feliz) has the power of shapeshifting, as well as a natural gift for theatrics. He mostly uses his powers to sneak extra food or tease his family, such as when he becomes a frightening version of Bruno.
While his gift is mostly entertaining, it also has some practical uses; for instance, he can transform into someone taller to reach something high up. However, it doesn’t seem to help anyone else, family or otherwise; in fact, it can be used against them, like when he uses it to snatch extra arepas.
8. Pepa: Her Mood Controls The Weather
Pepa’s (Carolina Gaitan) gift is the weather, which reacts to her mood. Rain pours and lightning flashes when she’s miserable, while her joyous moments (like when her youngest son receives his gift) are accompanied by sunshine.
While this skill seems useful, Pepa isn’t able to regulate her emotions well, and she usually ends up summoning a thunderstorm at the worst possible moments, including her wedding day. It would probably be more useful if she could control it regardless of how she is feeling.
7. Dolores: Exceptional Hearing
Gifted with exceptional hearing, Dolores (Adassa) can hear Isabela’s nearly-betrothed, Mariano (Maluma) from a mile away. That’s a useful talent to warn Isabela of her husband-to-be’s desire for five children, which Isabela is not too thrilled about.
However, since Dolores is in love with Mariano herself, it must be painful being the family’s informant. Plus, her inability to keep a secret means that everyone’s private confessions are sure to become family news in no time.
6. Bruno: Seeing The Future
While being able to see the future might seem like a useful gift, it only lands Bruno (John Leguizamo) in trouble. His predictions make his family and friends uncomfortable, especially when he can’t help but see trouble ahead. When he receives a vision of the casita’s possible destruction, he’s forced to flee and hide in the walls, rather than try to solve the problem with the help of a loving family. He also doesn’t have any control over the future; he can only warn the others of what is ahead.
Since the future will happen anyway, it seems like more hurt than help to know about in advance, when you could simply confront it when it arrives. Maybe without his vision, Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) wouldn’t have known how to try to save their home, but there seem to be few practical uses for his gift. Plus, knowing the endings of your favorite telenovelas must ruin the suspense, and Bruno probably spoils the endings for himself all the time.
5. Antonio: Talking To Animals
Antonio (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) is the youngest family member with the newest gift, that of speaking with animals. This turns out to be extremely useful when Antonio communicates with Bruno’s rat friends. Besides that, he can finally tell the donkeys to stay put, so Luisa doesn’t have to chase after them every day.
The animals happily carry him wherever he wants to go, and help Mirabel and Antonio try to save the family magic from destruction. Although he doesn't feature much in the film, he's Mirabel's best friend and ends up being one of the most important allies in her quest to save casita.
4. Isabela: Growing Flowers
Isabela Madrigal (Diane Guerrera) has the power of “perfection” according to her disgruntled younger sister, Mirabel. However, her true gift is growing flowers and other plants. She decorates the casita for special events and keeps their village lush and vibrant. With Mirabel’s encouragement, she learns how to grow cacti and other plants, not just the beautiful ones.
This is a pretty useful gift, as she can both beautify and nourish her village. Luckily, she finally comes to accept both Mirabel and the full extent of her powers, fulfilling Bruno's prophecy that her powers would only continue to grow.
3. Luisa: Exceptional Strength
Luisa (Jessica Darrow) is Mirabel’s other older sister, and her strength is popular within the village and her family. She is constantly being asked to carry donkeys, move pianos, and even fix houses.
Despite her incredible power, she’s gentle at heart, and always more than willing to use her powers for the benefit of her family and community. Since she’s always there to help, the village seems to rely on her more than any other Madrigal, certainly making her one of the family members with the most useful gifts.
2. Julieta: Healing
The mother of Isabela, Luisa, and Mirabel, Julieta Madrigal (Angie Cepeda) can heal her friends and family with her incredible cooking. She seems to favor arepas, which she feeds to the sick and injured.
This gift comes in especially handy when it comes to her husband, Agustín (Wilmer Valderrama). Since her husband is allergic to bees, he requires a constant supply of Julieta’s healing food to keep him from swelling up. It’s thanks to her extremely useful talent that all the Madrigals, as well as their friends in the village, seem to be in perfect health.
1. Mirabel: Special Bond With Casita
The youngest daughter of Julieta, Mirabel is seemingly not given a gift by the casita. This makes her feel like the most useless member of the Madrigal family, since her only talent seems to be playing the accordion and (according to Isabela and Abuela) getting in the way.
However, it turns out that Mirabel is the most magical of all; her ability to talk to the casita aids her in her quest to save the family’s home, while her kindness and optimism allow her to encourage her siblings who feel stifled by their gifts. She helps Isabela realize her ability to grow cacti and express herself colorfully, while she also helps Luisa realize it’s okay to be sensitive, and that helping others comes after taking care of yourself first.