Encanto is the latest animated movie from Walt Disney Studios and is a colourful musical that puts family at the centre of its story. It's an adorable feature but, let's be frank, if you aren't paying attention, it's easy to miss out on key details in this Disney movie. From mystical visions to keeping track of 12 different family members, all within the space of 90 minutes, getting distracted during the fantasy movie isn't hard. You may be left wondering, how does Encanto actually end? Warning spoilers ahead!
Set in Colombia, Encanto follows the massive Madrigal family. The story starts with Abuela Alma (Maria Cecilia Botero), who fled her home with her three children in search of a better life. After losing her husband during the trek up the mountains, she was gifted with a magical candle to create a safe haven. The miracle candle helped the family settle, created a mystical house, and granted each Madrigal superpowers. However, when one family member, Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), doesn't receive any mystical gifts such as her sister's super strength or her mother's healing abilities, she is shunned by her Abuela. Tensions in the family continue to rise once the candle's light starts to flicker and cracks in their magical home start to appear. Abuela suspects that Mirabel is the cause behind the candle's issues, and Mirabel is desperate to prove her wrong. Very healthy family dynamics, right?
If all the drama between the family wasn't detailed enough, Encanto presents a mystery as Mirabel searches for the cause of the magic's disappearance. It also brings in a vague prophecy once Mirabel finds her estranged Uncle Bruno (John Leguizamo) – who can tell the future. Like we said – a lot is going on, and it is easy to get distracted when watching this film. Here we explain what happens in the final minutes of Encanto, break down the cause of the candle's problems, and reveal if we can expect an Encanto 2 in the future.
What happens in the Encanto ending?
Mirabel discovers that her Uncle Bruno saw a prophecy of her standing in front of their family’s home in ruin. But before we all start yelling at Mirabel to leave the house, it appears that there is more behind this single picture. The vague vision didn’t say whether the house’s magic disappearing was because of her or if she was the one to stop it. However, before Mirabel has the chance to figure it out, her cousin Dolores, who has super hearing, eavesdrops on her conversation with Bruno and then tells the whole family that Mirabel is to blame for their magical powers disappearing.
After a very explosive family dinner where Abuela basically blames poor Mirabel for everything, Mirabel is determined to save her home and prevent the future from Bruno’s prophecy. She and Bruno decide to use his powers for another vision, and luckily the heavens give the two a sign. To save the day, it turns out that Mirabel must make up with her sister Isabel – the golden child of the family – putting all her resentment for her ‘perfect sibling’ aside.
This basically means that the reason why the candle has dimmed is because the family members aren’t getting along, and that the Madrigals need to mend their broken connections. The two sisters make a breakthrough, mending their relationship, and finally, it looks like the candle is shining happily again. It turns out that having a magical candle guide your family counselling is pretty handy. But unfortunately, the brief relief for the Madrigals is short-lived.
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Abuela steps into the picture, breaking up the sisters and again blaming Mirabel for their problems. This causes Mirabel to finally take a stand against the family’s matriarch. She informs her grandmother that the real person behind the cracks in their family home is Abuela herself, who puts too much pressure on the family to be perfect and is straining all their bonds as a result. The tense argument between the two causes the candle’s flame to disappear completely and the house to crumble into ruin – fulfilling Bruno’s prophecy.
Devastated at accidentally destroying her home, Mirabel flees past the mountains. Abuela goes to find her and discovers her granddaughter in the place where she was first gifted the candle and where she saw her husband sacrifice himself for their family’s safety years ago. Abuela tells Mirabel of the hardships she faced, how she simply wants to keep their new home safe and never experience loss as she did in the past.
The two make-up and return to discover that the nearby villagers have volunteered to help rebuild their dilapidated house. The family reconnect and mend bonds while fixing their home. Another miracle occurs once their house is finished as the candle returns and everyone’s magical powers are restored. Uncle Bruno also returns to the family, and the Madrigals get their happily ever after.
Does Mirabel get powers at the end of Encanto?
OK, so you may be wondering, does Mirabel finally get magical powers at the end of the movie once everyone else in the family sees theirs return. The answer is no, no, it appears she doesn’t. On the one hand, this is a bit sad, as we have seen Mirabel wishing for her own gift since the film’s beginning.
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But on the other hand, it is touching to know that she is deemed special enough with or without crazy powers. There you have it, kids; you don’t need crazy abilities to be extraordinary; you just have to be OK with being yourself and try your best.
Still, it should be noted that although we didn’t see any powers specifically, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t there for young Mirabel. If Encanto ever gets a sequel, we may see Mirabel finally discover her ability, as there is still a question mark on why she never received any powers to begin with, and if at the end of the film she truly is still the same ordinary girl.
Will there be an Encanto 2?
Speaking of sequels, let’s talk about if the ending of Encanto hints towards a future Encanto 2. As we said, we could still see another story based on Mirabel getting her superpower. However, story-wise, Mirabel’s ‘maybe gift’ is the only loose thread in this movie that needs some addressing.
Encanto ends very neatly, and with no post-credit scene hinting at a sequel, Encanto 2 doesn’t seem likely right now. However, Jared Bush, a co-director on the family movie, did tell The Digital Fix that he would love to see a future Encanto Disney Plus TV series. His fellow director Charise Castro Smith also shared that the movie’s composer Lin-Manuel Miranda told them he wants to do something with the character Dolores.
While it isn’t a sequel film, a potential TV series spin-off is just as exciting. Nothing has been confirmed just yet, but we will keep you updated as soon as we know more.
Encanto is out in cinemas now.