Disney’s Encanto features the Madrigal family, who live in a magical house in a secluded Colombian village. They have been gifted with a miracle; a candle that allows each member of the Madrigals to become enchanted with their own power. Each one is impressive and mesmerizing, with the family using these skills to aid the rest of their community.
While each power is certainly incredibly, some are more useful than others. Many of these gifts are also influenced by the emotional state of the wielder, while some of the skills are actually quite dangerous. Ultimately, there’s a hierarchy to these miracles in regards to ranking all of the characters based on their unique capabilities.
Camilo: Shapeshifter
Camilo is one of the youngest members of the Madrigal family. He was gifted with the ability to shapeshift, which he uses for all manner of jokes and pranks. It’s unclear how exactly this power actually helps the rest of the community but Camilo definitely benefits from it.
Throughout the film, Camilo tricks the rest of his family, greets guests by mimicking them, and even manages to score a little extra food thanks to his talents. It’s not really a power that the rest of the family would be jealous of but the Encanto character definitely shows off his intelligence with his use of it.
Dolores: Hears Everything
Dolores’ gift feels like a blessing and a curse. On one hand, she can hear absolutely everything. That’s great for learning secrets, hearing gossip, and even identifying if someone is in danger. That can be a great help to those around her, with Dolores acting as a constant source of information.
On the other hand, though it must be maddening to hear so much all the time. Dolores is actually pretty bad at keeping a secret which doesn’t help, but what’s more, with her lover out of reach, it’s quite tragic that she can continue to hear him despite not being able to be with him.
Pepa: Controls The Weather
Pepa’s powers are actually both useful and incredibly impressive. She can control the weather around her, which means she can conjure up anything from bright sunshine to powerful tornados. In theory, this should make her one of the strongest of the Madrigals.
Unfortunately, her powers are defined by her emotional state. Pepa feels everything strongly which results in her powers becoming unpredictable. While she does learn to lean into that over time, there’s still an erratic quality to her gift which means she even had to get married in a hurricane.
Abuela Alma: Keeper Of The Candle
Abuela Alma might be one of the least likable characters in Encanto but she’s also one of the most influential. Alma is the keeper of the candle which gives the rest of the family their powers. Although she doesn’t technically have any gifts, she was the person to be given the miracle.
That means that Alma is responsible for everyone else getting their powers, which is vital for the continuation of their household. Yet her own anger, emotional pain, and lack of trust (especially for Mirabel) result in the candle dwindling, thereby endangering her family. Abuela Alma’s irresponsibility might just be one of the most dangerous for the Madrigals.
Luisa: Super Strong
Luisa is super strong and can hold up things of great weight. She continues to help out the local village as much as she can, lifting everything from a farmer’s donkey to somebody’s house. All that strength brings with it a lot of pressure though.
She never gets physically tired by the responsibilities, but the powers bring with them a mental fatigue that is difficult to overcome. Ultimately, with the right balance, Luisa has one of the best powers in Encanto, but she has to learn how to take a break as one of the best musical numbers of Encanto, “Surface Pressure,” teaches the audience.
Isabela: Creates Limitless Plants
Isabela’s powers are maybe even more useful than Luisa’s as with the right encouragement she could create plants that would feed the village forever. She is limited to creating flowers and other beautiful flora at the start of Encanto. Her gifts evolve over time though.
It seems that Isabela’s powers are limitless. Very much the Poison Ivy of Disney, Isabela can achieve so much with her powers, if she is allowed to fully thrive and grow without being held back, like a vine. There are definitely expectations that come with Isabela’s miracle, yet no matter what she creates it’s both stunning and useful.
Antonio: Talks To Animals
Antonio is the youngest member of the family to gain his gifts, learning in Encanto that he can actually communicate with animals. A wildlife lover to the heart, Antonio is definitely enjoying his newfound abilities but there’s no telling what the limits are to them.
There may be animals he simply can’t talk to, or perhaps so many voices could become a bit much. Regardless, a mastery over the animal kingdom is incredible to behold, with a brave Antonio even being able to talk down the likes of tigers, potentially protecting the village permanently from predators.
Bruno: Sees The Future
The endlessly rewatchable Disney film Encanto doesn’t have an outright villain to speak of but Bruno is portrayed as such in the beginning. His power of seeing the future is easily one of the most useful of the family. His prophecies could help them emotionally prepare for events, or avoid negative situations altogether.
It’s not ranked number one though due to the fact that there are so many drawbacks. No one reacts in the right way to Bruno’s ability, resulting in him having to go into hiding. Despite Bruno trying to help he’s easily labeled as the bad guy as if it’s him causing events to unfold. People really need to start talking about Bruno!
Julieta: Heals With Food
Whether it’s a broken arm, a bee sting, or potentially even a dangerous illness, Julieta can actually heal everyone with her cooking. One bite of her food will solve all the physical problems that someone might have. That’s definitely a power that has its place in the village.
In theory, no one gets sick in the world of Encanto, and life-changing injuries are nothing more than minor problems for Julieta. Although the power does require food to be on hand, with enough preparation Julieta could constantly be saving lives with a simple empanada.
Mirabel: Empowers The Family
Mirabel seemingly doesn’t have any powers at all, but she’s really the most important member of the whole Madrigal family. She enables the rest of her family to thrive, giving the house its gift while also ensuring everyone else is empowered.
Her positive attitude assists in that, as does her support for everyone, boosting them in unique ways. Without Mirable no one else would have access to their miracle as evidenced when she began to lose faith in herself. She is the savor of the candle and the person who oversees everyone else’s gifts.