An Encanto theory suggests Casita knew when it was going to "die", and it actually showed it in its doors. Let's take a look.
Encanto saw the Madrigal family losing their beloved home, Casita, and rebuilding it with the help of the town’s residents, and a theory reveals that Casita knew exactly when it was going to die, and it subtly showed it. Disney continues to dominate the world of animation with heartfelt stories with relatable characters and catchy songs, and its latest success is Encanto, directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, and set in Colombia.
Encanto introduced the audience to the Madrigal family, led by matriarch Alma Madrigal a.k.a. Abuela (María Cecilia Botero). Many years before the events of the movie, while fleeing from an armed conflict, Alma lost her husband, Pedro, and was left alone with her baby triplets, Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno. By a miracle, the candle Alma was carrying got magical qualities, which kept them safe from their pursuers and built a sentient house for them, which they affectionately call "Casita". The candle continued to burn for decades, protecting Casita, the family, and the whole town, while also granting special gifts to each Madrigal descendant – except for Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), the first in the family to not get a gift during her ceremony.
Related: Encanto: Why Abuela Had A Door (But Mirabel Didn't)
As she was the only powerless Madrigal descendant, Mirabel felt left out of the family but that also led her to uncover some family mysteries related to her uncle, Bruno (John Leguizamo), as well as to learn that Casita was starting to crack. One of Bruno’s visions, which was the one that led him to escape, showed Mirabel with Casita cracking behind her, which ultimately happened. Casita was destroyed after an argument between Abuela and Mirabel, in which Abuela blamed Mirabel for all the family's misfortunes because she doesn't have a gift, and along with Casita’s destruction, the candle was extinguished, leaving the Madrigals powerless. However, a theory reveals Casita knew when it was going to “die”, and the secret was in the doors of those who got powers.
The theory, posted on Reddit, explains that Casita revealed when it was going to die through the images of each Madrigal member on their respective doors. When each Madrigal descendant got their powers, they also got their own room in Casita, and the door to it had their image carved in it. The doors of Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno showed them as adults, while those of Isabela, Dolores, Luisa, and Camilo showed them as teens, and Antonio’s door showed him as a kid. The author suggests that this was Casita’s way of revealing when it was going to die as it showed how the Madrigals were going to look when it happened, and Casita recognized that Mirabel was Abuela’s successor and that its foundation wasn’t strong enough to carry the family forever. The author supports this with how the new Casita, with its new foundation, showed the whole family on the front door (including those who aren’t Madrigal descendants) instead of putting their individual images on their respective doors.
The theory is further supported by the photos of each Madrigal member when they got their gifts, which prove that Casita showed the triplets as adults and the rest as teens (except, of course, for Antonio) from the beginning. However, there’s not much beyond that that could confirm that Casita knew when it would “die”, as the images on the door could be seen as a mistake/plot hole, though Casita surely knew that Mirabel would be Abuela’s successor and that in order to keep the family together, it had to be “reborn”. This theory about Encanto’s Casita knowing when it would be destroyed and rebuilt makes sense to an extent, and it can give a different perspective to the whole movie, but it ends up raising more questions.
Next: A Dark Encanto Theory Turns Casita Into A Villain
Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided's BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings. When she's not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round. Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.