Viewers have created several theories to explain the Madrigal mysteries in Disney’s Encanto, but one dark notion turns Casita into the unlikely villain. Unfortunately, Encanto only gives a vague backstory about the Family Madrigal magic. In the film, Pedro Madrigal sacrifices his life to save Alma Madrigal (María Cecilia Botero) and his village from marauders. Following Pedro’s death, Alma receives a miracle that protects her and the village. The miracle initially includes a magical candle and an enchanted house. Later, the family members also receive magical powers to help the village thrive.
With the lack of details about the Madrigal miracle and the family’s powers, several theories have sprung up to fill in the gaps. The theories attempt to explain behind-the-scenes secrets, such as various Madrigal family members being aware that Bruno Madrigal (John Leguizamo) secretly lives in the house’s walls. Additionally, Mirabel Madrigal’s (Stephanie Beatriz) lack of magical gifts has resulted in theories attempting to explain why the young protagonist doesn’t get a superpower like the rest of her family. However, one of the film’s directors debunked one of the most popular theories on why Mirabel didn’t get her powers.
Though most of Encanto’s theories put the characters in a good light, one particular idea paints Casita as the film’s villain. According to the theory, the Family Madrigal’s magical house was the secret bad guy of the film, punishing the family by not giving Mirabel a gift. The main idea is that the house withheld the gift to teach the family a lesson about togetherness. Of course, fans shared the theory (via Reddit) in a thread about theories they dislike, and it’s obvious to see why.
The idea that Casita is the villain puts a twist on the character. In Encanto, Casita is essentially a Madrigal family member. The house goes out of its way to help the Madrigals in their daily tasks and seems especially fond of Mirabel and Abuela Alma. But it wasn’t always that way. Originally, Casita had a more antagonistic relationship with Mirabel, with each of them competing for Abuela Alma’s attention. Disney later changed that relationship, but it’s possible a bit of that bled over into the movie, further fueling the theory. And with no clear reason why Mirabel doesn’t receive her magic, it makes sense why the theory would pop up.
However, the film also seems to debunk the notion. Casita gives the last of its magic to save Mirabel and the other Madrigals when the house falls apart, seemingly discrediting that the house would ever want to hurt the Madrigals. Additionally, the Encanto filmmakers explain in Art of Encanto that the house falling apart was a metaphor for the family falling apart. With Mirabel’s lack of gifts furthering the rifts in the family, it’s doubtful that Casita would want to expedite the Madrigals’ downfall. While some may buy the Encanto theory, it seems to have more cracks in it than Casita.
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