Encanto tells the story of the Madrigals, a group of people with special abilities, given to them by the magic that protects their family. The story centers around Mirabel, the only relative without a gift. However, the audience gets to meet the other family members and their peculiar powers throughout the film.
Each Madrigal gift is different. Some are controllable while others can't be helped. Some make for amazing superpowers for a comic hero but have no practical application, while others are useful on a regular day but would be completely useless in a super battle. All in all, it isn't difficult to notice which Madrigals have it better than others.
8 Aunt Pepa's Weather-Controlling Mood Is Truly A Curse
One of Abuela Alma's triplets, Pepa, is a nervous and emotional woman with the ability to control the weather. While this sounds like an awesome superpower there's a catch, Pepa can't modify the weather at will, it changes depending on her mood. Because of this, her gift isn't useful like others. In fact, it's kind of an annoyance for the people around her.
Out of all the Madrigals, Pepa has the worst gift. Not only is she unable to control her own superpower, but it also affects others, which forces her to suppress her own emotions in order to not affect her family or the town. Pepa's gift would be useful if she could master the meteorological conditions at will like Storm from the X-Men.
7 Bruno's Precognition Can Make Anyone Feel Powerless
Bruno can see the future through visions that aren't always welcomed. Although he can prepare and focus for a vision, he doesn't have full control of them. Bruno's gift doesn't allow him to modify anything, so more often than not he's just an envoy for bad omens, which causes people to fear him.
People typically deem seeing the future as one of the coolest superpowers in the world. However, time after time this has proven to be counterintuitive. Being able to see the future without the ability to modify the outcome can only lead to a life full of worries, such as Bruno's. Unfortunately for him, his ability only managed to isolate him from his family and make him a bit neurotic.
6 Dolores' Super Hearing Surely Grows Tiresome
According to Mirabel's verse in "The Family Madrigal," Dolores can hear a pin drop, which means she was granted super hearing by the Madrigal miracle. Since she can hear everything happening in the town all the time, Dolores tends to reveal other people's secrets, unaware of how private the information is.
Most fans agree Dolores' power is far from a gift. A person unable to turn off their superhearing would hear awkward information all day long. What's more, loud noises would be terrible. In fact, throughout the movie Dolores can be seen taking care of her ears by covering them during fireworks, whispering in order not to hear her own voice, and clapping using only her fingers, because otherwise, the noise would be too much.
5 Isabela's Flower Conjuration Only Needed The Right Angle
As a metaphor for the expectations society has imposed on her, Isabela was granted the ability to create flowers. This gift matches her graceful personality on the outside, but Isabela considers this false image a burden. Fortunately, Isabela soon realizes her flowers don't need to be beautiful to be valuable and understands her self-worth doesn't depend on what other people think.
Once she realizes this, the true extent of her powers is revealed to her. Fans don't get to see how Isabela can use her gift now that she has made peace with her own expectations of herself. However, photokinesis can be very useful in different situations, especially since Isabela would be able to control all kinds of wood, fruits, and seeds. In any case, even though Isabela's gift isn't useless, it isn't as useful as other Madrigal powers.
4 Camilo's Shape-Shifting Is Really Cool But Not Exactly Useful
Camilo Madrigal is Pepa and Félix's middle child and Dolores' and Antonio's brother. He's a 15-year-old boy who still doesn't know who he truly is. A bit of a theater kid, Camilo is an easy-going and fun boy with the ability to shape-shift. Throughout the movie, he uses his gift to prank his cousins. Since he's still a young boy, Camilo doesn't have many responsibilities. His gift isn't a reflection of a social expectation or a burden, but a window to his still-developing psyche.
There are virtually no disadvantages to shapeshifting. Still, Camilo has his responsibilities. Early on in the film he's seen shapeshifting into an exhausted mother as she handed her baby off to him so she could get some much needed rest. Maribel also explains that he provides comedic relief for anyone who needs it during "The Family Madrigal." While it can be useful, it's not the strongest gift, even if it's a cool talent to showcase.
3 Luisa's Super Strength Can Be Easily Abused
Julieta and Agustín's middle child Luisa, is a brawny but dutiful girl with superhuman strength. Thanks to Mirabel, Luisa learns to set boundaries and put herself first. But before this, Luisa is Encanto's burdened beast. Since her ability is particularly useful, many responsibilities fall on Luisa's shoulders, not only in her household but in the town, which relies on her to move donkeys, set houses straight, and even reroute rivers.
While super strength has always been an attractive superpower, this gift is also a huge responsibility, especially if a whole town depends on its bearer to get things done. Granted, there are very few circumstances where superhuman strength wouldn't be useful, but it's difficult to remain unappreciated.
2 Julieta's Healing Abilities Are Incredibly Practical
Mirabel's mother, Julieta, can heal anyone with her cooking. This ability goes great with her nurturing and loving personality, and makes her one of the most useful Madrigals in Encanto. The movie doesn't deeply explore Julieta's gift, but it's likely the town doesn't have a doctor. Townspeople probably look for Julieta when they're ill. Additionally, Julieta's gift conveys that her accident-prone husband Agustín is the perfect match for her.
Julieta's gift has the most practical uses in real life. Having a person cure others only using homemade food would save many lives, as well as money and resources. The only problem with this gift is it can become burdensome. However, it has more perks than disadvantages. The movie doesn't explain the extent of Julieta's ability, but in theory she would be able to achieve immortality with her cooking skills.
1 Everyone Wants Antonio's Ability To Talk To Animals
Who hasn't dreamed of communicating with their pet? The coolest Madrigal family gift belongs to the clan's youngest member, Antonio, who gained the ability to speak to animals. Antonio receives his gift in the beginning of the film. Soon, many different Colombian animals become his friends.
Antonio's gift has many practical applications in real life, especially considering science. However, inside the Encanto universe, it's the perfect gift with a lot of potential. He could help his cousin Luisa control the town donkeys, and eventually become the town veterinarian. Antonio's gift gives him a new perspective of the world through animal eyes. Surely he will grow up to be an empathic and caring man.