Miracle Candle

The **Miracle Candle** (better known as the **Magic Candle** or simply **Alma's Candle**) is the always lit vessel that contains the miracle that blessed the Madrigal family and their house with magic in Disney's 2021 film, *Encanto*.

Before being imbued with magic, the candle was the wedding candle of Pedro Madrigal and Alma Madrigal.

## Role in the film

On the night a young Mirabel Madrigal was to be given a magical gift of her own, Alma Madrigal shows the candle to Mirabel before telling her the story of how an ordinary candle transformed into a vessel for the miracle that gave them protection from the threat she and many others fled from, shortly after she lost her husband, Pedro Madrigal. Along with the miracle within the candle creating a magical house for Alma and her triplet children to live in. The candle's magical flame never went out and its wax showed no signs of it melting away, as long as the candle kept burning strong the magic that saved them will always remain with them. When Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno Madrigal were old enough to be given rooms of their own, Alma used the candle to bless the three with magical powers to help the town they called, Encanto. Julieta and Pepa's children were also given powers from the candle for the same reason, except for Julieta's youngest daughter, Mirabel, whose door vanished.

Years later when it was time for Antonio Madrigal to be given his own magical gift, it was revealed that the candle didn't bless Mirabel with one, along with a flashback showing the candle's flame flickering for a short second after the door to what would have been Mirabel's room faded away. Alma shows the candle to the people who came to see Antonio get his gift, as she reminds them that it was the candle that has blessed her family with a miracle, and tonight its magic will bless Antonio with his own magical gift, like his mother and siblings before him. After Antonio was given his gift and everyone began to celebrate in his new magical room, a waiting for a miracle Mirabel notices that the candle's flame nearly went out after her family's house began to crack. She tries to tell Alma and the others of what she saw, but by the time they all left Antonio's new room to see this, the cracks were gone and the candle's flame kept on burning bright and strong. Later that night as Mirabel goes to check on the candle she overhears her grandmother asking the late Pedro to help her ensure that they don't lose their home again. This gets Mirabel to make it her personal mission to save the miracle by discovering what is happening to it.

Learning that Bruno had a final vision before he left, Mirabel went to find it on her own and later discovered that she is the reason that the magic is leaving them. When Mirabel was in Bruno's tower, Alma had noticed that something was wrong with the candle but chose not to say anything or to think too much about it. Mirabel's father, Agustín Madrigal, wanted to keep the vision a secret from the others, but they didn't count on Dolores and her strong hearing gift; knowing that she'll end up telling the others. Sometime after Mirabel failed to keep the vision and cracks away from Alma, along with the fading magic getting worse with the growing cracks, Luisa losing her gift and Camilo's shapeshifting ability beginning to "glitch", Mirabel discovers her uncle Bruno has been living within the walls of their home. He tells her that on the night she didn't get her gift Alma had begun to fear that the magic was leaving them and begged Bruno to look into the future to help them gain a better understanding, he sees the candle being knocked down as their home begins to crack before the candle went out. With Mirabel being at the center of his vision, Bruno feared how it would affect her and chose to keep it a secret in order to protect her. The fact that Mirabel's future wasn't decided is what got her to get Bruno to show her more. In hopes that it could help them find a way to keep the candle's miracle flame from going out. This has the two seeing the candle burning brighter in the expanded vision and all Mirabel has to do to make that happen is to hug Isabela, much to her dismay.

Even though Mirabel was able to do so as the two sisters hugging in front of the candle made it burn brighter while the cracks begin to disappear (and fulfilling Bruno's vision), the heated argument Mirabel and Alma began to have with one another places the candle in danger again. Along with their fight making the cracks a lot worse than they were before. Mirabel risks her life in order to reach the candle as the Casita begins to crumble all around them. Both Isabela and Camilo also tried to reach the candle, but their powers faded away before they could do so, and were forced to flee with the others. By the time Mirabel was able to grab it, its wax had begun to melt all the way down and after the building became a pile of rubble, the candle's long lighted flame went out in Mirabel's hands after 50 years.

Feeling regretful for failing her family in keeping the miracle safe, she runs away and never seen again until Alma finds her in the very river that the Madrigals were given their miracle, it is revealed that she and Pedro were holding the candle in their hands on their wedding day and later placed it next to their wedding photo. When they were forced to leave their home they took the candle with them. It was Pedro's love for his wife and children that imbued the candle he placed into her hands with the miracle after he was killed trying to protect them. Alma had seen the miracle as her second chance and was determined to ensure that it always stays with them, but her fear of losing it resulted in forgetting why they were blessed with it in the first place; the pain and pressure from forcing their family to be perfect are what got the magic to leave them. In the end, the magic returned to them after the Casita was rebuilt by the reconnected family and the town's people working together, but the candle is gone for good.

## Trivia

* According to Jared Bush, there "a connection between Abuela's unconditional love and the magic", and the candle's flame flickering signify the magic wavering.
* The image of Alma on her door has her holding the candle.
	+ Most posters, wallpapers, and much of Alma commonly feature her holding the magical flamed candle.
	+ Also, Alma's clothes are decorated with teardrop-shaped flames to reference the candle's always light flame.
* Like Casita and Mirabel's dress, the candle is decorated with images of butterflies.

## Gallery

Encanto Abuela poster.jpgFunkoPOP-1151-AbuelaAlmaMadrigal.pngThe Funko Pop! of Abuela Alma holding the candleEncanto GiftofFamily Alma Mirabel.jpgMagic Candle in Disney Emoji Blitz.pngMiracle Candle in *Disney Emoji Blitz*
### Screenshots

Encanto Young Alma & Madrigal Triplets (2).jpgEncanto-animationscreencaps.com-290.jpgEncanto-animationscreencaps.com-338.jpgEncanto Young Mirabel & Magic Candle.jpgEncanto candle.jpgEncanto - The Candle by Alma's Windowsill.jpgEncanto - Mirabel looking at the Candle from the Corner.jpgEncanto Young Alma & Pedro (3).jpgAs a wedding candle
## References

1. ↑ Bush, Jared (January 22, 2021). Wedding Candle.
2. ↑ Bush, Jared (February 12, 2022). Candle's Origins.
3. ↑ Bush, Jared (January 22, 2021). Candle's Ending.
4. ↑ Harrison, Alexander (March 11, 2021). Encanto Director Explains Candle Flicker During Mirabel’s Gift Ceremony.