‘Encanto’: Meet Disney’s Newest Computer Animated Musical Fantasy
Disney is well known throughout the world for its beloved animated movies. They have kept busy recently releasing multiple new ones. Their latest features include Soul, Raya and The Last Dragon, and Luca. All three have been big hits with kids, and more is yet to come.
The company’s newest venture is set in a land they have never been to before. It is sure to warm families’ hearts and have little ones singing the songs over and over again.
‘Encanto’ is the newest fantasy musical
Encanto is a family story that takes place in the beautiful mountains of Colombia. It is the classic narrative of a child feeling like they don’t belong. The plot focuses on the Madrigal family, who each get a special power when they’re young. However, the main character doesn’t get one and journeys to find out how she fits in.
“It started out really personal. [Directors] Jared [Bush] and Byron [Howard] were the ones who came up with this idea, and they started out by researching their own families,” co-director Charise Castro Smith told Good Morning America. “One of the big questions of the movie is, ‘Do I really see my family for who they are?'”
Disney recently released character details
Unlike other Disney movies, Encanto has a long list of characters integral to the story. The protagonist is the young Mirabel, voiced by Stephanie Beatriz. Mirabel is quirky and a little weird. However, she is very emotional and empathetic. Her parents are Julieta and Agustin, voiced by Angie Cepeda and Wilmer Valderrama.
Next are Mirabel’s sisters, Isabela and Luisa. Diane Guererro voices Isabela, and voicing Lusia is Jessica Darrow. Carolina Gaitán and Mauro Castillo are voicing Mirabel’s aunt and uncle, Pepa and Felix. Voicing Maribel’s cousin Dolores is singer-actress Adassa. Lastly, there is Camilo and Antonio, voiced by Rhenzy Feliz and Ravi-Cabot Conyers.
“I think this is the first time that we’ve really tried to handle a large extended family,” director Byron Howard said. “We have about a dozen principal characters who are very, very important to the story, and that was enormously challenging, but the whole team really committed to that from the beginning.”
Some famous musicians wrote the music for ‘Encanto’
Lin-Manuel Miranda, an actor and playwright, wrote several songs for the film. Miranda is famous for the Broadway musical Hamilton. He created the show and won a Pulitzer Prize for his work.
Alongside Miranda is composer Germaine Franco. Franco co-wrote the music for the 2017 Disney movie Coco.
“So many of the songs are so character-specific, and the musical styles that he chose are [as well],” Castro Smith said. “One of the first songs Lin wrote for the movie was about [Mirabel’s] very strong sister, and he chose a sort of reggaeton-inspired music. It really influenced her character. Jared and I took that character creation back into the script.”
When will the movie be released?
Encanto will definitely become another classic animated Disney film. The movie is set to have its theatrical release just in time for Thanksgiving on November 24.
