Encanto has taken the world over, and rightfully so. The film was released in theaters on November 24, 2021, and has made 237.4 million USD at the box office. The film was released on Disney + on December 24, 2021, and the film took an unexpected rise to stardom. Encanto focuses on the magic of the Madrigal family with our main protagonist being Mirabel Madrigal. The Madrigal family was blessed with an ever-burning candle that grants each family member a gift. Mirabel explains in great detail the family’s powers with the opening song “The Family Madrigal“, which is one of the best opening songs from a Disney film. Unfortunately, Mirabel was not granted power from the candle, and we follow her journey of finding her real gift, aka love and running the family.
Thanks to social media, the word got out about how amazing this film truly is. The film skyrocketed and quickly became viral on Tik Tok. Encanto beautifully brings Latin representation, culture, music, and dance to the forefront of this film. Many fans were able to see themselves in the Madrigal, including my boyfriend who is truly in love with this movie, and made many fans attached. The true magic and success came from the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno“, an incredibly catchy masterpiece from Lin Manuel Miranda, who wrote the entire soundtrack and was a prominent voice in the movie’s creation. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” became a viral sensation and rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. This is no small task as it has spent seven weeks on the chart and three weeks at number one, becoming the longest-running Disney Animation #1 hit in Hot 100 history. “Surface Pressure” also has had success landing in the top ten, and also becoming a viral song on multiple platforms. The soundtrack has become the longest-running soundtrack #1 of the 2020s. These numbers are no small accomplishment, Encanto has even blocked Nicki Minaj from a number one song.
This film shows Disney is capable of making quality films about different cultures, and they don’t have to turn into an animal or objects to move the storyline along. The story is beautiful, the songs are written thoroughly, and the Colombian culture is shown with pride. As Isabela Madrigal says, “What Else Can I Do?” we’re all waiting to see how far Encanto’s success and legacy span across the Disney Parks and universe.
Also, if you want to cry and hear one of the most beautiful songs ever written please listen to “Dos Oruguitas“.