Reasons To Get Excited For Disney’s Encanto

Need Reasons To Get Excited For Disney’s Encanto?  I have quite a few that have me in total countdown mode.  Yes, as a Colombian, I am ready to sing my heart out with Carlos Vives while watching Encanto.  After the love and passion that oozes out of productions like Raya and The Last Dragon I am in cloud nine.  I just can’t wait to see how my beloved Colombia is brought to life in animation with the touch of magical realism that this amazing country is plus the pixie dust.  I bet it is going to be simply spectacular!!

3 Important Reasons To Get Excited For Disney’s Encanto

Already, I can count plenty of ways in which Colombia is represented in Encanto.  After screening an unfinished shortened version of the film, I am eager to watch the entire production.  And, can share with you from that and our exclusive interview with the creators of the movie great reasons why you should be very excited for Disney’s Encanto.

Here is who I interviewed:

• Byron Howard: Director
• Jared Bush: Director and writer

Music

The beats and rhythms of Colombia are the inspiration for the magnificent Lin-Manuel Miranda. Byron was telling us how he loves musicals.  He directed Tangled and Jared directed Moana.  So, we have heavy musical hitters behind Encanto.  In their search for a fresh approach to musicals, they realized they needed to work with the best. “Luckily, Jared had worked with Lin-Manuel on Moana.”  Jared added to that “as you know, Lin’s whole career is about evolving what a musical could be. Obviously, what he brought to Moana was, uh, innovative and different and exciting. And so, it became a no-brainer for us to team up again”.

Family

As soon as the team started collaborating, they started to find commonalities.  Byron says that “Family was what we had in common.  No matter the size or the shape, everybody, all of us, we all have a family.  And, for Lin, Jared, and myself, we all have large extended families.  I have a large, crazy, wonderful Italian family in Philadelphia.  Jared has a huge family in the mid-Atlantic area. Lin is deeply connected to his family both in Washington Heights and to his roots in Puerto Rico.  So, our early research was really about,  ourselves and our own families.  We looked at a large, extended family and how these complex dynamics really work.  And it became an exciting challenge for us.  How do you tell a story with a large family?”.

A Trip to Colombia

Colombia is know as the place of magical realism.  Those who have experimented her, know that Colombia is a country of rich flora, fauna, foods, music and cultures that mix up to deliver a unique place.  In this place, people are overall positive and happy.  This is a land with a turbulent history that offers the world the best coffee, flowers, and hard working dedicated people.  A land where discovery and exploration are alive and will make you vibrate with every sight, sound and bite!  But, don’t take my word for it.  In Byron’s words “We were able to experience  Colombia areas like that secret forest.  Areas of heightened spirituality, places of magic that some people call Encantos, hence the name of our movie.  These are usually in areas of natural wonder”.

Cultural Journey 

Just as Coco dove into teaching us about the beautiful Mexican tradition of the Day of the Dead, I can’t wait for Encanto to deliver a positive and beautiful side of Colombia.  A place in which many fabulous myths, legends and reality intermingle. It is time to discover the perseverance and hospitality of a country that has been long battered by stereotypes that do prevent many for experiencing the beauty of its land and its people.  Curious to know how Colombia comes to live in Encanto?  Here is what I found just in the trailer. 

About Encanto

The Madrigals are an extraordinary family who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a charmed place called the Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift — every child except Mirabel. However, she soon may be the Madrigals last hope when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is now in danger.  In theaters everywhere November 24th. 

 

 

 

 

 

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