10 Things You Need to Know about 'Encanto'

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ newest movie, “Encanto,” hits theaters in the U.S. this week on November 24, just in time for Thanksgiving. This is fitting since the film, at its heart, is about the complexities and interconnectedness of families.

As with most Disney movies, you don’t really need to know much about the film to enjoy it, but I’ve put together a list of pertinent information you might want to know.

Here are 10 things you need to know about “Encanto”:

1] “Encanto” tells the story of three generations of the Madrigal family and their magical home. The film centers on daughter Mirabel, the only member of her large family without a magical gift.

Meet the Madrigals in this featurette:

2] The story takes place in a vibrant town hidden in the mountains of the South American country of Colombia.

3] The film features the voice of Stephanie Beatriz (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) as Mirabel, an ordinary 15-year-old who’s struggling to find her place in her family. Beatriz is Colombian on her father’s side.

4] The voice cast also includes John Leguizamo, María Cecilia Botero, Wilmer Valderrama, Maluma, Adassa, Diane Guerrero, Mauro Castillo, Angie Cepeda, Jessica Darrow, Rhenzy Feliz, Carolina Gaitan, and Disney voice charm Alan Tudyk (who voices the Toucan).

5] The film features all-new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who of course is known for his musical talents. His previous Disney contributions include the soundtrack of “Moana” and singing in “Mary Poppins Returns.” He is currently writing new songs for the upcoming live-action version of Disney’s “Little Mermaid.”

6] An original song from the film, “Colombia, Mi Encanto,” is performed by 17-time GRAMMY® and Latin GRAMMY-winner Carlos Vives, who’s a native of Santa Marta, Colombia. “This song is a celebration of the magical diversity of Colombia,” says Vives.

7] The movie is directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush, who previously teamed up on the Oscar-winning Disney film “Zootopia.”

8] In 2018 the directors and theircreative team took a trip to check out Colombia for themselves. While there, the team encountered a phenomenon they’d read about in their research — encantos, or places of natural wonder with heightened spirituality, spots where emotion-related magic happens. This where they came up with the film’s title.

9] “Encanto” is the second Disney Animated canon movie to have a non-English title, with the first being “Saludos Amigos” back in the 1942. The word Encanto in Spanish means enchant, spell, or charm.

10] “Encanto” is also Walt Disney Animation’s 60th Movie.

BONUS FACT: Because of “Encanto,” Disney is now supporting the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation’s Scholarship Fund to help develop future Latin music creators globally, as well as supporting additional organizations to expand music education across Colombia.

Here’s a video of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephanie Beatriz, and Carlos Vives making the announcement: