If you’re a big Disney fan like me, you were excited to get to see Encanto when it was released in November of 2021. Now, if you love musicals, like me, you were even more excited when you realized it would feature music from Lin Manuel Miranda – who wrote the hit musical In The Heights and the mega-hit musical Hamilton. Oh, and he also just happened to be on the music team for Disney’s Moana!
I knew this was going to be amazing! I wasn’t wrong. The only odd part about it was I waited a couple of months to watch it!! Boy, that was a wrong move. I simply love everything about this movie – not just the music. From the colorful animations and wonderful storyline to the amazing performances of the voice actors, I love it all!
But the music? It makes the rest of it even better. The score has upbeat tunes that stick in your head along with poignant ballads that rip at your heart and so much in between. I must admit I enjoy listening to some of the songs over and over.
Everyone is talking about Bruno
One of my favorites is, of course, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”. This song is one of the catchiest earworms of all time and it exploded onto the scene even reaching #1 on several charts across the world including the Billboard Hot 100. It blends elements of Latin music like salsa and guajira with hip hop, dance, pop, and Broadway. That combination, which Miranda does so excellently, is a masterpiece of a fun song!
Drip, Drip, Drip
Possibly the only song that I couldn’t get out of my head more than Bruno was “Surface Pressure”! This reggaeton song chronicles the struggles of the main character’s (Mirabel) older sister Luisa who wields her superhuman strength to shoulder the stresses of her complicated family – the Madrigals. It is a great performance by vocalist Jessica Darrow as she shows off her lower register and great musicianship! The song was also on several charts making it into the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Grammy Nomination for Dos Oruguitas
While “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” was blowing up on the charts, it was the beautiful ballad “Dos Oruguitas” that was nominated from the movie musical for an Academy Award. The gorgeous melody sung by Columbian singer Sebastian Yatra along with the beautiful animations and storytelling moved me to tears. This is a non-diegetic song (not sung by a character) that plays during a touching flashback scene depicting the life of Mirabel’s grandfather.
Encanto is a Global Hit
Another aspect of the production I was so impressed with is the seamless translation of the songs into multiple languages! This was so fun to watch as it compiled versions of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” in 21 different languages!!
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