There May Be A Lot More Encanto On The Way, Disney CEO Hints
Nobody would ever accuse Disney of being hesitant to turn a surprise hit movie into a sprawling franchise, complete with spin-offs, sequels, theme park attractions, Broadway musical adaptations, and a whole lot of merchandise. The House of Mouse is already in the early stages of doing just that with "Encanto" after the animated film musical debuted in theaters in late November 2021, only to explode in popularity upon hitting Disney+ a month later.
Bob Chapek, the latest Disney CEO with the first name "Bob," hinted as much while discussing the Walt Disney Company's first quarter earnings for Fiscal 2022 (via Business Wire). Don't worry, I'm not here to dump a bunch of statistics about Disney+ and its subscriber goals on you. No, what we're going to zero in on is what Chapek had to say about the factors behind the company's strong start this fiscal year, which include "the launch of a new franchise with 'Encanto.'" It's safe to say he wasn't just throwing words around, either. There's definitely going to be a lot more of the Family Madrigal in the future. The question is, where and how will the fantastical and magical clan make their return?
No (Surface) Pressure, Disney
Disney stumbled out the gate with its "Encanto" merchandizing efforts after it failed to predict just how much people would love the strongest member of the Family Madrigal, Luisa, but the company is no doubt moving quickly to correct that oversight (given the sheer amount of money on the table). In the meantime, the film has continued to make headlines thanks to the record-smashing success of "We Don't Talk About Bruno," the thoroughly satisfying earworm that's become the first tune from a Disney movie to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart since "Aladdin" did it with "A Whole New World" back in 1993. "Encanto" songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda is also going for that EGOT again after scoring his second Oscar nod for "Dos Oruguitas," the wistful, deeply romantic tune that Disney submitted for Academy Award consideration instead of "We Don't Talk About Bruno" or "Surface Pressure." (No disrespect intended, either, they're all great songs.)
Point being, Chapek and the House of Mouse clearly didn't realize what they had on their hands with "Encanto," but they won't make that mistake twice. Miranda is already talking up the idea of adapting the film into a Broadway stage musical, and you certainly won't hear any complaints from me if that happens. A big screen sequel isn't out of the question either, though a Disney+ series seems like the better route to go. After all, an "Encanto" show would be better able to shine the spotlight on the members of the Madrigal clan (like Camilo) who got limited screen-time in the first movie. Plus, now that Disney Animation is working on the spin-off and sequel series for its animated features, that should ensure that the animation in the "Encanto" show reaches the high bar set by the film.
Keep it tuned to /Film for future updates on any and all "Encanto"-related projects on the way.