Encanto is Disney’s latest animation success, and it has everything to become the Mouse House’s next big animation franchise. Walt Disney Pictures has explored different genres for decades, always with a family-friendly approach, but it continues to be best-known for its animated movies. Disney continues to be a powerhouse in the world of animation, bringing at least one animated movie every year, and in 2021 it had two big releases: Raya and the Last Dragon and Encanto, and the latter became a huge hit.
Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, Encanto takes viewers to Colombia to meet the Madrigal family. Years ago, Alma Madrigal a.k.a. Abuela (María Cecilia Botero), and her husband Pedro were forced to flee a village with their baby triplets due to an armed conflict. Pedro didn’t make it, but Alma was granted a miracle and her candle attained magical qualities, building a sentient house (Casita) for her and her kids and a magical realm around it. The candle continued to protect them and the town for decades, and it also granted each Madrigal descendant a magical gift – except for Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). This led her to feel left out of the family, but when Casita starts to crack and everyone’s powers begin to weaken, Mirabel sets out to save the miracle, her family, and the whole town.
Encanto got a limited theatrical release before being sent to Disney+, and it has become a big success, going viral on social media, and the soundtrack, specifically the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, breaking records. Although a sequel hasn’t been announced, Encanto is already set up to be Disney’s next big animation franchise, with the potential of branching out to other media.
Disney Has Suggested Encanto Is A New Franchise
In recent years, Disney has been releasing animated movies that have served as standalone movies, such as Onward and Raya and the Last Dragon, and while Encanto seemed to follow that same line, it might be on its way to becoming a franchise. Disney CEO Bob Chapek referred to Encanto as a franchise while speaking about The Walt Disney Company's strong start to the fiscal year. Encanto could be on its way to being more than one movie, getting not only one (or more) sequel but also TV shows and other media to expand the story of the Madrigal family.
Why Encanto 2 & Further Sequels Are So Likely
Although it was released during the coronavirus pandemic, Encanto was granted a theatrical release, though a short one. Encanto was released in November 2021 and was only in cinemas for 30 days before being sent to Disney+ (though not on Premier Access, like other movies), and even though it went under the radar while in theaters, it found its audience on Disney+. Encanto underperformed theatrically, but it arrived on Disney+ on December 24, right on time for the Holidays and it finally took off. Encanto continues to be a popular title on the platform and has gone viral on social media, particularly on TikTok, with a number of videos analyzing the movie, sharing Easter eggs, and even recreating some of the movie’s most memorable moments and musical numbers.
Most Disney animated movies include at least one song that ends up getting stuck in the heads of viewers for weeks, but Encanto truly took everyone by surprise with its soundtrack. The movie’s original songs were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, so with that in mind it’s not that surprising that the soundtrack of Encanto has gone viral, but there’s one song in particular that has been breaking records: “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”. The song reached the top of the Billboard charts for weeks and continues to be sung by viewers around the world, and of course, it went viral on social media as well. In addition to that, Bush and Castro Smith have expressed interest in a potential Disney+ series, with Lin-Manuel Miranda interested in a show about Dolores. Encanto’s success in the world of streaming, social media response, and the impact of the story, characters, and soundtrack make a sequel (and other media) likely, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Chapek is already referring to Encanto as a franchise.
How Encanto 2's Story Was Setup By The First Movie
Encanto told a full story and gave its characters a proper and satisfying ending, but it left some loose ends that would have to be addressed in a sequel. Encanto left the big question of whether Mirabel now has a gift or not, if she had a secret one all along, and if she’s meant to take Abuela’s place as the matriarch of the family, and with so many members of the family, there’s a lot to explore in a sequel and more. There are also a couple of mysteries around the candle and the miracle itself, such as why Abuela was granted the miracle in the first place, if it’s the candle or the house (or maybe even Abuela herself) what gives the Madrigals their powers, and if there are any criteria when granting those gifts, such as a defining trait in each Madrigal member or if they’re just chosen at random.
Encanto is one of those few Disney animated movies without a proper villain, so a sequel could introduce a new threat that can serve as a villain, and through them, some of the above mysteries could be solved. Encanto works as a standalone movie as it told a complete story and the story of each Madrigal member got an ending, but it can also benefit from a sequel that can expand on the family’s history, the origin of the miracle, the powers of each character, the town itself, and more.
Why Encanto 2 Is So Exciting
Encanto has been praised for its story, emotional impact, cultural fidelity, characters, music, and the animation itself, and many have pointed out its concepts of magic realism and transgenerational trauma as some of the movie’s strengths – if Encanto 2 can match that quality or even surpass it, it will definitely be a success and could make way for the rest of the franchise, such as the above-mentioned TV series. Of course, what’s most exciting about a potential Encanto 2 is the possibilities for the characters, as it can add more depth to certain areas, especially Bruno (voiced by John Leguizamo). Mirabel’s uncle was a “forbidden” name around the Madrigal house due to him abandoning the family, but Bruno turned out to be the big twist of the story, as he never left and had been living in the house’s walls. Bruno ended up being one of the most intriguing and loveable characters of Encanto, but the movie didn’t have enough time to truly explore the character – but a sequel can definitely do so.
Encanto definitely has the potential to spawn a franchise, but in order for it to work, the sequel would have to have an engaging and charming story that won’t hurt the original and will expand the story of Mirabel and the Madrigals, but as with any other successful project, Disney has to be careful as to not oversaturate the audience with it and thus ruin not only the future of Encanto but the original movie as well.