While Encanto’s cinematic run may not have been as lucrative as Disney would have liked, its reception since it made its Disney+ debut in December has seen the movie become another House of Mouse phenomenon. As well as becoming a huge streaming hit on the platform, the film has seen its songs hit the top of the music charts on both sides of the Atlantic, a first for any Disney movie. Now looking for Oscar glory, it is no surprise that talk is now turning to the possibility of a sequel. While Disney CEO Bob Chapek has already hinted that Encanto will be a new franchise for the company, songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda has no doubt that a sequel will happen.
Encanto tells the story of the Madrigal family, a Colombian family who are bestowed with magical gifts except for Mirabel, who finds herself challenging the way her family see themselves as she attempts to save their precious gifts from being taken from them. Hamilton creator Miranda wrote all of the songs for the movie, including the Oscar nominated Dos Oruguitas and the super successful We Don’t Talk About Bruno, and he has his ideas about what could come next for the Madrigals. Speaking to Collider, he said:
“I do think there's an appetite to further explore the Madrigal family, given how many characters there are, and how many gifts there are. And also where we leave the story. Now there is sort of this more fully realized version of themselves. Which way can we go? I think it's a question of when and not if, and what form that will take. Is that another movie? Is that a series? Is that a stage adaptation where we have a little more time, because stage shows are generally an hour longer than movies? And we haven't had conversations as to what form that will take, but I mean, yeah, I'd be down to continue to explore that. I love writing for Dolores and Camilo. I'd love to write more for them. I'd love to write more for Isabela. So I'm not sure what the next form of that will be, but we haven't had specific conversations about it's this or it's this.”
The Expanded Madrigal Family Offer A Lot of Scope For Sequels and Spin-Offs
As with any movie that introduces a large ensemble of characters, the film focuses on a select few and the rest dip in and out as required. With each of the Madrigals having unique gifts that are explained in the movie’s opening song, The Family Madrigal, it is not surprising that a franchise based on the movie is being teased. While a sequel could be a strong possibility, a Disney+ series could also work as the longer form of storytelling would allow episodes to follow the individual family members on their own adventures.
However the next steps of Encanto’s future evolve, it seems certain that Miranda will be back to continue his own Disney journey. In addition to his work on Encanto, the writer and director has recently joined long-term Disney collaborator Alan Menken to write new songs for the upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid. That movie will mark Miranda’s third songwriting venture with Disney after Encanto and 2016’s Moana. Being the driving force behind some of Disney’s biggest musical hits of the last decade, it is likely that we will see more from Miranda in the Disney arena beyond any Encanto sequels to come.