Lin-Manuel Miranda is in the best possible mood as he approaches his own EGOT with just one more Oscar to go. Miranda has garnered praise for a variety of works, including his directorial debut with tick, tick…BOOM! and his prolific work for Disney, writing music for and performing in movies like Moana and Mary Poppins Returns. He is arguably the closest thing this generation has seen to Stephen Sondheim. The author of Hamilton is more well-known than ever, thanks in large part to the phenomenal success of his most recent project with Disney, Encanto.
Disney’s sixty-first animated feature, a smash blockbuster with kids and families throughout the globe, is still a viral sensation. The magical Madrigal family’s tale will go down in history as one of Disney’s most successful, and possibly its biggest earworm to date, with two Oscar nominations, including one for Miranda for Best Original Song, his second in five years, and a soundtrack taking over TikTok and the Billboard charts.
Miranda discussed the enormous popularity of the movie and his feelings at being nominated for Best Original Song for “Dos Oruguitas,” the film’s heartbreaking song sung by Sebastián Yatra, in an interview with Collider’s own Steve Weintraub. And although he declined to confirm the existence of any upcoming projects for the fantastical realm of Encanto, he did admit that there is undoubtedly a demand for more Madrigal madness (say that five times fast), even jokingly putting forth the idea of a stage musical where the family could really shine:
“Given how many characteristics and gifts there are in the Madrigal family, I do believe there is interest in learning more about them. In addition, this is where the story ends. There is sort of this improved version of themselves now. How can we proceed? I believe the questions are when, not if, and what shape it will take. Is that a different film? That, is it a series? Given that stage productions often last an hour longer than movies, is that a stage adaptation that we may watch now? And while we haven’t discussed how it will look, I mean, yes, I’d be down to keep looking into that. I adore penning letters for Camilo and Dolores. I’d adore to write for them again. I wish I had more to write for Isabela. We haven’t had particular conversations about whether that will take this form or that, so I’m not sure what will.
The musician also confirmed that he is undoubtedly aware of how the movie has been received online, saying that he has a group chat with Encanto’s directors where they exchange all the “memes and videos” the movie has generated. He added, “Everything you guys are making, we are appreciating,” indicating that Miranda had undoubtedly heard about the viral success of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” on TikTok, a phenomenon that sent the song to the top of the Billboard charts, exceeding even “Let It Goiconic “‘s success.
Since Miranda isn’t showing any signs of slowing down his creative output, adding another Encanto project to his schedule would be a very difficult balancing act. However, fans of the Colombian story of magic and misadventure will just have to wait and see if anything comes of Encanto’s phenomenal success.
Currently available on Disney+ is the animated film Encanto, which stars Stephanie Beatriz, John Leguizamo, and Jessica Darrow as voice actors.
Soon, more from our exclusive interview will be available.
