It looks like Pixar’s Coco has a little hermano joining it under the Disney umbrella next year. On Thursday (Dec. 10), Disney Animation Studios announced the upcoming release of Encanto, a film that will feature new songs by Broadway star and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton). The film is set to hit theaters in November 2021.
Been working on this for nearly three years. So proud of this music and this story. Can’t wait to share more.
Super super super orgulloso. #Encanto https://t.co/eLh7fMhaFk— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) December 11, 2020
Little is known about Encanto except that it is a musical comedy set in Colombia and will include songs in both English and Spanish. The teaser trailer released at Disney’s Investor Day Thursday features upbeat Latin music with a blue butterfly fluttering away from some blooming flowers and towards a beautiful home.
Who resides in that home is anyone’s guess at this point, but Disney’s chief creative officer Jennifer Lee says Encanto “is not afraid to dive into the chaos of family.” Disney Animation calls the inhabitants “a magical family [who] live in a magical home.”
This Fall, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ all-new film Encanto takes you to Colombia, where a magical family live in a magical home. Directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush, co-directed and co-written by Charise Castro Smith, and music written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. pic.twitter.com/bdxag3SzPv
— Disney Animation (@DisneyAnimation) December 11, 2020
Let’s hope Encanto focus is on good storytelling and the rich music of the South American country. Known as the “Land of a Thousand Rhythms,” Colombia is best known for its cumbia, which originated on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, and vallenato, which has its roots in Spanish and West African rhythms.
The last time Miranda worked with Disney on an animated feature film was for 2016’s Moana. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song for “How Far I’ll Go.”
Disney’s not the only animation studio that got its hands on Miranda for next year. He also wrote original songs for Sony Pictures Animation’s upcoming film Vivo about music and friendship.