Cool "Encanto" Facts That Enhance Your Viewing

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6 hours ago

In 2021, the world fell in love with the Madrigal family. Encanto's popularity has only grown since then — and a lot of fans believe it is the best Disney movie of the century so far. The magic is everywhere in and out of the movie, so I did some digging for some fun facts that we will talk about (unlike Bruno).
Here are 23 Encanto fun facts that will make you feel right at home:
Stephanie Beatriz was originally going to play Luisa. Unlike her signature role as the rugged Rosa Diaz in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Beatriz's real-life personality eventually led the filmmakers to offer her the leading role of Mirabel.
Speaking of Beatriz, she actually auditioned for a part in the film by singing "You're Welcome" from Moana. That's making a bold first impression.
Encanto is actually the first Disney animation to utilize full-time choreographers. To better capture Colombian cultural inspirations and dance styles, choreographers Jamal Sims and Kai Martinez were brought on to breathe life into the moves of the animated characters.
Mirabel was initially known as Beatriz. Ultimately, Mirabel was chosen, based on the Spanish word "mira," meaning "to look."
As for Bruno, he was originally called Oscar. With all that green, I'm glad they didn't...would've been too Oscar the Grouch-coded.
Colombian children do indeed drink coffee at a young age. So the coffee kid was a reference to that. I'm a grown man and still hate it...so good on you, Colombian kids.
Like most Disney movies, field trips were required to better study the culture of Colombia. Although the filmmakers went once, COVID-19 canceled Disney's second research trip.
Pepa's gift was initially meant to be "indestructibility." Would've been hard to showcase for his big doorknob ceremony, but I'm sure producers had a plan.
During the scene where Isabela shares her true feelings about her engagement, she uses her gift to create a cactus that is shaped like Mickey Mouse. Hidden Mickey confirmed?
The filmmakers left clues about characters' gifts through clothing. Luisa has dumbbells and other weights on her skirt. Pepa has golden sun earrings. Camilo has chameloeons on his poncho. And many more clues throughout the family's wardrobe.
According to Jared Bush, the woman whose fish had died was known as Senora Pezmuerto, which roughly translates to "Mrs. Dead Fish." I think the writing was on the wall for her fish. F in the chat for fish.
Mirabel dances her way (literally to her own beat) when singing alone, but during the other Madrigals' songs, she does her best to learn and match their rhythms and dance "languages."
Mirabel does not have a comical sidekick. A first in Disney movies, this was done intentionally to let the main character stand on their own.
Most of the Latin voices that appear in the movie are from Colombian-born or Colombian-descent actors.
Abuela's real name is Alma, which means "soul" in Spanish.
In the beginning of the film, Mirabel dances through a game of Tejo, the national sport of Colombia, which includes beer and gunpowder and derives from the Indigenous groups who dwell there (imagine explosive cornhole).
Luisa's bedroom door symbol is a reference to the Colombian weightlifter Maria Isabel Urrutia, who was the first Colombian athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics.
Bruno's costume was purposely designed to fade into the background. The color used is called "go-away green," a color used by Disney Imagineers to make your eye skim past buildings and structures.
Sebastián Yatra agreed to be part of the film before he even knew what it was about. He quite literally did the "Where do I sign?"
When under the bed with Antonio, Mirabel uses her lips to point toward her gift to him. Lip pointing is a gestural system used in South American and other cultures.
And lastly, composer Lin-Manuel Miranda has said that the song "Surface Pressure" was inspired by his older sister, Luz.
What is your favorite Encanto moment? Comment below!
Watch Encanto on Disney+.