NEW ‘Encanto’ Attraction to Dominate Disney World – Inside the Magic
If you are a fan of Enanto, get ready because the characters are about to dominate the Disney Parks.
On November 24, 2021, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 60th feature film, Encanto, was released. We even saw characters like Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz) at Disneyland Resort conducting meet and greets with Guests (now coming as a permanent meet and greet at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom). The film features music by Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda and the voices of Stephanie Beatriz, John Leguizamo, and Wilmer Valderrama.
When Disney released Encanto, Disney fans had an entirely new soundtrack to learn, cling to, obsess over, and perform — and they did. People of all ages sang hit songs such as “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, “The Family Madrigal”, “Surface Pressure”, and “What Else Can I Do?”. We saw this as the film not only dominated the box office but social media as well, being featured in millions of TikTok’s, hitting the top 10 viral sounds repeatedly. On top of that, the music in the film was Oscar-nominated.
Since the film debuted, we have started to see offerings pop up in the theme parks dedicated to Encanto. We saw Encanto get overlaid on “it’s a small world” at Disneyland! It also has found a spot in Fantasmic! at Walt Disney World Resort, and in World of Color — ONE at Disney California Adventure.
Considering how much Encanto has been loved by Disney fans in such a short amount of time, it was not a shock that Disney found fast ways to include the IP in their Parks more. During the day, you could also visit with Mirabel, the young hero from the film, at Frontierland’s Zocalo Park in a colorful photo location that pays homage to the Madrigal family from Colombia. At Disney World, Guests first were able to enjoy an Encanto-style booth at EPCOT’s Flower and Garden Festival, with a very Isabella-inspired topiary section in 2022. In 2023, at EPCOT’s Flower and Garden Festival, we saw the film dominate the festival with much more than just a booth but rather took over the entrance topiary section of the Park.
Now, Disney World has moved on and is celebrating EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival. Although Encanto 2 is still on the rocks, the film’s IP is thriving in the Disney Parks more than ever! Although characters like Mirabel Madrigal, Lusia Madrigal, Isabela Madrigal, and Bruno Madrigal were just highly featured in EPCOT’s previous festival, the film is the main IP being celebrated during the current one!
When Guests visit EPCOT they will be able to find Food and Wine merchandise that features Encanto on it, from casita trays, to Mirabel-bounding aprons and more. Aside from the general Food and Wine merchandise, the other half of the line is entirely themed to Encanto, which means that Disney Guests are nowhere close to dropping their affinity for the film, and certainly want more. The Walt Disney World website even has a “Disney Encanto Collection — Celebrate the magical Madrigal family and their fantastical, enchanted home with merchandise inspired by Encanto,” section on the Food and Wine page!
In addition to this, we just received some huge news on how Guests will be able to meet the family Madrigal! Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month will begin on September 15, and Magic Kingdom will be celebrating with the introduction of Bruno to the theme parks, and meet and greets with Mirabel.
Mirabel will be meeting in the Fairytale Garden where Merida used to meet, while Bruno will be joining the Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade, which also stars Mirabel!
All of these attraction offerings will begin on September 15!
What is happening with Encanto 2?
Most recently, we reported that an Encanto 2 was on hold, according to the film’s main protagonist Stephanie Beatriz. Although she would love to reprise her role as Mirabel, she said:
“I would love to work with them again. That team on that film was so incredible to work with that. I think a lot of [Jared Bush and Byron Howard’s] time right now is being taken up by other stuff… I know Jared and I think Bryon too are working on the second ‘Zootopia’ right now. But I would love to work with them again.”
The film has had an overwhelmingly positive response from many viewers, but hardcore Disney fans have began rejecting it.
In the past, we have covered how Encanto left certain viewers triggered. Disgruntled parents Chelsea Williams noted:
“Encanto was a really triggering movie for me. I was raised in a society where there were a lot of expectations of who we were supposed to be. My parents were really good about trying to take those pressures off, but I didn’t do everything according to plan, and I have felt like Mirabel, whose grandmother blamed all of the cracks in the house on. The grandmother knew Mirabel was right about the cracks in the house and still said that Mirabel was crazy and blamed her.”
Although Chelsea and some others did not view the film in a positive light, for the most part, this movie has not been widely viewed as negative and is likely not the reason that the film is not currently moving forward. It is also rumored that the SAG – AFTRA strikes may be a reason for the push away, as many voice actors have joined the fight, but that is not confirmed.
At the moment, Disney has confirmed sequels for Zootopia 2 and Frozen III, which hopefully means Encanto 2 is not far behind.
As noted by Disney, the plot of Encanto is described as follows:
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto” tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel (voice of Stephanie Beatriz). But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope.
Will you be meeting with Mirabel and watching Bruno once they arrive at Magic Kingdom?
