Directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard, who had teamed up to direct Zootopia, came together five years ago to bring to fruition Encanto (Encanto – The fantastic Madrigal family). The stars were lined up to make a musical, they said in a videoconference interview in which screenwriter and co-director Charise Castro Smith also took part.
The fact that the prolific songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In the Heights) being associated with the project from the start was certainly no stranger to it. As scriptwriter of the animated film Moana, Jared Bush had established an excellent relationship with the latter, who wanted to work on a musical set in a country of South America, which gradually became Colombia.
“I was very happy to make a musical, which I had not done since Tangled [Raiponce], explains Byron Howard. At the time, we didn’t know how the audience was going to react. We were reassured when Tangled went out, then when Frozen [La reine des neiges] has become huge. It made us feel more confident in our decision to dive in and make a real musical with the choreographies and camera movements that showcase them, as well as the songs, which lend themselves so well to animation, because we participate in every step of the way. ”
PHOTO JESSE GRANT, SUPPLIED BY DISNEY
Charise Castro Smith and Jared Bush, respectively co-director and co-director of the animated film Encanto, also signed the script.
Charise Castro Smith, who notably wrote the screenplay for the supernatural horror miniseries The Haunting of Hill House for Netflix, was entering uncharted waters when she joined the team three years ago. Not only was she stepping into the role of co-director for the first time, but it was also the first time she had worked in the animation world and got involved in a musical of this magnitude.
“I got on well with Jared and Byron,” she explains. The fact that this was Disney’s first animated film in South America was also very important. I’m American of Cuban descent and I was thinking about the stories I would have liked to see as a child and wish my daughter to see. This project has become a passion for me. I had to do it. ”
IMAGE PROVIDED BY DISNEY
Mirabel is the only one in her family who does not have any particular power.
12 different characters
The creators studied several families, including theirs, in all their facets and found the archetypes that everyone can identify with, such as the black sheep, the perfect child, the strong person, the mother who comforts with her little dishes and the person who is aware of everything, in particular.
As they digged in, they realized how universal not fully understanding other family members, and feeling like themselves, is.
We had 12 main characters, each of which had something special. Among them, there was Mirabel, which initially seemed to be the least special, and which feels isolated. She sets out to discover other members of her family and learns a lot about herself.
Jared bush
“It’s an integral part of the film to ask ourselves how we see other members of our family and how others see us,” adds Charise Castro Smith. Mirabel is the name of the heroine of the film. Now “mira”, in Spanish, means to watch. The idea is to look at the other more deeply and see more clearly to feel more empathy. ”
A touch of magic
At an earlier virtual press conference, which brought together several animated filmmakers, director Jared Bush revealed that magic was only brought into the storyline after the characters were well defined.
“The story of this family had to touch us, whether there was magic or not,” he says. Since we love magic, it was then fun to ask ourselves what the characters could do. The strong and responsible sister, for example, can lift everything, the ostracized uncle can read the future and worry about whatever is to come, and flowers grow under the feet of the perfect child. ”
The enchanted house (hence the title Encanto), who lives to the rhythm of its occupants, is itself lively and joyful, underlines Charise Castro Smith. “We wanted it to reflect those who live there. She acts a bit like the family dog, who has her favorites and everyone loves. It’s also kind of a barometer of how the family is doing throughout the film. ”
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In the animated film Encanto, little Antonio discovers he can talk to animals.
A human heroine
During the videoconference, the fact that this 60e Disney animated film does not feature any princess has been approached. “It would not have stuck to the reality of Colombia, which did not have royalty,” explains Jared Bush. Moana was not a princess either. She was the chief’s daughter. One thing that excites me a lot is that we can integrate different types of heroes and heroines into the heart of our stories. I hope the public will identify with Mirabel. I believe she is the most human character that we have brought to the screen. ”
The animated film follows in the tradition of Disney classics, which have captured the imagination since the launch of Snow White, in 1937, notes Byron Howard. “It also shows the potential of everything that can be told over the next 10 years, thanks to the new creators, who until now had not had the opportunity to express themselves. For me, Colombia was a revelation. I had no idea how beautiful and diverse this country is. Everything we have learned over the past five years is monumental. It’s exhilarating to continue in the vein of the Disney movies while going further and continuing to grow as our audience grows. ”