It's been about six months since Encanto made its debut, immediately becoming a smash hit for the House of Mouse. Although the COVID-19 pandemic shortened its theatrical run to just 30 days, the film still grossed $255.1 million worldwide before achieving wider commercial success on Disney+.
It's soundtrack, featuring original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, achieved similar success, reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and becoming the first Disney soundtrack since Frozen 2 to top the chart. Original songs like We Don't Talk About Bruno and Surface Pressure became viral sensations, helping boost the Encanto to become the first Disney film to produce both a number-one song and a number-one album.
Beyond the wonderfully addicting soundtrack is a heartwarming and emotional story about family, forgiveness, compassion and understanding. And it features a colorful cast of characters, each with their own unique power — and sometimes internal struggle.
While Encanto introduced us to the Family Madrigal, the story really only touched on some of the family members. There's a ton of potential to continue exploring this fantastical world in a series or possibly a sequel — which basically everyone has been clamoring for.
But before work begins on a sequel or TV series, there's something composer Lin-Manuel Miranda would like to see first. Speaking with Insider on the red carpet of the Hispanic Federation's annual gala, Miranda revealed that he'd like to see a theme park attraction for Encanto at Walt Disney World or Disneyland.
"It was funny because everyone's like, 'Will there be a sequel? Will there be a show?' and I said, 'I want a ride before I want any of that,'" he told Insider. And for those wondering about the possibility of this dream becoming a reality, Miranda added, "The Imagineers are on it. I don't know what they do or where they live, but I know they're on it."
Miranda previously told The Wrap that he had actually talked ot Disney CEO Bob Chapek about what an Encanto attraction would look like, and he envisioned something that would invite park goers to actually go in and explore the Madrigal's family home.
"I talked to him and said, 'I know there's a world in which this casita lives in a theme park and we get to actually walk through it in real life... go in and out of this casita and see those characters and see the house respond because that's something Disney can do that no one else can do."
Naturally, the next question is where this type of attraction would live at Disney. Epcot seems like the best place as it's already home to a World Showcase with numerous pavilions inspired by different countries. But there's currently no Colombia pavilion though, which would mean Disney would need to expand. And after the company just revealed its latest plans for Epcot, it seems like an Encanto attraction would take at least a few more years. Hopefully Miranda is willing to help with a sequel before then.
This isn't the first time Miranda was asked about the possibility of a sequel. Earlier this year, he appeared on Good Morning America and acknowledged "there's so many characters there's a lot of stories we could tell inside that house." He then told fans to "ask the good folks at Disney." Given how popular Encanto has become, it's probably only a matter of time before we see more of this magical family.