Lin-Manuel Miranda Has Already Pitched an ‘Encanto’ Ride to Bob Chapek
“Encanto.”Miranda’s second feature for Walt Disney Animation Studios after “Moana,” “Encanto” tells the story of a family in Colombia at the turn of the 20th century, each of whom is gifted with a magical ability … all except awkward Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). While it was released into theaters at Thanksgiving, it really made a splash at Christmas, when it debuted on Disney+. Since then, it has been nominated for two Oscars (including one for Best Original Song), the soundtrack has dominated the Billboard charts, and it has been immortalized in countless TikTok videos, pieces of fan art, and highly sharable memes.In a wide-ranging interview, Miranda talks about the differences between working on “Moana” and “Encanto,” what he thinks about Disney CEO Bob Chapek calling “Encanto” the company’s newest animated franchise, and sheds some light on what he’s doing for the upcoming live-action “Little Mermaid” adaptation.“Encanto” directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush told me it was your idea to set the movie in Latin America. Confirm or deny?Lin-Manuel Miranda: I guess so.