Disney’sEncanto, which came out in November 2021, has charmed andcaptivated audiencesin a way that only Disney or Marvel could do. Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the time,Encantobrought in$27 million to the box office in sales, and one of the songs from the movie, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,”immediately went viraland is the first Disney-backed song to top the singles chart in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
The creative force behind beloved hits likeHamilton,In the Heights, and, most recently,Tick, Tick…Boom!is songwriter and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda iscurrently writing the music for the upcomingThe Little Mermaidlive-action movie. He has shown remarkable talent for creating songs that are complex and nuanced for character and plot development. While every song onEncanto’s soundtrack is good, here is where they rank against each other.
Related:Lin-Manuel Miranda Explains Why Encanto’s Bruno Song Was Not Considered For an Oscar
7The Family Madrigal
“The Family Madrigal” is the opening song ofEncanto, and it gives the viewers enough exposition to understand the story from that point onwards. The main character ofEncanto, Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), explains to the local children about her family’s powers. The song immediately distinguishes Mirabel as something different when compared to her family. She is positioned as the storyteller, despite her lack of powers. While this is a story where she already knows the facts, her future is not so certain. It is up to her to write the story from that point on.
6Waiting on a Miracle
“Waiting on a Miracle” is Mirabel’s final solo song in the movie, and it occurs at her cousin’s power reveal. Mirabel, feeling excluded from her family, sings about how sad she is about not having a power. Visually, this song is beautiful on the screen. As Mirabel dances on the screen, letting out her pain, the world around her fills with multicolored light. This offers a sense of hope and beauty despite the despair she feels at that moment.
5All of You
“All of You” wraps up the threads introduced in the movie. It is a song about unity, healing, and moving forward. The family finally accepts they are not defined by their powers, and the townspeople join in as a chorus to show strength in numbers, as well as to return the kindness of the Madrigal family. Bruno (John Leguizamo) reunites with his family with smiles and hugs, while Dolores (Adassa) finds her potential happy ending in Isabel’s (Diane Guerrero) ex-fiance, Mariano. Maribel is also finally acknowledged as a pillar of light in her family, someone worthy of being seen fully for who she is.
4What Else Can I Do?
“What Else Can I Do?” marks a specific tonal shift in the movie. Mirabel tries to apologize to Isabel after seeing Bruno’s newest vision. Together they make the discovery that Isabel is capable of so much more than making pretty things. Isabel confesses that she does not want to be perfect anymore, and, for the first time in the film, she starts to sing in her natural tone rather than in a higher pitch. It is a testament to how being perfect can actually hold you back, and when one is truly authentic, they hold so much untapped power.
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3Dos Oruguitas
DespiteEncantobeing set in Colombia, “Dos Oruguitas” is the only song in Spanish. It tells the story of two caterpillars that fell in love despite the cold and harsh world. When they become butterflies, they must move forward and find their miracles in the future they create. This song is juxtaposed with the story of Abuela (María Cecilia Botero) and how she lost her husband and then found the family’s miracle. It is a perfect backdrop to explain intergenerational trauma and the violent conflicts within Latin American and Colombian history. Interestingly,“Dos Oruguitas” was nominated for Best Original Songat this year’s Academy Awards, even though “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” was the chart-topper.
2Surface Pressure
In “Surface Pressure,” Maribel’s sister Luisa (Jessica Darrow), who has the power of strength, begins to show the chinks in the family’s armor. She is losing her gift and fears the day she cannot hold all the world’s problems on her back because she will feel useless. To the family, their gifts demonstrate their worth. Luisa explicitly shows her fear of being seen how Maribel has been viewed. Something to note about the song is this: when she sings about her gift, she uses a deeper tone, but when she talks about her fears, she returns to a higher pitch.
1We Don’t Talk About Bruno
“We Don’t Talk About Bruno” has become one of the most iconic songs from the soundtrack, but it is a complex song comparing it to the animation on the screen. In one scene, we see Dolores admitting that she can still hear him living inside the home as a figure that looks like Bruno dances in the background. In the ending sequence of the song, Isabel falters for the first time in the film, exposing the cracks in her façade. As chaotic and catchy as the song is, it also mythologizes and sets up Bruno as a demon of sorts when all he did was tell people their prophecies. This expectation has been set, so when Bruno is met for the first time, our expectations are subverted.
