Encanto

[DisneyFan09]

Even having magic in The Princess and the Frog felt a bit off to me because of the 1920s setting.

Fair enough, but I still felt it worked, due to it`s Southern setting and voodoo-influence.

That's curious. I hadn't noticed that before.

No? But it`s true.

Onward also is a magical world in present times.

Fair enough. But the magical elements worked well in Onward, since it was steeped in a fantasy concept from the get-go.

[Disney's Divinity]

For the Disney animated musical, the Colombia-set Encanto, Miranda says, "It's been so exciting because with Moana it was the joy of my life but I was the last guy hired. And with this I've been in on the ground floor. To be in on the development of an original Disney musical is such a thrill."

Hmm. I wasn't aware he wasn't involved much with Moana in terms of storytelling (maybe that's why it turned out decent? )

Good point. Interesting to hear he's doing an animated musical at another studio. Hopefully he gets tired with WDFA and goes back to Broadway or live-action eventually.

I actually like the name Mirabel, although I'm not crazy about the surname. I just don't have much optimism for this. For some reason I'm imagining something like Hotel Transylvania or even the Addams Family, except replace Halloween-y characters with magical ones instead. I"m just.... Meh all around at this. And I was once very excited by the prospect of this when it was merely labeled "Latina princess musical." I'm even more excited by Luca than this--a PIXAR film!

[Sotiris]

To be entirely honest, I don't understand the opposition against setting a fantasy film in present day.

I think you misunderstood. I don't oppose movies, TV shows or stories in general doing that, I just don't want WDAS doing it. It's just not part of their legacy. There's not a single WDAS film set at the time it was made that includes magic.

To me it's not about fantasy, but I do like when Disney films have a "once upon a time-y" feeling to them and modern settings kind of takes that away (like with The Princess and the Frog).

Yes, with modern settings you lose that fairytale quality in a story.

Though I'll say that having a surname doesn't really mean "modern settings", surnames/family names/house names are not a modern concept- moreover if the film is about a royal family. Mulan had a surname, the Darling children as well, non of them felt out of place.

I'm not saying surnames=modern setting. I'm just saying Disney avoids giving characters last names in general, but especially when they inhabit a pre-modern world. The source material of the movies you mentioned already included the surnames and that's why they were used. Disney doesn't go out of its way to give last names to characters in original stories unless they're set in the present. Judy Hopps, Hiro Hamada, Lilo Pelekai are examples of that. Even when it came Moana, her last name from a previous iteration of the story, Waikiki, was dropped and wasn't used in the final film. I think that shows a pattern. I hope I'm wrong though and Encanto is in fact set in ye olden days.

[estefan]

I think you misunderstood. I don't oppose movies, TV shows or stories in general doing that, I just don't want WDAS doing it. It's just not part of their legacy. There's not a single WDAS film set at the time it was made that includes magic.

Then maybe it's about time they finally did make one.

They hadn't made a movie with aliens until "Lilo & Stitch" and the result was, in my opinion, one of the best films to come out of the studio. They also hadn't taken a classic story and changed it to a futuristic setting until "Treasure Planet" and I thought that was pretty good, too.

I get the sense the realisition they hadn't set a fantasy film in modern times probably hasn't even crossed the filmmakers' minds. They probably wanted to tell a musical paying tribute to South American culture with the expected Disney ingredients of fantasy and princesses and will choose whether to set it in the past or present day depending on what they think best suits the story.

[D82]

The DisInsider has just posted these character descriptions. They say they're all singing roles and that they expect Disney to officially announce the film tomorrow during their Investor Day. Wasn't the protagonist called Mirabel? Now it seems her name is Mariana.

The main character of the film will be a 15 year old girl named Mariana who is described as a “lovable, funny, fallible, utterly human protagonist”. She uses her humor to cover up struggles with her self-worth. She is a true comedienne, akin to Lucille Ball. Mariana will also be the narrator of the film.

Juana is to be a supporting character in her mid-40s. She is a maternal presence in the film, a deep thinker, and a good listener. She is likely Mariana’s mother or mother-like figure.

Ines is a supporting character in her early 20s. She is the golden child of the family, with a beautiful singing voice. On the outside, she seems to have everything together, yet is deeply insecure. She is most likely Mariana’s sister.

Lydia is a supporting character in her early 20s. She is an athletic jock with a big voice and persona. She is funny, yet sincere and has a small amount of singing.

Fernando is a supporting character in his late 40s. He is handsome, funny and loud. He is the life of the party, loyal and kind, with an excellent singing voice.

Carlos is a 15-year old boy who is Mariana’s enemy. Like Mariana, he is hilariously funny and also a great singer. Has a habit of telling tall tales.

Lastly, there is Andrea who is the matriarch of the family. At 75 years old, she is strong and determined, sometimes to a fault. With a dry wit and a tough presence, she doesn’t let anybody get in her way.

Youtuber Grace Randolph also said earlier today that Disney will announce the movie tomorrow:

Disney Animation will officially announce their next feature tomorrow, Encanto, involving Lin-Manuel Miranda.

[disneyprincess11]

I pray that Mariana (or Inez) will be voiced by Rachel Zegler. She's Columbian-American and let's not get started on her amazing singing voice!

I really hope Mariana is not too much like Anna or even Rapunzel. I relate to peppy, sweet characters, but too much seems lazy. I miss the diversity of personality that the 90s ladies have.

[D82]

I pray that Mariana (or Inez) will be voiced by Rachel Zegler. She's Columbian-American and let's not get started on her amazing singing voice!

I really hope Mariana is not too much like Anna or even Rapunzel. I relate to peppy, sweet characters, but too much seems lazy. I miss the diversity of personality that the 90s ladies have.

I hadn't thought of her. You're right, she's of Colombian descent and has a beautiful voice. She could be perfect for the role. Plus, she's already in a film from the company, the West Side Story remake.

Personally, I like Mariana's character description. To me it sounds like she could be an interesting character, but we'll see.

[UmbrellaFish]

The comparison to Lucille Ball makes me think physical comedy, which makes me think the main character might be clumsy.

[Sotiris]

I'm not sure how I feel about the name. On the one hand Mariana rolls off the tongue easier than Mirabel, on the other it's not unique enough. It's too similar to Anna. I'm glad she's a teenager instead of a kid, even though I think 15 years old is a little young. Having her be 16 or older would have been better. Her being a comedienne worries me a bit. Will she be snarky? Will she rely on physical comedy? Either way, this could easily go wrong and make the character come off as obnoxious, if not careful. I'm also not sold on having a narrator. I hope the narration is limited to bookend the film instead of it being present throughout it. I fear constant narration will be too invasive and distracting.

It seems her "enemy" Carlos will be her love interest which is interesting considering how Disney has moved on from romance for their princesses as of late. They are the same age and they are both described as funny. It seem like a classic enemies-to-lovers trope. The power dynamic in the family reminds me of Coco's since both films have austere grandmothers as the head of the family. My biggest concern now is the character design for Mariana and the time period the film is set.

[Disney's Divinity]

I liked Mirabel better for how unique it sounded. That and how many female princess' names ending in -a do we need? Tiana, Elsa, Anna, Moana, Raya, Mariana, jeez. I guess the only reason Rapunzel wasn't Sara or something is because she was already named in the fairy tale.

I do like the idea of an enemies-to-romance story. That's the most interesting thing we've heard thus far.

[D82]

What first came to mind when I heard the name Mariana is Disney's Alice in Wonderland because that's what the White Rabbit calls Alice in the Spanish version instead of Mary Ann. I also agree Mirabel sounded more unique. But it seems these character descriptions are from a casting call, right? Though they've been posted now, I think it's possible they're older than the trademark application, so maybe Mariana could be the old name and Mirabel the current one instead of the other way around, don't you think?

Regarding the time period of the film, the font and carvings of the logo make me think it's going to be set in the past, but maybe I'm wrong.

[Sotiris]

That and how many female princess' names ending in -a do we need? Tiana, Elsa, Anna, Moana, Raya, Mariana, jeez.

Personally, I don't mind if the name ends in -a as long as it's distinctive. My issue with Mariana is that it contains "Anna" within it which is the name of another Disney princess.

But it seems these character descriptions are from a casting call, right? Though they've been posted now, I think it's possible they're older than the trademark application, so maybe Mariana could be the old name and Mirabel the current one instead of the other way around, don't you think?

That's entirely plausible. The fact there was a recent trademark application for Mirabel (it was filed in November of this year), makes me believe that's the final name. Unless, the name Mirabel Madrigal is for a different Disney project. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Regarding the time period of the film, the font and carvings of the logo make me think it's going to be set in the past.

Fingers crossed!

[D82]

Unless, the name Mirabel Madrigal is for a different Disney project.

That's also possible. We'll see. I would prefer Mirabel over Mariana, but I can't say I like any of those names much.

[Sotiris]

I would prefer Mirabel over Mariana, but I can't say I like any of them too much.

I feel the same.

[Disney's Divinity]

Personally, I don't mind if the name ends in -a as long as it's distinctive. My issue with Mariana is that it contains "Anna" within it which is the name of another Disney princess.

Well, Mirabel would have "Belle" within it, too, I suppose. I don't mind the names ending in -a, it's just all of them within the same 15 year span is what makes them blend together.

[D82]

Apparently, the Investor Day presentation (where supposedly Encanto is going to be officially announced) can be watched by everybody here. It starts around 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT and is expected to last approximately four hours.

[DisneyFan09]

That and how many female princess' names ending in -a do we need? Tiana, Elsa, Anna, Moana, Raya, Mariana, jeez. I guess the only reason Rapunzel wasn't Sara or something is because she was already named in the fairy tale.

I`m glad I`m the only one who`ve noticed that . And don`t forget about Elena and Sofia. At least Rapunzel was lucky to have her name set from the get-go

[Disney's Divinity]

Thank you. And I totally forgot about the Disney Channel princesses. I mean, I like all these names individually, but let's have a little variation already. Tiana was originally supposed to be called Maddie from what I remember.

[DisneyFan09]

Thank you. And I totally forgot about the Disney Channel princesses. I mean, I like all these names individually, but let's have a little variation already. Tiana was originally supposed to be called Maddie from what I remember.

You`re welcome And yeah, I agree.

[blackcauldron85]

Who gets to see the footage?!? I can't!!! Gggaaahhhhhhh