What Lin-Manuel Miranda thinks of 'Encanto's' chart-topping success and possible sequel
The composer joined voice actor John Leguizamo on "GMA."
Lin-Manuel Miranda has worked his musical charm yet again in the hit new animated Disney film, "Encanto."
The musical-theater composer, whose songs and scores for the film soared to the top of the Billboard charts, joined "Good Morning America" on Friday to discuss the vibrant work that has catapulted to pop culture phenomenon.
This marks the first Disney soundtrack in two years to reach No. 1 on the Billboard list and Miranda's "We Don't Talk About Bruno" beat out the 2013 hit track "Let it Go" from "Frozen" to become the highest-charting song from an animated Disney film in 26 years.
"It's really been overwhelming to watch it kind of grow and grow and grow. You know, we made most of this movie during the pandemic and I don't think it's an accident that a movie about an intergenerational family all under one roof since we've all been under one roof together is resonating so much with audiences," Miranda said referencing the fictional Madrigal family. "It's been such a joy -- to watch families embrace it -- the fun of writing that song, I got to figure out how all these characters who don't necessarily get solos in the movie sing."
When his own family was together under one roof in May 2020 Miranda was writing and singing the hit song and recalled "my father-in-law who never chimes in about my work was like, 'I can't stop singing that one Bruno tune that I keep hearing coming from your room.' That should have been the first tip-off," he said. "My son Sebastian came home from second grade the other day and said, 'Daddy, everyone is singing it.'"
Little girl sees herself in Disney’s ‘Encanto’
But it's not just animation that has audiences captivated by Miranda's work. He said "Tick, Tick ... Boom!" inspired by "Rent" composer Jonathan Larson whose famed hit "was the show that made me feel like I could write a musical someday."
"This movie is really kind of telling an earlier chapter of his story and the incredible Andrew Garfield -- did the most amazing job playing Jonathan and I'm really thrilled that it's resonating with people who are theater makers who are artists and also just people who have a passion for something. It's been amazing to see it spread."
John Leguizamo, the actor who voices Bruno, told "GMA" the smash soundtrack, which has beat out the likes of Adele on the charts "is such an incredible feeling"
"It's almost like falling in love. You know, it's like almost, but close -- you feel that rush -- you feel good about yourself," Leguizamo said. "Everything that happens to you is like being in heaven -- It's a great feeling."
Miranda said he had wanted to work with Leguizamo "since I was taping his one-man off Broadway shows off HBO and memorizing his monologue, so his voice I have very firmly in my head -- [he] just totally delivered."
Leguizamo said he thinks the character created by Miranda and the directors has resonated with so many because "he's a vulnerable man, he is a sensitive man and I'm so glad that people are connecting with that."
"The pandemic obviously made us all feel like a little awkward, a little odd, a little socially awkward and this guy embodies that. He's like rejected because he says what he really thinks and he's had to pay the price but he's selfless -- and we all admire that," he continued. "I've been working on that my whole life to be that kind of guy and I'm in therapy but I'm also close to Bruno."
While the pair did not immediately confirm or deny a sequel, Miranda said, "There's so many characters there's a lot of stories we could tell inside that house so -- ask the good folks at Disney."
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