An artist of the hit new animated film Encanto revealed that they had to fight Disney tooth and nail to portray Luisa Madrigal with her buff frame and iconic muscles.
Because Luisa’s gift is physical strength, it seems it would be a given for the 19-year-old woman’s design to reflect her tremendous brawn. However, Dylan Ekren, an illustrator and character modelling supervisor who worked on Encanto, said that it was incredibly difficult to convince the House of Mouse that Luisa should forgo the petite and slim build of many other Disney women to have a muscular frame instead.
“I think we all just wanted to do it in a way that worked well with the style and really made sense for the character and I’m really proud of the way that she turned out,” Ekren wrote on his Twitter account in July last year, which has since been made private. “The entire team was so awesome. I just pushed buttons in the right order.”
Disney’s 60th animated feature focuses on the mystical Madrigals, a family whose members are each gifted a unique power by the magic of their home, the eponymous Encanto. Mirabel Madrigal seems to be the exception to this rule, as she is the only member of her family not to receive a gift. However, when the Encanto’s magic begins to disappear, Mirabel finds herself the only one who can save her family and home by uncovering the reason that the gifts the Madrigals have enjoyed for generations are being rescinded.
Encanto has received widespread acclaim from both critics and audience, due to its engaging storyline, colorful characters and Latinx cultural representation. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, and was also nominated for Best Original Song for its ballad “Dos Oruguitas” by Lin-Manuel Miranda, as well as Best Original Score. It was the highest-grossing animated film of 2021, grossing over $215 million worldwide, although due to its quick release on Disney+, the film has underperformed commercially.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” a song which explains why the mysterious Bruno Madrigal has been ostracized by the rest of his family, has been an especially viral track from the much-lauded soundtrack. It is the highest charting Disney song of the 21st century, peaking at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number one in the United Kingdom.
Encanto is currently showing in theaters and is available to stream on Disney+.
Source: Twitter via /Film
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