Step into the wonderful country of Colombia as the Houston Symphony performs Disney’s Encanto™ Live to Film in Concert! With music from composer Germaine Franco and Lin-Manuel Miranda, you’ll dance and groove to the music of cumbia and bambuco! As you experience the blockbuster hit live at Jones Hall, we encourage you to keep an eye out for some of the hidden gems found within the movie that honor Colombian culture. Whether it is an artist—or special details hidden inside a dance number, you will love seeing the authenticity and pride of beautiful Colombian heritage.
The river in “Dos Oruguitas” was inspired by the Caño Cristales.
The Caño Cristales River, also known as the “river of five colors,” is located at the Serrania de la Macarena National Park, Meta Department, Colombia. This river is known for its vibrant colors due to the plant life that thrive in its water. Although there were numerous conflicts surrounding the river that caused it to be closed between 1989 to 2009, tourists can now visit the river!
The umbrellas in “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” share the same colors as the Colombian flag.
Something that most audiences did not recognize were the specific color schemes in the film. One of the most subtle displays was during the “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” song where Tía Pepa describes her hectic wedding day. When she explains that Tío Bruno predicted that it would rain on her special day, she proclaims that she started to
panic which caused a hurricane, since her mood affects the weather. The Villagers who are reenacting her wedding day all carry umbrellas that represent the colors of the Colombian flag. What a nice touch!
The game Tejo is being played during “The Family Madrigal.”
Towards the end of the song “The Family Madrigal,” Mirabel is trying to escape the repeated question of ‘what about Mirabel?’ As she is running through the town, she accidentally runs past a game of Tejo, or turmequé. This popular Colombian game uses a metal puck or disc, thrown on metal frames covered in clay with targets attached and filled with gunpowder. It creates a wonderfully explosive fun time!
Colombian Artists Carlos Vives and Sebastián Yatra gifted their singing vocals to the movie!
Carlos Vives is a two-time Grammy Award winner from Colombia who sings the credits song “Colombia, Mi Encanto.” In an interview with Smithsonian Magazine, Carlos Vives says, “It makes me very happy that they [Disney] made such an effort to try and understand a country like Colombia.” Sebastián Yatra, a two-time Latin Grammy
Award winner, also gifts his stellar vocals to the ballad “Dos Oruguitas.” Sebastián was completely moved by the story of Encanto™ and said, “To watch a Disney movie about Colombia, that shows different elements that are so specific about my country, the people, the family… knowing that I am part of that, I started crying like a little child.”(CNN).
Julieta heals Maribel with an arepa con queso—a popular Colombian dish.
Mirabel’s mother, Julieta, was gifted healing powers through cooking. One of her dishes included a popular South American dish called an arepa con queso. The arepa is a savory cornmeal cake—unlike a sweet buñuelo—that is popular throughout Colombia and is quite easy to make. All you will need is precooked white cornmeal, cotija cheese and any shredded cheese of your liking!
Now that we have uncovered a few of the gems inside the film, we encourage you to find more when the Symphony performs Disney’s Encanto™ live. The Houston Symphony will be performing the musical blockbuster with music by Lin-Manuel Miranda on April 20 & 21 at Jones Hall. Don’t miss out on your chance to experience this fun-filled family event with your loved ones—get your tickets today!
