ENCANTO
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett CollectionThere’s nothing like the magic of live theater, and no one translates that magic to the Broadway stage quite like Disney.
Ever since the curtain raised on the stage adaptation of Beauty and the Beast back in 1994, the House of Mouse has dominated the Great White Way with family-friendly hits like 1997’s The Lion King, 2012’s Newsies and 2014’s Aladdin.
All in all, there have been 17 Disney musicals that have made it to Broadway (no, Hamilton doesn’t count just because it was filmed for Disney+), though at the current moment, only The Lion King — the highest-grossing show in Broadway history — and Aladdin are playing in the Minskoff Theater and New Amsterdam Theatre, respectively. Meanwhile, 2018’s Frozen was sadly the first Broadway show to fold due to the pandemic, though its national tour is currently playing in regional theaters across the country.
This week, Lin-Manuel Miranda hinted that he could see his latest hit Encanto making the leap from screen to stage — he even has a seven-minute Act II finale number ready in his back pocket — but we want to know what you think. Which untapped Disney film should get the Broadway treatment?
Of course, there are plenty of memorable movie musicals to choose from, chief among them 2010’s much-loved Tangled and 2017’s Coco. Miranda himself questions how the oceans of Moana could be translated onto the Broadway stage, and maybe you think Disney should give that a shot! After all, “How Far I’ll Go” did just hit one billion streams on YouTube…
While pandemic-era hit Luca isn’t technically a musical, its themes and sweet storyline are practically begging for original music. And with the coming release of Disenchanted coming sometime late this year, fans who loved Princess Giselle are about to get the perfect reminder of how much fun it would be to hear the songs from 2007’s Enchanted — looking at you, “That’s How You Know” and “So Close” — live in a Midtown theater.
Cast your vote and wish upon a star in Billboard‘s latest poll.
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
