I have never covered a soundtrack in this column before but I have been debating on whether or not to cover this at all. A few weeks ago, I saw the newest Disney film “Encanto” and now I see it’s about time we talk about it.

If you haven’t seen “Encanto,” it’s currently available to stream on Disney’s streaming service, Disney Plus. If you’re somehow unfamiliar with the animated film, you can rest assured that it’s on its way to be one of Disney’s biggest animated releases to date.

The story follows the story of a young Colombian girl who is the only one in her family that did not receive a magical gift from a candle (remember it’s a Disney movie before you start judging). Besides a well-put-together plot and characters you can’t help but root for, the music within the film is quite extraordinary.

The movie contains only seven musical numbers with the highlight being “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” Bruno is set up early on to be an antagonist of the film and this song is giving the audience the reason why he shouldn’t be mentioned. While each song has its own style and significance in the story, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is the song that is getting the most attention.

This attention is showcased by the song’s slow ascent among Billboard’s top 100. As of writing this, the song is sitting at its third week within the Billboard top five. It first charted at 147 after “Encanto’s” release in November of 2021. As the weeks have gone by, it has slowly grown in popularity eventually reaching No. 7 the first week of 2022.

Continuing to peak, “Encanto” hit a new milestone on Jan. 20. It has now broken a record held since 2013’s Disney smash hit, “Frozen.” “Frozen’s” “Let It Go” hit 500,000 copies sold within its first 20 weeks, “Don’t Talk About Bruno” did it in 17. Even if that doesn’t sound impressive, just remember this is a kid’s movie. 

The success in the film’s soundtrack has to be found within its writer, Lin-Manuel Miranda. If you somehow don’t know that name, he is famous for his work in a small Disney film called “Moana” but most famously for writing, directing and starring in one of the biggest musicals ever to hit Broadway, “Hamilton: The Musical.”

Yeah, that guy. The one who plays Hamilton, himself. 

Since his departure from the play, Miranda has worked on soundtrack after soundtrack and for good reason. His ability to blend seemingless unconnected plot threads to the most appropriate music is something many film composers can only dream of.

Imagine it like this, what would “Star Wars” be without John Williams? What would “The Dark Knight” be without Hans Zimmer? What would modern cinematic pop music be without Miranda?

Now I don’t want to take anything away from the people who perform “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” The song is filled with the best in modern Latin performers and artists. Most surprising to me is the main character, Mirabel’s voice actor. Played and performed by Stephanie Beatriz of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” fame, Mirabel’s story of wonder, sadness, loneliness and self-identity is really showcased in the film’s second music number, “Waiting On A Miracle.”

Beatriz is featured on all but two of the songs on the soundtrack and each one showcases a different range of the actress’ vocal and genre range.

While each song has a Latin pop base, each one is mixed with other musical forms that only musicians like Miranda can accomplish.

Like I said, I really didn’t know if I should even cover this. I really am not one who sits down to watch kids movies as I’m sure many others aren’t. But if you have Disney Plus and some children or grandchildren who just need to be quieted down or entertained for an hour and a half or so, I can’t recommend “Encanto” enough.

Jack R. Jordan is a reporter with The Moultrie Observer.