Much like that one tio in the family, Blu-ray format is far from popular dinner conversation but the surprisingly robust home release of ENCANTO has us wanting to talk about Bruno — err, Blu-ray.
Sure, you might be quick to point out that you can watch the movie on Disney+ right now but what you are missing in that experience is a jam-packed assortment of extras that only the home release can bring you.
ENCANTO is an unquestionable tour de force with its vibrant music and colorful story set in an enchanting village in Colombia and now you can bring the bright adventure home to your own casita with a load of extras to dive deeper into the world.
Bonus Features
While bonus features vary by product and retailer here’s a look at what we found on the complimentary review copy that we received from Disney.
Magic Behind the Scenes…
As has become the trend for home releases the traditional “Making Of” documentary is split up into easily digestible chapters by topic and for this release those chapters are split up into even more digestible chunks. We didn’t time the run-time of the making-of featurettes but they had to total close to, if not more than, an hour!
- Familia Lo Es Todo goes into the traditional cultural trust that Disney sets up for its films which for this film was called the Disney Animation “Familia.” The wide assortment of contributors share their real-life experiences and how they influenced what we saw on the screen.
- Discover Colombia is the oh-so-envy-inspiring recap of the filmmaker trip to explore the country of Colombia to absorb its colors, flavors, and textures.
- A Journey Through Music is a no-brainer in a film in which Lin-Manuel Miranda is involved but we also get really fantastic input from Germaine Franco on how she crafted the score in careful coordination with the songs.
- Let’s Talk About Bruno unsurprisingly gets its own spotlight with an emphasis on behind-the-scenes of the song and sequence including the collaboration between Lin-Manuel Miranda, choreographer Jamal Sims, the voice cast and animators. The face masks on the dancers are such a crazy mark of the time!
- Our Casita explores the magical realism used craft the house sharing how its aesthetic is a wide blend of various parts of the country from colorful doors to fine stonework to the rain forests and landscapes.
More to Explore
Beyond the making-of featurettes, there’s a wider, more expected set of offerings.
- Far From the Tree is an adorable short that you might have already seen on Disney+ and it comes here with an introduction by writer and director Natalie Nourigat.
- Outtakes are always a fun bit of the home release experience although for this film the reel was more broadly focused on the overall behind-the-scenes process of showing the voice actors making magic behind the mic. Fun, cute moments for sure but we were expecting there to be more hilarious flubs.
- Journey to Colombia is a fun sizzle reel of sorts, almost like a vacation recap reel comprised of footage from the research trip to Colombia.
The remaining features are the tried and true assortment but with a special call out to the crazy diversity of deleted scenes.
- Deleted Scenes are presented for this release by the Heads of Story Jason Hand and Nancy Kruse who selected four specific scenes that offer a fascinating glimpse into the development of the story. You’ll see characters with different magical abilities and even moments that are completely different than what ended up in the final story. Here’s a recap of those scenes courtesy of Disney:
- Chores! – Abuela has sent most of the family to town on various assignments that bring them acclaim, while Mirabel, her father and uncle are asked to clean the house.
- Another Way In – Mirabel attempts to understand a clue found in her uncle’s vision. To make this happen, she must go through Antonio’s room, where adventures unfold.
- Isabela Goes Into the Woods – When Mirabel sees her sister head for apparent danger in the woods, she races to save her, and encounters the surprise of a lifetime!
- Back to the Mural – Feeling rejected, Mirabel goes back to town. Abuela seeks her out and reveals a part of her personality that her granddaughter has never seen.
- Song Selection is such a throwback feature but it gives you the chance to jump to your favorite musical moments with on-screen lyrics and yes you get all the bops:
- The Family Madrigal
- Colombia, Mi Encanto
- Waiting on a Miracle
- Surface Pressure
- We Don’t Talk About Bruno
- What Else Can I Do
- Dos Oruguitas
- All of You
See it for Yourself
ENCANTO is available now on all major digital platforms and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD.
The film is also be available for all subscribers on Disney+.