It has been so insanely long since a musical soundtrack has infiltrated my brain to such an addicting level. It only makes sense that the movie to do it is a Disney musical with songs composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. As the entire world knows by now, the latest Disney hit, ‘Encanto‘ has been making quite an impressive impression on audiences and apparently the Hot 100 Billboard Chart as two songs are currently in the top 10 including ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ which claimed the top spot! After listening to the soundtrack at least once a day for the past couple of weeks, I think I have a good enough grasp on my ranking of the songs.

This ranking will be based not only on the tracks themselves but also on the accompanying visuals and honestly how catchy they are! It goes without saying that this is my personal ranking, some of your favourite songs might be lower or some songs may be too high because they’re too popular, they’re popular for a reason I say! Honestly, I truly love the entire soundtrack, there isn’t a single track I dislike. That being said I do have a preference for the top five tracks, the rest I just need to have some more time with. I will be excluding “¡Hola Casita!” since it is purely instrumental and I will be joining ‘Two Oruguitas’ with the original Latin track ‘Dos Oruguitas’. Without further ado, I’m ready to talk about Bruno, I mean the music of ‘Encanto‘!

8. Colombia, Mi Encanto

*i know it’s a picture from ‘Waiting On A Miracle’ but this song doesn’t really belong to one scene, it’s in the background so I chose this picture because it’s very pretty!*

The last original track on the ‘Encanto‘ soundtrack is also placed last on my ranking coincidentally. ‘Colombia, Mi Encanto’ is a joyful, energetic track that ties up the events of the movie with a light and happier note. It acts as a celebration of not only the patched up cracks in the Madrigal Family but also a joyful representation of Colombia and its culture. It’s catchy and fun to sing, however, its strictly upbeat melody and instrumentation get old after a couple listens. While this song is genuinely fun to listen to, it’s not the track I’m going to seek when I search the ‘Encanto‘ soundtrack and that is why it’s placed last. Still a great song though.

7. Waiting On A Miracle

Mirabel is one of my favourite Disney protagonists… ever, which is why it pains me to say that her solo musical number is honestly my least favourite one. There’s nothing wrong with ‘Waiting On A Miracle’, if it came on shuffle, I’m definitely not skipping it. Stephanie Beatriz does a wonderful job vocally and the scene itself is stunning. However, in terms of what this song is supposed to represent which is Mirabel’s inner frustration over not possessing a miracle, I don’t feel it does the best job of emulating that musically. Lyrically, it’s fantastic, I loved how Mirabel allowed herself to feel her feelings and admit that she is still waiting for that moment, that miracle to land upon her. She’s been patient, steadfast, and steady and then the song ends and the Casita starts to crack. Overall a decent song, I just wished it were executed a bit differently. Not a bad “I Want” song but I’ve definitely heard better, from Lin-Manuel himself too. Looking at you, ‘How Far I’ll Go’!

6. All Of You

Truthfully this is the song I listened to the least, for no particular reason really. Out of all the songs, this is the one that doesn’t really feel like a song but more of a full scene, if that makes sense. It doesn’t have as strong a musical identity as the other songs, mostly because it’s an amalgamation of the other songs tied together, almost like a medley with some new chords and motifs. Weirdly enough, this is the one song Bruno sings in and he sounds… well let’s just say it’s a good thing he wants to be an actor and not a singer. Honestly, the only true, real reason this is as low as it is, is because I cannot make it to the end without getting teary-eyed. Picturing Mirabel getting her moment after establishing that she doesn’t need the powers to value herself but also finally feeling seen and appreciated after everything she’s done for the family. Although everyone does get their powers at the end, this track showed the necessary changes the Madrigal Family has made to understand one another. The more I listen to it, the more I like it.

5. What Else Can I Do?

In my original review, I mentioned that ‘What Else Can I Do?’ felt relatable to me as an artistic and creative person and it still counts. There is something so joyful and exhilarating when you let go of what is imposed on you and as corny as it is, colour outside the lines. All of us have our own way of doing things, using our talents to do what’s expected is a waste of time and effort. Seeing Isabela admire her very first cactus was genuinely a great moment. She wasn’t horrified or disgusted but instead, fascinated. The fact that it wasn’t symmetrical or perfect made it all the more beautiful and she owned it! How many times do we see that in children’s movies? Not that often. All in all, this song is a blast, it progressively gets better and ends on such a high note. Definitely the most underrated track from the soundtrack.

4. Dos Oruguitas / Two Oruguitas

Honestly, this might be one of the best love songs ever written, so hopelessly romantic, tragic and hopeful at the same time. It’s the perfect song to encapsulate Abuela and Abuelo’s tragically cut short romance. When reading the lyrics, you almost feel as if Abuelo wrote this as a poem for Abuela in case tragedy strikes, that they will reunite and find each other once again on the other side. It’s one of the more sophisticated tracks Disney has put out in recent memory. Sebastian Yatra does an incredible job singing this song, I will definitely be checking out more of his music after this. That’s all I really have to say about this track, it’s the most emotional song on the soundtrack, the lyrics are instantly classic and it serves the movie’s emotional climax greatly.

3. Surface Pressure

‘Surface Pressure’ might be one of the most special songs to come out of Disney ever and as a huge, bonafide Disney fan, I’m not saying that lightly. Lyrically, melodically, vocally and instrumentally, this is one of the best Disney has to offer. Every human on Earth can relate to this song in more ways than one. I am the oldest child in a dysfunctional family, I sometimes feel the entire weight of it on my shoulders and I somehow feel like I should be responsible for fixing it. So yeah, this song hit like a pile of bricks. Even in terms of living life, the line “Who am I, if I don’t have what it takes?” is extremely relatable. As I step into adulthood, that line can be imprinted onto my forehead because it’s constantly on my mind. On the third level of relatability, ‘Surface Pressure’ perfectly describes what it means to be talented and to constantly be expected to use it or utilize that talent with every breath you take. Of course, I think of Spider-Man and the ‘Responsibility’ line and it perfectly suits Luisa, only she needs to realize her limit and remember that she’s human. Jessica Darrow is a superstar, I love Luisa and this song is incredible. Could’ve easily been number one, in fact, the top three were all number one at one point.

2. The Family Madrigal

I’ve been randomly singing ‘My cousin Dolores can hear this whole chorus a mile away” at random intervals throughout the day for around three weeks now. ‘The Family Madrigal’ is one of Disney’s best opening musical numbers, sitting up there with ‘Belle‘ and ‘The Circle of Life‘. YES! You read that right. It opens the movie up with such an incredibly infectious energy and enthusiasm. You learn about an entire family tree through fantastic lyricism and an insanely catchy melody. Stephanie Beatriz absolutely nails this song, she is truly fantastic, her rapping at the end was truly insane and I can’t wait to memorize the entire thing. That being said, despite Mirabel being the one that mainly sings throughout the song, it also perfectly sets up every single family member’s personality. You get a small hint into who these people are and to do that for an entire family tree in under five minutes is nothing short of impressive. Onto number one which I’m pretty sure you guessed by now…

*drumroll please…..
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1. We Don’t Talk About Bruno

Yes, of course, it’s ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’! That overlap at the end where everyone’s verses are layered on top of each other is what magic is made out of. The ‘Bruno-no-no-no!’ bit is brilliant and insanely catchy. Pepa and Felix’s verses are full of personality and charm, Dolores’ verse gets you up and moving and Camilo’s verse is imprinted in my brain. I am so bitter that Camilo and Dolores never got a full song, maybe in a sequel? Every aspect of this song works in such harmonious perfection, no wonder it’s addicting to listen to. The bold structure, the mysterious and playful instrumentation, the vocal delivery and the increasingly intriguing mystery surrounding everyone’s favourite new recluse, Bruno! It’s incredibly fun to sing, listen to and watch as well. Along with ‘Surface Pressure’, this is easily the most visually stimulating musical number from the movie. It’s the song I’ve listened to the most and it’s the song I quote the most and by quote I mean randomly sing certain lines out of the blue every day. This is THE song that reintroduced Disney Animation to the world after a drought. This made people realize how much they miss watching Disney movies and I honestly don’t think there’s a bigger compliment than that. ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ deserves all the hype.

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‘Encanto’ was not only a fantastic movie but a fantastic musical, one that made me cautiously hopeful about the future of Disney Animation. If it’s anything like ‘Encanto‘, then the future is a bright one. It honestly felt nostalgic getting to fall in love with a Disney soundtrack again since it’s been so long. Here’s hoping Lin-Manuel Miranda continues to work at Disney for a loooong time.

What are your favourite songs from the soundtrack?
Do we share the same top three?
Comment your list down below!

The soundtrack to Disney’s ‘Encanto‘ is available to stream or purchase now.