One of the joys of watching Disney’s animated musicals as a kid (and adult, too) is learning the catchy bops. And then singing them over and over and over in the car. To the point where parents maybe threatened to pull the car over if they didn’t get just a single second of quiet. A person—especially parents of young children in 1995—can only hear “Hakuna Matata” so often before it means the opposite. (Which is very fair.) Of course, for the next generation, there’s “Let It Go.” And most recently, the Broadway ready Madrigal family masterpiece “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” But now we can sing all the catchy Encanto songs with Madrigals. Disney+ is resuming a storied tradition: the Disney Sing-Along. And they’re kicking off with Encanto.
We’ve had the soundtrack on repeat for months. And haven’t stopped streaming the film either. According to Disney+, fans who’ve watched the film on the streaming platform have “watched the film five times with the title accumulating over 180 million re-watches globally since launch.” So it’s already endlessly watchable. But the sing-along version will allow fans to focus on their pitch as the words will all appear on the screen as you watch. (Although I am very curious to see what sort of karaoke-type situation occurs during “Bruno” as the Madrigals sing over one another.)
The sing-along version features so many of our favorite Encanto songs. They include “Family Madrigal”; “Dos Oruguitas”; “What Else Can I Do?” and honestly one of my all-time favorites, “Surface Pressure.” Now I can have a full nervous breakdown while singing “Surface Pressure” with Luisa. As a fellow middle child, whew can I relate! (Although not literally, as I have non-existent upper body strength and terrible knees.)
But Encanto isn’t the only Disney movie getting a full sing-along version. Disney+ has plans to release additional sing-along versions of films throughout the year. The movies include Frozen, Frozen 2, Beauty and the Beast (1991), and the live-action Beauty and the Beast (2017).
Although, as someone who grew up watching a whole lot of Disney Channel Original Movie premiere weekends, I must ask, are the Dance-Alongs next? I didn’t spend a weekend learning the “We’re All in This Together” dance to not learn some of the brilliant Encanto choreography. I’ve seen all the TikToks. ( All of them!)
The Sing-Along version of Encanto drops on Disney+ on Friday, March 18.