The moment we’ve all been waiting for is almost here with the December 28th premiere of Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl on Disney+! Ahead of the streaming special’s release, I had the honor of speaking with members of the team who helped bring the magic of Encanto to life live on stage. Here’s what I learned about the project, which is guaranteed to rejuvenate your soul like one of Julieta's healing arepas.
(Disney/Temma Hankin)
Showrunner and Executive Producer Sally Wood knew that this would be a big deal, so they didn’t take any shortcuts. The Hollywood Bowl was decorated to look like Casita from the film, with state-of-the-art technology, including augmented reality and projection mapping. Each performance has its own video field, helping each one feel unique.
Choreographers Jamal Sims and Kai Martinez worked on the animated feature and translated their routines for the stage. The concert gave them the opportunity to push the choreography further. No idea was too big, with “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” enhanced by a giant puppet and 50 dancers dressed as the mysterious missing member of the Family Madrigal (you can see that sequence early right here). Another vision was to have Isabella descend from the ceiling on her swing in “What Else Can I Do?”, a concept from the film that translated well for the stage.
Adassa voiced Dolores in the film and got to embody the character in the performance. It wasn’t that far of a stretch, considering that the film’s directors, Jared Bush and Byron Howard, were inspired by the voice cast in the design of each character. This was Adassa’s first time performing at the Hollywood Bowl and a highlight was seeing so many little kids dressed as Dolores finding others in similar costumes.
You can see the full video interview below. Don’t miss Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl streaming exclusively on Disney+ on Wednesday, December 28th.