Interview with ‘Encanto’ Producer Clark Spencer
This year marks the 60th animated film to be released from Disney Animation Studios with Encanto, a musical that celebrates Colombian culture, magic and above all, family. The film is out now at cinemas and will make its way to Disney Plus in time for the Christmas holidays, so that children of all ages and adults will surely enjoy together.
I was fortunate to speak with Clark Spencer, who is not also the President at Disney Animation Studios, but also the producer of Encanto.
ENCANTO – (Pictured) Clark Spencer. Photo by Debby Coleman/Disney. © 2021 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
As someone who has produced Disney films since 2002, what makes Encanto different to you?
I’ve had the opportunity to produce five animated features at Disney Animation and one of the things that I had never done was a musical. So when I heard that Jared Bush and Byron Howard, the directors on Zootopia and who I’d worked with on that project, were doing a musical with Lin-Manuel Miranda, I was like “I have to be a part of this project”, because I’ve always wanted to have that challenge of how do you bring a musical to life at Disney Animation.
What was the biggest obstacle for you as a producer on the film?
I think there were a couple, if I may. One is, ironically, I thought to myself that a musical might be easier. In some ways, I thought, you know, you have a songwriter there writing songs or helping tell the story that might make the storytelling slightly easier, but it’s infinitely more complex because you got to figure out where do those songs go. And you have to have the right moments for the songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda, to be inspired by something. So he has the song in his head and then once the song comes out, you got to record all of the actors (there’s many ensemble songs here) and we have 12 members of the family. So you got to record all 12 people in different parts of the world, and then bring that together. And then you got to bring choreography to it. So you have to have choreographers as part of that to say, what is the dance element? And how is the movement going to work? So it just layers complexity upon complexity upon complexity.
I also think that the story itself is a really ambitious one for Disney Animation, because we typically tell stories where it’s buddy films, usually two characters, maybe three, they go off on a journey or a quest and this one is about 12 members of a family. And within 90 minutes, we have to figure out how does the audience fall in love and understand all 12 members of the family even though the story is Mirabel’s, you need to know the entire family from that standpoint.
And then the last piece I’d say is I think this is one of the most visually complex animated films we’ve ever made at Disney Animation. When you look at the amount of detail that’s on the screen, when you look at 12 main characters, when you think about the music and the choreography, when you think about the layers of clothing, and that each character has completely different hairstyles that all has to move, that’s really complicated. And then layer in the fact that we had to do this whole production from home, 650 people spread out in different homes. To me, all of those were challenges. And as a result, I’m incredibly proud of what the end result is and we were able to get that all done.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto” introduces Mirabel, a 15-year-old who lives with her family in the mountains of Colombia in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. Mirabel, a kind and humble teenager who puts the ordinary in extraordinary, struggles to fit in a family that’s blessed with magical powers. Featuring the voice of Stephanie Beatriz as Mirabel, “Encanto” opens in theaters on Nov. 24, 2021. © 2021 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
Disney Plus became a huge streaming service over the past couple of years. How does this platform benefit Encanto and other animated films?
I think there’s a couple of things. One is, I am so excited that we get two big opportunities within one. We’re going to release it on November 24 to theatres around the world and the audience gets to go see it on the big screen. And then on December 24 in markets where Disney Plus is it will be available for families to watch. This is a family film; it’s joyous. There’s music, it’s beautiful to look at. It’s like the perfect thing to have during the holidays. So I think what is exciting is we can bring it to people, wherever they are, right? We can do that aspect of it.
But there’s a second piece to it too that is really exciting is at the end of a film like Encanto, you have this bittersweet moment where you have spent five years creating the story in this world and you fall in love with these characters. And you have to say goodbye. It’s getting released to the world and the film is done. But Disney Plus gives us this incredible opportunity to go back and explore those characters in the world again. We’re doing it with Zootopia Plus and Baymax, which are coming to Disney Plus in 2022, and we’re doing it where we get to go back to those great characters and bring music back to the screen, but do it through Disney Plus. So I think for me, it’s a really exciting time at Disney Animation.
What was it like to work with Yvett Merino, who was a first time producer on Encanto?
It was so great to have Merino on this film to work with. We partnered from the very beginning of that and we had worked on Wreck It Ralph together. She was a Production Supervisor of Lighting and we’d really gotten to know each other deeply at that moment. And what was critical is there was a moment during the making of this film where I was asked to also take on another position within the studio and I had to make a choice. I didn’t want to leave this film because I loved the idea of doing a musical and I love this film so much. The only reason I was able to actually step into the position as President of Disney Animation and kind of balance both was because of that.
And the other piece I would say which was really, really fun is I remember what it was like when I did my first animated film, which was Lilo and Stitch, and there’s that whole part where you’re just learning everything, even though you think you know what it takes to be a producer, you don’t until you actually step into those shoes. Therefore it’s all super exciting and really enlightening for me to be able to partner with her and be a part of watching her go through that for the first time was really exciting. She did just a brilliant job. It was a great partnership.
Mirabel Madrigal struggles to fit in a family where everyone has been blessed with magical powers – everyone but her. Determined to prove she belongs within this extraordinary family, she strives to contribute in meaningful ways—denying to everyone, including herself, that she feels all alone, even in her own house. Opening in the U.S. on Nov. 24, 2021, “Encanto” features Stephanie Beatriz as the voice of Mirabel and songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. © 2021 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
Encanto is in cinemas 24th November 2021.
Also read: Interview with ‘Encanto’ Directors Jared Bush & Charise Castro Smith.