casita tour encanto

‘Encanto’ is Opening Casita’s Doors in NYC with Interactive Experience — Here’s How You Can Visit

Step into the magical world of Disney’s 2021 Oscar-winning animated film Encanto . From now until early 2023, the Madrigal Family is opening the doors to their Casita and inviting you in for an immersive experience.

Disney Encanto x CAMP | CAMP https://t.co/2lpAUyH984 — ☀️ペパ美⚡️ (@peppermint0108) October 8, 2022

Disney Encanto x CAMP is located at CAMP’s Flagship Store (110 5th Ave.) in New York City. According to its website, the breathtaking sets are “complete with secret passages, interactive magic, live music, and surprises behind every magic door.” This includes trips into Isabela’s floral wonderland, Antonio’s rainforest, and Luisa’s happy place.

“This first-of-its-kind show will transport families into the beautiful world of Encanto , bringing to life the magic shared between CAMP and Disney,” Ben Kaufman, CAMP’s co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. “It is a privilege to have created a show with such a strong sense of family and identity. New York City families will feel a part of the rich community so integral to the film.”

✨ Explorez la Maison Madrigal lors de l’événement « Disney Encanto x CAMP » à New York dès le 8 octobre « ¡Hola, Casita ! » ✨ #Disney #encanto pic.twitter.com/0YrfQDkwEj — 🧞‍♂️ Disney Cave 0f Wonders 💫🏰 (@Cave0fWonders) October 13, 2022

Disney Encanto x CAMP spreads across 6,000 square feet of enchanting rooms “filled with candlelight, cumbia and magic.” Families will get an opportunity to see a couple of Luisa’s and Pepa’s never-before-seen rooms and cousin Dolores’ Soundscape Door. There also might be a chance to visit the spooky spot that Bruno inhabits. Hopefully, there are no mice!

The show also incorporates the voices of Encanto actors Stephanie Beatriz (Mirabel), John Leguizamo (Bruno), María Cecilia Botero (Abuela Alma), and Ravi Cabot-Conyers (Antonio). There will also be singalongs during the event where visitors can join in to perform songs from the movie like “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and “Surface Pressure.”

We’re not sure if Luisa is going to bring any of her donkeys, but if she does, please refrain from lifting them over your head.

Disney Encanto x CAMP

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You’ve opened the door to a special collaboration. shop our exclusive disney encanto collection, give a special (and totally unique) gift, or grab tickets to the experience in person in dc..

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Casa Madrigal

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The Casa Madrigal (otherwise referred to as Casita ) is a location featured in Disney ’s 2021 animated film Encanto . Created by a magical candle , Casita is home to the The Madrigals . Like its gifted residents, Casita harbors magic of its own in the form of sentience.

Personality-wise, the Casita is described to be "little bit more opinionated and flawed like a family. It's a house that plays favorites, a house that messes with people", and its personality "aligns with the feelings of the family Madrigal", such as being happy if the family is happy, or the house's walls beginning to crack if there's discord among them. [1]

Generally, the Casita is kind and very helpful towards the family, using its ability to rearrange its features to suit the family's needs or aid them in their daily routines. The Casita deeply cares about the Madrigals and puts their safety before itself, going as far as evacuating everyone when it was falling apart from the loss of the magic, and used the last of its strength to protect Mirabel from harm.

• 1 Description
• 2 Background
• 5 References

Description [ ]

Casa Madrigal is a three-story square building that encloses the ceilingless courtyard at its center. There are many small balconies located on the outer walls and the roof of the house is Spanish roof tiles. Adjacent to the courtyard, there is a single staircase connecting the ground floor with the second floor, which is where Pedro's portrait hangs. After being rebuilt, the front door depicts all of the members of the Madrigal family together carved into the wood.

The ground floor consists of recreational rooms, such as the kitchen and dining room. The second floor is basically one long balcony that overlooks the courtyard and it's where all of the bedrooms are located. Each bedroom door depicts its inhabitant's name and their respective gift carved into the wood, and they emit a golden glow that illuminates the image. The bedroom doors also have the inhabitant's first initial carved on the doorknob. Relative to the front door, Alma's door is in the center in the back with Pepa's door to its left and Julieta's door to its right. Directly across from Alma's door on the opposite side of the house, above the front door, is the Nursery door, which also functions as Mirabel's personal bedroom. Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio's doors are on the left side, adjacent to their mother, Pepa's door. Isabela and Luisa's doors are on the right side, adjacent to their mother, Julieta's door.

The second floor.

Due to the magical nature of the Casita, the bedrooms are bigger on the inside than they are on the outside, and the nature of the inside of each bedroom corresponds to and acts as extensions of its inhabitant's gift: Isabela's bedroom is a garden in the likeness of a princess's palace bedroom, and Antonio's bedroom is a jungle filled with all kinds of animals for him to converse with. Although that is not always the case, as Alma's bedroom is a replica of her old room from her previous town. [2] Among the bedrooms, there is a nursery where the children under the age of five reside before they get their own room during their birthday/gift ceremony, and the nursery functions as Mirabel's bedroom as well. While it was not shown in the film, the Casita has only one bathroom that the whole family shares. [3]

The third floor consists of Bruno's tower and a room with an open window that displays the magic candle.

Casita is able to freely manipulate itself and all the furniture inside it; it can open and close its own doors, windows, drawers, and cabinets, move and flip the tiles and planks that make up its floors, and it can even decorate itself. Casita also has power in the magical rooms, though that power can be cut off if a gifted family member is emotionally disconnected from the family, as seen with Bruno's door in a flashback, due to the fact that everyone doesn't talk about him, including his family, and that they despise his visions. [4] After being rebuilt, Casita also acts the vessel for the family's magic.

Background [ ]

Pedro's portrait that hangs in Casa Madrigal.

The Casa Madrigal is a magical house created by the magic candle owned by Alma Madrigal and after the death of her husband, Pedro, who was killed by soldiers after they conquered their previous village.

Through the candle, it gives each member of the family a magical gift on their fifth birthday. While it seems Mirabel was the only exception to the rule, as the door to what should have been her special room had disappeared when she turned five, it might be possible that the Casa Madrigal knew what it was doing, as Mirabel showed no hard feelings to what happened and has "conversations" with the house whenever they are working together for something special, and when the house and its magic seemed to be fading—and everyone's gifts with it—Mirabel seems to be the only one who has what it takes to fix it, as she does not need powers to look for the real problem and find a solution.

The Casita's new front door.

Later, when the Casa Madrigal begins to lose its magic, more cracks and debris begin appearing, forcing the Madrigals (including Antonio's pet animals) to leave the house in a panic, and as many cracks start appearing in the house, Casa Madrigal eventually collapsed, leaving the Madrigals homeless and without their gifts, as the candle had also melted away due to a heated argument between Mirabel and Alma. The next day, Alma found Mirabel at the river where her husband Pedro died before the Casa Madrigal was created fifty years ago. Recounting the tragedy that resulted in both the Encanto and their family's sentient home, Alma recognizes the downfall of Casa Madrigal as her fault from unconsciously taking their miracle for granted. An understanding Mirabel and apologetic Alma reconciling, they and the rest of the Madrigals (including a reinstated Bruno) work together in rebuilding the house. Once construction was finished, Mirabel adds the front door's doorknob (which her family made for her) to the Casa Madrigal, bringing forth new magic (born from Mirabel's love for her family). With Casita as the new vessel for the magic and regaining its sentience, the Madrigal family members rejoice in the return of their home and gifts with enthusiasm.

• "Casita" translates to cottage or small house in Spanish.
• Jared Bush implies that the Casita could expand itself if the Madrigal family grows larger. [5] [6]
• In the photos of the gift ceremonies, the doors look exactly like how they do in the present time and with the current age of these characters, despite the characters being much younger when their door was engraved; all while Antonio, who gets his power in the course of the movie, has his door showing him at his present age. It is most obvious with the past and current appearances of Bruno and Isabela, both of whom undergo drastic appearance changes between their ceremonies and the present time. Jared Bush confirmed that the magical doors can change as their owners grow. [8]
• Casita was initially supposed to have a more antagonistic relationship with Mirabel as the two would have fought for Abuela's approval. Following the COVID lockdown, the team realized that Mirabel needed support so Casita was given a more supportive role. [9] [10]
• The only exception to this is Mirabel, whose doorknob with the letter M is on the entrance of the newly rebuilt Casita.
• According to Jared Bush , Pepa's room is not able to contain her powers within its walls, so the weather around the Encanto is still affected even when she is in her room. [11]
• While Dolores's room is never seen in the film, Jared Bush stated her room does contain some soundproofing. [12]
• For Camilo's magical door, Jared Bush stated it was "tricky" to visualize Camilo's shape-shift ability with a static image, therefore the three silhouettes were put on his door to represent his gift and the door's portrait of him isn't meant to be seen as his younger self. [13]
• It is also seen during " The Family Madrigal " that Casita's second floor can act as a gigantic treadmill, as seen with Luisa.
• Concept art reveals that her room would have resembled a beach side villa with exercise equipment. Another, had it be a rocky canyon and one had it resemble a boring room with a secret entrance to a theme park.
• It has been theorized a lot of what Mirabel's gift is; a highly thought theory says her "gift" would be the same as Abuela Alma (being in charge of the magic). A part of this theory is that Mirabel and Alma both frequently control Casita in the movie (although it's likely that everyone can control Casita).
• Coincidentally, Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote songs for both Moana and Encanto .
• Casita was the most challenging character to design. [14]
• Unlike the other inhabitants, Alma's door doesn't have her name carved into it. Rather it has the title "Abuela".

Gallery [ ]

References [ ]

• ↑ Reif, Alex (November 24, 2021). " Meet Casita, the Anthropomorphic House from Disney’s “Encanto” ". LaughingPlace .
• ↑ Bush, Jared (January 12, 2022). " Alma's bedroom ". Twitter .
• ↑ Bush, Jared (January 4, 2022). " Casita's bathroom ". Twitter .
• ↑ Bush, Jared (December 26, 2021). " Casita's Limits ". Twitter .
• ↑ Bush, Jared (January 2, 2022). " Casita Expanding ". Twitter .
• ↑ Bush, Jared (January 8, 2022). " Casita Growing ". Twitter .
• ↑ Bush, Jared (December 27, 2021). " Gift Ceremony Pictures ". Twitter .
• ↑ Bush, Jared (January 8, 2022). " Doors Changing ". Twitter .
• ↑ Mason, Courtney (January 12, 2022). " Why Encanto's Biggest Character Change Improved The Film ". Screen Rant .
• ↑ " Casita animation test (Encanto) ". YouTube . Rod Deq (December 2, 2021).
• ↑ Bush, Jared (January 15, 2022). " Pepa's room ". Twitter .
• ↑ Bush, Jared (January 8, 2022). " Dolores's Room ". Twitter .
• ↑ Bush, Jared (December 7, 2021). " Camilo's Door ". Twitter .
• ↑ Bush, Jared (August 31, 2022). " Hardest Character Design ". Twitter .
• 2 Inside Out 2

Meet Casita, the Anthropomorphic House from Disney’s “Encanto”

Audiences are experiencing Disney’s Encanto  in theaters and falling in love with the family Madrigal. But there’s a bonus character in the film that quickly became one of my favorites known as Casita. Among the details revealed during a press day with the filmmakers, some of the most interesting were all about the house where Mirabel and her family live.

“Like the ocean in Moana , the house of Encanto  is a character,” co-director Jared Bush explained. “But opposed to Moana , our house is a little bit more opinionated and flawed like a family. It's a house that plays favorites, a house that messes with people. This is casa Madrigal, the magical home to the Madrigal family, and it's located within the Encanto, along with a small neighboring town. It's alive with magic and its own unique personality.”

Casita’s personality aligns with the feelings of the family Madrigal. If they’re happy, the house is happy, but if they’re experiencing discord, the house’s walls begin to crack. Unlike Disney’s 1952 animated short The Little House , Casita doesn’t have a recognizable face in its architecture but comes alive in different ways. Tiles move around, steps move and slide, shudders allow emotions to be revealed. All of this created new challenges for the studio. “During the whole production, we were constantly getting new ideas about how the house could express itself,” co-director Byron Howard added. “So our design and technology team were very patient with us for several years as we kind of figured out, can we move this, can we move that? So we thank them.”

“Our house of the family Madrigal is inspired by traditional homes in Colombia, places like Barichara, and places like Cartegena and Salento,” revealed associate production designer Lorelay Bové. “Early on, we talked to Colombian architects and they gave us such great information about the construction of these houses. In the design of the Casita, one thing that we learned through the consultants was in the coffee region there's a lot of haciendas that have an indoor/outdoor feel. So we really wanted to get that in our Casita, as well as the courtyard, which has a beautiful view to all the magical doors in our house.”

“We have this opportunity in animated films to do things you can't always do in live-action,” producer Clark Spencer shared. “To bring it in as a character and let it provide both the comedy that it provides, but also be this character you're gonna fall in love with and have an emotional component to it was really just so, so exciting. And I kind of harken it back to when Byron and Jared first pitched Zootopia , and they talked about all these different worlds… You could see this house just being something in this film that would be very unique and that the audience would fall in love with.”

Encanto  is now playing only in theaters.

Screen Rant

Encanto: every madrigal's room explained (meaning & hidden details).

Although Encanto shows few of the Madrigals’ rooms, those that are included – along with ideas for others – reflect the characters’ gifts and stories.

All of the bedrooms shown in Encanto  have special meanings for their characters. The winner of the 2022 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature,  Encanto  tells the story of a Colombian family, the Madrigals, who are blessed with a miracle that is powered by an enchanted candle. This miracle created a magical home, nicknamed “Casita,” for the family, and it grants most of the Madrigals their own unique gift.

Aside from Mirabel, who appears to have been skipped, each Madrigal child receives their power at a “gift ceremony” when they turn five years old. During this ceremony, a magical door appears in the wall revealing the child’s gift and leading to an entirely new room within Casita. This special new bedroom is not only impossibly huge on the inside, but it also matches the child’s particular gift.

Related: Encanto Director Secretly Hinted Mirabel Did Get A Gift

Despite the Madrigal family’s large size, very few of their bedrooms are featured in Encanto . However, each of these rooms reveals much about their owners’ personalities and journeys. And in addition to those rooms seen in the movie, Encanto ’s creators have described other characters’ rooms and their original design ideas. Here is what is known about each Madrigal’s room and how it connects to their powers and story.

Isabela’s Room

As the Madrigals’ “perfect child,” Isabela’s room reflects the perfectionism expected of her. Matching her gift to create flowers, Isabela’s room is covered in beautiful blossoms and well-manicured topiaries. The color scheme initially consists of pinks and pastels, emphasizing Isabela’s appearance of being a princess. However, the massive flower curtains in Isabela’s room have darker symbolism. Although the drapes are beautiful, they represent how Isabela feels trapped by both her powers and Abuela’s expectations for perfection. While singing “What Else Can I Do?” Isabela finally expresses her desire to break free from her constraints and allowed her room to become more expressive and colorful with new types of plants. In this way, Isabela’s room reflects her journey to discover how to be her true self, free from others’ expectations and her need to always be perfect.

Bruno’s Room

Although Bruno had a magic room in Casita’s tower , he abandoned it when he supposedly left the family. Instead, he chooses to live inside the walls of the house. His main living quarters are a messy, cramped, rat-infested room just on the other side of the kitchen wall. This allows him to set up his own table beside the Madrigals’ dining table, so he could still pretend to eat with the rest of the family. While this is already a sad way for Bruno to live, one detail about his room further symbolizes his unfortunate relationship with his family. All of Bruno’s furniture comes from broken or discarded pieces from the rest of Casita. This includes his kitchen chair — the same kind used by the rest of the Madrigals, but Bruno’s chair is damaged. Due to this, Bruno’s room signifies how he wants to be part of the family, but he feels like he has been broken or thrown away due to his dangerous powers.

Antonio’s Room

Near the beginning of Encanto , Antonio completes his gift ceremony, gaining the special power to talk to animals. Casita then creates his new room, which is a paradise for the various Colombian animals that Antonio can suddenly now communicate with. Antonio’s room consists of an entire jungle within the house, complete with multiple levels of tropical plants and waterfalls. The space is open and fun, reflecting the fact that Antonio has not yet felt as much pressure as the rest of the Madrigals. Although Antonio is scared by the possibility of not receiving a gift, like Mirabel, Abuela has not yet placed high expectations on him, as she has on the rest of the family. That is why Antonio’s gift – and room – are still a blessing to enjoy rather than a burden to bear.

Related:  Encanto Theory Explains Why Luisa Starts Losing Her Powers First

Luisa’s Room

While Luisa’s room is never shown in Encanto,  production designer Ian Gooding revealed some of the original ideas for her room in Disney's book  The  Art of Encanto . If the movie had included Luisa’s room, it was going to be dull and primarily made of stone, reflecting her enhanced strength and sense of responsibility. Encanto’s creators also considered giving Luisa a secret room , where she could play in a private theme park without her family knowing. However, this would have created problems for Luisa’s character development. In her song, “Surface Pressure,” Luisa admitted to Mirabel that she was under too much pressure from their family with no means to escape. If Luisa had a secret room to relax, this would undercut the meaning of “Surface Pressure. So,  Encanto’s creators deleted Luisa’s secret room and ultimately did not include her bedroom at all.

Mirabel’s Room: What Would It Look Like?

One of the key points in Encanto is that Mirabel did not receive a special gift, meaning that she did not get her own magic room, either. Due to this, Mirabel stayed in the nursery, sharing the small space with Antonio once he was born. However, there have already been rumors about the production of Encanto 2 , which would most likely feature Mirabel having her own room . Since the community pulls together at the end of Encanto  to help the Madrigals rebuild their home without magic, it would make sense for them to build Mirabel a room. This raises the question of what Mirabel’s room would look like.

In Colombia, yellow butterflies represent the genre of magical realism, based on their prominent role in Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s book A Hundred Years of Solitude . In recognition of this national symbol, Encanto features yellow butterflies as well, associating them with the original miracle that blessed the Madrigals. While Mirabel did not wear yellow, her dress is embroidered with butterflies, signifying that she has always been connected to the family’s magic even without being granted a unique gift. Additionally, Mirabel’s butterflies symbolize how she changes  and learns to accept herself throughout Encanto . Therefore, Mirabel’s room would most likely feature butterflies as a key theme.

We can also assume that Julieta (with Agustín), Pepa (with Félix), Dolores, and Camilo all have magical rooms befitting their respective powers, but none of these spaces are seen in the movie. Although Encanto does not show all of the Madrigals’ bedrooms, it's clear that each of the family members' rooms relates to their particular gifts, but within the plot of the movie, each of the shown rooms also reflects how its corresponding character grows throughout the story.

Next: A Key Mirabel Change Secretly Saved Encanto

The Nerds of Color

Pop culture with a different perspective.

How the Magical Casita in ‘Encanto’ is a New Kind of Disney Castle

Encanto follows three generations of family, of which everyone but Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) has magical powers. Despite being ordinary and spending her entire life trying to measure up to the rest of the Madrigals, Mirabel discovers that the magic that defines her family’s legacy is in danger and that she may be the only one who can save it and them.

As diverse as the Madrigal family members are in their magical powers or lack thereof, the art department wanted to organize the families so that the audience could identify and distinguish them. Co-writer and co-director Charise Castro-Smith spoke about some of the challenges of tracking 13 characters in 90 minutes. “It took a lot of iterations, a lot of screenings, a lot of work, a lot of feedback from our incredible team in the studio,” she said. “But what was most surprising and one of the most amazing things to me, having this be my first time working in this medium, was just how much the animators were able to accomplish character-wise through just simple movement and storytelling.”

The magic in Encanto isn’t the one conjured by wizards using wands. Instead, this kind of magic is tied to emotion and part of Latin American culture and family tradition. Because Smith has deep ties to “magical realism,” it would help make the magic feel more authentic to the story.

Spencer Clark, a producer on Encanto , echoed those sentiments. According to him, there are 13 different characters, who have 13 different hairstyles and costume designs, and need 13 different story arcs. He points out that previous films had only two or three characters going off on an adventure because it was more contained and easier for the audience to track. But the challenge for “ Encanto was to have these 13 characters that need to be around because they can’t just disappear. “It was, from the beginning, critical that we were going to tell a story about three generations of the family, that all the characters be seen, be followed, and have an arc to make it work or it wasn’t worth embarking on,” he said.

And to help make the visual tracking easier, art teams and production designers were given the task of giving Mirabel and the Madrigal family costume designs to complement their powers and personalities.

“We wanted to make sure to organize the families through distinct color palettes, to make sure that our audiences can track who’s who and who which member is from each side of the family,” production designer Lorelay Bove said. So, for instance, Mirabel’s family will have cooler tones to their clothing, while her Aunt Pepa and Uncle Felix will have warmer color palettes.

Because the art team got a very clear direction of who Mirabel was, it helped them inform the design and costuming. So for Encanto , it will have a hand-made feel to all of the costumes. Even the casita, or cottage, will feel like it was made by hand. They also worked closely with consultants and anthropologists from the cultural story trust to develop beautiful traditional costumes from early 20th century Colombia.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Stephanie Beatriz plays Mirabel, the empathic teenager Madrigal family. Beatriz brought a complex and exciting nuance to the character that would help ground the Encanto through her imperfections and humanity. And her ad-libbing only gave Mirabel more personality and made her even funnier.

Since the beginning, the idea was for Mirabel to have embroidery in her costume. Despite some of its imperfections, the designs were meant to resemble something that you would find in a teenager’s art book or drawings in a diary. Costume lead designer Neysa Bove used her research to design the beautiful iconography embroidered into her skirt and the traditional blouse.

Diane Guerrero voices Isabella Madrigal, the family’s golden child whose magical powers make plants grow and flowers bloom. She also happens to be Mirabel’s oldest sister. Her costuming is less folkloric when compared to Mirabel and Luisa. Isabella has a Christmas orchid, the national flower of Colombia, pinned to her hair. Much of her costume designs and the room designs were inspired by the flower festivals of Colombia, specifically the one in Medellín. So expect to see dahlias, hydrangeas, orchids, daisies, amongst other flowers from Columbia.

Isabella always is the center of attention, even though she isn’t the film’s main character. So the art department team took inspiration from Colombian beauty pageants and mirrored her movements from the way she walks and waves at people tho beauty pageant contestants.

Luisa Madrigal (Jessica Darrow), Mirabel’s older sister, is considered the rock of the family. She is physically the strongest carrying the heaviest weights, including the emotional ones. She is also described as sensitive and secretly bursting with oversized emotions that conflict with her tough persona. Her designs have an athletic build to them. And she has a traditional Colombian blouse inspired by the Coffee region.

Mirabel’s parents are Agustín and Julieta. Julieta (Angie Cepeda) is described as warm and nurturing. As the town doctor, she uses her magical powers to heal through food. Then there is the accident-prone Augustin. He may be a slightly awkward fish out of water who married into the Madrigal family, but he is the perfect husband to Julieta, who has to heal his injuries. “It is a perfect situation that he married a healer, and so they have a great set of comic dynamics,” Howard said.

The team decided to use turquoise for Julieta’s color palette because of its calming and healing effects. And because she can heal through foods, her pockets contain healing herbs that grow in Colombia. “She has a beautiful embroidery of those herbs as well as healing iconography,” Bove said.

For Agustín, the fish out of water member of the family, his clothing was inspired by people from Bogota. Bove mentioned his designs might be a bit more conservative in comparison to the other members of the family. And because he loves his daughters so much, audiences will be able to pinpoint aspects of their personalities within his clothes.

Peppa (Carolina Gaitán) and Bruno are Julieta’s other two children and Mirabel’s aunt and uncle. Though the estranged Bruno was gifted with visions of the future, the family believed that Bruno’s visions were causing the misfortune. As such, he mysteriously disappeared from Casa Madrigal.

The mercurial Peppa can control the weather through her emotions. But because she is super overly dramatic and super emotional all the time, it tends to lead to unpredictable weather patterns. However, she is balanced out by her husband Felix (Mauro Castillo) and described as the life of the party. Their three children, Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio are all Mirabel’s magically gifted cousins.

American Urban Reggaetón singer-songwriter Adassa lends her voice to Dolores. Gifted with the magical ability of extraordinary hearing, Dolores often hears things that she shouldn’t, which gets her into a lot of trouble. But she is always trying to be helpful. Camilo (Rhenzy Feliz) is a shapeshifter. It’s a power that suits him well because he is a teenager trying to figure out what he wants to be. “He’s trying a lot of hats, a lot of different faces, kind of a theater kid at heart,” Howard said. “But the guy is gonna make you laugh.” And finally, the sweet but very shy Antonio (Ravi-Cabot Conyers) has the magical gift of communicating with animals.

But the Madrigal family would not be here if it weren’t for the sacrifice of Abuelo Pedro. Though she may have been alone, Abuela Alma’s unwavering faith would create the magical encanto where the Madrigals call home. As the family matriarch, Abuela Alma’s steely strength and single-minded determination to protect her family haven’t wavered in 50 years since she lost her husband. Abuela Alma is voiced by María Cecilia Botero.

Because Abuela Alma is a widow who’s been through so much, her costume color palette and character design have a lot of weight and feel more constrained than other characters. “All of the embroidery and lace iconography are flames from candles,” Bove said. Butterflies are also a part of the costuming as they symbolize the moment the Encanto was created. They also happen to be the symbol of Colombia.

As for Bruno, he is voiced by John Leguizamo. While the directors could not offer too much information about his character, the mysterious of Bruno is the most delicious, according to Bush.

But the Madrigals and the townspeople in Encanto aren’t the only characters whose life burst with song and dance. Casa Madrigal may be home to the Madrigal family. But casita is also alive and just as magical as they are.

The main casita in Encanto was inspired by the Colombian towns of Barachara and Salento. The Colombian architects who were a part of Cultural Story Trust also provided their input to help bring more authenticity to the Encanto story.

“They gave us a lot of great information about the construction of these homes,” Bove said. “For example, in the coffee region, there’s a lot of homes with an indoor and outdoor feel because of the temperature of the weather. So, we added this in our castle design, as well as a beautiful courtyard where you can see all the magical doors.”

Each of these rooms fits and uniquely designed the Madrigal’s magical powers. For example, Antonio’s room is inspired by the choco rain forest on Colombia’s Pacific coast. To help create this environment, Bove and Pacheo spoke to botanists about the native plants growing in the region, like ferns, philodendron, and all sorts of plants. “We really wanted to reflect the immense biodiversity of Colombia,” Bove said.

Juan Rendon and Natalie Ozma, who had worked with Jared Bush and Bryon Howard on the Zootopia documentary, also provided input on the design of the casita. The kitchen serves as the heart of Casa Madrigal, feels more distinctly Colombian. During the early production phases, the house had a warm and bright color palette to complement the plants and textures. The moving tiles give the home a magical personality. There is also a fun practicality to it as the tiles move objects or turn stairs into a slide. It’s a very helpful house.

Eventually, the animation and design team moved towards a neutral palette by adding more white and more stonework to the interior work. Props like corn grinders, and traditional clay pottery called chamba, were also added to the home.

Since the kitchen is considered the heart of the house, the colors have a very warm and very calming effect. That idea comes alive when candles are lit at night. These acted as a complement to the cooler color palettes of some of the characters like Mirabel and Julieta.

And the house proved to be an incredibly challenging element to Encanto because not only is it moving and breathing, but it needed to be alive in a way that felt real. Anywhere you are in the house, there is always something moving. The clacking tiles carrying over a cup of coffee to you or help put your shoes on. So the bigger questions were how does a house feel and how does she express that to key characters.

Encanto opens in theaters on November 24, 2021.

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Michael lee.

Michael just loves to write about movies. From the franchise blockbusters to the indie darlings, and even foreign films. But his heart belongs to animation. View all posts by Michael Lee

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Disney’s Exciting NEW Encanto X Camp Experience

For the first time ever, La Familia Madrigal are opening their doors. We visited the world’s first immersive Disney  Encanto x Camp experience and had the opportunity to experience this vibrant and interactive Casita, as part of Disney’s Encanto X Camp.

Our magical journey took us through various passageways and locations from the animated film in what was a joyous hour-long tour of the Madrigal house. This is the latest collaborative effort from Disney and CAMP to deliver magic to residents of New York City ; bringing them Disney Magic when they cannot journey to the parks.

Related: Disney On Ice Presents Frozen & Encanto coming to a location near you

CAMP has locations in New York, Texas, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California. CAMP promises “unique family experiences” suitable for the whole family; we had a chance to see that promise delivered in real-time at their downtown Manhattan location. Grab your Encanto Miracle Candle and come along as we explore CAMP’s latest and one-of-a-kind Encanto Casita.

We begin our experience by being handed a magical candle that will serve as the “key” to unlocking the magic of the Casita. Together with CAMP counselors, we unlocked the secrets behind the bookcase with a series of magic words “Abre la Puerta” (open the door). The bookcase swung open to reveal a secret passageway where we were greeted by friends of Mirabel.

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Together we sang “Family Madrigal” as we danced our way to the front door of the Madrigal Casita. The Casita came to life; as the ceramic tiles of the roof cascade above our heads. The colors of the surrounding town and Mercado were vibrant. Instantly we were welcomed into the Casita and our journey as an honorary guest of the family Madrigal was underway.

Related: Disney’s CFO says to expect to see Encanto in the Theme Parks soon

As expected the Casita is filled with interactive experiences. Behind each magical door is unique theming and adventures sure to be enjoyed by the entire family. In the main corridor, you can experience a second-floor slide and explore secret passages that lead us to Bruno’s hideaway behind the walls. Unlike the film where Abuela runs the show, in this experience you are free to roam the Casita at your own pace, unlocking the magic of the Casita with members of your family.

Our journey through the Madrigal Casita took us first to Isabella’s Floral room. Every inch of the room was covered in gorgeous flora and to the left a projected wall; brought the room to life. Kids of all ages frolic about as CAMP counselors supervise and direct children with storytelling and song. Yes, we participated in a sing-a-long of “What Else Can I do”. It was hard to not be swept up by the hurricane of Jacarandas of Isabella’s room. This was probably our favorite room in the entire Casita, and from the crowds in this space, we could tell that the other kids certainly agreed with us.

Music plays an integral role in the Encanto x CAMP experience. From the very beginning of your hour-long interactions the songs of the animated film play prominent in every corner of the house. Live performances fill the space as CAMP counselors sing along to the Academy Award-winning score. Songs in both Spanish and English could be enjoyed by all visitors to the Casita.

Ultimately this is where the CAMP experience becomes more than just a passive “Tour” of the Casita. CAMP staff help direct and guide families through the Encanto x CAMP experience; via storytelling, interactive gaming, musical experiences, and more.

We then journeyed to Antonio’s rainforest, complete with slides and a jungle playset. A smiling Jaguar presided overhead as children enjoyed Antonio’s room. As we came out of Antonio’s we were again greeted by the rhythmic guitar.

Related: Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” Has Become the Biggest Disney Song to Date

We just had to talk about Bruno and pulled back on a painting in the main hall which revealed the secret passageway to Bruno’s room behind the walls. A balance beam and foam pit provided a fun obstacle to get to Bruno’s hideaway. Don’t worry mom and dad, there’s also a direct route to get there; no gymnastics required. Bruno’s room had more secret passages, his mice friends, slides, and interactive games where you had to catch mice. We were able to get 50 mice before moving on with our experience.

In Mirabel’s room, CAMP counselors were storytelling and reading books aloud to the children. The magical candle that was provided also interacted with the window pane here and set off a magical surprise outside of the Casita window. The magical candle serves as a key to the whole experience, helping unlock the magic within each room. Don’t worry, no spoilers here.

Disney’s Encanto x CAMP goes further than the animated film; offering a look into the never before seen room of Luisa; complete with Donkeys and an interactive skeeball game. Luisa’s room was our personal favorite, playing Skee Ball with the CAMP counselor was certainly one of the highlights for this massive kid.

After we secured the “secret password” from a CAMP counselor we were ready to venture into cousin Dolores’s room and take our souvenir photograph as an honorary member of the family Madrigal. Afterward, we spent some extra time walking outside of the Casita and looking at the various kiosks that offered personalized merchandise to commemorate our journey.

Tickets grant you access to a 1-hour immersive experience. CAMP has asked that ticket holders arrive 15 minutes before their time slot so that they can accommodate everyone’s reservations in a timely manner. Tickets have variable pricing averaging 34.00 per person. Visit CAMP’s location page for up-to-date hours of operation and pricing.

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Casa Madrigal

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The Casa Madrigal (mainly referred to as Casita ) is a location from Disney's feature film, Encanto . It is the residence of the Madrigal family , and along with the magical gifts, the house was given to them by the candle. The building is also sentient, practically making it a character in itself.

Personality-wise, the Casita is described to be "little bit more opinionated and flawed like a family. It is a house that plays favorites, "a house that messes with people", and its personality "aligns with the feelings of the family Madrigal", such as being happy if the family is happy, or the house's walls beginning to crack if there's discord among them.

• 1 Description
• 6 References

Description [ ]

The Casa Madrigal is a three-story building situated in the Colombian mountains, arranged in a square that encircles the ceiling less courtyard in the center. There are many small balconies located on the outside walls and the roof of the house is Spanish roof tiles. Adjacent to the courtyard, there are two staircases connecting the ground floor with the second floor, in one of the staircase is

The ground floor consists of the recreational rooms, such as the kitchen and dining room. The second floor is basically one long balcony that overlooks the courtyard and it's where all of the bedrooms are located. Each bedroom door depicts its inhabitant using their respective gift carved into the wood, and they emit a golden glow that illuminates the image. The bedroom doors also have the inhabitants first initial carved on the doorknob.

Due to the magical nature of the Casita, the bedrooms are bigger on the inside than they are on the outside, and the nature of the inside of each bedroom corresponds to and acts as extensions of its inhabitant's gift: Isabela's bedroom is a garden in the likeness of a princess' palace bedroom, and Antonio's bedroom is a jungle filled with all kinds of animals for him to converse with. Among the bedrooms, there is a nursery where the children under the age of five reside before they get their own room during their birthday/gift ceremony, and the nursery functions as Mirabel's bedroom as well.

The third floor consists of Bruno's tower and Alma's room with an a open window that displays the magic candle.

Although not shown, Casita only has one bathroom. [1]

Casita is able to freely manipulate itself and all the furniture inside it; it can open and close its own doors, windows, drawers and cabinets, move and flip the tiles and planks that make up its floors, and it can even decorate itself.

Generally, the Casita is kind and very helpful towards the family, using its ability to rearrange its features to suit the family's needs or aid them their daily routines. Casita also has power to do things in the magical rooms, though that power can be cut off if a gifted family member is emotionally disconnected from the family (like Bruno's Tower, which later was restored to being a part of Casita when Bruno returns).

On the night of a Madrigal child's fifth birthday, they are blessed with a magical gift, and with that gift comes a new permanent room as they leave the nursery. The room is magically created after the child gets their gift, and the room is usually unique to the child and their abilities. The size of the room is normally much bigger than what would be expected to fit inside of the Casita.

Jared Bush confirms that the interior of the rooms, as well as the exterior (the doors), change as the occupants change. [2]

History [ ]

The Casa Madrigal is a magical house created by the magic candle owned by Alma Madrigal and after the death of her husband, Pedro, who was killed by soldiers after they conquered their previous village.

Through the candle, it gives each member of the family a magical gift on their fifth birthday. While it seems Mirabel was the only exception to the rule, as the door to what should have been her special room had disappeared when she turned five, it might be possible that the Casa Madrigal knew what it was doing, as Mirabel showed no hard feelings to what happened and has "conversations" with the house whenever they are working together for something special, and when the house and its magic seemed to be fading—and everyone's gifts with it—Mirabel seems to be the only one who has what it takes to fix it, as she does not need powers to look for the real problem and find a solution.

Later, when the Casa Madrigal begins to lose its magic, more cracks and debris begin appearing, forcing the Madrigals (including Antonio's pet animals) to flee the house in panic, and as many cracks start appearing in the house, Casa Madrigal eventually collapsed, leaving the Madrigals homeless. Mirabel talks to Abuela at the river where Pedro died before the Casa Madrigal was created, claiming it was her fault in causing the house to lose its magic. The next day after reconciling, Mirabel and the rest of the Madrigal family members (including Bruno) work together in rebuilding the house and after rebuilding the Casa Madrigal, the magic returns back to Encanto after Mirabel adds the doorknob to the front door of the Casa Madrigal, bringing magic back to the land of Encanto and the Madrigal family members rejoice with each other in joy and enthusiasm.

• Though Casita can freely manipulate itself and its internal features, it has never been seen changing its overall structure, nor has the building ever moved from its location.
• Jared Bush has confirmed that the Madrigals do not have their own bathrooms in their rooms, but they all share a bathroom.
• Though Casita also can do things in the magical bedrooms, it has never been shown as they didn't really pay attention on it.
• In the movie only the nursery/Mirabel's room, Bruno's room, Antonio's room, Isabela's room, a bit of Pepa's room and technically, Alma's room have been shown.
• Dolores and Bruno's doors are the only doors which have as their eyes opened.
• Unlike the others who have their names on their doors, Alma's door says "Abuela". In fact, her door previously said "Alma", but it changed to "Abuela" after her grandchildren were born. [5]
• The design of Bruno's room is based off of the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá. [6]

Gallery [ ]

References [ ]

• ↑ https://twitter.com/thejaredbush/status/1478384793410846736
• ↑ https://twitter.com/thejaredbush/status/1479855644047929350
• ↑ https://twitter.com/thejaredbush/status/1481137700715462657
• ↑ https://twitter.com/thejaredbush/status/1479866638811877380
• ↑ https://twitter.com/thejaredbush/status/1478378592128151556
• ↑ https://twitter.com/thejaredbush/status/1487918715102400514
• 1 Mirabel Madrigal
• 2 Isabela Madrigal
• 3 Dolores Madrigal

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Here's Where to Find Disney's Inspiration for 'Encanto' in Real Life

Colombia has more than 3,600 butterfly species (the most in the world), so the average viewer may not realize that the yellow butterflies that swarm through Disney's enchanting animated movie Encanto were inspired by author Gabriel García Márquez 's frequent use of yellow butterflies as a symbol of love, hope, and peace in his "magic realist" novels.

Disney's tale of the magically-gifted Madrigal family who live in a magical house in the enchanting highland town of Encanto — set in the beguiling real-life Valle de Cocora — begins with the tragedy of Colombia's violent past before morphing into a panegyric to Colombia's warm and welcoming beauty . Bougainvillea spills over colonial mansions painted in vibrant tropical pastels — guava, papaya, and tangerine. Toucans chirp as they swoop overhead. Slender palm trees tower over a riot of velvety green. Villages quilted with cobbled plazas are populated by women in lacy polleras (skirts) and cheery menfolk wearing iconic sombreros vueltiaos (decorated woven straw hats) and woolen ruanas (shawls).

Encanto is packed with vivid, almost hallucinogenic, details that reflect Colombia's culturally vibrant, ecologically astounding , and geographically stunning diversity. Here's where to experience and savor key elements from the movie that capture Colombia's real cinematic enchantment.

The setting of Encanto

When Byron Howard and Jared Bush , the two directors of Encanto , visited the Valle de Cocora in 2018 they instantly knew this is where the casita of the Madrigal family should be. Deep in the heart of the Eje Cafetero — the "Coffee Axis" — in the Cordillera Central, the exquisite mountain-framed valley is studded with endemic Quindío wax palms towering 200 feet. The hairsbreadth-thin palms (the world's tallest) burst upwards from undulating lime-green pastures like slender fountains, their tousled fronds lost in mist.

Vintage Willys Jeep taxis from the nearby village of Salento offer a fun ride up a bumpy country lane to Cocora, with its hiking trails, horseback rides, and centuries-old dairy farm-restaurants, such as Donde Juan B Bosques de Cocora , serving whole pink trout bathed in garlic.

Encanto 's eponymous village is a mirror-image of #Instaready Barichara , a perfectly preserved 18th-century hilltown resembling a movie set. Barichara, in Santander province an eight-hour drive north of Bogotá , feels like a town lost in time with its stone-paved streets and whitewashed adobe homes with traditional red-tile roofs, stone zócalos (the lower third of exterior walls), and wooden doors, windows, and railings colored as if by crayon. Many homes have been restored as chic boutique hotels , such as La Nube Posada , which also serves gourmet meals. I fell in love with the local delicacy: hormegas culoñas (big leafcutter ants).

Howard and Bush also graced Encanto with the effusive flower-bedecked balconies and pastel-colored exterior walls of Cartagena .

Butterflies… endless butterflies

The tear-inducing song 'Dos Oruguitas' about two caterpillars (representing abuela Alma and abuelo Pedro ) that fall in love, then turn into butterflies and fly apart, is a metaphor for the miraculous, transformative nature of butterflies… which flutter en masse around Alma and Mirabel when they express their love for each other, and Sebastián Yatra's 'Dos Oruguitas' morphs into a beautiful song of redemption.

Seeing real butterflies in Colombia couldn't be easier: the country is home to 3,642 species! While in the Eje Cafetero, check-out the lepidoptera at Jardin Botánico de Quindío , where some 50 species flit about a netted enclosure.

Yellow butterflies flew around Gabriel García Márquez's grandparents' house in Aracataca , where he was born and lived as a child. (His grandmother Tranquilina's story about an electrician who was eternally followed by butterflies inspired the mariposas amarillas that surround the lover Mauricio in One Hundred Years of Solitude .) Today, yellow butterflies adorn Aracataca, a somnolent mini-Macondo a 2.5-hour drive south of the Caribbean city of Santa Marta. They seem to dance in the glaring sun on commemorative wall murals, while giant wooden butterflies seem to flit about the garden of Gabo's former home — today the Casa-Museo Gabriel García Márquez. Gabostown Tours offers guided tours.

To experience clouds of yellow butterflies, visit Colombia in spring or fall when millions of Phoebis philea migrate north and south.

Animals and birds

In Encanto , adorable little Antonio Madrigal is blessed with the Dr. Doolittle-like gift of being able to communicate with animals and birds. His room morphs into a rainforest filled with coatimundis, capybaras, a jaguar, and tapir, plus hummingbirds and toucans (including Pico). No wonder! Colombia is a tropical menagerie teeming with astonishing wildlife.

Antonio's room — replete with jungle treehouse — was based on the Chocó rainforest, in the country's northwestern extreme. Reserva Natural El Almejal provides a perfect base for exploring this supreme hothouse of biodiversity and home to real coatimundis, jaguars, and tapirs. For a treehouse experience, head to Reserva Natural Tanimboca , near Leticia, in Amazonia. Overnighting alone in the rainforest, you may hear — and, if lucky, see — jungle cats and other nocturnal critters, including tapirs, prowling around your treehouse.

Wherever you are in Colombia, the birding (with some 1,920 species) is sure to astound. To spot them, sign up with a reputable birding guide or tour company, such a Quindío-based Penelope Birding . The Valle de Cocora is an exclusive reserve for the endemic and critically endangered Yellow-eared parrot (you'll need an eagle-eyed guide to spot it). Hummingbirds zip past, like the green flash of sunset. And toucans hop about the silvery yagruma trees. I've even spotted Andean condors overhead here!

Combine a visit to Aracataca with Reserva de las Aves Río Blanco , in the montane rainforests of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The Fundación ProAves , which operates the reserve (and 25 others), is a good resource.

Music and dance

It's easy to fall under the spell of Encanto 's magical musical scores, which play up Colombia's diverse genres. Cumbia... guaracha… joropo... merengue… vallenato... plus salsa and other contemporary sounds. For example, 'Colombia, me encanto,' the movie's final track, is an infectious vallenato that has you swaying irresistibly in your seat.

"Vallenato is what we (Latinos) put on at parties, so I wanted to write the most joyous song possible... A love letter to Colombia itself," recalls songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda. "It gets ratcheted up to the Nth degree when you add Carlos Vives' vocals." To catch the vida loca vibe of accordion-centric vallenato in person, head to its birthplace, Valledupar , which hosts a vallenato festival every late September or early October.

Germaine Franco's score for Encanto is infused with cumbia, considered the most quintessential of Colombian musical genres. Its soulful beat pulses through the streets of Barranquilla and Cartagena , where it evolved as the Caribbean derivative of the cumbe dance of West Africa. Cumbia is performed in Encanto by Mirabel's uncle Félix , an Afro-Colombian costeño (Caribbean coast dweller). He's the biggest personality in the movie, with a huge, open, fun-loving personality typical of the Colombian Caribbean.

Cartagena's Crazy Salsa Dance School will teach you the moves of this and other popular dance forms. Cali , however, is considered the capital of sizzling salsa, and ground zero for beginners who yearn to dance like a pro; the city's Tango Vivo y Salva Viva has produced several national champions.

Food experiences

"You just healed my hand with arepa con queso," says Mirabel to her mum, Julieta , whose arepas (cornmeal cakes) and other dishes have healing powers. Magic is everywhere in Encanto , including in the kitchen and (spoiler!) the disastrous dinner scene when Mariano proposes to Isabela and everyone is served ajiaco.

This delicious and hearty soup is a must-try Andean favorite, perfect for a cold and drizzly day around Bogotá. Traditionally served in a black earthenware bowl, it contains chicken, potatoes, avocado, capers, corn on the cob, and a blob of thick cream. In Bogotá it's featured on most restaurants' menus. Foodies with guidebooks in hand flock to the hole-in-the-wall La Puerta Falsa , in the heart of cobbled La Candelaria. For the best of the best, I prefer my steaming bowl of ajiaco at El Son de los Grillos , a much cozier, antique-filled restaurant three blocks away.

As to warm, freshly-made arepas , you'll discover dozens of types on a culinary adventure around Colombia. Crisp arepas boyacenses from the Boyacá region are stuffed with cheese. Arepas de huevo, stuffed with fried egg, are a Caribbean delicacy— Barranquilla and Cartagena dispute which makes the best. And crunchy, zesty arepa santandereana, from the Andean Santander district, mixes yucca (cassava) and chicharrón (fried pork rinds) deliciously into the cornmeal.

To learn how to prepare arepas, ajiaco, and other signature Colombian dishes just like Julieta Madrigal, don an apron with Colombian Cooking Experience and bring home the best souvenir possible.

Encanto is a veritable tropical Eden. Isabela, the golden child ("Señorita Perfecta" to Mirabel, her youngest sister) of the Madrigal family, conjures beautiful flowers with every swish of her hand and hair. The Madrigal home and village of Encanto are awash in bougainvillea and other flowers. That's Colombia!

The giddy oranges and pink bougainvillea tumbling like veritable cascades over the walls of Barichara and nearby Villa de Leyva were a clear inspiration. So, too, the bougainvillea-festooned balconies of Cartagena , the not-to-be-missed UNESCO World Heritage City with its centuries-old cathedrals and castles, and horse-drawn carriages, enclosed within thick fortress walls.

That strangely pink river where abuela Alma and Mirabel sit and make-up after the house collapses? It exists! Check it out at Caño Cristales, in Parque Nacional Natural Sierra de la Macarena , in Los Llanos. Here, crystal-clear streams flow over granite bedrock colored like an artist's palette with Podostemaceae — aqueous flowers that bloom pink each summer and fall.

In early August, head to Medellín — the 'City of Eternal Spring' —f or the spectacular Fería de las Flores (Flower Festival). The highlight is the Desfile de Silleteros, when hundreds of farmworkers parade brilliant flower arrangements on their backs (they make a cameo appearance in Encanto at minute 7:00). The day prior, be sure to visit a flower farm in nearby Santa Elena. The farms are made more vibrant as Colombian visitors dressed in ruanas and sombreros vueltiaos flock to see farmers putting the finishing touches to their silletas — flower arrangements. Medellín Day Trips offers excursions.

"In a time when travelers are seeking comfortable familiarity now more than ever, Colombia is the perfect destination for those who want one foot in exploration, and one foot in comfort," says Flavia Santoro, President of ProColombia, which last year announced its new country brand as the 'Most Welcoming Place on Earth.' "What could be more welcoming than an animated Disney movie, Encanto , which so beautifully showcases Colombia's natural and cultural splendors ?"

Christopher P. Baker , the Lowell Thomas Award 2008 'Travel Journalist of the Year,' leads annual photo tours of Colombia featuring Bogotá, the Valle de Cocora and Salento, the Eje Cafetero, Medellín, and Cartagena.

The Real Encanto Tour in Colombia

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Places visited, suggested duration, customizable itinerary, marinilla - arrive in the world of gifted encanto.

As your flight lands in Medellin, savor your first look at the the City of Eternal Spring. The city shines with an endless emerald green that blankets the jagged peaks that surround the city. With warm weather year-round, verdant trees, and vibrant flowers, Medellin represents Tia Pepa in her best mood!

Welcomed upon arrival by your driver, you will soon be en route to your beautiful accommodations. If your time allows, you may opt to stop and discover more about the colorful ceramics that adorn the welcoming Madrigal Casita in the film by visiting El Carmen de Viboral, the ceramics capital of the country. Enjoy time with one of the most famous ceramic makers in town to mix raw material, mold, and decorate your own ceramic projects before continuing to Cannua Lodge for the evening.

Nestled into the heart of the mountains, embrace the feeling of genuine magic as though you have stepped into Antonio’s room to stay in a Cabana Junior Suite. Colombia’s first sustainable, high-end eco-retreat, Cannua Lodge offers sweeping views of the Valley of San Nicolas, exquisite service, and beautiful handmade furniture and decor, just like those in the casita of the family Madrigal.

What's Included:

Santa Elena - Embrace the Gift of Isabela

With a morning inspired by Isabela, you can focus on the grandeur of the peaceful town of Santa Elena. After a delicious breakfast, discover how fields of flowers have become treasures as you learn about the history of flora in Colombia.

Enjoy the aromas of hydrangeas and the delicate petals of orchids accentuated by the sounds of squawking emerald toucanets in the trees or the image of the tailfeathers of split-tailed barranqueros dangling from the branches while stories and traditions are shared. Explore the farm with your guide to enjoy the variety of flowers before visiting with a Silletero, known for carrying enormous flower displays on their backs.

The Silleteros share a moment in Encanto when we first meet Isabela on the streets of the town. Visit together and learn more about how the family cultivates and displays flowers before sampling a refreshing aguapanela , a drink made from sugarcane.

Stop together to enjoy a lunch of traditional foods like tamales and sip delicious champú made with pineapple dried corn and lulo. Your host may tell stories about their life and of the 45 years participating in Medellin’s famous Flower Festival and grand parades.

Medellin - Discover the History of Madrigal Magic

The Madrigal family receives their gift in the wake of tragedy, and after breakfast, your family will learn more about the story shared by Abuela on a family-friendly guided tour of Medellin. As you explore the preserved architecture and vibrant rhythm of the contemporary city, you can learn about the community's role from the industrial revolution to the present day to understand the changes within the country over the centuries.

Wander through the Parque de las Luces to find 300 pillars that create a forest of light, while at Parque Berrio, you can find sculptures by famous Colombian artist Botero. You may choose to visit the Museo de Antioquia to view more of Botero’s art, and other famous Colombian artists whose work adds layers to the vibrant story told in Encanto.

The City of Eternal Spring will carry a comfortable and encouraging ambiance as you reach the Memory Museum. You have the option of visiting the unique museum galleries that display the challenging history of the city that has resulted in a positive change. By learning about the struggles of the past, you will have a deeper understanding of Abuela’s story and the emergence of Madrigal magic at the riverbanks.

Before returning to Cannua Lodge, you can visit the botanical gardens to view the butterfly exhibit. You can follow the yellow butterfly in Bruno’s vision to help save the Madrigal magic or feel the flutter of wings as though you have stepped into the river with Abuela Alma.

Guatape - Find Luisa’s Strength and Felix’s Dancing

Travel to Guatape to find out as the city glows with colorful facades and crafts that reflect the history of the eastern valley from the indigenous community to the present. A motorboat ride across the lake will let you explore the islands and see the impressive homes that line the shores before stopping for lunch at a local restaurant to try some regional specialties. From grilled trout cooked in garlic sauce to an arepa con queso, you may feel revitalized as though Mirabel’s mother, Julieta, has done the cooking!

After exploring the water and Guatape’s beautiful pathways and shops, you can climb the 649 steps to the top of La Piedra for a sweeping view of the lake as you wonder whether Luisa could lift the mighty monolith?

Back to the Cannua Lodge for the evening to enjoy a family dance class to learn the moves for which Colombia is known and performed by Tio Felix. As the music plays and your family dances salsa, you can celebrate the evening as the Madrigal family would.

Armenia - Uncover Magic, Chocolate, and the Casita

You will feel as though you have stepped directly into the Encanto as you explore the traditional architecture and comforts of the estate surrounded by the Central Andes where gardens, farms, and wildlife thrive.

After breakfast and a quick flight, you will find yourself in the Coffee Triangle of Armenia and your next luxury accommodation, Hacienda Bambusa. The inspiration for the Casita in the film, the property offers exceptional views over the coffee region to a relaxing garden, luxurious rooms where you can birdwatch from your window, and the magic of the surroundings filling the air.

Your guide will lead you through the famous coffee farm to learn about the importance of coffee producers, the climate, and how coffee culture appears in the story of Encanto. You may find the aromas of roasted coffee beans blend with the scent of chocolate as you move from coffee cultivation to cocoa production.

Bask in the trees' unique red, yellow, and orange colors before learning how to break open the pod, let the seeds ferment, dry, and then grind before finding the sweet flavor to enjoy. Savor a rich cup of hot chocolate, made just as a Colombian grandmother would, and allow the estate’s chef to guide you in how to make other drinks using the cocoa plant.

Salento - Explore Inspiration in the Encanto

Step further into the majesty of the Encanto as you depart in the morning for Salento. This charismatic village inspired the film as the traditional countryside architecture lines cobbled lanes with an aesthetic that dates back over 150 years. You may find Bruno hiding in the walls and spackling the cracks while surrounded by towering peaks and plantations. Relax in the vibrant ambiance of town or venture into the jungle-clad hills to delight in the dense trees and panoramic views.

Take to the trails for a day hike or hop on horseback as the wax palm trees tower up to 100 feet tall. You may feel like Mirabel after she ran from her family as you explore the lush prairies, dense collection of trees, or the sound of the river rushing in the distance. Continue with the sweetness of a hot chocolate before enjoying a mouthwatering lunch filled with aromas of plantains.

Move next to Finlandia to relax in the quiet ambiance of a village adorned with balconies and cobbled streets. Locals weave the baskets that coffee harvesters use in the fields, and the panoramic view of the coffee region can give you a stunning perspective on the expanse of estates and the remarkable slopes that lead to the snowcapped volcano in the distance.

Armenia - Enjoy Grand Nature and Madrigal Cuisine

Find inspiration in the river near Hacienda Bambusa with a horseback riding excursion through the captivating landscape. From the banks where Abuela and Mirabel embrace to the bridge Luisa places over the winding waters, the river plays an essential role in Encanto’s emergence while also embodying Colombia’s natural beauty. As you wander through the jungle terrain, you can listen for monkeys in the trees or keep an eye out for exotic birds.

For lunch, sit together at a long table to sample typical ajiaco , a chicken soup accompanied by rice and avocado featured in the infamous dinner scene when Dolores shares that Mirabel has doomed the Madrigals.

In the evening, savor your last dinner in Colombia with local musicians serenading you with the sounds of traditional Colombian folk songs. You may find connections between the sounds and story of “Dos Oruguitas” and the customary folk songs of Colombia that often feature allegory and metaphor. Or you may choose to enjoy your last dinner in Colombia with more upbeat songs as the Madrigal family did to celebrate Antonio’s gift ceremony.

Armenia - Shapeshift Like Camilo and Depart for Home

The magic continues after breakfast as you learn the art of shapeshifting like Camilo by sampling the traditional clothing from across the country. Learn what the different outfits signify and their significance in history for a transformative experience before meeting with the actual person who inspired the character, Camilo.

As you continue to experience the magic of tradition and its influence on the present day, you will create an unforgettable connection to Colombia shaped by the memories you have made with your family. Your private transfer will meet you at Hacienda Bambusa and escort you to the airport for your journey home.

Not ready to return home? Consider spending time in Cartagena to enjoy more of what Colombia has to offer and enjoy.

Trip Highlights

• Embrace the true magic of the Casita when staying in Hacienda Bambusa, the estate that inspired the architecture and setting of the Encanto
• Savor in the luxuries and setting of Cannua Lodge, the first eco-lodge in Colombia with a focus on sustainability, comfort, and the natural splendor of its surroundings
• Witness the magnificent colors of Colombian flowers with a visit to the floral farms before meeting with a traditional Silletero , known for carrying flowers through Medellin’s streets
• Bask in the joy of a horseback ride through the landscape to follow the path of Mirabel, Abuela Alma, and Bruno on their way to reunite the Familia Madrigal
• Revel in the world-famous moves of Colombia with a private salsa lesson for the entire family so you can dance like Tio Felix with ease
• Delight in the development of cocoa to learn about making chocolate before you craft your own chocolate specialty under the guidance of a local chef
• Learn the art of making traditional Colombian ceramics under the tutelage of one of the country’s most famous ceramicists
• Journey to the top of the incredible La Piedra for a spectacular panorama and to see the connection between how Luisa’s strength and the monolith act as local cornerstones

Starting Price

$3,899  per person (excluding international flights)

What's Included

• 4 Nights in a Junior Suite Bungalow at Cannua Lodge
• 3 Nights in a Superior King room at Hacienda Bambusa
• Airport transfers
• 1 domestic flight
• Activities as noted
• Meals as noted

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

Note : Zicasso is not affiliated with, or sponsored or endorsed by Walt Disney Animation Studios or Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

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Disney on Ice Presents Frozen and Encanto

• Date Feb 7 - 12 , 2024
• On Sale On Sale Now

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Step inside Disney stories like never before at Disney On Ice presents Frozen & Encanto ! Dazzling ice skating transports you to Arendelle to be a part of Anna’s adventure to find Elsa in a wintry race to bring back summer. Then, enter the Casita Madrigal to join Mirabel’s journey to save her enchanted home alongside her sisters, Isabela and Luisa. Hosted by Mickey and Minnie, sing along and celebrate the power of love at  Disney On Ice – the show everyone will be talking about!

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Explore SCU's campus by using the multiple resources our community has put together. We know traveling can be difficult, so tell us if you plan to visit.

We will stop offering tours starting Dec 12 and resume on January 9. You are more than welcomed to come visit campus and do a self-guided tour.  

Book your visit to Santa Clara University. The tour begins with a presentation with an admission counselor and is followed with a campus tour with one of SCU's own student ambassadors .

Unable to make the trip to SCU? We offer virtual sessions and events with admission counselors, current students, staff and faculty.

Join us to experience what's happening at the School of Engineering! We are excited to offer small, virtual and in-person tours to prospective high school or transfer students and families, led by our undergraduate engineering students

Specific for users with an IOS device. Once you download the Mobile SCU app, navigate over to the Visitor's Guide in the app for our tour. 

Specific for users that use Google Play store. Once you download the Mobile SCU app, navigate over to the Visitor's Guide in the app for our tour. 

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Take a look inside of the 9 housing options at SCU.

Franklin Square Shops, services, and restaurants including Mio Vicino, Jasmine Thai, Taplands, and the Saturday Farmers Market. Santana Row The Rodeo Drive of Silicon Valley. High-end shopping, trendy apparel, dining and treats. Westfield Valley Fair Upscale shopping mall. 250 retailers and restaurants, 2.2 million square feet of retail space. Santa Clara Town Center Sprouts Market, Target, Habit Burger, China Stix, Chipotle, Peet’s Coffee, Panera Bread, and Mission City Grill. San Jose Market Center Large shopping center for anything you need. Target, Trader Joe’s, Office Max.

San Pedro Square Market Downtown San Jose’s vibrant hot spot. Local food and drinks, patio dining, live entertainment.

San Jose Municipal Rose Garden Named “America’s Best Rose Garden” with 3,500 plantings and almost 200 varieties. The Tech Museum This hands-on museum also features an IMAX movie theater San Jose Museum of Art Modern and contemporary art museum in downtown San Jose Villa Montalvo A scenic, tree-themed park filled with gardens Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Games and rides on a mile-long stretch of sandy beach.

Santa Clara Farmers Market Open every Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

The Hut(BBQ) 3200 The Alameda, Santa Clara

Jasmine Thai 1211 Franklin Mall, Santa Clara

Ike’s Sandwiches 2235 The Alameda, Santa Clara

Taqueria La Veracruzana 1510 Jackson St, Santa Clara

Achilles Mediterranean 2521 Newhall St, Santa Clara

Park Station Hashery 1701 Park Ave, San Jose

Kenji Sushi 385 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose

Pizza Antica 334 Santana Row #1065, San Jose In-N-Out Burger In-N-Out Burger, 550 Newhall Dr, San Jose

Almaden Quicksilver County Park County park with a history of mining offers hiking,  biking & equestrian trails amid wild flowers. Alum Rock Park Spacious park featuring hiking & biking trails,  mineral springs & several picnic areas. St. Joseph’s Hill Preserve This 270-acre site welcomes dogs & provides challenging trails for hikers, bikers & equestrians. Castle Rock State Park Park offers 32 miles of hiking & horseback riding trails among redwoods & other regional trees.

Mission Peak Regional Preserve Vast mountain preserve popular for biking, hiking, horseback riding, R/C flying and hang-gliding.

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Contact the Office of Undergraduate Admission for any questions. 

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Book your group visit to Santa Clara University. Group visits are only available for groups of 10-60.