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Disney’s Encanto will bring its magic to the 94th Academy Awards. The enchanting story about the Madrigals shows a side of Colombia that stays away from stereotypical shows and movies people are used to seeing.
The animated film brings love, Latinx culture, and music to another level. Now it’s been recognized with several nominations, including Best Animated Feature Film, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song for “Dos Oruguitas.”
On Sunday, March 27, the Latino and Hispanic community will tune in Academy Awards’ broadcast not only to enjoy the first-ever live performance of the smash hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” but also to witness the moment Germaine Franco walks the red carpet with the hope to become the first Latina and woman of color to win in the category Best Original Score.
The Mexican American percussionist and composer of Encanto knows what it feels to be the first. Franco is the first woman to score a Disney animated feature film. She was in charge of writing and composing original music specifically to accompany the film, using orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces to give the required emotion from beginning to end.
“Latinos gotta represent when we can!” says Franco, who is not new in the field, but still, until now, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes her work.
The composer has been honored multiple times before. At the 2018 ASCAP Awards, she won the prestigious Shirley Walker Award for her achievements and “contributed to the diversity of film and television music.”
“I believe in the music, and I believe in myself,” says Franco, as the Los Angeles Times reported. “But many people have helped me along the way. Many people wanted this film to happen.”
Franco’s work in Encanto complements the movie’s soundtrack, including eight songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. “When Lin-Manuel calls you up, you go for it,” says Franco. “Lin creates beautiful worlds in his songs, and since I came later, I wanted to do my best to stay in the world that he started with,” she adds. “There was a synthesis, an interconnectedness that opened up our creative vision.”
Franco discovered her passion for music at a young age after listening to Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, and Herb Alpert. After taking lessons in piano and percussion, she performed for the first time with the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestra in Texas. “People tried to make me play violin or flute because that’s what girls play,” Franco recalls. “And I said, ‘No! I’m playing the drums!’”
She kept her spirit, and after graduating at the age of 16, Franco pursued a career at Rice University in Houston, earning a B.A. and M.A. from the Shepherd School of Music.
Germaine continued representing the culture and followed her heart until becoming a professional orchestra player in Europe. “I was living a double life,” she says. “During the day, I played classical music with a group that spoke 40 different languages. Then at night, I jammed with the salsa bands. I wanted to play music that felt more free.”
Franco worked in several independent films and later became the assistant to John Powell. A life-changing opportunity that allowed her to score and orchestrate 35 feature films.
Knowing that she could do more, Franco went to her roots, and while in Mexico, she helped orchestrate Coco. “I wanted musicians who did banda, I wanted música romántica, but I also wanted more women,” recalls Franco. “We had two singers and one woman that played the accordion. One musician, who will remain unnamed, did not like the fact that I was a Latina telling him what to do. It turned out beautiful. But I was like, ‘Come on. Is it that bad?’”
Five years later, Lin-Manuel Miranda recruited her to be part of Encanto. The composer had to use her knowledge in cumbia, vallenato, and joropo for the film because the pandemic prevented her from spending time in Colombia.
“It’s not a documentary, so I didn’t need to be a purist,” she says. “But to tell a Colombian story, I had to bring a bit of Colombia into my space. So I had instruments sent to my house — cuatros, tamboras, the arpa llanera [a harp]. I also had a marimba de chonta made with a special wood from a palm tree.”
According to the publication, Franco did video conferences with Carlos Vives’ band, vocalist Isa Mosquera, flutist Mayté Montero, sax and clarinet player Justo Almario, and Afro-Colombian folk singers.
Franco is proud to be the woman bringing emotion to Encanto; she still thinks the whole story is a woman. “‘Encanto’ has a female protagonist,” says Franco. “The story itself is so feminine. We needed [more] female voices. And to have support for that, to get the resources to do that from Disney, it really does lift everybody up.”