TikTok Made ‘Encanto’ the First Disney Hit of the Streaming Age
In late November, when “Encanto,” the animated film from Walt Disney Co., first hit theaters, William Gruger didn’t pay much attention. Gruger, who leads music editorial at TikTok in the U.S., is often one of the first people in the world to spot a new cultural trend on the rise. But at first not many people on the popular mobile app were doing a whole lot of anything with the songs from “Encanto.”
That all changed the week after Christmas when the movie debuted on Disney+. Within days, eight songs from the soundtrack had started to trend on TikTok. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and “Surface Pressure” were inspiring dance crazes, while “The Family Madrigal” was being used for videos in which kids opened toys and collectibles. Other songs were being used by people in cosplay.
All of which were early signs of the mania to come.
“Encanto” is the first Disney movie to claim a No. 1 album and a No. 1 single, according to Jason Lipshutz, the senior director of music at Billboard. The album has topped the Billboard album charts for six weeks and finished January in the No. 2 position on Bloomberg’s Pop Star Power Rankings. Music from “Encanto” has been more popular this year than Dua Lipa, Adele and Doja Cat.
The popularity of the album speaks to the growing use of songs and moments from TV shows and films on TikTok. For years, TikTok has had the power to make songs popular and drive singles all the way to the top of the charts. But now TikTok has gotten so big that it’s reflecting and magnifying other parts of pop culture too. If a movie or TV show is resonating with viewers, chances are it’s also popping up on TikTok.
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TikTok users have created videos set to the song “Pink Soldiers” from the Netflix series “Squid Game,” to Bo Burnham’s Jeff Bezos song from his Netflix special and to four different songs from the HBO hit series “Euphoria.” Recently, two creators made a whole series of TikToks transforming Netflix’s “Bridgerton” into an unofficial musical. Later this year, it will be staged in London.
“The platform has become the go-to medium for fandoms to express their love of films and TV shows,” Gruger said.
No song has benefited more from TikTok than “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the breakout single from the album. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” differs from past Disney hits, which tended to be ballads that had little connection to the plot of the movie. It is an ensemble song that is plot-driven.
The popularity “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” caught Disney off guard. The company submitted a different song, “Dos Oruguitas,” for the Academy Awards.
The sustained interest in “Encanto” should also go a long way towards reassuring the Hollywood studio chiefs who have worried movies released online don’t have the same cultural impact as ones released in theaters. “Encanto” has been the most popular movie on streaming services for the last five weeks, according to Nielsen.
The popularity of the movie crossed over to TikTok, where memes and videos boosted many of the songs up the charts. The popularity of the music then sustained viewership of the movie.
“It is the first Disney animated smash of the streaming era,” Lipshutz said. “The movie connected, and parents could watch it over and over again.”