A new addition to the Madrigal family tree was confirmed within Disney's ever-expanding Descendants universe. The franchise, which reimagines classic fairy tales through the lens of the teenage children of famous heroes and villains, continues its premise by introducing the next generation of characters. Now, Disney revealed that one of the sisters from Encanto gave birth, bringing a descendant of the magical Madrigal family into the Descendants storyline.
Alexandro Byrd joined the cast of Descendants: Wicked Wonderland as Luis Madrigal, a new character who expands the magical lineage introduced in Encanto.
In the upcoming film, Luis is revealed to be the son of Luisa Madrigal (voiced by Jessica Darrow), the fan-favorite strongwoman from the Madrigal family whose superhuman strength made her a breakout character of the 2021 Disney hit.
The movie, set to release this year, marks the fifth installment in the Descendants franchise and serves as a sequel to Descendants: The Rise of Red.
This also makes Luis the nephew of Mirabel, whose voice actress Stephanie Beatriz said she'd be open to returning for a sequel. The addition of Luis speaks to the popularity not only of Encanto but of Luisa herself.
Unlike the Madrigal family's more recent addition to the Disney canon, Wicked Wonderland's other leads draw from classic animated fairy tales. Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker reprise their roles as Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, and Chloe Charming, the daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming from Cinderella, respectively.
This film will add to the previous report that Disney is developing a new trilogy in the Descendants universe for Disney+, centered on Tiana's daughter, Tatum, and Flynn Rider's son. The rumored films would introduce descendants tied to franchises like The Little Mermaid, Frozen, Mulan, and, of course, Encanto.
While this is inherently new around the Descendants franchise, it also begs the question of when any new canonical Encanto animated projects could be coming to theaters.
Will Encanto 2 Happen Soon?
Despite Encanto's massive popularity, Disney has not announced a sequel. That said, there are clear signs the studio still sees major long-term potential in the Madrigal family. Look no further than the upcoming Encanto-themed presence at Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
Behind the scenes, creatives also hinted that conversations are happening. Actor John Leguizamo, who voiced Bruno, told PEOPLE that the team was "working" on a potential storyline.
Given that animated films at Disney Animation typically take many years to produce, any sequel could still be years from release, but an announcement soon wouldn't be abnormal. 2026's D23 convention could be the perfect place to make such a presentation about the future of Encanto.
For now, Disney Animation already has a packed theatrical slate that may explain why a sequel to Encanto has not been formally announced. The studio audibled and released Moana 2 in 2024 and followed it with Zootopia 2 in 2025, which quickly became a massive global hit for the studio.
Looking ahead, the studio's original film for this year is Hexed, before returning to another major franchise installment with Frozen 3 in 2027. Frozen 4 is also in development, showing the studio's willingness to plan far in advance. This gives some hope to an Encanto 2 announcement, even if it won't release anytime soon.
