Film and television scores have the power to transport us, evoke deep emotions, and define the very essence of a story. Few understand this better than Juan Carlos Enriquez, a composer whose work has left an indelible mark on projects ranging from Hollywood productions to deeply rooted Mexican cinema.
With Disney’s Mesa de Regalos, he takes on the challenge of blending traditional romantic orchestration with the vibrant sounds of Mexican culture.
We caught up with Enriquez to discuss his creative process, the evolving representation of Latin American culture in global media, and the future of film scoring in the age of AI.
The Indiependent: How long have you been a composer?
Juan: Since I was a kid and in high school/college I’ve composed and played around with music. I’ve been a professional composer in Hollywood and the industry since 2013 though.
Mesa de Regalos is the first live-action production by Disney, filmed entirely in Mexico. How did that influence your approach to composing the score?
Mesa de Regalos is exactly that – the first live action movie they’ve filmed in Mexico. It’s been first released in Mexico right now, later on it will be more widely available on Disney+. At the moment it’s in its third week in theatres in Mexico and it’s breaking records.
This is my third collaboration with the director Noé Santillán-López. Mesa de Regalos is a comedy and features a lot of styles, very Mexican styles like cumbias. We recorded with a live orchestra in Mexico City and approached it in a similar way to the previous movies I’d worked with Noé on before.
Did Disney give you any creative direction or did they give you the freedom to do what felt right with the score?
They gave a lot freedom to Noé and he in turn gave the same freedom to me. Although, there were some guidelines. Of course they wanted an orchestra sound for the romantic parts of the movie. They wanted surf rock, cumbias, 80s pop rock from Mexico. There were a lot of specific styles in mind and it was in my hands how to execute it, which is always a fun challenge because it gives you a lot of freedom with a few parameters to play with. That kind of freedom in style, I love it.
Mesa de Regalos is a romantic comedy. What musical themes did you want to use to capture both the comedy and romantic essence?
As a tradition, most romantic comedy movies are scored with an orchestra. We recorded a thirty piece string ensemble with some woodwind soloists and a piano. For context, we recorded in Mexico City at Sony Studios, one of the largest studios in Mexico, with one of the best orchestras in Mexico called Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería. We approached it traditionally: very clear melodies, great motifs, orchestral gestures. That accompanied the movie in a very Disney fashion, almost like a Disney princess love story.
For comedy, that’s where the other styles came in. We used different styles of modern music to carry out the stories and comedic moments to great effect. There’s a comedic scene in a bowling alley using surf rock. A few moments in the wedding planning features cumbias to keep it fun and light. There’s a bachelorette party where we used 80’s Mexican pop rock. The comedy was always supported by deliberate styles of music, which I think helped the movie feel very dynamic.
As Latin American entertainment continues to gain global recognition, do you think things are changing in how Hollywood approaches Latin culture in music, film, and TV?
It has been improving, but there’s always room to improve – especially with controversies now surrounding Emilia Pérez. In Mexico, Emilia Pérez was fifth place in the box office, whereas Mesa de Regalos is number 1. I think that tells you that Mexican audiences prefer authentic Mexican stories rather than a foreign interpretation of what Mexican culture is.
I think that Disney investing so much into productions in Mexico and Latin America is a sign that they recognise how big the audience is and how much potential there is in that space. That’s why I appreciate and value production companies like Disney and Warner and other studios investing in more and more original Latin American stories – produced in Latin America with Latin American and Mexican actors, filmmakers and talent. Then, some of those projects can later be appreciated by the rest of the world on streaming services.
Companies like Disney and Warner are global giants in the industry. With that often comes the need to “globalise” their projects. Was there any pressure in that sense, to try and appeal to a wider audience?
I think Disney just wanted to let all of us make the best movie we could make, but above all for a Mexican audience. There is a lot of slang and cultural references that are very Mexican and those will be understood by Mexicans first. But I think that’s part of the success that it’s having right now in Mexico. It’s week number three or four on top at the box office right now. Mesa de Regalos is breaking records left and right because I think Mexicans appreciate being represented in a real-world fashion – not just a pastiche or a light-hearted way for broader appeal. It’s a very Mexican movie with very Mexican humor. I think that enriches the experience for everyone.
Your work on Huracán Ramírez vs. La Piñata Enchilada earned a CLIO Music Silver award and a Hollywood Music in Media Award. What do you think made that score stand out?
That project was an Apple original short film, the first one they’d ever shot in Mexico, to promote the iPhone14 Pro. They do these short films around the world, and this was the one for Mexico/Latin America. The score was recorded with a live orchestra in Europe. We treated it like a high-end Hollywood production, at least in terms of the score. I think it caught the attention of audiences and awards because it leaned into the Mexican culture of luchadores – the main character is a luchador treated like a superhero that saves the day. In the 60s/70s, Mexican Luchadores were like what Marvel superheroes are now. I leaned into that and brought in an aspect of nostalgia to the score.
That production had a lot of different styles to it, something I’m now being known for in the industry – I can do the orchestra, cumbias, rock etc. It was a great project to work on because the music felt like a main character in the story. It’s not something you see often in a short film, let alone an advertisement.
You also worked on The Simpsons last year. How did you approach scoring that?
For The Simpsons couch gag, part of their most recent Halloween special, I was invited by the producer and guest animator Jorge R. Gutierrez – he has done The Book of Life, Maya and the Three, and many other great productions. I actually worked with him a little on Maya and he liked my work. I was glad to collaborate with him and bring his vision to life: a rock version of a folk Mexican song blended in with The Simpsons theme and some other ear candy.
AI is the big topic in the entertainment industry lately. As a composer, how do you feel about AI’s role in film scoring? Is it a threat or a tool? Have you experimented with it yourself?
I think that AI will eventually take over the low-end budget productions, even maybe to mid-budget productions. Right now that space is taken care of by music libraries. There will be a sector of entertainment where that is good enough, but I think there will always be a need for human custom-made music – especially for high-end productions. In terms of the industry I’m working in, I think they’ll probably start to merge AI tools to make the job easier. I’m open to it and excited to see what that could be, but I don’t want AI to replace what a composer is. Take over the processes that are just manual work, not the creative ones.
I tried ChatGPT a few times, for example to write lyrics, and was impressed with the results. They weren’t good to go as is, so I had to tweak them. But it gave me a few ideas of where to go next. It was a fun experiment, so we’ll see where that goes next.
What advice would you give to up and coming musicians and composers trying to get into the entertainment industry?
Learn the technology. Nowadays you can’t be a working composer unless you have complete control over the production and knowledge of all the technical tools. The more you can handle on your own, the more self-sufficient you’ll be in the process. That might not get you in the door, but it will keep you in the game. Always keep up to date with technology and the tools we have access to as composers. It’s fine if you see it as just a hobby or for fun, but you have to be serious if you want to be a professional in commercials, TV, and film.
My other piece of advice would be to meet and work with young filmmakers, then grow up together. Score their projects, their short films, whatever. These relationships are gonna take years to flourish and their careers will take years to develop too, but you want them to remember you as someone that helped them coming up – not when they already have a BAFTA.
Was there anyone that you have had that kind of relationship with?
Yeah I have many filmmakers that I’ve worked with for years now. I’ve worked with these filmmaker brothers I’ve known since high school. I’ve scored everything they’ve done for years now. They’re amazingly talented. We have a strong relationship. We really understand each other creatively and it’s easy to work with them. Those are the kind of gems of relationships you can find if you start working together early.
Interview conducted by Kieran Webb
Mesa de Regalos is currently enjoying a successful theatrical run in Mexico and set for a wider release on Disney+ soon.
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