Lin-Manuel Miranda is living the dream with his latest Oscar nomination.
The standout songwriter’s love of the Academy Awards began during his childhood when Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” earned multiple honors for its music.
Three decades later, Miranda could win the first Oscar of his career for his work on Disney’s “Encanto,” with his stirring “Dos Oruguitas” nominated for best original song.
It’s the first song Miranda — known for creating Broadway blockbusters “In the Heights” and “Hamilton” — wrote from beginning to end in Spanish, which he’s fluent in but isn’t his dominant language.
“I had my thesaurus at the ready. I had my dad checking my grammar,” Miranda told the Daily News with a laugh.
“The really crazy byproduct of all that was I started dreaming in Spanish again, which I had not done since I was a little boy, spending the summers with my grandparents in Puerto Rico. It usually takes full immersion for your subconscious to switch modes, but it was like all hands on deck to get this song out.”
“Dos Oruguitas,” which translates to two caterpillars, is an emotional folk song that depicts the tragic origin story of the magical Madrigal family, who live in Colombia.
The New York-born Miranda wrote eight original songs for the “Encanto” soundtrack, which exploded in popularity following the animated film’s release in late November.
Miranda says it was “a lovely problem to have” deciding which music to submit for Oscar consideration before the Nov. 1 deadline, as the Academy Awards only allow up to two entries per movie.
“What you’re really kind of looking for is what best embodies your film and tells the story of your film,” Miranda, 42, said. “I think the story of ‘Dos Oruguitas’ tells the story of this family in miniature, so that’s why we went with that. Also, it just makes my wife cry. Anything that makes my wife cry is special.”
The Oscar nomination is the second for Miranda, who was also a best original song finalist in 2017 for “How Far I’ll Go” from Disney’s “Moana.”
With a win at the March 27 ceremony, Miranda would become the 17th person to achieve EGOT status as a recipient of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
“It’s a pretty cool club. I like all of those people in that club. I also am very close with Bobby Lopez, who is the world’s only double EGOT,” Miranda said, referring to the co-creator of “The Book of Mormon” and co-writer of “Let It Go” from Disney’s “Frozen.”
”He’s literally got two of everything, and his life has not changed in any single way. So I also know there’s no cookie at the end of it. There’s no cash prize or trip. It’s just a cool thing. The real joy is getting to make stuff that means something to people. That’s really the prize. I already won the prize.”
The “Encanto” soundtrack is now in its fifth week atop the Billboard 200 albums chart, while the breakout hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is in its third week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart.
The film’s songs detail the different experiences and struggles within the Madrigal family, where everyone has a superhuman ability except for the main protagonist, Mirabel, voiced by Stephanie Beatriz.
“Since the release of the film, the real gift has just been how this movie has resonated with people, how it’s opened up conversations about families, the roles we play within those families, and the way people feel seen by these songs,” Miranda said.
“I’ve just heard so many stories. My kids are having such a blast with all the remixes and funny sort of memes and cartoons people have made. Every day is like a different gift.”
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