“We Don’t Talk About Bruno” was the number 1 song in the US for weeks. Played on TikTok clips and everywhere you paid attention to, the song from the Disney movie “Encanto” was a surprise hit and the first Disney song to climb the Billboard charts since “Let It Go.” Surprisingly, it wasn’t nominated for the Oscars.
Despite the song’s incredibly success, it wasn’t nominated for Best Song at the Academy Awards, the most prestigious recognition for songs featured in films. There’s a reason behind this. Disney decided to submit “Dos Oruguitas,” written by Lin Manuel Miranda and performed by Sebastian Yatra, a more emotional song and thus more likely to win the coveted prize.
Disney had to submit their songs for Oscar consideration by November 1st of last year, two weeks before the release of “Encanto.” The company had no way of predicting the success that “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” amassed over the past couple of months.
The song’s success was a big surprise for everyone involved. “The fact that the ensemble song that is incredibly plot-heavy and almost requires having seen the film to fully understand is the one at the top of the charts is one of the most delightful and hilarious surprises … of my life!” said Lin Manuel Miranda, writer of the song, to the LA Times.