Encanto fans want to know everything about “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” but there’s a reason the Disney film leaves the song’s origins ambiguous. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is the biggest song from Encanto. Though the film’s entire soundtrack has stayed at the top of Billboard’s album chart for months, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” made it all the way to number one on Billboard’s Hot 100. In addition, the song has inspired fans worldwide to create memes and viral TikToks, with viewers joyously chanting Pepa Madrigal’s (Carolina Gaitán) opening lines blaming her brother for her rainy wedding day. In fact, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is so popular that fans even questioned why the filmmakers submitted “Dos Oruguitas” for the Oscars instead of the film’s chart-topping single.

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Lin-Manuel Miranda is as surprised as anyone at the success of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” The Hamilton scribe has even said he thought every other song on the soundtrack would outperform Encanto’s viral single. After all, the music is plot-heavy and almost requires the movie to provide context. Disney didn’t even appear prepared for the popularity of the song. Trailers promoting the film instead focused on “Colombia, Mi Encanto,” a song that only spent one week in the Hot 100.

Despite the popularity of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” there’s a reason one of the song’s questions is still lingering. While answering fan questions (via Twitter), Jared Bush, one of the film’s directors, contributed to a Bruno Madrigal (John Leguizamo) mystery. In the movie, Bruno disappeared after having a terrifying vision of Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), and a fan asked the director if Abuela Alma (María Cecilia Botero and Olga Merediz) was the reason people don’t talk about Bruno. The viewer suggested Abuela first said, “We don’t talk about Bruno,” getting angry if anyone mentioned the name. However, Bush added that the Madrigals perhaps adopted the rule after seeing Abuela get upset. “So the rule sprang out of not wanting to trigger her,” Bush said. However, the director noted that the origins are up for “interpretation.” And that’s a meaningful distinction.

The origins of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” would give too much away. In Encanto, Bruno is a mystery on purpose. Early in the film, he seems dangerous and menacing, with no one knowing why he left and everyone somewhat fearful of him. The film frames Bruno’s predictions as foreboding and implies that he brings misery anywhere he goes. If Encanto explained that the Madrigals didn’t talk about Bruno because it made Abuela Alma sad, it would reveal that Bruno isn’t such a bad guy after all. Viewers would assume people don’t talk about Bruno because the family was in pain after he left.

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Also, the origins of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” don’t truly matter. During the events of Encanto, Bruno has been missing for a decade. It’s possible the family doesn’t talk about Bruno because of the pain when he left, but a decade later, the reasons change. In the end, the exact reason why people don’t talk about Bruno isn’t important. It’s likely for several reasons by the time the song kicks off in Encanto, and it’s up to the viewers to have their own interpretations. However, when it comes to Pepa and her wedding day, her thoughts are pretty straightforward.

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Bill Bradley
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Bill is an experienced reporter who’s covered entertainment and fandom since 2014. He’s done everything from unearthing the discarded Game of Thrones pilot script in a library in Texas to finding out why Steve left Blue’s Clues. He also enjoys eating Taco Bell and drinking chocolate milk.

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