The success of Encanto’s ‘We Don’t talk about Bruno’ has surprised the song’s writer Lin Manuel Miranda. In an interview with the LA Times, Miranda expressed some slight confusion at the song’s success, admitting he thought ‘Colombia, Mi Encanto’ would be the bop kids were making TikToks to.
Why did he think that? Well, ‘Colombia, Mi Encanto’ you need no context to enjoy while ‘We Don’t talk about Bruno’ is an ensemble song that requires some knowledge of the animated movie to enjoy. “In my wildest dreams of what might happen, I would have swapped ‘Colombia, Mi Encanto’, the top and bottom of that chart,” Miranda said.
“‘Colombia, Mi Encanto’ is such a party tune,” he continued, saying he thought the song would have a life beyond the movie. “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!”
The success of Encanto has surprised everyone. When the musical was released in late 2021, it made a relatively meagre $237.5 million. While if we can speculate whether that was a hangover from the pandemic, that’s still the lowest gross for an animated Disney movie in decades.
When Encanto hit Disney Plus, though, the family movie found a new lease on life, dominating social media and the radio. All eight of the songs Miranda wrote for Encanto were in the Billboard top 100 at the same time.
‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ was the film’s big breakout hit, though, claiming the number one spot on the Billboard Top 100. This made it the first Disney song to top the charts in 29 years since Aladdin and ‘A Whole New World’ achieved number one back in 1992.
If you enjoyed, Encanto, then check out our interview with the cast or our chat with the directors where they discuss a potential animated series spin-off.