We Don’t Talk About Bruno has been delighting children and driving parents up the wall in equal measure since the release of Disney’s Encanto in November. But the ridiculously catchy song will not be winning an Oscar. Why not?
Encanto is very likely to win an Academy Award next month. Despite competition from the likes of Raya and the Last Dragon and Pixar’s excellent Luca, Encanto is the clear favourite to be taking home the prize for best animated feature.
Released at the tail end of 2021, the film tells the story of Mirabel Madrigal (voiced by Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz), a young girl who is the only member of her large family not to have been blessed with a magical gift.
While her relatives have skills ranging from superhuman strength to the power to control the weather, Mirabel is a kind but ultimately regular girl, and feels slightly inferior as a result. But when the family begins losing their magic, Mirabel realises she might be the only one who can save them.
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote eight original songs for the movie, which has been a huge hit with young viewers (and a few older ones too) since its release in late November.
Of these songs, the film’s breakout hit has been the phenomenally successful We Don’t Talk About Bruno. It has already been at number one for three weeks in the UK, and is currently top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the US as well.
As it’s an original composition, written by Miranda specifically for the film, you would think it would stand a good chance of winning best original song at the Oscars. But it will be noticeably absent from the nominations list, which is unveiled on Tuesday.