Lin-Manuel Miranda and ‘Encanto’ Star on Why ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ Wasn’t the Right Choice for Oscars

We need to talk about Bruno, even if “Encanto” won’t!

Chart-topping song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is not the official 2022 Oscars submission for the Disney film, and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda is just fine with that.

“I’m still proud of ‘Dos Oruguitas’ as the submission,” Miranda told Variety. “When those are the parameters, you have to pick the thing that best exemplifies the spirit of the movie, and it contains all of it inside this song — as opposed to a journey of a particular character. It’s the foundational story, but I’m not going to say it wasn’t hard [to choose].”

The decision to nominate “Dos Oruguitas” over “Bruno” was required by November 1, when the animated film had not yet opened in theaters. However, the soundtrack was already making waves. The “Encanto” album spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, with “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” topping the top 40 songs chart and spurring a TikTok viral sensation.

Per Academy rules, no more than two songs from a film can be shortlisted. Specifically, the official Academy eligibility rules mandate that “no more than two songs from any one film by the exact same writers may be shortlisted. If more than two songs from a film by the exact same writers are in contention, the two songs with the most votes will advance to the shortlist. However, no more than two songs from any one film, regardless of writers, may be nominated for the original song award.”

While Disney may have ultimately gone with its heart choosing “Dos Oruguitas” as the more emotional song, there were surely hopes of bringing a tear-jerking live performance to the Oscars ABC telecast, which “Dos Oruguitas” should expect to deliver.

“Encanto” star and reggaeton singer Adassa, who made her acting debut as Dolores in the animated film “Encanto,” added to Variety that while “Dos Oruguitas” is the “heart and soul of the film,” it was a shock to see “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” take off.

“Did we know ‘Bruno’ was going to become what it is? No!” Adassa said. “I knew this [movie] was going to change lives, but I never could predict the full impact it was going to have. Seeing people on TikTok and doing ‘Encanto’ cosplay? People writing to me and saying, ‘My daughter finally feels like she sees herself on screen’ or ‘My son finally feels heard,’ it’s really changing people’s lives.”

In addition to the Best Song nomination, “Encanto” is nominated for Best Animated Feature and Original Score. “Encanto” tells the story of a Colombian teen (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz) who comes to terms with the fact that she is the only family member without magical powers.

“Encanto” is directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and co-director Charise Castro Smith. This is Miranda’s second Oscar nomination for Best Song.

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