CHICAGO (WGN) — It’s the song people are talking about: “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Disney’s “Encanto.”
The animated feature film has three Oscar nominations, including best animated feature, best original score and best song.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s catchy hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is currently No. 1 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
The "Encanto" soundtrack has exploded in popularity since the film's November release, becoming the first movie soundtrack since 2019 to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
The film’s most popular song, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” became the highest-charting song from a Disney animated film in more than 26 years, ranking higher than even “Let It Go” from "Frozen."
"What I was trying to do — it’s much more commonplace in musical theater than it is in musical films. You have those great moments where everyone gets a little showpiece and then you smash them altogether," Miranda told the Associated Press. "I think of 'One Day More' from 'Les Miserables' or 'Non-Stop' in 'Hamilton.' It’s always such a delightful moment when you get to crash all the themes into each other."
Mauro Castillo, one of the voices behind “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” explained to WGN why he believes the song has turned into such a hit.
“It has a lot of good elements,” said the singer, composer and actor. “Lin-Manuel found this kind of spooky cha-cha-cha with the right amount of drums, but the rhythm is still going through the voices.”
Six songs on the "Encanto" soundtrack have charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
Castillo also voiced supporting character Felix Madrigal (Mirabel’s uncle and Pepa’s husband) in the film. He talked about his resemblance to Felix, who is a dark-skinned Colombian Latino who sports guayaberas (a common South American style of men’s shirt) and wears his black hair in an afro.
When talking about getting cast for the role, Castillo said he used his personality and musical skills like playing his trombone, which he says helped him feel at ease during the interview.
Castillo, 43, who was born in Cali, Colombia, and now lives in Miami, joins several Latino artists in the rare club on the Hot 100 list. Castillo mentioned that he is the first Afro-Colombian to hit the list.
The independent artist took to Instagram to announce the film’s nomination, with the caption “mom, dad, we are Oscar nominated.”
While he says the nomination is a huge accomplishment, he showed off his latest gift from his daughter - a miniature Oscar trophy with a plaque that read "World’s Greatest Dad."
“This is the best prize ever," Castillo said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
