Why Encanto's We Don't Talk About Bruno is dominating the charts

The success of Disney's Encanto is surprising, but for a different reason than most movies nowadays.

The light-hearted fantasy flick, with its themes of togetherness and family, did somehow find an audience during COVID-19 restrictions. That is notable, but not out of the norm for a cultural juggernaut that churns out hits at an astounding rate.

Instead, what's most astounding about Encanto is the success Disney has managed to find outside the movie industry, and instead on the music charts.

Last week, the movie's most popular song (We Don't Talk About Bruno, about the main character's ostracized uncle) reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the best performance from a Disney animated film in more than 26 years, outpacing even 2013's viral earworm Let It Go.

In fact, six songs from Encanto soundtrack are currently on Billboard's top 100 list, while the album itself is the first movie soundtrack to hit No. 1 since 2019.

The film's musical success is even more impressive considering which songs it's competing against. We Don't Talk About Bruno bumped Adele's long-awaited 30 out of a six-week run at the top spot, and is currently No. 1 in both Spotify's Top 50 Canadian and American playlists. In so doing, it's even beat out new music by the platform's most streamed artist of 2022: the Weeknd. 

So how did Encanto — a film that follows teenager Mirabel Madrigal on a journey to discover how she is unique and valuable —  do it? Simple: though the film is in many ways geared toward children, it has also caught the attention of older audiences.  

In composer Lin-Manuel Miranda's view, a large part of that is due to representation, and a focus on family (Mirabel is the sole non-magical member of her own), especially at a time when connecting with others comes at a premium. 

"We've all been locked up for two years," Miranda told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "The notion of a bunch of voices happening within one home feels very resonant, with hindsight." 

There's another element to the movie's success: TikTok.  As the social platform has become a tastemaker in the music industry, it has also changed the way music finds an audience. And that change works perfectly for Encanto.

"A student of mine said, 'Mr. Amante, you need to sing We Don't Talk About Bruno on TikTok,'" Saskatchewan high school teacher Paul Amante — and occasional TikToker — explained. "Then I watched the movie, and I was addicted."

Amante isn't alone; a huge number of users have created posts using Encanto songs on the app. He explained that the the film's music lends itself to success there for several reasons.

First is the aural complexity of the music itself. Most of the songs feature many voices, and multiple competing melodies — a perfect formula for engagement on a platform that allows creators to "duet," and add on, to other users' videos. 

And that complexity is especially true of Bruno.