Everyone is talking about Bruno. The standout track from Disney’s latest animated adventure, Encanto, has taken the internet by storm – and it looks to have given the movie a second wind on Disney Plus.
We Don’t Talk About Bruno shot to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, surpassing Frozen’s Let It Go to become the highest-charting Disney song in 26 years. In the UK, the Lin-Manuel Miranda-written hit is on track for number one.
The only other Disney song to reach the top spot on either side of the Atlantic is Regina Belle's A Whole New World, from Aladdin, which hit number one in 1993.
We Don’t Talk About Bruno has, at the time of writing, been streamed almost 30 million times, while the Encanto soundtrack as a whole has dethroned Adele’s 30 to sit top of the Billboard album chart.
But Disney’s latest animated adventure isn’t only performing well in our ears. Having endured a lackluster theatrical debut in November last year, Encanto went on to become the most-viewed title on Disney Plus in the period following its Christmas Eve arrival on the service.
Incidentally, it also scored more viewers during the weekend of its streaming debut than the equivalent debut of Marvel’s Shang-Chi in November, suggesting audiences still have an appetite for family-focused Disney adventures among the superhero deluge of recent years.
So, is a sequel now a done deal?
Get ready for Encan-two
Judging how well Encanto has performed on Disney Plus, in the charts and on social media platforms like TikTok, it seems likely that Disney is at least considering the possibility of further adventures for the Madrigal family.
The film’s soundtrack has, of course, been lapped up by the internet’s music-makers, but its relatable portrayal of family dynamics – in the Latino community, specifically – seems to have struck a chord with audiences around the world.
What’s more, while no Encanto products currently appear on Amazon’s list of 100 top-selling toys (good spot, Bloomberg), Disney has said that Mirabel character costumes and a dollhouse are selling well.
All these signs point towards a desire on the part of viewers to see more of Mirabel, Dolores, Bruno and the rest of the Madrigal family. In fact, Encanto’s modest narrative – taking place almost exclusively within the confines of a family home – makes it more suited to a sequel than many other Disney movies that have earned follow-up adventures for less.
One common criticism of Encanto is its failure to fully flesh out many of its (potentially) most interesting characters. With the Madrigal family being so large, and their powers so distinct, it’s tough for viewers to learn more about (and therefore care for) their personalities and motivations beyond what’s revealed in the movie’s musical numbers.
Of all the Disney movies deserving of sequels, then, Encanto is certainly one – just don’t expect it to arrive any time soon. Even Frozen took six years to get a sequel, after all.
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