The Big Bruno Clue Everyone Missed Early In Encanto
The following article contains spoilers for "Encanto."
Disney's "Encanto" has already established itself as a modern classic within its company's canon. The movie follows the Madrigal family, who live in an enchanted house that not only caters to their every whim but allows each family member to obtain magical powers. From super strength to the ability to hear things from far away, everyone has a gift they can use to help the townspeople ... except Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), of course.
Something strange happened to her when it came time for her to obtain her powers. The house chose to abstain her a gift, so she's merely regular Mirabel. But that's not the only strange thing that's transpired at the Madrigal home. Years earlier, Mirabel's uncle Bruno (John Leguizamo), with the ability to see into the future, had a vision so terrifying he left the ancestral home, leading to the town mantra of, "We don't talk about Bruno" because his powers were so frightening to the people.
Of course, as the movie goes on, we learn that Bruno never really left. Instead, he's been hiding in the house walls, taking food whenever he can do so undetected. It was a great way to bring Bruno into the plot, but if you paid attention during what's arguably the catchiest song featured in the musical, you might have figured out where Bruno was hiding all along.
You can see Bruno in the background of the song 'We Don't Talk About Bruno'
The fact Bruno never actually left his family is essential to the film's plot. Up until that point, he takes on a mythic quality where he's represented as a devious figure who ruins people's futures. But then, when the audience finally meets him, he's merely misunderstood and is actually a nice guy who "left" the house to protect his family. It's a surprising moment, but perhaps it shouldn't have come as a shock to those who paid attention during the "We Don't Talk About Bruno" musical number.
You have to look carefully at the background during Dolores' (Adassa) portion of the song. If you look up at the second story of the house, you'll see what's undeniably the silhouette of Bruno sneaking by. This happens not once but twice. Even if you caught it at first watch, it'd be easy to chalk it up to a figment of Dolores' imagination, as though Bruno's influence still impacts the family. But with the revelation, it could very well be the real Bruno sneaking his way to the kitchen to grab something to eat.
The second bit of foreshadowing comes slightly later when Dolores has another verse. She ends that portion of the song by singing, "It's like I hear him" and "I can hear him now." Again, it would be easy to take those lyrics as metaphors, but with her superpowered hearing, Dolores could likely hear Bruno rummaging through the walls, so in hindsight, she's speaking quite literally about how she could always hear Bruno around. Both instances point to the big reveal, cleverly hiding plot points in plain sight that you don't need superpowers to see.