Lin Manuel-Miranda Didn't Submit Encanto's Record-Breaking Song For The Oscars. Here's Why
Disney's "Encanto" was one of the biggest animated films of last year. Directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush — the latter of whom co-wrote the screenplay with Charise Castro Smith, who is also credited as a co-director on the film — "Encanto" follows a Colombian family, the Madrigals, who have received magical powers, collectively called "the Encanto," that allows them to help the other people of their rural community. When Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) — the only one of her family to not receive one of these powers — finds out that they may be losing the Encanto, she becomes determined to save her family.
"Encanto" received an immense amount of critical acclaim up and down the board, and naturally, it has received numerous accolades. Last week, it was announced that the film had received three Academy Award nominations: best animated feature, best original score, and best original song for "Dos Oruguitas" (via The Hollywood Reporter). "Dos Oruguitas," as well as the rest of the songs of the soundtrack, were written by "Hamiliton" writer and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, with a score by Germaine Franco.
Fans of "Encanto" likely agree that "Dos Oruguitas" is more than worthy of the nomination. However, some are no doubt also wondering why the best original song nomination didn't go to the ultra-popular, chart-topping "We Don't Talk About Bruno." After all, as of this week, "Bruno" has spent three consecutive weeks in the Number 1 spot on the Billboard charts, which is no small feat. So, why wasn't "Bruno" the song to nab the Oscar nomination? Well, writer Miranda has an explanation for us.
Miranda wanted to submit a song that showcases the 'spirit' of the film
In an interview with Variety following the announcement of the Academy Award nominations, Lin-Manuel Miranda answered the question on many "Encanto" fans' minds: Why didn't "We Don't Talk About Bruno" get the nomination for best original song?
As to why he submitted "Dos Oruguitas" for the Academy's consideration, Miranda explained, "I'm still proud of 'Dos Oruguitas' as the submission. 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]."
Miranda may have decided that "Dos Oruguitas" was the best fit for showcasing the heart of the movie, but he is still extremely excited about the popularity of "We Don't Talk About Bruno." In a recent interview with Vulture, Miranda revealed that he learned of the popularity in part through one of his kids. He said, "[The popularity] is just not something I ever anticipated. My second-grader came home from school yesterday. And he looks at me and goes, 'Daddy, everyone's singing it.' He didn't even have to tell me what he was talking about. He was just like, 'It's really popular.'"
Luckily for fans, the entire soundtrack is out and available to be listened to over and over again plenty of times before we find out if "Dos Oruguitas" wins best original song at the Oscars on March 27.