Therapist Reacts to Bruno from ENCANTO

[@tobiaslawrence8928]

It's crazy how an entire town turned on a guy who not only saw the future but the bad parts of their future. So rather instead of prepare or taking caution for what's to come they instead blamed Bruno for something happening whether they liked it or not It's one thing to come from people you don't know but from your own family, in my opinion, the entire town and his family owed Bruno an apology. (Edit) I would like to add that most of the things he told people about weren't even based on one of his visions just things he physically saw and pointed out the problem; for instance the guy who got fat that wasn't because of Bruno it was just from the guy not taking care of himself.

[@danielland3767]

Wierd part is, if you saw the bad parts...that's what I wanna see to prepare for it

[@crumblemuffin1257]

"Don't shoot the messager"

[@Rikrobat]

I’ve made this comparison in the other Encanto video, but Bruno reminds me of the Pokémon Absol. Its Pokédex entry says that humans fear Absol as a harbinger of doom because of you see one, very bad weather is headed your way. But really, the Absol is just sensitive to bad weather and is able to warn when its near. I’m so confused as to why people wouldn’t want a super accurate weather radar at their side. Lots of people would rather find someone to blame instead of looking for ways to fix or prepare for something unpleasant.

[@eshbena]

You mean the way that scientists talked about climate change and people vilified them? >_> Yeah, totally crazy. It's very common for people to shoot the messenger. No one wants to hear bad news.

[@matheussanthiago9685]

Bruno is a metaphor for being a scientist

[@12yearoldmewasterribleatpi75]

I love her Dad. "I was thinking about my daughter" I feel like he is one of the few people who was looking out for her.

[@StoryMing]

And her mom too. "You've ALWAYS been too hard on Mirabel".

[@hierrikmedan6934]

@Day yeah Agustin's right in saying he's "un-ceptional" but it works in the family's favor lol

[@candydemure]

I love your user name BTW.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

@@StoryMing And I'm here wondering...WHY????? They all KNOW Mirabel isn't at fault for the door ceremony failing so.....

[@StoryMing]

@@DrawciaGleam02 Because, Abuela was *_afraid._* -She was terrified of the idea of losing everything all over again, and Mirabel’s giftlessness symbolized that possibility. And *_no that DOES NOT make it right,_* what she did; but human psychology being what it is, a great many people do no better handling trauma. And not all of them would be able to recognize they were wrong and apologize for it.

[@KaiseaWings]

The line 'Bruno walks in with a mischievous grin' sticks with me because I just _bet_ it was Bruno awkwardly laughing at his own poor joke: It looks like rain! Just trying to cheer his sister up and it's taken the wrong way.

[@RenaRain]

Right?? He was definitely being awkward.

[@Queen_B235]

I totally thought that too.

[@notzombie3703]

the exact scene was in my head, before the wedding, bruno was with pepa, there was a really awkward silence, and pepa was clearly stressed, so bruno laughed a little awkwardly, and said "well, uh... looks like rain! heheh" and is met by stares, and a thunderstorm

[@mettatonex7221]

I wonder how many of history's most feared men were just socially awkward dorks all along.

[@reubenmanzo2054]

@@notzombie3703 This kind of prophecy is called self-fulfilling.

[@tex_083]

I'm laughing my ass off right now because my parents' refuse to see therapists (either together, or separately) because they once took me to therapy when I was 7 or 8, the therapist called them to the second appointment, and said 'you have a perfectly normal kid, let's talk about you two.' XD

[@isabelmcgaugh711]

OUCH

[@pc_hmk2204]

Wow. Your parents actually thought problem is in you when they were the problem all this time. I can relate 😂😂😂

[@errortrossity]

that is simultaneously hilarious, and depressing.

[@radiantred4158]

This is the most hilarious lead in to a therapy session but it sucks at the same time.

[@farihamohamedhilmy4700]

HAHAHA WOW! 😮🤣 The parents are the problem, not the kid. Way for that therapist to spot on! 😉

[@SensationalBanana]

I just cannot get over how sad and dark it is for Bruno to have been hiding inside the house, hearing his family talk about him, seeing them be together, whilst being behind a wall... It's even darker, to me, than Rapunzel being cooped up in her tower.

[@axis2039]

I agree. It is harder for people to be prohibited from something they can see than at something they cannot.

[@abbyrobles2400]

Honestly, I mean that’s just heartbreaking

[@Zalied]

Rapunzel was bored and trapped for sure but st least she thought her mother loved her and had a reason. Bruno was alone and knew it

[@theresaschuebel5151]

Actually I think that Julieta never voiced how she actually felt about him to anyone but Mirabel

[@ingonyama70]

@@Zalied I would argue Gothel's years of emotional and verbal abuse and gaslighting put a bigger strain on Rapunzel. Not that Bruno didn't have it bad, but Alma genuinely cared for him, and not just what he could do, as we see at the ending.

[@Micah_ware]

one thing I noticed is how, during "We Don't Talk About Bruno", Camilo is smiling through the whole song. I think its interesting, because since he's one of the younger cousins, he only knows Bruno through stories. In his mind, Bruno isn't even real, he's just a character, and talking about him is just a performance. It really shows how the family stopped seeing Bruno as a person, and more as an idea to fear.

[@margaretschaufele6502]

I wondered that too, since he is actually the same age as Mirabel, just maybe a few months older, if what he's saying in the song is his own memories about his uncle towering over him as a small child, or stories and whispers he's picked up from the adults or his older sister and cousins. It adds to the spooky edge they give Bruno until you actually meet him in the flesh.

[@SpruceBunbo]

i find this really interesting actually. it's quite possible tbh. like, to him, bruno is basically just like, this urban legend, like the mothman. which, imma be real, bruno does seem like the mothman. people see him as the bringer of doom, when really he's just the messenger.

[@Beacuzz]

I heard a theory that he saw Bruno one night in the kitchen. And just made it scarier and is doing what all teens do making it a joke. "Rats along his back and it all fades to black" I think he thought Bruno was a story until he saw him...and fainted.

[@dawnruth2397]

I actually think Mirabel always had a gift. Her ability was to truly see everyone in her family, beyond their gifts. She even helps reveal the unvarnished origin story of the community, which is shown at the end of the movie and helps her to understand Abuela better.

[@351528]

I thought about that too. Given Camilo's age, Bruno would be more of a mythical villian to him. I think that's why his verse isn't about one of Bruno's prophecies but about what a scary character he is.

[@trinaq]

The birth order of the triplets reflects their personalities. Julieta heals the pain of the past through her cooking, Pepa represents the present, the constantly changing times, and Bruno is the future, something we NEVER want to talk about.

[@brianneporchak3023]

On top of that, I've seen mention that Mirabel and her sister represent brains, beauty, brawn, while Dolores and her brothers represent see, hear and speak no evil.

[@patrickdorman8330]

Wow, that's really a good metaphor. Didn't even think of that! You're good.

[@patrickdorman8330]

@@brianneporchak3023 Damn, I didn't even think of that. You're good.

[@shinankoku2]

Nice!

[@fisch37]

They have a verified birth order?

[@Dynemanti]

Actually it's not a plot hole that she always heard him in the walls, Dolores' verse in "we don't talk about bruno" she literally gives away the fact that she hears him. "I can always here him muttering and mumbling". This often gets misinterpreted as her talking about the family, or bruno in the past. But she says "him" not "them" and "can" not "could". It's specifically about hearing HIM in the PRESENT TENSE. Her message is also the only sympathetic one in the whole song. She talks about the FAMILY not understanding and how he had a "heavy lift" implying she understands the pressure he was under and how bad it made him feel when the family misunderstood his words. She's heard the full story from him and is trying to pass that information to Mirabel, that's why she asks "do you understand?" twice. She REALLY wants to have someone else understand what she knows. The final tell? He appears on the balcony during her verse and is dancing along with it.

[@meliyriver4333]

My theory is that Delores did actually tried to tell someone, her mom Pepa, but since she was the one that enforces the "we don't talk about Bruno" rule, she right away told her to not say it to anyone.

[@SkyBlue12.5.01]

I thought she just thought it was the rats, because that's what she said. "Oh, and the rats talk in the walls"

[@RiniDiamandis]

You know Dolores been getting gaslit by this whole family all her life, she gave up trying to tell them until Mirabel actually cared to ask for her opinion. Dolores has always been asked "what did/do you hear?" Never "what did/do you think/feel?"

[@shanebianculli8644]

Nice catch with him walking on the balcony! I hadn't seen that before. One thing I did notice, is that in right after Isabella sings, "I want not a sound out of you..." Dolores sings off camera, "I can hear him now."

[@umcdwarf]

It's like I hear him now It's like I can hear him now I can hear him now These are the lines by Dolores from "We don't talk about Bruno", and the last two are super easy to miss - because Isabella tells Mirabel that she doesn't want any sound from her right at that moment. I interpret these lines as aimed at Bruno, not at her love interest. I love the song - there is so much hidden lines in there, audible only after multiple times listening to the track. Especially tragic line is sung by Isabella and Dolores when everybody starts singing at once - among other stuff they repeat: "And I'm fine, and I'm fine, and I'm fine, I'll be fine". Heartbreaking.

[@JuiceForNoOne]

Fun fact you've probably had pointed out by now: that type of singing where everyone is carrying a different melody and lyrics but all singing at once is called a madrigal.

[@MossyMozart]

ACuppa Tea - Thank you for the knowledge as I know little about the study of music. I have tried following the different lines of singing in group songs (they do it in opera, too) and to my amazement, I really CAN follow the distinct songs of each person. Music is amazing.

[@gypsywoman9140]

Your comment deserves more Likes

[@Tchika]

wow, thanks for that!

[@davidgordy7766]

Honestly I think it's a little funny that they name the protagonists after a technique that (if I remember correctly) was used only once or twice throughout the movie.

[@gayahithwen]

@@davidgordy7766 There's a finite number of songs, they wanted to have both group numbers and individual songs, and to work in a lot of Colombian musical styles. Getting a madrigal into the music even once is impressive. And that's not even covering that Madrigal also sounds like "magical", and the genre this belongs to is magical realism.

[@cegdrummer]

As a person with Hispanic influence, I think Bruno's OCD tendencies were brought upon culture where beliefs like knocking on wood, throwing salt across the shoulder, and avoiding cracks on the floor are considered to break bad luck. It was like he was trying to "protect" everyone around him by trying to prevent his visions (which are apparently bad) from happening. That's how I interpreted the scenes when I first watched the movie and I actually appreciated it so much because it made me feel so much more in touch with the characters.

[@ThePickleUpYourNose]

100%, when ur in a culture with strong superstitions and develop something like ocd or bipolar the cultural things often play a big role in the disorders. It’s nice to see someone not saying “it’s JUST cultural not ocd” because it’s very clearly rituals but with his culture! Which is fine and normal Like my family is Italian, recent immigrants and something like praying the rosary could be taken to ocd extents, especially if you think doing it x times a day will prevent something from happening and it becomes an obsession.

[@MrFelblood]

Plus, when you have actual magical powers and no real idea how they work, a lot of those superstitions probably sound a lot more credible.

[@user-rj1ox6gw6p]

yess this is it exactly!! ocd is in our minds so it often presents in ways that are shaped by the culture that we as people with ocd were shaped by. a lot of people like to say that he doesn't have ocd because his rituals involve his culture, but they are misunderstanding ocd when they say that because many rituals in people with ocd have to do with our own cultural beliefs and superstitions.

[@CarolinaRodriguez-jf3hj]

true and verified is to shake away bad luck

[@pugsondrugs5480]

Jeanette McCurdy (played Sam in iCarly) touched on this in her memoir. She was raised Mormon and some of the beliefs really shaped her compulsions and intrusive thoughts.

[@TheCripeCrew]

My theory about why Dolores never said anything is because “we don’t talk about Bruno” is so ingrained into the family culture. She just assumed everyone knew he was there but just didn’t talk about it.

[@recycledapathy7411]

Also, she tells Mirabel that she can hear Bruno in the "We Don't Talk About Bruno" song: Hey! Grew to live in fear of Bruno stuttering or stumbling I could always hear him sort of muttering and mumbling I associate him with the sound of falling sand, ch-ch-ch

[@missmoxie9188]

Good point

[@magma4168]

I don't think she assumed that everybody knew. She hears 428973 secrets daily and probably just doesn't reveal them if they don't mean an immediate danger to anyone.

[@Ben-ej1wl]

I think it's an intentional irony. Dolores hears everyone, but no one listens to Dolores. Why else would she say, "I told you!" like that?

[@RaisonLychi]

We don't talk about Bruno, or the arepas that go missing.

[@Rollins2100]

There's a level of sadness in the design of Bruno's tower that isn't mentioned much. The rooms are stated to be designed by the magic to assist the family member inside (creator commentary said Dolores' room is soundproofed so she can sleep, and Antonio's room makes food for the animals that live there), which means Brunos room put his "Power Chamber" at the top of an excruciating climb of stairs, to almost dissuade him from even using his gift at all....

[@Furienna]

Well, it is made clear that he didn’t want to use his gift anymore. And who can blame him when people treated him like crap because of it?

[@isabelmcgaugh711]

It also gets him away from the family that isn’t connecting with him, so very on the nose symbolism

[@Furienna]

@@isabelmcgaugh711 Is it really true that his family didn't connect with him though? Sure, it is clear that things hardly were perfect, but that doesn't mean that they didn't connect with him, or that anyone wanted to lose him for ten years.

[@JenCrystal]

@@Furienna personally I think Abuela’s quote near the end “Bruno didn’t care about this family” makes a strong case for abuela being the one behind the gag order but as for the rest of the fam (at least the older members, his sisters, their husbands and his niece Dolores) I think they did connect with him. The only downside is that they didn’t want to make waves by going against abuela and her opinions, especially after Bruno “left” and that saddens me the most

[@Furienna]

@@JenCrystal That is what happens in dysfunctional families though. It is hard for most people to do what Mirabel eventually did and stand up to the matriarch.

[@llc358]

One of my few criticisms of this movie is the scene where Bruno reunites with the family, because it is all HIM apologizing, and while they clearly forgive and accept him back into the family, no one but Abuela offers Bruno any apologies of their own. I felt like he was primarily the wronged party and it hurt to see him come in apologizing when he didn't really do anything wrong.

[@antikreativ96]

But it's realistic, because Abuela is the oldest. A lot of people of her generation wouldn't be able to see what they did wrong or they would justify it by saying "I had good intentions so it's fine". My parents made some mistakes during my childhood (no physical/ sexual abuse) and because of that I struggled in school/ work/ my relationship. My boyfriend made me realise that I need to go to therapy and that I have to talk to my parents to be able to let go of some things. I told them how I felt and they did feel bad BUT they didn't really see why these things were bad. They did their best bla bla bla... So I'll never get a real apology for what they did to me.

[@nicolina1026]

@@antikreativ96 And it's still 100% wrong. Putting it in the movir just reinforces the toxic generational pattern.

[@jacobwansleeben3364]

Personally, I'm ok with Abuela being the only one to apologise to him since, from what I remember, she is the only one in the family who we see show true hatred towards Bruno IMO. A few of the things that the others say about Bruno in 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' make him look like a malicious person, but I never got the sense that they HATED him. In particular, Camilo's part of the song felt like he was just making fun of Bruno, rather than actually believing in the things he was saying. At most, they were just scared of him.

[@amesnfire1098]

This and the matriarch of the family basically getting away with her abuse because 'boo hoo me I have a troubled past too' really soured my view of the movie. There was a lot of build-up to some actual discussion and apologizing for past wrongs in the family but instead we got a 'happy ending' where everything was suddenly better with no effort. I think the movie encouraged a bad mindset regarding unhealthy family dynamics. Edit: To clarify, the message of the movie should have acknowledged that people don't need to forgive toxic family members just because they are family.

[@LonelyTraveler777]

Alma barely apologized to him either. And the family still needed to apologize to Bruno too. All of them but especially Pepa and her side of the family, they actively participated in believing and spreading misconceptions and misjudgments about Bruno. It doesn't matter that they were not as hateful as Alma, their behavior still did harm since they participated in misunderstanding, shunning and isolating a family member. Actually , through calling out the family on their mistake and having them apologize to Bruno, the movie had a great opportunity to address and to acknowledge the harm certain toxic behaviors such as misjudging, and bad-mouthing can do. And if this was any other movie, you would think that was the direction the movie was taking (the family showing understanding and taking responsibility for what they had done to Bruno) but for some reason, it didn't happen in this movie. Instead it's Bruno who apologizes. All this made it look like Bruno was the one who اhad done something wrong and the family was doing him a favor by "accepting him back".

[@PeanutStrawberry]

It's funny Camilo described Bruno as this weird, aggressive creature with "rats along his back," because rats are super social animals. That's why they recommend to always adopt two pet rats, because they can fell into depression if living alone (although you may provide them with hours of attention and care, you just can't provide them with the same way another rat would). Yet, we have characterized rats as these dirty nuisance, vermin, bearer of bad omens. They're like Bruno in a way... (💃🐀🕺telenovelas 🕺🐀💃)

[@Kaiser8513]

Not to mention that rats are also constantly grooming themselves, fleas carried by rats cause one tiny plague and everyone hates the rat who did nothing wrong.

[@katphish30]

Camillo doesn't remember Bruno any more than Mirabel does, but his mother is still mad at him and I guarantee she talks about him behind closed doors. He's been hearing that since he was five.

[@amrys_argent]

I don't think Pepa is actually *angry* though, I think that's just how she covers her grief over the loss of her triplet. For all she knows, he could be dead.

[@dietotaku]

many rodents are that way. degus are related to squirrels and chinchillas and you can only adopt them in pairs because they will get depressed if they're alone.

[@Ichneumonxx]

Rats are the sweetest, incredibly intelligent animals that are funny, social, clean, caring and what not. The only major bad thing about them is that they're incredibly sickly and have a life span so short (half a year average in the wild, 2,5 years average in captivity), you basically spend a fortune at the vet each time just to extend it for at least another month. Depression-inducers, in a way.

[@lynniersl3854]

Hot take: The main thing I HATED about Bruno reuniting with his family is him feeling the need to apologize. When in reality he was the victim of being isolated/shunned by his family.

[@rizahawkeyepierce1380]

It’s something he feels like he needs to do due to his anxiety (a feeling which was encouraged by their past treatment of him). But Julieta saying, “We’re just happy you’re here” is basically telling him he doesn’t need to apologize.

[@lefish5277]

Yeah it would be nice if they’d apologized to him but maybe in the future when they do miniseries we’ll see some of that

[@patrickdorman8330]

It's learned behavior. He's been blamed for bad things happening for years. It's probably instinctive.

[@Rikrobat]

I mean, depending on someone’s personality, it can be instinct. I often apologize first, even if I wasn’t the person who started the conflict. It’s just instinctual; it actually takes extreme effort for me not to apologize as a first response.

[@lisarodriguez6966]

@@Rikrobat oof. That's telling.

[@birdbird8364]

I love the line "my gift wasn't helping the family, but I love my family". It so perfectly illustrates the difference between "The Family" as the oppressive, rigid system of Being Perfect All The Time that's such a problem, and "My Family", as the actual group of people involved in it who do genuinely love each other. It's a simple line but it says so much so well

[@yuritastic_]

its so subtle but it says so much

[@alastorcipher7647]

And the fact that for most of the movie the only times we see this distinction is with the two black sheep Bruno and Mirabele....

[@Staccatostorm]

Dolores is a really reserved person for a “gossiper”. She calmly watched the whole family (including her parents and brother) cheering for the engagement that was breaking her heart. But IMO she kept quiet about Bruno firstly because the thought made her mother terrified and secondly because she was afraid if she’d told them, the family would have really made Bruno leave

[@lilyl5492]

or they might have made HER leave for breaking the one family rule. She too knows not to talk about Bruno, because it will upset people regardless of the truth of where he is. Like a kid that sees the 'bad uncle' at the shops occasionally but doesn't mention it because it makes their parents angry and unpleasant to be around. Also, I think each family member with a gift probably felt a bit isolated because of it, the gifts are all kind of survival mechanisms, which tend to put you out of a place of feeling connected (fear and love can cancel each other out)

[@CodaBlair]

She also likely deluded herself into thinking it wasn't Bruno considering stuff like her line about hearing the rats talking, and as a result she probably wouldn't want to say anything since it may not be true.

[@samantharose7951]

She also tried to tell Mirabell, hers is the only verse in present tense followed by her asking mirabell if she understands

[@lialeeCO]

What op says reinforce my (and many others’) theory that Dolores is definitely catching up on Bruno’s rat telenovela secretly.

[@institches2750]

I actually thought that was a flaw in the characterization of Dolores in the movie. They established her as a person who couldn't keep a secret when she blurted out Mirabel's discovery at the table. But she'd been keeping the secret of Bruno's existence for years. It's contradictory. They needed to 1) explain why (which they didn't have time for) or 2) find a workaround for that plot point.

[@trinaq]

I love how Dolores is the only family member who empathises with Bruno, and spectulates that he wasn't a bad person. This makes sense, given that she could hear him through the walls, and she was likely trying to clue in Mirabel.

[@Sisi-SSD]

The thing I don't get is why she knew about him for years and didn't say anything but she finds out about Mirabel going into his tower and tells everyone immediately.

[@natalies4751]

@@Sisi-SSD I read a theory that Dolores *has* been telling everyone (she sings “I can hear him now” in the Bruno song and at the end says “I knew he was here”) but part of her “curse” is that she hears everything but no one actually listens to her!

[@Sisi-SSD]

@@natalies4751 huh that is an interesting theory and it makes sense especially at the end where she says I knew he never left I heard him everyday.

[@natalies4751]

@@Sisi-SSD also, of course, she was listening to Bruno’s rat telenovelas and didn’t want them to end 😂😂

[@Sisi-SSD]

@@natalies4751 yep yep 👍🏻 😂

[@Whatlander]

I wish that the pacing had allowed for more focus on Bruno riding up to defend Mirabel towards the end. It's a funny scene that brings the energy of the film back up, but also really gets to me. Bruno was so afraid of his own mother mistreating his niece like she did to him, that he _hid in the walls for years_ just to avoid Abuela seeing Mirabel's prophesy. He's too scared to say "No" if she were to ask for a retake. After everything (literally) falls apart, he's practically ready to fight her, or at least confront Abuela/put himself between her and Mirabel. Bruno truly believes that his mother hates him, and he refuses to allow his own pain be passed on to the next generation. That's a good Tio right there.

[@sweetoil2952]

Yes, I wish that too! Aww, I love the analysis 🥺

[@vcool122]

As someone who as always been the family problem, acording to my parents, I like the scene as it is, because I took the blame and the wrath of my parents multiple times in order to protect my younger sisters. If I was to be the problem anyway, better be the only problem right? Since Abuella had already changed her view thanks to Mirabel, there was no need to drag the scene longer since, there wasn't anything left to protect Mirabel from. I also think the hug and the kiss from her to Bruno at that point was a wholesome way for her to tell him that everything is fine and apologizing at the same time.

[@Mustgohome2003]

Favorite comment ❤

[@penntopaper9305]

he is a cycle breaker fr fr

[@gracecodd4378]

You just made me tear up

[@Nothingbig1398]

I like how in the first lines of we don’t talk about Bruno when they go “married in a hurricane” and her husband says “ what a joyous day”, it really shows why they’re married

[@SuperSongbird21]

Apparently it's a popular superstition in Columbia that lousy weather at weddings means the rest of the married life will be okay. So Felix is just doing his usual thing of seeing the positive side of things.

[@areswalker5647]

​@@SuperSongbird21oh so it's a southern American thing and not an universal one? I'm Italian and here we say "wet bride is a lucky bride" to mean that it's gonna be a blessed marriage if it rains during the wedding (it's a nice thing to cheer up the spouses who had their wedding ruined by bad weather)

[@areswalker5647]

@@courtykat it was a welcomed correction as I didn't know about that, thanks.

[@RighteousInquisition]

@@areswalker5647 The ships must've brot those things over to the Americas.

[@EtherealSunset]

​@@areswalker5647 lots of bad things seem to be seen as good luck and I've often wondered if it originated from people trying to cheer someone up. Like if a bird poos on you here, it's supposed to be good luck. No one wants to have a bird poo on them, but I guess if one does, it might help if you think that one bad thing happening means good things will follow.

[@Loafusbreadmyre]

Something this reminded me of is a phrase used in a very toxic way by very toxic families. The phrase being "Blood is thicker than water," which is meant to say basically "family above all else." However, the original phrase is "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb." Which means that those we choose to form our bonds with are often greater than those we have no choice but to be connected to.

[@musicadictor]

One of my favourite phrases to say to my students (I'm an English teacher). Same with "curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back"

[@Terratops474]

Hate to burst your bubble, but both of those are 20th century additions to much older proverbs. "Blood is thicker than water" was first seen in a 1300s German manuscript and entered its current form in the 17th century, whereas the earliest version of "curiosity killed the cat" is from the late 16th. While we're on the subject, "Jack of all trades" was first, "master of none" was added later, and "but better than a master of one" wasn't seen before the 21st century.

[@QueamQuackers]

@@Terratops474 oh that’s pretty cool. So they kinda evolved thanks to people coming up with comebacks

[@derekhunter5040]

@@Terratops474 don't lie. You love busting that bubble.

[@crysaniafanny4760]

I feel so enlightened

[@elizabethjennings231]

I thought it was sweet how Bruno came out of hiding to defend Mirabelle. He was scared of abuela but he didn't want Mirabelle to become isolated like him. 💚🖤

[@rainbowrosie8595]

Yeah, personally that was actually the point where I started crying, because I could almost feel how much he had been avoiding abuala and feared facing him, and yet he faced that fear in order to try and help his niece and it just blew me away how hard that must have been for him to do, you know?

[@PhD_Rebrands]

🍀🌲🌴🐍🐸☘️🥑🍃🌱🐢🦖🐛🌳🧤🥝🦎🥗🥦🥒🍏🦠🥬🧩🐲🐊❎✳️🟩🛶🟢❇️📗🈯️🔰🫒🍐♻️🪀🫑🎋🩲🪲🦚🐉💹🚦🍵🥭🧃💚

[@yourcollegedebt8384]

A quote from Avatar: TLA applies here, I think. To paraphrase: "I love her more than I fear you."

[@Whatlander]

Especially with the whole generational trauma theme. Bruno can't even imagine saying no if Abuela tells him to do a prophesy, but he outright refuses to let the family's cycle of abuse continue.

[@InYourFaceNL]

I honestly hoped to see them address that scene in particular...bummer

[@catlover2223]

I love how he’s described as having a “7-foot frame”, when he’s actually the shortest of the triplets. Again, dehumanizing and making him more threatening than he actually is.

[@Maya.0114]

Also Camilo is the same age as Mirabel so he was quite young when Bruno left leading him to perceive Bruno larger than he actually is

[@LittleHobbit13]

Peter: "I remember you being a lot bigger." Hook: "To a 10 year old I'm huge."

[@catlover2223]

@@LittleHobbit13 Love the reference!

[@coffeebean8790]

@@Maya.0114 Yeah, I agree that Camilo’s portrayal of Bruno is based in part on how big Bruno must have appeared to Camilo back when he was a small five year old. It’s almost akin to revisiting a place that you haven’t been to since you were very young and noticing how much smaller it is than you remember.

[@Furienna]

Camilo was probably just fooling around and didn't actually believe that Bruno was seven foot tall. But it sounded good when he was turning him into a scary story.

[@davidharshman7645]

One of the many things I appreciate is that Pepa talks about how Bruno ruined her wedding...but, from the way her husband talks about the wedding, it clearly wasn't ruined for him. Hurricane or no, it was still the happiest day of his life.

[@P.A.theDarkstar]

Spouses of emotionally disjointed people often have to be brave enough to weather the storms.

[@nanyur3013]

​@@P.A.theDarkstar😂

[@BustEr8mys0cks]

​@@P.A.theDarkstar My Husband suddenly popped up in my mind 😂 Sometimes I wonder how he can navigate through my storms. And keep my grounded and sane, if I may add 😅

[@temporary0insanity]

There's a very nice story in the Encanto comics about Pepa and Felix telling Mirabel how they met, and it was actually teenage Bruno having a vision about Pepa meeting her future husband. :)

[@akkiko]

I honestly think it's because it wasn't "perfect" by Abuela's standards, so it wasn't "perfect" for Pepa.

[@Window4503]

The “she’s his aunt so it’s forbidden” is a reference to 100 Years of Solitude, the inspiration for this movie. The book has a TON of incest.

[@caitlinmccloud7431]

Can’t wait for that to start showing up in “The DARK origins of Encanto, the story Disney DOESNT want you to know” videos

[@KatherinaBathory]

@@caitlinmccloud7431 well, 100 years of solitude is a school book over here xP

[@tinaperez7393]

Thanks! That's a great piece of background information and makes that scene even funnier! 😂 Now I want to read that book. Had wanted to a while ago but never did and forgot about it. 🤗

[@damekkoDark]

also typical telenovela plot lol, especially with amnesia

[@kitkat1321]

Pro Justice I mean there’s also a fair a amount of incest between first cousins and siblings in that book. So it’s not just the whole small village thing.

[@lisacarpenter5776]

RE: Dolores, I always figured that she could hear Bruno and she knew she was hearing Bruno, and maybe as a kid she would try and tell the adults that she could still hear him. But nobody wanted to talk/think about Bruno so they just acted like she was making it up, so she learned to keep it to herself.

[@sanschmidt5457]

I think this is hands on the best explanation.

[@renee356]

This. And if you pay close attention to her lyrics in We Don't Talk About Bruno at one point she sings "I can hear him now." Which we don't initially take literally given the context, but she could have heard him in that moment.

[@PolloLocoTheFun]

@@renee356 That is a neat idea, but here is my take: That line of "I can hear him now" comes right after Dolores recites her prophecy from Bruno, "He told me that the man of my dreams would be just out of reach; Betrothed to another." so I took the "I can hear him now" line as referring to Mariano. ...And who starts singing over Dolores but Isabella, betrothed to Mariano, who is on his way!

[@familywilliams4058]

@@renee356 It's eve more than that, earlier in the song she says "I can always hear him sort of muttering and mumbling" at least that's what I see on the closed caption for the movie.

[@CatriChan]

She also sings "I can always hear him sort of muttering and mumbling" and once when she talks with Mirabel about the magic she says "The rats talk in the walls". Also "he never left" pharese could also reference to him never leaving Encanto and not exactly the Casita. So she knew all the time he was somewhere nearby, but not exactly at home. And since she fell into whole "we don't talk about Bruno" as she grew older she just never brought it up.

[@bookmasterharry4432]

I would like to say that it has been confirmed that Bruno's room changed as how he viewed himself and the town viewed him. the more he started to isolate himself, the more his tower isolated him in a self perpetuating cycle.

[@CodaBlair]

And eventually it got to the point where he completely isolated himself from everybody which caused the room to lose its connection to Casita. Also it's probably not just his tower itself but the location of it too. At first it seemed to be together with Julietta and Pepa's yet is now all alone in that hallway.

[@i_prefer_the_term_antihero]

Wait WHAT?! That is so cool and fascinating. Do you have a link to where that was confirmed?

[@romacrunch]

@@i_prefer_the_term_antihero in the first scene of the movie, when abuela alma was describing the backstory to casita, the movie shows bruno's door between pepa and julieta's doors. they might be referring to that

[@bambicrandi]

Dolores actually told people many times that she could hear him. The “We don’t talk about Bruno” was so strong that they didn’t want to engage in that conversation. I also notice that a lot of people didn’t listen to Dolores unless they wanted to know a secret. Probably why she couldn’t ever keep a secret because that was the only time she would get attention.

[@roxanelvgsch]

Very interesting!!!

[@StevenJQuinlan]

Fun fact for Alan, the kind of song where people sing over each other like One Day More or We Don't Talk About Bruno is called a 'Madrigal'

[@catherinepoteat]

DUDE!!! NO WAYYYYY!!!

[@MrsBlack88]

That’s so cool

[@Oberky]

Was looking for this comment. Loved Howard Ho's video on it.

[@millymcbug]

@@catherinepoteat I love your enthusiasm! You might be interested in Howard Ho's channel, which does analyses on everything musical (but not limited to musicals!) And it's really cool!!!

[@JaelinBezel]

I’m sure it’s just a coincidence

[@jules194]

I just realised that the line about Bruno having rats along his back means that he would be around the rats even before leaving. Either that he is a compassionate person who likes animals and looks out for them and/or that he was already so lonely and could only be close with the rats, and formed a sort of family bond with them to make up for being pushed away :(

[@amesnfire1098]

Rats are also intelligent, empathetic, and family/community-oriented creatures, much like humans. So read into that as you will.

[@Furienna]

It is a little bit of both, I think. Bruno seems to be very much like Antonio in that it's easier for him to bond with animals than with people.

[@T_1.5]

Didn’t the Nazi’s propaganda also compare Jews with rats?

[@oblitusunum6979]

@@T_1.5 no, national socialist propaganda said they had Typhus (carried by lice and rats) because of the lice in their beards etc. It was the excuse for the symbol requirements (so people would know to avoid them so they didn't get sick. It's almost the same excuse new york city used to push the vax id and mandate) which allowed identification and discrimination against them to increase.

[@davidprince6877]

Maybe he heard something about the rats from his sister. He was too young to know very much bout Bruno anyway.

[@silelda]

The Bruno scene that made me cry was at the river. He was already the black sheep and he was willing to take more punishment from the family to protect Mirabel. It really made me think of my Mom, the black sheep of her family, trying her best to protect me and my brothers from what she'd gone through.

[@colettakarnick1472]

Especially the part where he says "I don't care what you think of me." You can clearly hear the pain in his voice slip through. Great job from Leguizamo for this performance.

[@ZeldaWolf2000]

@@colettakarnick1472 I know right! You can hear the same with Alma, when she says that Bruno doesn't care about the family. They love each other so much, they just can't express it and shits getting in the way! God I love this movie so much! Bruno is the best!

[@ZeldaWolf2000]

I know right! The man isolated himself in the walls for 10 years to protect his knees, then, although he doesn't need to, he still throws himself at his mom, the first time he seen her in a decade, to take the fall for literally the house falling apart. He's taking the fall for everything even though he doesn't have to. I love this man so much! I wanna hug him!

[@Duiker36]

Well, in fairness, his hiding spot had also just collapsed around him, so he'd already been forced out into the open. It's a smaller step from that to deciding to reveal yourself.

[@tiph3802]

@@Duiker36 the jungle was right there. He could have easily hidden. He chose bravery.

[@sharayalee3376]

What I love about Mirabell is that she actually tells her dad what’s going on when she finds Bruno’s last vision. In so many movies the adolescents or kids don’t talk to the parents or ask for advice which doesn’t model the best parent/child relationship

[@Furienna]

I wonder if Mirabel had really planned to tell Agustín though. But he just happened to suddenly enter her room before she had hidden the shards of the vision.

[@SuperSongbird21]

Most films portray parents as stupid or evil because otherwise the young protagonist could just tell them the problem and they'd help sort it out. The thing is, the Madrigals' problem isn't something that can easily be "fixed" and the only way things get better is when everyone knows/acknowledges there's a problem in the first place. So making Mirabel an old-school kid hero who solves everything herself behind the family's backs wouldn't really have worked.

[@ferretappreciator]

I think it's moreso that she can't lie to him.

[@Jah_LEASE_yah]

I believe that Dalores didn't tell anyone about Bruno because she was afraid to. Everyone in the family was treated according to their gift. So as someone who heard everything and knew everything in the family she probably was told to "shhhhh" a lot growing up. Now as an adult she is afraid to speak up about anything. That is why she never speaks above a whisper. The only time you see her break is when she blurts out that the magic is dying during dinner.

[@samiam2088]

I thought she only whispered because the sound of her own voice was too loud for her.

[@quietdevious1]

I wonder if she got yelled at and was extra traumatized because of her super sensitive ears.

[@tamikahenry520]

qqq x

[@cirix15]

I definitely agree that she probably kept silent out of fear especially since she was still a child when Bruno disappeared (I think around 10- 13 years old). At that age kids are still very impressionable and tend to hide problems or situations that they think would make adults angry. and she's probably extra sensitive to people being angry since people tend to yell when angry which would be extremely painful to someone with super hearing.

[@remyhavoc4463]

I could agree but there's always one scene that infuriated me. And it's that scene where Mirabel was trying her best not to tell anyone about Bruno's vision and Dolores told everyone. I also don't know why tf Felix thought it would be a great idea to tell Pepa of all people 🤦

[@JohnGrapes]

I think the way that everybody says “We don’t talk about Bruno” but then goes on gossip about him is something that I experience a lot with people. E.g. “Yeah, we don’t talk about John’s ex-wife…” and then they go on to tell a story about why she is bad and she shouldn’t be talked about.

[@cubbymumma3941]

This! "We don't talk about Bruno, expect when we do, which is whenever we get an excuse."

[@iantaakalla8180]

When you want to disparage a person so you say “we don’t talk about X” but the random stuff triggers memories of X.

[@testerwulf3357]

@@cubbymumma3941 "We don't talk about this person..except for when we want to dump all baggage on them via blaming them for everything and gossiping about them"..classic toxic behavior

[@Djorgal]

The most important part in this song was the "but". We don't talk about Bruno... BUT

[@violet18]

Translation: We don't address the ways we have wronged someone. We will only speak about them in a way that promotes our narrative.

[@octaviatucker984]

I like how they perceived Bruno is having a mischievous grin when speaking about rain on the wedding when Bruno is actually a very superstitious person and rain was seen as good luck on a wedding day but the anxieties of having her perfect day be ruined caused her to worsen the storm when an actuality Bruno was just happy that there was a good omen on her special day

[@Firegen1]

I always love that Pepa's view of the day and Felix's are different. He sings positively about the day despite the weather change. He knows his wife's abilities and anxieties, loves her for them. Thus a hurricane wedding would be beautiful to him in ways. It's Pepa being Pepa.

[@katphish30]

Or he was actually just teasing his sister and you're massively overthinking it.

[@TheGirlonfire25]

It doesn't get bad until Abuela gets the umbrellas, either. She assumes the worst and they all follow

[@patrickdorman8330]

People will take any excuse to justify their feelings, ie fear.

[@bosmata040]

@@katphish30 it’s no teas. From the last song: “Pepa I’m sorry about the wedding didn’t mean to be upsetting, it wasn’t a prophesy I just could see you were sweating! And I want you to know that your bro loves you so let it in let it out let it rain let it snow let it go!” He just saw she was nervous and knew that when she’s upset she creates rain. Sound like he wanted to encourage her the except her gift and embrace the rain instead of being scared of it. And she does by the end of the movie. Bruno is just clumsy with his words being so afraid to upset everyone so he probably said it in a different tone, and pepa took it wrong.

[@altsadhara]

Fun fact, maybe a coincidence, but when Bruno predicted that Isabela's powers would grow like grapes on a vine, it's interesting to note that grapes actually need a lot of support for their vines to be able to grow, just like Isabela couldn't truly grow her power until she received emotional support.

[@niagargoyle]

My favorite “theory” about why Dolores doesn’t spill the beans about Bruno is from a series of TikTok sketches by Nicque Marina where Dolores is listening to the rat telenovelas, and she wants to hear what happens next.

[@marshcarcass]

Same lol, also Nicque Marina is a wonderful creator

[@Crithosceleg]

Damn, my new favorite headcanon

[@katrinascarlet5637]

El Rato del Encanto!

[@Hoshi-Hana]

I love the series! I would wish she made more :D

[@natalies4751]

She’s uploaded then as KZbin shorts too! They killed me 🤣

[@freshwaterlife]

I love how in the reunion scene Bruno says “that wasn’t a prophecy, I could just see you were sweating.” He was joking about how it looks like it’s going to rain because she’s frazzled/worried about the wedding day and looking to console her, but she overreacted (like you would to a sibling when they’re teasing you) and turns it into him wishing mischief on her.

[@faelyn42]

I could also see his "mischievous grin" actually being his socially-akward nervous smile

[@LittleHobbit13]

Imagine the anxiety it would cause to not be able to say _anything_ without people taking it as an prophecy, and usually an ominous one at that. What a terrible way to have to live.

[@funkyjbass7762]

So, then, Bruno DID cause it to rain on her wedding because he amplified the anxiety they were feeling.

[@katphish30]

@@funkyjbass7762 No, SHE caused it to rain because she's responsible for her own powers.

[@BarronessM]

Also in the song the one line "Abuela gets the umbrella" makes it seem she had one on standby not having faith in Pepa to keep it together.

[@sketchyskies8531]

The fact people judged him solely because he said that bad things could happen, while forgetting that he can predict good things too

[@dietotaku]

and not even trying to do anything about the bad things either. like "uh oh bruno said i would get fat, better sit on my ass and eat donuts until it comes true and then be mad about it."

[@Rikrobat]

People often focus on the negative, even if they don’t mean to. How often does one bad interaction ruin an otherwise really good day? We often hyper focus on the one thing that upset us rather than the ten things that made us happy.

[@matheussanthiago9685]

Try being a climate scientist

[@Revanbzn]

Yep. He basically spoiled her entire song arc in his prediction. Her future coming and her power growing like it eventually did.

[@bsidethebox]

I think a lot of the fear and anger maybe stems from the conversion between the unknown-and-therefore-you-can-imagine-it-as-ideal, and the "known" future. As in, maybe Fish Lady already knew fish don't live forever and that hers was on the way out, and Gut Guy feels like he was always gonna have a belly-perhaps aware that his genetics predisposes him for a gut, or perhaps he knows he'll never put in the effort required to give himself his ideal body shape-but without the vision she could imagine her fish miraculously cured and he could still imagine himself as perpetually youthful, or that he'd wake up one day as a magically muscular Adonis. (Who knows if the prophecies actually allow for changes based on foreknowledge--so far we only see ones that come true. 🤷) Anyways, rather than accepting the reality of...ya know...actual real life... they lash out and assign blame to Bruno *because they've lost the ability to dream themselves in a different future* . Those with prophecies they don't like feel helplessly trapped in a story that is playing out regardless, instead of one that is still being written-that They are Writing as they go along-that they still have control over. In that vein, I'm not sure Isabella would have necessarily felt like her prophecy was "good". Her solo expresses very clearly how trapped she feels by her role as the perfect successor and how much she's secretly NOT into the guy that she perceives as her prophesied destiny.

[@Boxygirl96]

1:20 something I want to draw attention to is that it isn’t coincidence his room happens to look that way. Their house is directly connected to the health of the family. His room reflects his emotional state and his relationship with those around him. The reason for the stairs is because of how distant he’s become from everyone around him, the broken bridge at the top is a literal representation of the broken bridge between him and them that formed when he ran away, how that connection with them broke and he became fully cut off from the rest of the household In fact it’s very much possible that there weren’t always that many stairs, that more and more appeared the further away he was driven by his cursed miracle, that it got harder and harder to reach him as he retreated further and further away from the society that shunned him more and more each time his ‘gift’ was put on display

[@summermorris4649]

Which is also why the house cant help her in his room. People shunned him from the family when he left, they didnt try to reconnect. And because he is kinda forgotten by the family the house disconnects him to from part of the families' miracle. He keeps his gift because that unique to him and only him

[@Furienna]

@@summermorris4649 But he's not forgotten by the family.

[@Boxygirl96]

@@Furienna but they are doing their best to try and keep him off their minds, hence why no one wants to talk about it

[@Furienna]

@@Boxygirl96 But if they don't talk about him, it is only because they believe that he abandoned them and rejected them. But it's made clear that even though Pepa and Abuela are angry with Bruno, they are still happy to have him back and have never stopped loving him.

[@painoftheheart12]

@Furienna ex-jw here where shunning is basically the main reason why people stay in the religion. People don't really "forget" others. What is meant by "forgetting" in situations like this is to continue on like they never existed or to continue on like their absence is not felt or important. "Who cares what happens to so-so. They left the family they may as well be dead." I think a lot of us would rather be forgotten instead of knowing that the people we love make a point to erase our existence. It's less hurtful to think my family would forget me like alzheimers or amnesia than it is to imagine them insisting that I be forgotten. The intentionality of it is what hurts the most. It would hurt if my loved one forgot me out of circumstance, don't get me wrong. But leaving this cult was realizing that they wished I was dead because it was more convenient for them. In the movie this is like a best case scenario, but incredulity a lot of the time it's, they would rather you dead unless you conform

[@julianakarasawa315]

I was honestly expecting a comment about how the "Disney Villain Green" gets completely subverted in this movie - WDTAB uses that to paint him as evil throughout the whole song and when HE actually shows up, he is just normal green

[@katrianem2124]

Ooh also Abuela is Disney villain purple!

[@VeginMatt]

Every Villain Is Lime

[@Newfiecat]

I really liked that he still had the spooky green eyes when he's doing a prophecy, but it isn't anything evil at all.

[@tamarlindsay8382]

Mirabel's glasses have green frames that are the same shade of green as Bruno's vision-created glass. They also frame glass that helps her to see.

[@doloreslehmann8628]

That "Can you fix Bruno?" really got me. When I developped depression, my whole family just wanted to "send me somewhere where I would be fixed", instead of being willing to change the environment that made me sick in the first place.

[@isabellegoegebuer2777]

I can really relate, sadly enough... I was recently diagnosed with OCD and my parents seem to think a psychologist will fix me right up... They don't even seem to truly realize what OCD is, they don't seem involved enough to me... And it's such a sting in my heart, every time again and again, just because I love them so much...

[@doloreslehmann8628]

@@isabellegoegebuer2777 Yeah, I think the problem is the people around us can't stand to see us suffering without being able to help, and by help I mean kind of getting rid of the problem instantaneously. When it takes time, and effort, and unwelcome changes, and acceptance, that's too much to bear. So they hope for a quick fix. I wish you all the best.

[@saywhat23]

@@doloreslehmann8628 hope you are doing better now

[@doloreslehmann8628]

@@saywhat23 Thank you! Yes, better indeed, but still fighting to change the environment. At least my husband has now understood the problem and is standing firmly by my side.

[@bananaboat805]

The slow pan from the dining table to Bruno's painted plate absolutely broke my heart. So much love and loneliness in that. Makes me tear up every time :(

[@Metqa]

I dunno if this was intentional ( i mean everything in animation is intentional) But during the Bruno song, Delores, after setting down her tableware, spins and runs her hand across the back wall, in the same place where there is a crack that Bruno can see into the dining room. Is She signalling to Bruno behind the wall?

[@anonymous_bag5241]

Something that always baffled me was that, in the beginning when Mirabel was singing about her family, she specifically said Bruno could see the future. The family also calls what he sees, “Visions.” Which obviously indicates that the only thing Bruno is doing is *seeing*. This made the scenario so much sadder to me, the only reason Bruno ever told people about the bad things was because he either wanted them to emotionally prepare themselves, or to try and prevent it. He only ever tried to help, and yet he was still alienated for it.

[@Furienna]

You can't believe how much I hate those villagers. 😡

[@kanao_13681]

​@@Furienna same

[@Furienna]

@@kanao_13681 It is clear that the villagers actually were scared of Bruno and never got to know him before the magic disappeared. But it was still strange that he got blamed for things, which couldn't be his fault. Really, how long did Ozma think that a goldfish would live anyway? And growing a gut and going bald are things, that happens to lots of men when they become middle aged. That is hardly Bruno’s fault either, even though I guess the fact that he stayed slim and kept his lovely curls might have made such predictions sting for others. It is awful though to think that Bruno also probably predicted worse diseases and even that people would die, and he would be blamed for that too... What makes no sense though is that the villagers should have known that his mother was very protective of the safety of everybody in the Encanto. So I don't see how they could think that she would have let Bruno hurt them even if he could...

[@generalrubbish9513]

I think the line "Your fate is sealed when your prophecy is read" gives a pretty big clue to their thinking here. There seems to be some kind of superstitious idea at play that being told about bad things in your future makes them more likely to happen. But if you invert that logic, you get the idea that NOT knowing makes it less likely to happen, which sounds pretty childish when you think about it. It's like an adult version of closing your eyes until the bogeyman goes away.

[@lolaurabc]

Bruno's power is interlinked with stating truths and pointing fault/shortcomings. And some people really dont like it when you point out their faults or shortcomings, especially if they are in deep denial and hold a more prestigious position than you. No matter how much proof you have it will often cause a very strong defensive reaction, like denying and projecting. So it makes sense for that to happen, because it happens a lot in real life too, mostly at places with more hierarchal social positions... :(

[@kiyan5340]

"Identified patient" really speaks to me. I was the black sheep of our family (despite repeatedly pointing out the source of our collective grief) so as soon as I was financially stable I removed myself from my parents household, yet the problems in that house persisted. Now I'm working a ton to prevent myself having to move back in with them, yet I'm constantly called out as if I don't care or love them. I do, but they are making it very difficult.

[@Kikkatar.]

*hugs*

[@Cerberusmon]

You have to take care of yourself first. Staying away is so hard :(

[@chongz3]

hey, i should do that

[@watchaby]

I relate so much to this experience! I left as soon as I could, even left the country, but to them I'm still very much responsible of everything that's going wrong 😅 But nowadays it's because I'm not there, and "it would change everything".. yeah right 😏

[@AllenGray47]

Don't then, don't love them, they're not returning it, so you'd just be emptying yourself. Tell them as much if you wish, you mo Ed out and nothing got better, so what were you doing to make things worse, why isn't it getting better? Because they're garbage.

[@charisamartin2152]

This film hit so many themes in family...the ones who sweep under the rug, the ones who use humor as a coping mechanism, the outcast, the perfectionist, conflict avoidant/conflict seeking...etc. It's such a ray of hope for families where the members are willing to listen and heal. ❤️ Thanks for another great video, Alan and Jonathan!

[@CinemaTherapyShow]

You are so welcome!

[@eimichoi]

My favourite Dolores theories are that she couldn't tell *where* he was, because she hears everything from everywhere all the time anyway. That, and she was just super invested in his telenovelas 😂

[@kathilisi3019]

Right, and also I think that with her hearing ALL the voices, maybe unsure of her own sanity, and desperate to be as useful as the other gifted children in her family, she wasn't going to admit to hearing a voice nobody else wanted her to hear.

[@snowangelnc]

There's a series of videos someone did, "Dolores listening to Bruno's rat novelas." In one of them he ends with a commercial rapidly announcing "...and by the way the producer of the show is out of avocados and he'd really appreciate it if someone would pick some up the next time she goes to the store thanks Dolores your tio loves you!" In the comments we had "I forgot to feed Bruno, oh no no, I forgot to feed Bruno...."

[@saraha8219]

Bruno gets treated as a sort of tragi-comic character, but can we just take a minute to appreciate his courage and heroism? When Mirabelle doesn't get a gift and Abuela asks him to have the vision that seems to show her causing cracks in the house, he has a golden opportunity to get the maternal approval he's longed for his entire life: all he has to do is show Abuela the vision and Mirabelle will become the new black sheep, making him the "family savior" who warned them about her. Instead, he walks away from everything and everyone he loves to protect his 5-year-old niece. And when the cracks do start to appear, he continues to try and protect the family that rejected him by patching them up - even though he's so afraid to go near them that he has to invent a braver "persona" in order to do it. And lastly, of course, when he finally confronts Abuela and takes responsibility for the disaster in order to prevent her from blaming Mirabelle. It's played for laughs because he doesn't realize that they've already reconciled, but it was still an incredibly brave thing to do when you consider that only a short time before he was afraid for her to even see him.

[@Furienna]

But I guess that Bruno knew that nothing would be solved if he told his mother about the vision. Even if Abuela had given him her approval, she would be arguing with Julieta and Agustín about what they should do with Mirabel and break the family apart. And that is what Bruno would have seen as a best case scenario. And even if it hurt him to hide from his family, it helped a bit that he already was a recluse and could tell himself that he could be useful to the family at last... It is not true that the family rejected Bruno though, but it was his own idea to go into hiding...

[@PdPiper-wn2nb]

@@Furienna they always rejected him, they never needed to tell him to go in order for him to know he wasn't accepted

[@Furienna]

@@PdPiper-wn2nb But why do you think that they had always rejected Bruno? It is true that Pepa and Abuela were angry because they thought that he abandoned them and hurt because they hadn't known if he even was alive for ten years. However, we get no implication that they had ever wanted to lose Bruno no matter how dysfunctional the family was. As a matter of fact, the joy that they showed when they got him back proves that they had always loved him...

[@ktlg1423]

He's such a caring and selfless character, it breaks my heart knowing how poorly he was treated by basically everyone 😭

[@Furienna]

@@ktlg1423 It is pretty much like Mirabel said, that you will often get a bad reputation if you're considered a "weirdo". 😢

[@ChefArella]

I didn't realize "Identified Patient" was the term for it. I'm in my 30's and still working in therapy to try and cope with having that put on me by my family. I don't talk to any of them anymore. The last thing I heard from my father was a letter he wrote, explaining all the things he personally blamed me for, and how even as I child I'd 'ripped them all apart'. They're still miserable without me, everyone younger than I am is also cutting off contact with them as they leave home. It was so clearly not about me, but for my entire life, it's all I heard. It destroyed me and my own self-image. It's really hard work to try and get that footing again.

[@moongirl786]

I'm 29 and still living with my parents, including my mother... I am also on the autism spectrum, and particularly during the pandemic and my mother's insane paranoia around it, I can't go anywhere or do anything, I can't get a job, I did finally graduate from University but through remote classes, and since the housing market here in Canada is freaking insane, there's no way I can move out, or at least it feels that way, mom makes it sound that way... I feel utterly trapped, and I would be completely alone if it weren't for my loving boyfriend, who I have to steal physical moments of intimacy with when mom isn't around, even though we are both fully vaccinated now, and she blames me or my father for everything, never takes any responsibility, and can never hear about our difficulties without immediately countering that her problems are soooo much worse... I can't live here anymore, but I have no choice. My boyfriend is trying so hard to get a job, but nothing is working, and its so disheartening. When my friend group that was my safe place away from her made me the identified patient or scapegoat as well, that was when I felt truly alone

[@kazzellinempanger8998]

@@moongirl786 sounds like your mom is a narcissist, which makes things doubly “fun.” 😬 If you’re on Reddit, there’s the just no MIL sun and the raised by narcissits sub; both have stories others have posted and great advice on dealing with this kind of person. There’s a page specifically dedicated to the terms they use (“gray rock[ing]” for example), if you need it (I did!). I hope things get better for you soon!

[@Mindseas]

Thank you for sharing Arella Marie, you are a strong person for identifying this and doing the right thing for you, so I believe in you! Through I haven't experienced it myself, I can understand it's been difficult, but you're doing the right thing

[@moongirl786]

@@kazzellinempanger8998 I haven't ever used Reddit much, my boyfriend does quite a bit. I should look at those subs, thanks for the advice! And yeah, "fun" about sums it up. She has her good days, or more accurately good moments, and there are certain ways to appease her, but its kind of a death by a thousand cuts thing... anyway, thanks again!! I will be starting my Masters in the fall, which requires me to go to campus, so sweet partial freedom is near :P

[@Sherry-jn5zn]

I just put the pieces together for myself & I'm 50. My mother decided I was the designated patient. Lots of stuff makes more sense now.

[@m3rrys0ngstr3ss]

Apparently there was a flashback scene cut from the film where he and Alma were arguing, and Alma said something like "If you leave, you are dead to this family!" and Bruno yelled back, "I wish I *WAS* dead!" - while I think that would have let a lot of people feel seen, I figure Disney didn't feel comfortable letting a character of theirs discuss having suicidal ideation. John Leguizamo already gives a fantastic performance, I think that scene being included would have been even more gutting.

[@karinamaya2928]

No way do you know where I could watch this scene if possible?

[@LittleHobbit13]

Honestly I'm glad they didn't go that route. It just wouldn't have had the same emotional payoff at the end with the rest of what's there, and frankly shouting something like that doesn't feel true to Bruno's characterization either.

[@robynwilson9227]

its weird they cut that scene but kept in Elsa contemplating suicide for half a song in the Broadway musical lol.

[@LonelyTraveler777]

@@LittleHobbit13 I love how everyone who dislikes that deleted scene always complains how shouting "I wish I was dead" doesn't feel true to Bruno's characterization but never mentions Alma shouting first that Bruno is dead to her if he leaves. Maybe these people think shouting that feels true to Alma's characterization then? lol

[@seejoshrun1761]

@@LonelyTraveler777 I would argue that shouting that is more in line with Abuela's character than Bruno's.

[@NightFirePanda]

Something that you guys kinda skipped over but what really hit me hard when I watched it was the fact that Bruno was fixing the crack in the home from the inside, without any recognition or praise and when Mirabelle asked him about it he admitted being scared of the cracks but trying to fix them anyway. I feel like I did/do that for my own family and it was really nice to see that represented.

[@anjelica948]

I definitely identify with Bruno so much. I’m the “identified patient” in my family, and I do spend much of my time alone, I have ever since I was a kid, which in turn has made me “weird” in the same way Bruno is shown to be. Making up little characters, getting a long better with animals, wanting to be close to people but unsure of how to do so without sounding creepy or upsetting everyone else, even the superstitious behaviors (knocking on wood, tossing salt, avoiding cracks, etc). Trying to be secretly helpful because its too complicated and overwhelming to try and be more direct.

[@yourneighborhoodfbi7518]

I'm so sorry... I hope you're doing okay, and I know you'll find people who will love and accept you for who you are someday. 💖💖💖

[@AngelinaSkylove_719]

This hit me deep. 😭😭😭😭

[@johnny3553a]

I sympathize… I’m the oldest sibling in my family and I have a lot of pressure on me to be perfect so I hid all my issues for years. My parents went through my computer for some reason and found emails between me and someone I’d been talking to about my anorexia and depression. They completely flipped out and now I’m the problem. They can’t (or won’t) see that my ugly past with bullies and isolation isn’t the only thing to blame for my issues, it’s also how they treat me. Being the ‘identified patient’ is a difficult line to walk, as they get mad when you shut yourself away and tell you to come be part of the family and/or try to fix you, but when you try to interact you’re just the messed-up one who needs to constantly be apologized for and kept on a leash. It’s like they can’t understand how their good Christian daughter can be such a screwup so they hyperfixate on your flaws and push you even harder to be perfect and hide your messy self

[@black_serpent7030]

same

[@iB0NKERS]

In retrospect, I think the whole “we don’t talk about Bruno” thing is also a metaphor for not talking about or addressing issues the family members may have. They basically personified all the issues the Madrigals (or what many families have) had and made it into a character that they could pin it all on.

[@squirrel670]

That's the identified patient character he explained. So yes

[@iB0NKERS]

@@squirrel670 - Yes, I understand that. What I’m trying to add to it is the character itself is a metaphor for *real life* families with problems. Like here, they say “we don’t talk about Bruno,” whereas irl, they plainly don’t talk about the problem as it’s not the culture and/or is swept under the rug or brushed off.

[@squirrel670]

@@iB0NKERS yes, that's what the real life therapist said in the video and said that is a real issue that he deals with in family counseling.

[@iB0NKERS]

@@squirrel670 - Yes. The very real therapist did say that, but he didn’t say that Bruno is the personification of conflict avoidance within the movie, which is what I’m saying.

[@squirrel670]

@@iB0NKERS he did by calling him that patient that people put their problems on. Thats why he said that.

[@rainbow_fox_]

my older sister was the identified patient of my family. she had addictions problems (drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, name it) that were causing us a lot of trouble and my mom in particular would always act like everything was my sister's fault and like we would be a perfect happy family if we could just fix her. what I failed to realize until I got older is that the whole reason why my sister developed all those problems was because of the messed up family dynamics that were already existing. but because her way of (unhealthily) coping was the most obvious, all the blame got put on her instead. I cried the first time I watched Encanto because it just hit so close to home, I've never seen another media that represents so well how messed up individuals can become because of poor treatment from their own family.

[@Daph909]

Damn :( How's your sister doing now?

[@harmony2846]

Oh god hows your sister now? I hope shes better?

[@eileensnow6153]

My grandma adopted me when I was 12, I’m 29 now and I still live with her (she’s disabled). She comments on every single thing that I eat, and she makes remarks about how much I ate compared to other days. Sometimes she’ll even pull me aside to “warn” me that my belly is “hanging out all over the place” if she can see even a hint of skin. Remember how I said she adopted me? I had to be taken away from my mom, her daughter, because my mom’s lifetime of EDs and drug addiction caused her to be an unfit parent. My mom is the identified patient in my family, and nobody understands why I have so much compassion for her.

[@laurapseveri]

I am a female Bruno. 😆 😪

[@testerwulf3357]

@@eileensnow6153 I hope you can get away from your grandmother at some point..you don't deserve someone like that around you

[@sheller153]

I remember that earlier in the movie she mentions the “rats talking in the walls” so make of that what you will. But I still love to think of her getting *invested* in the telenovelas he puts on for himself. She’ll just be out in the village and stop, gasping “she didn’t!” And then go on with her day.

[@RainaRamsay]

Yeah, the second time I watched I was like, "WAIT! She just said that Bruno is also worried about! WHAT?"

[@broadwaybrook2319]

Nicque Marina has done some very popular videos where she plays Dolores listening to Bruno's rat telenovellas. You should check those out. It's a whole series (the videos).

[@BlueValleyTS]

When Mirabel says “why did I talk about Bruno?” my thought was “ah yes, that familiar feeling of ‘I talked about the thing that was awkward and uncomfortable, but needed to be talked about, and now I’m facing the consequences and having a bit of buyer’s remorse.’ Been there before!”

[@nancieerhard420]

Thank you. I was the "identified patient" of my family. In our first and only session of family therapy initiated by my brother when he realized I was suicidal at seventeen, the therapist made it clear that it was a family dynamic, that I was not "the problem." I am so very grateful to her for that. I had sensed that something within the family was seriously wrong and had tried to draw attention to it, and thus unconsciously aided the process of the family placing the blame of our brokenness onto me. Unfortunately the real problems were too serious for my parents, my mother particularly, to face. My last therapist said, "If the authorities had been aware of what was going on, the children would have been removed." I had to leave at that young age in order to save myself. This movie and your discussion is so helpful for people to be able to name what is going on.

[@sepiajoy2871]

Thank you for sharing. I’m so sorry you’ve went through that 😣 I hope you are doing better now and away from them. Best wishes ❤️

[@friendlyneigborhoodbean]

How are you now?

[@bugeyedmonster2]

Hope you are doing better now

[@nancieerhard420]

@@friendlyneigborhoodbean oh, I'm doing very well now. Thank you.

[@nancieerhard420]

@@bugeyedmonster2 yes, I am. Thank you.

[@joanderson6880]

Given that Dolores' verse in We Don't Talk About Bruno is the most sympathetic of the whole song, I'd say that she was possibly the closest to Bruno before he left. I imagine she understood how burdening his Gift could be, since her Gift is just as consuming. Can you imagine hearing everything that is being said around you? I think she got how overwhelmed by his Gift he was, and that's why she didn't say anything. Without people asking for prophecies, his Gift wouldn't turn around to bite him in the butt anymore.

[@JuMiKu]

The saddest thing about Bruno is that the things the townspeople hate him for were most likely not prophecies at all. 1) If you keep a fish in a tiny bowl, they will die. 2) Don't get too attached to that hair, you may lose it with age. 3) If you keep overeating, you may grow fat. Bruno was later shown to be very awkward and bad with words and the above can easily come across as hostile, even if you are a silver-tongue.

[@Boxygirl96]

I’ve heard theories that the hair thing may in fact have been a rather obvious observation about the priest’s family traits, if early balding clearly runs in the family then…..

[@JuMiKu]

@@Boxygirl96 Exactly. Also, by 50 almost all men have thinning hair. All these "prophecies" are based on well-known facts.

[@Furienna]

@@JuMiKu Maybe there was some jealousy involved as well? So they would think things like "Bruno is still slim, but he cursed me to grow a gut", or "Bruno still has his lovely curls, but he cursed me to lose the little hair that I had". Of course, it is not fair at all, but if there already were ugly rumors, people would be more and more likely to put their frustrations on an convenient target. Poor baby... 😢

[@jtaylor751]

I always loved the fact they used the term embrace. Because the important part isn't Mirabel hugging Isa, it's listening and acknowledging how she feels and showing her it's okay; it's about them embracing each other for who they are.

[@kristenhanisch8508]

And she had already done that with Luisa!

[@-Raylight]

*"To heal the family, you gotta heal the family"* such wise words. Gotta agree with that, usually the problem in family isn't just one I love that they said not to talk about Bruno, and at the end they all talk about Bruno. Just like us. Such a wholesome and heartwarming animated movie 😭

[@deannaandrews1328]

Dolores is the only one in the movie who actually had some sort of sympathy for bruno. If you notice in the song she actually States how he has a heavy gift that was so humbling that no one was able to grapple or understand his prophecies and that is one of the biggest reasons why he left. To be that says more along the lines of she probably understood Bruno a bit more than the other family members.

[@notmydidea]

no wonder... she heard a lot over the years....

[@Furienna]

Actually, nobody in Julieta's side of the family ever says one negative word about Bruno. Abuela and Pepa are hurt by his "disappearance" and let their pain turn into anger, but it's clear that they're overjoyed to see him again. Camilo has never had a chance to get to know his uncle and thinks that portraying the "black sheep" whom his mother won't talk about as a horror figure is okay. Antonio is really sweet to Bruno from the start (mainly because of the rats, but still). Thus I cut his family some slack, but I really hate the villagers who should have known better than to believe than that Bruno caused disasters all the time. What idiots!

[@victoriabell9546]

Also, she knew Bruno was living in the walls all along, as she says in the song All of You, "Yo, I knew he never left, I heard him every day."

[@deceptiousmods]

I love that 'Bruno says "it looks like rain"'; it really wasnt a prophecy! He was just joking that his sister was sweating (the "rain") but that got into her head, and with her power being the weather... she DID cause it, that one wasnt actually inevitable

[@ionabab7274]

I think it was a prophecy. A rainy wedding is often seen as good luck, and since Bruno is so superstitious he probably thought Pepa would be glad to hear it - hence, the “mischievous grin”. Edit: oops I forgot that he literally said that at the end of the movie, sorry lol

[@KayleeKez]

Or, sometimes one have happy tears. Maybe he was refering to that but that stressed her out and the stress turned the happy "rain" into a tornado. (Plus her mom kept only validating her happy (sunshine) moods.

[@trankao4372]

I literally broke down crying after the first minute of this video. For me, at the beginning, I am Mirabel, who is still welcomed in the family (sometimes forgotten), but as I start speaking up for myself and what I believe in, I became Bruno. I love my family though. It really kills me inside to realize that being close to them harms my mental health. And they are ok not having me around

[@bradbartels6778]

RIGHT there with you...been a month since i discovered...the secret

[@pc_hmk2204]

Same i discovered it this month that whatever I do I'm always be outcast in my family cause my weird behaviour. So it's better if u say bye to them.

[@Metqa]

It may hurt at first but when you realize that you can be happy without the negativity, you will start to appreciate the distance.

[@feyres6947]

I love Encanto and how it depicts their family dynamic. Also, Bruno is just so adorable. The way he left to protect Mirabel, he’s truly the best uncle. 🥺

[@trinaq]

Likewise, I love Bruno and Mirabel's bond, given that they're both outsiders of sorts in their family.

[@BalthusHomewood]

He did the best he could think of for her. Unfortunately, that meant following his family's habit of avoiding the problem rather than confronting it. The family turned on Mirabel and made her the new black sheep of the family anyways, and she didn't have an Uncle who knows what that feels like and could have been there for her. Abuse has to be confronted, or its cycle will continue onto the next generation. I don't blame him, though, he could only deal with the situation with the emotional tools he had, and it's not like anyone else in the village cared enough to help.

[@ZeldaWolf2000]

I wish I could give this comment a heart, instead of just a like, but here is my heart! I agree with this wholeheartedly! Bruno is the best uncle!

[@LittleHobbit13]

Not just left, but came back, as well. When Casita was destroyed, Bruno came rushing back -- leaning in to every negative perception people had of him -- in order to protect Mirabel from being outcast the way he was. He hates that people think he makes bad things happen by having visions and he doesn't want to see Abuela, and the first thing he does is go find Abuela and tell her that he had a vision and made the bad thing happen.

[@ZeldaWolf2000]

@@LittleHobbit13 t.s so true! Said perfectly too. I love movies that, when you think about them, they become even deeper and, usually, a bit sadder. I, personally, love thinking deeply into movies and books and such, so this comment makes me really happy. I love this whole movie!

[@HeartFeathers]

I always saw it as Dolores tried to tell people at first but every time she would try to bring up Bruno she kept being told not to talk about him. After a few times, she just gave up trying to tell her family.

[@Revanbzn]

But she still talks about how she can hear him during the songs mentioning bruno

[@StardustandMadness]

That’s how I see it too. Why keep telling everyone you can hear him, when all you get is, ‘we don’t talk about Bruno’ and nobody ever listens to what she was saying. She’s also portrayed as a gossip, so they may not have taken her seriously even if her words were heard.

[@RiveroftheWither]

You should learn the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic music in musicals

[@HeartFeathers]

@@RiveroftheWither that has nothing to do with this theory. It takes evidence from both the non-song dialog and the lyrics in the songs. Even if you discredit one or the other there would still be evidence for this theory.

[@Saki0hime]

And how is she supposed to talk about Bruno when her mother is Pepa.... I didnt think she would try that many times. We know from before the song how Pepa reacts...

[@sofiafance888]

22:20 Dolores was saying that Bruno was still there, no one just listened to her. She even sang about it in the 'WDTAB', how she hears him mumbling and throwing salt over his shoulder /'the sound of falling sand'/, and others completely ignored it :'D

[@cbgaming7209]

Exactly! Besides they don't talk about it, so she was likely told not to talk about Bruno if she ever brought it up

[@asmith8692]

If you look real hard, Bruno is sneaking around behind them during her part of the song. He even dances with glowing eyes.

[@chloec4127]

9:40 this is a genre of song called a Madrigal, or what the family’s last name is. The idea that multiple are singing over each other but still working in harmony is core to both the music and the story.

[@marianakiselova6913]

Wow, seems like you could indefinitely peel the layers of this movie.

[@endlessdidi]

His little knock knock isn’t necessarily an ocd because it’s actually rooted in superstition. It was believed that knocking on wood warded off bad luck. Bruno does a fair few superstitious rituals, including throwing salt and muttering a Spanish phrase when he’s avoiding the cracks, holding his breath etc.

[@lunasuji]

right. it's supposed to represent that Latinos are usually very superstitious.

[@BestFriendsWhoLiveTogether]

It does actually say in script that it is OCD but there is no reason why it can’t be both!

[@crimsonwizahd2358]

@@BestFriendsWhoLiveTogether Exactly what I was thinking, that all his "superstition ritual" stuff is likely a form of OCD.

[@sydposting]

Superstitions form the basis for a lot of tics and rituals for people with OCD! It's just that the brain's association with the ritual-associated-with-the-superstition is *way* over-invested in it, to the point where it becomes an unpleasant compulsion.

[@angelofmusic997]

@@BestFriendsWhoLiveTogether Where is this script available?

[@teesh871]

It's interesting that when the 'identified patient' Bruno...when he went away it didn't fix the problem. It just got transferred to Mirabel. 'Oh it's Mirabel that messes everything up!'. But yeh I dunno if anyone else gets into it as much as I do but I LOVE that bit of storytelling in we don't talk about Bruno with Pepa and Felix. He's very sweet but he's a massive extrovert and is talking over her....instead of getting defensive that she gets annoyed he immediately apologises and tells her to go on. As a massive introvert that's the sexiest thing I have ever seen.

[@raeg1100]

Right??? I love that line! It is one of the small moments in the movie that shows they are in a healthy marriage and it is wonderful

[@jameswest6232]

Couldn't agree more. If a girl did that for me, not only would I feel good about introducing her to my family, I'd tell them, "See? It's not so hard. Learn."

[@tiph3802]

Felix is spouse goals. Put him up there with Gomez Addams!

[@kyndramb7050]

@@tiph3802 100%!!

[@ChristineTheHippie]

And he doesn't care that there was a hurricane on their wedding. He was just happy to be married to the woman he loved. Gotta love him

[@ravent2631]

Personally, I love Bruno. He's a kind and gentle soul who's been given such a hard time all his life. Many people don't want to hear the truth. I honestly felt a sort of connection to him because of how isolated he is and how he takes on so much.

[@quasi8180]

Same

[@thegamerwoman5320]

Same here

[@poogissploogis]

Bruno is such a great metaphor for the way the truth teller of a toxic family system is treated, I love him so much

[@krikorajemian8524]

I was the identified patient in my family. Started counseling in my teens, eventually spent two years in a "therapeutic community". At the beginning I didn't even realize my parents were having problems. By the time I returned home, they had split up. It is likely that the absence of an identified patient to focus on caused the real problems to come to light.

[@theresechan2338]

Sorry to hear your parents ended up splitting, but it's also good to hear that you got help at the time, and I hope that community was a place where you could get your needs met. Also hope that you're currently in a better place overall

[@Oceansongster]

I love Bruno. When he tries to explain his leaving and says “I just don’t know how to, I don’t know how to…” and just starts shaking his head is heartbreaking 💔. I really wish they had touched on the family acknowledging what he went through and actually apologizing to him. It really bothered me that the song had him apologizing to them, even if Julieta does stop him 😕

[@Nu_Wen]

I think it sadly makes sense that he felt like he needed to be the one to apologize... they would go through their lives mumbling and grumbling about him, yet those times could pass for them and they could move on to better feelings and thoughts. He didn't have that luxury, he had to listen to their mumblings and grumblings about him (all of them), he had a home to keep from falling apart (without him, the house would have fallen apart a long time ago), had no one else except his rats to talk to (they interact with him but can't say what he needs to hear) and only his novellas to keep him occupied (which he had to make up on the spot I'm guessing)... Bruno basically was stewing in bad feels the entire time he was stuck behind those walls. no rest or reprieve from everything that made him feel bad about himself. it really SHOULD be the family that apologizes, not Bruno, but considering what everyone was going through, this ending sadly makes sense.

[@AnakhaSilver]

@@Nu_Wen I think also the point was apology through ACTION instead: they welcome him back with tears and open arms and hugs and refusing to let him apologize.

[@somniatic]

same here. bruno is shown to be a person who is already embarrassed and ashamed of his gift. all of his life hes had to apologize for just being himself. they should have at least done something to show he has nothing to apologize for, instead abuela hugs him and all is well. it really got my goat.

[@AmandaPanda531]

what i noticed the first time i watched encanto is that the most "evil"/scary depictions of bruno largely come from camilo (the shapeshifting kid for those who dont know). he's only a few months older than mirabel so he would remember bruno just a lil better than she does. mirabel doesnt seem to remember him at all, so that means that the large majority of camilo's ideas of bruno come from how his family and the rest of the community talk about bruno and his gift, and then his kid brain grew it into even more of a monster (hence "he sees your dreams and feasts on your screams"). it just goes to show how kids can have their view of a person or group of people shaped so largely by those around them.

[@musicadictor]

Exactly!

[@alektasdiarydump]

12:06 I think it's more Bruno doing a bunch of coping mechanisms at once to make him feel better in the moment, while also giving the audience a sense of "this man has been alone, away from his loved ones, for a REALLY long time." with a comedic tone. They use him a lot for comedic purposes, but still with an underlying tone of sadness. Also, everything he is doing is stuff that one would do to ward off bad juju. For example, "don't step on a crack or you'll break your mother's back" or "knock on wood to get rid of jynx." He sees premonitions, and the town and his family have treated his premonitions as bad karma, a curse. To me, it seems like he does this kind of stuff to ward off the curses he brings. (Not that he does bring any curses, but that might be how he feels and why he does it.) And in that sense, they are used as coping mechanisms. It makes him feel better ultimately. At least in the moment.

[@marcaroon513]

My father was the black sheep of his family, moving out at age 19 from his deeply religious latino family, and I turned out to sort of be the black sheep of my family, moving out at 16. I love Bruno, he brings a lot comfort and i find him deeply relatable Side note: I would love to see a video of the parents (Pepa, Felix, Julieta and Augustin) as they are some if the best living disney parents.

[@eshbena]

It's actually a miracle that all the parents in a Disney family are alive! That's the real miracle of the candle. XD

[@LilliD3]

@@eshbena eccept for abuelo pedro

[@kylahicks7054]

@@LilliD3 they couldnt resist at least one lol

[@WindierIndoors]

13:46 - He mentions how when people become isolated or are struggling with relationships, they get more into media and respond to it more intensely. Whoa, I hadn't thought about that before, that's really interesting. When I was at the culminating point of a long, abusive relationship, I was on my third re-read (re-listen, really, audiobooks) of my favorite book series (which was 16 books long at the time). I was briefly hospitalized because my partner reported my suicide ideation to the police (which was simultaneously helpful and incredibly manipulative grrr). My mom left work and came to sit with me in the hospital to learn about what had been going on. Before she came over, she packed a bag for me just in case I had to stay overnight. We only lived a few blocks away so I asked her if she would please bring over my iPod as well, so I could listen to my book to pass the time while I waited to be evaluated. She told me that she thought it would be better if I used the time to think about the current situation and I had a complete meltdown. Being denied access to my media caused me to react more strongly than I had when the police showed up at my home, when they'd confiscated my things, when my parents showed up at the hospital; I was explosively furious. To this day, when I start feeling overwhelmed with stress, I reread the series. There are three more books in it now and I've read it from top to bottom 6 times, with a few extra rereads of my individual favorites here and there. I start talking to my listening device as though it were the main character hanging out with me throughout the day. I find myself apologizing to it if I forget to take it with me anywhere, even when I'm just moving to a different spot in my own home. My mood and focus are both strongly affected by whatever events are taking place at that time in the story. I can't believe I've never thought about the roots of that from a psychological perspective.

[@morganconway4415]

Gotta ask… what’s the series? 😂

[@WindierIndoors]

@@morganconway4415 Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

[@theintrovertedarcanist984]

I act the same with my Dungeons & Dragons books, oddly enough, because I spend more time with them than with any person. I’ll put them back on my bookshelf in order of how useful they are each day, explaining my choices and conversing with them in my head as if they were pets or people who wanted to be first in the order. I’m weird like that.

[@josephcrews6423]

This is... blimey. That explains a lot.

[@pamelah1220]

This would explain my 25 year preoccupation with fanfiction

[@kiwiinjapan2762]

I've seen another therapist KZbinr who explained the roles of each of the Madrigal family. They also said Bruno was the identified patient, but that was being transferred to Mirabel from the time of the door ceremony because Bruno exited the scene.

[@astrobookwormsinger]

Can you tell me the name of the channel?

[@thecaptain291]

@@astrobookwormsinger me too 00

[@onedirectionlover317]

Steph Anya, LMFT

[@katphish30]

@@astrobookwormsinger Georgia Dow did a video for each character, and Mickey Atkins did one with a thumbnail of each character. kzbin.info/www/bejne/poW8oKGJich8mZo

[@Revanbzn]

Georgia Dow? Oh I wish they made a collab.

[@theasinclaire52]

I was the "identified patient" and hearing you say "It's not your fault" made my cry tears of gratitude. Thank you.

[@bradbartels6778]

that got me too..really needed to hear that

[@robynwilson9227]

Bruno is such a deeply resonant character for me and so many others with OCD, me and so many others who ended up completely isolated and ostracised from their family because of Obsessions, Compulsions and just being seen as the "family weirdo". Bruno is such a landmark character for us, almost every time we actually DO show up in media we are a criminal, a villain or a controlling jerk (cough cough Jack Nicholson), so having one of the morally good, emotional centres of a movie be a canonical OCD sufferer and seeing his compulsions not be played as funny. It means the whole world to us. Ive seen this movie over 20 times and i STILL cry everytime he FINALLY gets accepted.

[@dungeonsanddragonshomebrew3165]

while I'm happy for you I do feel that you've misunderstood something here Bruno is just superstitious I don't believe he actually has OCD

[@user-ru4ip2pr1j]

@@dungeonsanddragonshomebrew3165 he was apparently written to emulate symptoms of OCD/ anxiety. This is similar to how Sheldon Cooper in TBBT was written to emulate autism without canonically having it.

[@dungeonsanddragonshomebrew3165]

@@user-ru4ip2pr1j I get that but it doesn't change what I said

[@robynwilson9227]

@@dungeonsanddragonshomebrew3165 You can personally believe Bruno doesnt have OCD, but using "hes just superstitious" as your reasoning is plain WRONG to do. ANYTHING can be an OCD compulsion (self harm, praying, knocking, cleaning, pulling your hair out, ANYTHING) and Superstitions are a common subtype of OCD. OCD sufferers are 10x more likely than the general populus to commit su*cide, and the average diagnosis time for OCD is 17 years. 17 years of not knowing whats wrong with you, 17 years at risk of taking your own life. And its ALL because society thinks THEY know what OCD is, because I "didnt have OCD, and was just a superstitious child", because so many others heard the same crap. You can think what you want about Bruno and OCD, but you can NOT use "just superstitious" as a reason, because then your headcanon is actively stigmatising OCD sufferers. Please be considerate. You can have your headcanons without reinforcing ableism.

[@dungeonsanddragonshomebrew3165]

@@robynwilson9227 dude I have OCD and it’s if you know the superstitions and are literally surrounded by magic while also believing yourself to be a cause of problems then you’d do that shit to now quit acting like you know how other people think

[@doms.6701]

4:20 is my favorite part of the song Wife: "it was MY wedding day" Husband: "it was OUR wedding day" That's right King, it's your day too. Glad Disney snuck that bit in. Gentleman, you also get an equal say in your big day!

[@suzannehartmann946]

Yeah but my fiance nixed my idea of a wedding gown for the cheapest one in the shop. Only $30 difference I am not stupid with money. It was literally insulting. It was MY money paying for it at that point and I almost cancelled the wedding. I should have.

[@doms.6701]

@Pro Justice maybe they don't care because the day is never about them. It doesn't help that the phrase "happy life, happy wife" is a thing. Not only your point but also taught that they must sacrifice if the marriage is to be "happy". Doesn't help when women think the same and harp on their husband. Both need to be retold what a marriage is

[@DavidLinn]

@@doms.6701 as a man, i am afraid of marriage simply because i am afraid of divorce. women can financially OWN a mans ass through divorce. and commitment doesn't mean anything to me. my last girlfriend of 2 years wanted to get married to me, so i proposed to her and several months later she decided she was gay and left me.

[@seejoshrun1761]

Agreed! Although there often tend to be more logistics and planning that are bride-centric (the dresses are more expensive and varied than suits tend to be, women often care about flowers and decorations more than men do, etc.), the importance of the day should be equal for both. I really like how Felix asserts his place in telling the story, while being tactful and not directly stealing Pepa's THUNDER.

[@parkerbrown-nesbit1747]

My husband and I planned our wedding together (it was very small and very simple, and no one wanted to leave!) We've been together almost 35 years, and married for 32).

[@OpticalSorcerer]

I love that Mirabel's role isn't about defying destiny or making your own destiny; she just followed one of the possible destinies that was laid out before her.

[@a.jeangong3082]

I don't know if this hasn't been thought up before, but with the cousin my head cannon is: the family is so devoted to this villainous characature of Bruno that they would be upset or scolding of Delores (the way that they approached mirabel's question) sould she have brought it up when she was younger,l; they'd aggressively insist she didn't talk about Bruno. And at the time she was young enough when he left, that it maybe affected how she thought about him to the rest of the family, who were still in denial about Bruno. So much so that over a decade of being afraid to say his name, I think that she adopted the euphemism "the rats in the walls" to mean Bruno when it came up because she knew it but it wouldn't trigger the rest of the family. At some point she mentioned that mirabel AND the rats in the walls are the only ones worried about the house.

[@Furienna]

Right, but I must correct you on one point: I wouldn't say that his family was "devoted to a villainous charicature" (except Camilo, but he was too young to remember much about Bruno and was fooling around). They thought that he had just bandoned them though, and Abuela and Pepa had turned their pain from losing him into anger. But I don't think that the rest of the family said anything negative about him.

[@thevoidismyhome7242]

Dolores theory: She was such a chatterbox and spilled "small" secrets *because* she'd been hiding a big one. Sometimes it's easier to hide a big secret if you spill small secrets.

[@CodaBlair]

Honestly Dolores is much less of a gossiper than most people think. She's hearing pretty much everything that's going on in the Encanto and it'd be impossible not to talk about at least some of it by accident. There's almost certainly all sorts of stuff she never tells anybody.

[@confderatechocolate4645]

Thank you! Most people don’t give her enough credit for that. She’s hiding everything in the entire town, and people are all like “she can’t keep a secret!” They don’t have any idea how lonely that would be. You’d never speak to anyone, heck, you’d never speak, period, for fear of saying something you shouldn’t know.

[@plumaescama]

During the Bruno song, Dolores actually says: "I can hear him now" many times. I love those details

[@MattieAMiller]

I have always thought that Dolores DID tell the family that Bruno was still there. But it was when she was still a child, and no one believed her. Eventually she stopped telling them, because We Dont Talk About Bruno.

[@minette36]

This exactly. It’s supported by Dolores’s verse, associating Bruno with the “sound of falling sand” (“Shh, shh, shh”)-i.e. associating ‘Bruno’ with being told to stop talking about it.

[@_my.handle_]

At the end of the song, Dolores is sing "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine..." Now that's she's an adult I think Dolores knows that Bruno hasn't left but since no one believed her as a child she's soothing herself by singing "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine..." Since no one would believe her anyway. Watch FilmTheories's video on Dolores. It explains the way better than me.

[@ScarletSerenade]

So the thing about Bruno’s family taking everything he says so seriously even when he’s just joking: I think that’s such a big thing to point out because I was the kid in the family who had to say “Just kidding” every time to make sure everyone knew I was joking. I do it so much today that my partner has pointed it out and let me know I don’t have to do that any more. If I said something and didn’t make it clear I was joking, it could be misconstrued and I was so afraid of that. Also, when Pepa sang about what Bruno did on her wedding day, the first thing I thought when I saw it in theaters was, “That’s totally a teasing-brother thing, I bet it wasn’t even a prophecy.” And then when it was revealed that it WASN’T, I turned to my boyfriend and was like, “I KNEW IT.”

[@bonanahh]

My oldest sister, who has now passed from alcoholism, used to call herself the black sheep of the family. She had no idea that she was actually the rock and epicenter of our family. It’s been really hard for us to connect since she’s been gone. These kinds of people are more precious than they could ever know!

[@elenasmcanonico3163]

I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you and your family are doing better now.

[@tiffanypersaud3518]

Thanks for sharing. Do tell your sister that.

[@RLybarger1986]

Put up her picture, light a candle and watch the shift occur.

[@ShinxyMuro]

@@tiffanypersaud3518 she passed mate

[@bunkertons]

@@ShinxyMuro She might have meant tell her in prayer. 😊

[@elusivegamergirl]

13:52, that moment when she sees the family table through the crack in the wall and the little bit of light shining on the plate he drew for himself so he could still be with them, even if they didn't know he was there always breaks my heart, and I just want to reach through my screen and give Bruno a long, tight hug. (>-_-)>

[@IsisAlv]

something i hadn't thought about the house is how the magic doesn't reach the part where bruno hides. the magic is very symbolic of their family ties and to have him so close yet outside of the magic really ties into how they treated him

[@PandaT3]

All the characters are used to serving everyone in the community with their power and so they weren't ever taught to have a voice of their own, hence why Mirabel is considered one of the outsiders in the family. I think this is why Dolores never said anything because she knew no one would listen. She eventually does tell Mirabel in Bruno's song because Mirabel asked her what she thought, which she is not used to.

[@Furienna]

I'm sorry, but there is no "Bruno's song". That was only a slander song, where people just talked crap about him.

[@PandaT3]

@@Furienna I agree with you whole heartedly but technically it is Bruno's song in the movie told of course by third parties.

[@nonamedeviant6014]

My favourite Dolores theory is that she wanted her family to lose their “gifts”, because she was the only one that heard how in reality it was a curse. Everyone in the family was suffering because of that pressure of being or not being special, so without the gifts they would be happier.

[@XxDiamondBubbles364xX]

I like that theory 😂😊

[@RainaRamsay]

Oh I like that!

[@zehra7755]

That's sad but a nice theory!

[@azsli2]

It makes sense too. Like she knew Louisia was really nervous but didn't say anything until asked about it so it's probably normal to here.

[@ProjectKhopesh]

That's how the movie should have ended. Getting the magic back is a Disney copout, and going back to a crutch.

[@tmntleo]

Bruno is like an Absol, they appear to people to warn them about disaster but people think they're the ones causing said disasters, so they're often shunned away and looked upon with fear. Also no one ever talks about how Bruno was literally right there behind the wall whilst they were singing a song about not talking about him and all the terrible things he's done and that he's this 7ft monster who seals your fates and revels in it.

[@susannaspearman3948]

After watching this movie a few times, I realized that Bruno was the character I identified with the MOST. Thank you so much for sharing this info -- I had never heard of "identified patient" before, but that is me in my family system. It's so hard because I just want to be healthy and safe, but I always feel like the bad guy when I set boundaries or try to treat my parents like adults.

[@anthonycannet1305]

I think every single vision Bruno gave in the song We Don’t Talk About Bruno was a self fulfilling prophecy. He told Pepa that it was gonna rain on her wedding which made her start to stress out which caused the rain. He told the one girl her fish would die, she probably over fed it trying to stop it from starving. He told one guy he would grow a gut, probably stress eating. He told the priest his hair would fall out and that probably caused him to stress about it too, accelerating his hair loss. He told Isabella she’d have her perfect life and so she thinks she just has to go along with whatever the family is doing to be “perfect” but that isn’t what’s perfect for her. And with Dolores she was told her dream guy would be out of reach which made her give up on him…

[@louise.araujo]

Every time I hear Isabella singing "he told me that the life of my dreams would be promised, and someday be mine" I think about how much more tight she held onto the idea of being perfect, so that would actually happen (and, of course, how her power really grew and things got better for her only when she let go of that 'perfection').

[@quinqueshire6847]

I like how what we later learn about Isabella ends up recontextualizing that line. The first time through it seems to be just emphasizing how Isabella is the family's golden child and (of course) she's the only one to get a 'good' prediction, but really... how much despair would that induce in Isabella? To have the guy that can see the future confirm that she'll be stuck in this soulless 'perfect' role her entire life? It's as much of a negative view of Bruno's predictions as everyone else in that song.

[@Bloodjen]

if you listen really carefully to the ending of We dont talk about Bruno, she doesn't keep singing that line over and over again. Her and Dolores end up singing "I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine." together, and it shows how they're both pained by their prophecies. Isabella looks *miserable* when she goes by the camera. Cause Isabella hasn't gotten the life of her dreams, and is mere minutes from losing it forever. It's a real quiet detail but it's there and really slams home how much that perfection chokes Isa.

[@ApequH]

She also the only one that didn't say the prediction came true, because it has not happend at that point

[@kmbehrens14]

I also think the metaphor of the grape ON the vine indicates how she is meant to stay WITH the family, not drift away in an unwanted marriage.

[@literallybaby194]

The part where Bruno shows Mirabel another vision and its Mirabel hugging Isabela, I think its interpreted wrong. See, to me Isabela looks a lot like Abuela did when she was younger and that's why Abuela pays attention to Isabela the most (projecting herself onto Isabela). So basically, the vision wasn't Mirabel hugging Isabela but the rather embracing/communicating to the most hurt part of Abuela; the young mom who lost her husband tragically. Thats why the yellow butterfly appears after the embrace it's symbolic! Where both Mirabel and Abuela understand and accept each other's flaws and come to the conclusion of overall familial acceptance! Just my two cents :)

[@guardianeris]

Oof once again, I see why my sister said she identifies with Bruno so much, even more with the discussion about the identified patient, because my parents always pathologized her strong personality and independent thinking as a zillion different mental illnesses and faults of behavior and all, all in a way to escapegoat their marital issues that they've always had. It only saddens me that instead of realizing, once she has been out of the house for years and living with me, that the family isn't broken because of an unruly teenager or stubborn child, but because they're two menchildren with personal traumas who should havw never married, but alas, even when she doesn't speak with them anymore they still want to (shit)talk about her.

[@eshbena]

I'm so glad that you are there for her. At least she has one person who loves her unconditionally and supports her. That's absolutely invaluable.

[@guardianeris]

@Pro Justice 👍

[@guardianeris]

@@eshbena I mean I am just trying to make up for the times when I was horrible to her while growing up... My parents still try to put us against each other, which I think is absolutely horrendous, and I used to fall for it back while growing up, but like, once I realized the absolute horror in having your family instill hatred towards your sibling, I decided to change. At least our bond has been mended to some degree, with us living away from our parents, but, like, it's never going to be the same, and it shows at times.

[@eduardapalmeida7777]

One thing that I wondered when Jonathan said: "at least Mirabel is welcomed" is that maybe (just maybe) the reason her parents try and care to make her feel as part of the family as anyone else (especially her mom) is: she saw what happened to her brother who's gift didn't beautifully serve their community and didn't want it to happen to Mirabel, since in the original configuration of their family she also didn't serve the community