'Encanto' cast members to perform 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' at the Oscars

LOS ANGELES -- Several cast members of Disney's animated film "Encanto" will be performing the movie's hit song "We Don't Talk About Bruno" during the 94th Academy Awards, show producers Will Packer and Shayla Cowan announced Thursday.

"Encanto" cast members Adassa, Stephanie Beatriz, Mauro Castillo, Carolina Gaitan and Diane Guerrero, along with singers Becky G and Luis Fonsi will perform at the ceremony, which returns to the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on Sunday, March 27.
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This will be the first live performance of the song written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is nominated for Best Original Song for the film's track "Dos Oruguitas."

Last month, "We Don't Talk About Bruno" became the highest-charting song from a Disney animated film in more than 26 years, beating "Let It Go" from the hit film "Frozen."

Miranda's catchy tune has been streamed on Spotify more than 200 million times. The last Disney song to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart was "A Whole New World" from "Aladdin" in 1993.



With such accolades, why isn't hit track nominated for an Oscar? Miranda said he never saw the massive popularity of "We Don't Talk About Bruno" coming.

The Academy only accepts two songs from any one film by the same writer on its shortlist. Also, submission deadlines were in fall 2021, weeks before "Encanto's" meteoric rise in popularity.
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"I was saying to a friend: I think this is my 'Send in the Clowns,'" Miranda said during a recent interview with the Associated Press. "'Send in the Clowns' was Stephen Sondheim's only chart-topper. Who would have guessed out of the millions of songs he wrote that it would be 'Send in the Clowns'? It feels random in one sense."

"But on the other hand, we've all been locked up for two years," he continued. "The notion of a bunch of voices happening within one home feels very resonant, with hindsight. There's kind of a part for everyone to play in singing along with the song. If you're not bopping to this melody, another melody is coming along in two seconds because almost every character gets a little feature in it."

Disney instead submitted "Dos Oruguitas," sung by Colombian singer-songwriter Sebastián Yatra, for consideration. The song's name translates as "Two Caterpillars" and played in the background during a flashback showing the traumatic origins of the Madrigal family's powers.

Miranda composed it striving for the simplicity and metaphor of an old folk song.



"It's one of the only songs where a character is not singing it. You're not seeing a character sing it, and I think it's all the more powerful because of it," he said.

If Miranda scores a win for "Dos Oruguitas," it would give him his first Oscar, and since he's already won Tonys, Grammys and Emmys, it'll land him the coveted EGOT status.
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Key nominees for the 2022 Oscars
SEE ALSO: Beyonce, Billie Eilish among those to perform at 94th Oscars in Hollywood

The 94th Oscars will be broadcast live on ABC on March 27 starting at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT. Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes are hosting.

Check out the full list of nominations for the 2022 Oscars here.



The Associated Press contributed to this report.