Disney’s Frozen Dethroned By New Record-Breaker
Disney has such big hits in their past, it can be hard to follow where they rank. Frozen is one of their biggest ever, but now, it's been outdone.
This article is more than 2 years old
“We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Disney’s Encanto has surpassed Frozen’s Oscar-winning hit “Let It Go” as the biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit from the company’s animated filmography in the past 26 years. The news comes by way of Billboard’s music tracking data. The song ascends 5-4 for a new Hot 100 highpoint. It drew 29 million streams (up 15%) and topped Streaming Songs for a second week. The track also sold 8,000 units (up 10%) and pushes 6-3 on Digital Song Sales, according to the publication.
Thanks to those numbers, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” reached its new peak position of No. 4 on this week’s chart, surpassing Idina Menzel’s rendition of “Let It Go” which reached No. 5 in April 2014. The track is now tied for the second-highest rank for a song from a Disney animated movie. It trails Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle’s “A Whole New World”, from Aladdin which reached the No. 1 spot in its first week of release in March 1993.
Other Disney songs that have broken into Billboard’s Top 10 are Elton John’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King in 1994, and Vanessa Williams’ “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas in 1995. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” has been given an extra popularity boost by TikTok which has seen users take on the song in a myriad of ways. With music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the song is performed by the movie’s voice cast: Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, and Stephanie Beatriz.
The popular Disney song sees the Madrigals telling Mirabel the story of her mysterious Uncle Bruno, whose gift for prophecy has left him estranged from the rest of the family. Consisting of gossip and hearsay, the song portrays Bruno as a villain even though he’s not. Interestingly, it sheds the narrative styles of conventional Disney villain songs, by listing the perspectives of the protagonists instead. Musically, the song incorporates various Latin music genres and features a polyphonic climax.
Moreover, Encanto’s entire soundtrack album became only the sixth animated soundtrack in history to top the Billboard 200 ranking before falling to No. 3 on this week’s chart. The music’s popularity comes as no surprise, since the Disney movie became one of the biggest animated hits of the pandemic era, with global box office takings of $222.6 million and counting. It also received critical acclaim for its emotion, music, animation, characterization, and cultural precision. Encanto received three Golden Globe nominations, winning the award for Best Animated Feature Film.
Disney’s Encanto is directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Charise Castro Smith who co-wrote the screenplay with Bush. The story follows the Madrigals family, helmed by a matriarch whose children and grandchildren receive magical gifts from the miracle that helps them serve their community in Colombia. When Mirabel doesn’t receive a magical gift, she learns the family is prone to losing their magic. She then sets out to find out what’s happening to save her family and their magical house.
Encanto is currently streaming on Disney+, where it’s stayed steadily on the top charts since its release.
