The nominees for Best Original Song for the 94th Academy Awards were revealed today. Unsurprisingly, Encanto was nominated, but not for the song you may think.
By now you've probably heard "We Don't Talk About Bruno," the hit song from Walt Disney Animation's Encanto. The catchy tune is everywhere, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — a feat only accomplished by one other Disney animated movie (Aladdin).
Given the popularity of "Bruno," you would think that it would be the nominee for Best Original Song. But it's not — instead, "Dos Oruguitas" received the nomination.
As it turns out, the reason is quite simple — Disney didn't submit "We Don't Talk About Bruno." Interestingly, as The Hollywood Reporter notes, there's no rule that prevented Disney from submitting both songs.
In 1992, the Aladdin songs "A Whole New World" and "Friend Like Me" were both nominated for best original song, with the former winning. In 1991, three songs from Beauty and the Beast were nominated — "Beauty and the Beast," "Be Our Guest," and "Belle" — with the title song taking home the award.
As The Hollywood Reporter explains, Disney recently implemented a strategy to only put forth one song from its animated musicals for consideration to avoid potentially splitting the vote. The decision to submit "Dos Oruguitas" was made with Miranda with the consideration that the song appears "in an emotional key scene in the story." The ballad, which was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, plays during the film's flashback that reveals key details about Abuela's life with her late husband.
Now "Dos Oruguitas" will go up against "Down to Joy" from Belfast, "Somehow You Do" from Four Good Days, "Be Alive" from King Richard, and "No Time to Die" from No Time to Die. The 94th Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 27, 2022.