Pepa Madrigal almost had a different power in Disney's Encanto, and the ability could've derailed "We Don't Talk About Bruno." In Encanto, the members of the Family Madrigal get various special abilities that they use to help their tiny village. For instance, Pepa Madrigal (Carolina Gaitán) can control the weather, and her mood can drastically change the day. Additionally, Luisa (Jessica Darrow) has super strength, which allows her to move buildings and hoist donkeys over her head. Unfortunately, Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz) doesn't get a magical ability, but the lack of powers makes her more determined to help her family when their magical house begins to crack.
Encanto reached a new level of popularity following its streaming release to Disney+ in December. Thus far, the film's soundtrack has sat at the top of Billboard's Top 200 albums chart for five weeks. "We Don't Talk About Bruno" has also topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks. Additionally, Encanto scored three Oscar nominations, including Best Animated Film, Best Score, and Best Original Song. The film is also heading back to theaters ahead of the 2022 Oscars.
Disney's Encanto changed a lot while the story was coming together, and Pepa Madrigal's original power would've drastically altered "We Don't Talk About Bruno." In Disney's Art of Encanto, the filmmakers behind the movie reveal several production secrets, and visual development artist Meg Park explained Pepa once had a very different strength. "Initially, Pepa’s power was to be indestructible, and she had this daredevil side to her," Park said. However, the filmmakers thought that was too similar to Luisa's power, so they eventually decided on Pepa's weather-controlling ability. And the move seemingly saved the film's catchiest song.
Without Pepa Madrigal's weather power, the iconic first line of "We Don't Talk About Bruno" wouldn't exist. The song starts with Pepa recalling her wedding day and how her brother, Bruno (John Leguizamo), made a prediction that turned the day into a hurricane. The song's opening where Pepa sings, "It was my wedding day," helped launch the track into its unprecedented popularity, getting posted, parodied, and shared across apps such as TikTok and Instagram. But, of course, the song would be drastically different without Pepa's weather power and the opening lines about rain on her wedding day. After all, Pepa's power changes her whole personality. Instead of a daredevil, she's a gossipy, quirky aunt prone to wild theatrics and songs about how she controls the weather. And when people don't talk about Bruno, it's because of Pepa.
Encanto's soundtrack would still succeed without "We Don't Talk About Bruno." Though the song has more popularity than the other tracks, the entire Encanto soundtrack has been on Billboard's Top 200 albums for multiple weeks for a reason. And "Dos Oruguitas" scored the Oscar nomination for Best Original Song, despite not reaching the chart-topping heights of "We Don't Talk About Bruno." Still, the song didn't make it to number one on the Hot 100 by accident, and "We Don't Talk About Bruno" has Pepa Madrigal's rainy wedding day to thank.