Oscar

“*We don’t talk about Bruno!*”
―Citizens during The Family Madrigal
**Bruno Madrigal** is a character in Disney's 2021 animated feature film, *Encanto*. He is the only son of Alma Madrigal, with the gift to see into the future. Bruno's eccentric demeanor, affinity for rats, and often doomsaying visions, had distinguished him as the "black sheep" of the Madrigals, resulting in his estrangement from the family.

## Background

Bruno is one of the three children Alma and Pedro had, alongside his sisters Julieta and Pepa. He's Mirabel’s maternal uncle whose gift is the ability to see the future. His gift caused misery to his hometown, which is why he is considered the black-sheep of the Madrigal family. Due to the negative outcomes of his prophecies, he mysteriously disappeared prior to the events of the film, and his name is considered taboo among his family (particularly with his sister Pepa) and the townsfolk. Unbeknownst to the rest of the family (sans Dolores), Bruno never actually left the house, having been secretly living in the walls. But after he and his family rebuild Casita and the magic is restored, he reconciles with his mother, sisters and the rest of his family.

### Physical Appearance

Bruno inherited most of his physical characteristics from his father, Pedro. He's a short, unkempt looking 50-year-old man with overgrown, curly black hair with gray streaks, a thin mustache and beard. He has prominent eyebags under his eyes, and his eyes are green. He wears a green poncho, brown pants, shirt and sandals. When he uses his precognitive powers, his irises glow bright green.

### Powers and Abilities

Bruno has the ability to see the future. He requires a large, open space to properly see his visions, initiating them by drawing a circle in the sand and burning leaves. Once initiated, his irises glow jade-green and the sand circle creates a dome of sand, which creates glowing green images that contain the visions. These images are not always clear and they do not always progress chronologically, but when Bruno focuses on certain images, the vision increases in clarity. Should anyone else be within the circle, they can also see the visions and can help Bruno focus on certain parts of it. When the vision ends, Bruno creates a thick slab of jade green glass that contains the vision. If the vision has two possible outcomes, the slab of glass created can show both outcomes by tilting it at certain angles.

## Trivia

* In some early concept art, the character is instead called Oscar. The name Bruno was chosen by Lin-Manuel Miranda, in order for him to fit the lyric "Bruno, no, no" into one of the songs.
* Unlike his sisters, he is the only Madrigal in his family generation to not have a family of his own.
* During his time inside the walls of La Casa Madrigal, the only company he had were the rats.
* Unknown to him, his niece, Dolores, via her super hearing, knew he was living in the walls; Antonio also figured it out by his ability to communicate with the rats.
* During Dolores' rapping verse in the song "We Don't Talk About Bruno", Bruno can be seen walking along the first floor balcony in background and bopping his head to the beat of the music. This foreshadows that he never actually left.
* Bruno does several superstitious actions, such as knocking on wood in a rhythmic pattern and reciting the phrase "Knock on wood," throwing salt over his shoulder, and holding his breath while crossing his fingers.
* Due to their sensory powers, Bruno and Dolores are the only family members that their doors depict with eyes open.
* Coincidentally, following Pixar's *Luca*, Encanto is the second Disney movie in a row using the name Bruno, both with themes relating to speech, or rather lack thereof ("Silenzio Bruno" & "We don't talk about Bruno").
* Abuela states that they were given their miracle 50 years prior to the events of the film, making Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno roughly 50 years old.