‘Encanto’ Fans Disappointed That the Oscars Changed ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ for Live Show

The Oscars featured a live rendition of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from the new Disney animated movie Encanto, but it was not the version many fans were expecting. The song was mashed up with a performance by rapper Megan Thee Stallion, and it had a fan-favorite verse cut in the process. Fans were not pleased, and many were concerned about how younger fans might react.

The Oscars 2022 version of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” started off similar enough to the movie version, with the added glamor of a live performance with real instrumentalists and choreography. It was performed by Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Stephanie Beatriz, Sheila E., Becky G and Luis Fonsi. However, right in the middle Megan The Stallion joined the performers for an impromptu verse that wasn’t included in the movie version. At the same time, fans were sad that the live version cut the verses from Camilo Madrigal (Rhenzy Feliz) and Dolores Madrigal (Adassa).

Some of the complaints went beyond an appreciation for the original soundtrack version of the song. The crossover between fans of Encanto and Megan Thee Stallion is not necessarily huge, and some parents grumbled about “explaining” who the rapper is to their children. Since so much of Megan Thee Stallion’s material is very explicit, parents were wary of letting their children get too interested in the rapper.

There were plenty of other complaints and concerns about this performance, including the suspicion among some fans that Lin-Manuel Miranda would have been a part of it if he had made it to the Oscars. All in all, it wasn’t the highlight of the night for most viewers – although it certainly had some fierce competition. Here’s a look at what Encanto fans are saying.

Children Up Late

can we get an F in chat for all the parents who let their kids stay up for We Don't Talk About Bruno but now have to explain Megan Thee Stallion, why they cut the arguably best verse (Dolores and Camilo) and the lyrics getting an #Oscars makeover

— steph panecasio ✨ (@StephPanecasio) March 28, 2022

The Oscars just pissed me off. My daughter stayed up late to see them perform We don’t talk about Bruno & they did the first 3 lines of it & then changed the words to be about the Oscars. So wrong. I don’t like when my daughter is disappointed. #madmamabear #Oscars2022 #yousuck

— Shannon Reeves (@ShannonLReeves) March 28, 2022

Some viewers groaned that they had gone out of their way to let their children stay up late for this performance, only to find that it was not really tailored for kids.

Synergy

Gotta be honest… a little disappointed with the “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” performance.

You had the entire cast there to sing their parts, and they changed the entire song to basically “we don’t talk about #Oscars.”

They should’ve sang it straight. #Oscars2022 #Encanto

— Ryan Trabuco (he/him/his) (@RyanTrabuco) March 28, 2022

Others complained that the live performance had too many alterations for the sake of tying it into the Oscars and hyping up the event. They felt like it was a great opportunity to do a live rendition with the original cast and the whole world watching.

Up Late

Anyone else extraordinarily disappointed with the Encanto Cast "we don't talk about Bruno" performance?! I stayed up for that? For real! I was expecting the full song and cast, not the first verse, lyrics changed and Megan thee stallion added… what a let down #Oscars #Encanto

— Brenic (@bellatrixta17) March 28, 2022

Children aside, some fans said that they wouldn’t have bothered staying up late themselves had they known that the performance would be more about the Oscars than Encanto itself.

Spanish Speakers

Cuando Becky G, Luis Fonsi y Megan The Stallion tuvieron más foco en la presentación de la canción We Don't Talk About Bruno que los actores que interpretaron la canción para la película. The disrepect. Además, bien fea la versión que presentaron. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/VUbFNVrrfS

— Miguel Parpadeos (@miguelparpadeos) March 28, 2022

This song appeals to a bilingual audience, and even Spanish speakers had their fair share of complaints about this performance. This tweet roughly translates to say that the live rendition put too much focus on guests like Megan Thee Stallion and not enough on the original movie cast.

Best Parts

That wasn’t we Don’t Talk about Bruno y’all arguably cut and changed 90% of the best parts #Oscars2022 #Oscars

— ✨Liz Arista Klein✨ (@LizAristaKlein) March 28, 2022

It turns out that, for many fans, the Camilo and Dolores verses of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” are the best parts of the song.

Target Audience

that WE DONT TALK ABOUT BRUNO performance was incredibly disappointing. Literally NO ONE asked for Fonsi, Becky G or Megan the Stallion. the song was fine with the original cast alone! #Oscars2022 #Oscars #encanto

— Kevin Austra (@kevinaustra) March 28, 2022

Fans were extremely puzzled by the choice to include these guest stars in a Disney song. They wondered who it was supposed to appeal to.

Megan Stans

she kinda ate

— ❄️💋 (@arisneeds) March 28, 2022

Finally, Megan Thee Stallion has a dedicated and active fandom on social media, so there were still plenty of great reviews of this performance to go around.