#bruno analysis

[naoko-world]

Why Bruno is a wonderful character and why I love him so much? - A Bruno Madrigal analysis

OK so originally this was a dissertation about Bruno and why I love him for a Discord server, but in the time it took me to translate, many months passed and I now understand way more my love for him than I did at the time. So we can say it’s a translation of this dissertation but not really. It is now more of a big whole analysis of this character I love. A less messy like it was months ago too, easier to read and...When rereading it I see many English mistakes OMG...They’ll be fixed when it’s  posted though, phew!

Here we go!

Beforehand

In the RiordanVerse, which includes Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, The trials of Apollo and the spin-offs Kane Chronicles and Magnus Chase, my favorite character is Leo Valdez. Leo Valdez is a Hispanic character, son of Hephaistus, who plays the role of the jokester and the third wheel of the group in HOO. He ended up getting a girlfriend during the 4th volume though. Of course, Leo is actually more than that since he's at the same time the one meant to make people laugh, and the one who suffers in silence because of his status as a third wheel and a jokester. 

In the movie Encanto, the character who has the closest personality to Leo's is Camilo Madrigal. Logically then, Camilo should have been my favorite. Well, he almost was! I even had my eyes on him when I first watched the movie, a part of me already loving him. He was really about to become my favorite character in the movie when appeared...

Bruno Madrigal

Well, I'm in love with Bruno! But that's not the point here since there are other reasons why he's my favorite. And I’m going to explain them to you!

Bruno as an assumed villain

The villain treatment

First of all, I'll talk about what is a part in making him the best character in the movie: Bruno isn't a villain but is treated as one by the movie.

During the first half of the movie, Bruno has the same kind of treatment as Shere Khan, Rasputin or even Voldemort. You can actually make parallels between him and these villains! 

We don't talk about Bruno = He Who Must Not Be Named

Concretely, the first thing to notice about it is how in the very first song of the movie, the first thing we say about Bruno is "We don't talk about Bruno". If you do, you'll upset people. It weirdly reminds us of Voldemort and him being "You-Know-Who" (also called He Who Must Not Be Named) because we don't say his name. We call Voldemort “You-know-who”/“He Who Must Not Be Named” and when you evoke Bruno people reply “We don’t talk about Bruno”. It’s not exactly the same thing but it’s close enough. 

That way to evoke Bruno though can remind you of Shere Khan, whose name is pronounced a lot in the movie for him to only appear near the end and being way worse than we thought. Like Bruno, who appears really late on screen, in the middle of the movie actually, but whose name is pronounced pretty often. 

One of the biggest villain details about him, however, is his color.

You obviously noticed that he's associated with the color green, which is a color extremely associated with villains, making it the color of evil. I think about Maleficent or Rasputin, for example, who wear dark clothes but whose magic is green like Bruno's. Same for The Evil Queen in Snow White, who puts the red apple in a green mixture. On top of that, not only Bruno's magic is green, but when Camilo talks about him in the song “We Don't Talk About Bruno”, there is a green light all around him and Mirabel, making it all the more worrying. Like Scar from The Lion King in his own villain song.

The song “We Don't Talk About Bruno”.

One last thing that causes him to be treated as a villain : The song “We Don't Talk About Bruno”. Not only Camilo describes him as a monster, scary and dangerous, but most of the song is only negative about him, making us feel that he makes the future happen rather than merely announcing it...I mean..."Your fate is sealed when your prophecy is read"....It’s like they’re saying that if he didn't announce it, it wouldn't have happened. The only exceptions are Isabela, who is the only one to speak about a positive prophecy, and Dolores who, in her first part, talks about how she grew to live in fear of Bruno but explains later in that part that his prophecies are misunderstood. A big hint on how, maybe, he isn't much of a villain that the song wants us to believe.

His pictures

To add on top of it, each flashback or picture we have of him shows him with his hood hiding his eyes, or frowning and not looking very sympathetic. He smirks on his door though but it’s barely visible. 

All of that before we finally meet him and discover he actually isn't what we thought he would be (though I met people who understood immediately it was only baloney).

Bruno isn't actually a villain

And here is me announcing the moment to talk about why I love Bruno that much, with my whole soul and heart!

First thing first I’ll talk about how he can be pretty blunt and honest.

I mean, we sometimes saw him lie, like when he’s saying he didn’t leave because the mountains are pretty tall, but otherwise he’s a pretty blunt and honest man. I think for example about when Mirabel falls into the chasm and he catches her before telling her, “You’re very sweaty”. I mean, it’s true, we saw it earlier, but was it really the right time to tell her that? I can understand though, I can sometimes be pretty blunt like that too, but it clearly wasn’t necessary. That’s cute though, I like it! 

If I can elaborate on it and give my view about that point, I could even say him being blunt precipitated his bad reputation. I can see him giving the visions with nervosity but not sugarcoating them! 

Then, Bruno can also be very clumsy! 

I don’t only mean he’s clumsy like when he’s fleeing Mirabel and almost falls when jumping from plank to plank. Or when he fetched a horse to come save Mirabel but is struggling handling it, which is so adorable! No, I also talk about when he can hurt others without intending to. 

I’m thinking typically about the events at Pepa’s marriage, where he tried to make a joke and it made his sister think it was a prophecy. She was already pretty nervous, but that joke made the rain fall on her wedding day because of how terrible it made her feel. Of course, Bruno wasn’t ill-intended, he only was trying to put her more at ease, as he said in  “All Of You” when he sang “I could just see you were sweating”, but intention matters less than the results. There, the result is that he hurt his sister. Which must have made him feel very bad too, if I know him well. This is probably why he probably never apologized until the end of the movie.

But I love that part of him too! I think it is incredibly cute! And I would have loved to be there to hug him and reassure him about how it’s not completely his fault, that the context wasn't the best for that kind of joke and that Pepa was not the right person. Though I suspect she wasn't even holding it against him, she was more angry because he left and wanted a reason to hate him.

That point joins another part of him I like: He's nervous and anxious...Like me!

Oddly I always loved shy, nervous and anxious characters, like Sawako Kuronuma, from Kimi ni Todoke, or Shin-ah from Akatsuki no Yona. They have my whole heart and Bruno is the ultimate shy, nervous and anxious character! I just want to comfort him, tell him it'll be okay, help him overcome his nervosity and anxiety. Also, we can be anxious together! 

That aspect of his personality is mainly shown in his body language. During the movie, he’s often fiddling with his hands, with his ruana, chuckling nervously, or stuttering. He also has a way to look at people with his eyebrows going upwards in worry, as if expecting something to go wrong. 

Hell, even him being superstitious is part of his anxious side! He knocks on wood to bring good luck because he clearly doesn’t feel well when he can’t do it when he feels bad. You can even see him tapping his arm during the last song, just before the part where he’s rapping and apologizing to Pepa! Because he wants to bring good luck but doesn’t have wood to knock on! 

Also the way he laughs...You can feel the nervosity in his chuckles! Like when he’s trying to be funny with his Hernando/Jorge play and Mirabel only stares at him as if he said something weird. At that point you can feel he realised she didn’t find it funny and cringed. Poor Bruno.

Oh well it doesn't prevent him from actually being funny. He's a goofy character after all!

First...What the heck Mirabel??? His Hernando/Jorge play is hilarious! You just don't have any taste! Bad girl! Hernando and Jorge are the funniest characters and Bruno is the best actor of all time. He should do a stand-up show!

Then...I talked earlier about when he went to fetch a horse to go save Mirabel who actually wasn’t in danger. I’ll elaborate on it if you permit me too (you don’t have a choice anyway because that analysis will end before you can answer), in saying how interesting that scene is on a comedy lense. Starting with the way Bruno just arrives at the river struggling with the horse but managing to scream "Mirabel didn’t do anything wrong!" like a madman. Then, he literally falls before getting up spinning like a screwdriver all while yelling at his mother! That’s incredibly funny! 

Also, Bruno shows some sarcasm at some points. I think about when he’s afraid Mirabel will hate his vision and he’s repeating what was saying in the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” to parodying it. I mean, you can feel what the three townspeople said, “He told me my fish would die the next day dead, he told me I’d grow a gut and just like he said, he said that all my hair would disappear now look at me,” and the whole Camilo verse “Seven foot frame, rats along his back, when he calls your name it all fades to black, yeah he sees your dreams and feast on your screams,” when Bruno says “Bruno makes bad things happen, oh, he’s creepy and his vision killed my goldfish.” Honestly I have a bad memory but first time I watched the movie I’m pretty sure I was like “Oops, guilty” because I believed everything said in the song.

Bruno is also kind and caring!

Bruno is a kind and caring man who, as a proof of this character trait, saved Mirabel during their chase. I remind you he was fleeing her! But he preferred saving his niece rather than staying away from her like he’d done the last 10 years. This is why he was fleeing and he probably didn’t expect her to try to jump the chasm. She did though, and pushed him to make a choice: continue to flee and protecting himself and his, probably with time, comfortable life in the walls, or turn back to save her. He made that last choice. Because it wouldn’t be logical to leave her to die while he hid to protect her, but also because he’s too nice to leave her behind. 

We can also see that part of him when we discover later why he left. The fact is that he left because he was afraid Mirabel was in danger of having a fate potentially worse than his. I mean, I know people who would have taken advantage of it to stop being the black sheep of the family. Some people prefer to be part of the accepted group, Bruno preferred staying the black sheep so Mirabel could live a good life. 

To go further into the topic of his kind and caring side, I’ll talk again about the river scene. Before that scene, in the movie, Bruno leaves to let Mirabel go see Isabela, making her tease him “You’re afraid Abuela will see you,” which he confirms. He’s afraid of his mother but, even with that detail, when he thinks Mirabel is in danger he doesn’t hesitate to hurry save her from that same mother. He does because he cares too much to just stay hidden near the ruins of his house while one member of his family, especially one he bounded a lot with, is in danger. The most incredible detail in that scene being he’s trying to pin the blame on himself rather than simply defending her like most people would have done. He’s so kind! I love him!

Another thing I love about him is linked to the joke he was fed with “respect woman juice”: he’s respectful!

There is something noticeable when viewing the movie during “All Of You”: at the moment Bruno’s part is starting, he doesn’t take Pepa’s hand. Instead, he holds his hand to her to take, before spinning around to bring her into Félix’s arms. It’s not much but that man knows consent!

I’m French, so in my country, before COVID, when you greet each other you have to kiss the other person on the cheek. It’s basically an automatism and, for people like me who don’t like being kissed on the cheek by anyone, it always has been annoying. You can even blame children for not wanting it, telling them to be a bit polite. Or, if you don’t kiss someone, they can think you are angry at them. No, I just don’t like kissing on the cheek. I’m telling you, since COVID I saw people being incredibly happy to not be obligated anymore to kiss people! 

Finally, Bruno is creative. 

Him being creative can be shown with his Hernando/Jorge show, of course. However, in a more subtle way, we can also see many drawings, mainly of rats, in his hideout. And not bad at all! Hell, the screen even zooms in on one of his drawings to make us cry with sadness when realising how he loves his family and could never let go. I’m obviously talking about the plate scene. It’s neither a real plate, nor a photo. He drew that! That man is an artist! 

People talked a lot about his telenovelas too, like I saw many (including myself) using that to make Bruno and a reader/OC bond. Because it's a good way to! Though it seems like people tend to forget Bruno doesn’t only write telenovelas, but also sports games, and game shows. This is proof of a big imagination too!  

In the end I think you can now understand how much I love him. That man is perfect in his imperfection, and perfect husband material! I mean, I love everything about him, his bad sides, like being too blunt, as well as his good ones, like being caring.

I know this is also why he’s overloved too: I’m not the only one who saw it in him, and many are in love with him or only have him as their favorite character. In my case, he’s both the one I’m in love with and my favorite.

The fact he started the movie by being kinda villainized adds to it too, because there is a contrast between how he’s seen in the first part and in the second one. 

[yellowcry]

I've seen people saying that Mirabel has a bit greening skirt as a reference to her similarity with Bruno

But, honestly

Julieta has way more teal clothes. And I think Mirabel's color referring to her mom

[jacarandaaaas]

sometimes I feel bad for talking about mirabel so much then I remember how she used to be so ignored in the fandom people didn’t even know she was the main character

[adarkrainbow]

Since I am on the topic of these people that get a lot of criticism for their take on fairytales but still deserve to be kept around due to their influence, I want to briefly evoke Bruno Bettelheim's book "The Uses of Enchantment", known in France as "Psychanalysis of fairytales".

Note that I will not speak of the book itself or the reception of the book in English-speaking countries, but I want to talk about its reception in France and an impact it had on France. Today, numerous elements of the book have been debunked or criticized, coupled with many people misunderstanding the intentions of Bettelheim or misinforming about the context of the book or how it had to be read. As a result, today there is a tendency to crap on this book or laugh about it when we talk about fairytales analysis. However this book had a great importance in France when it came to "save" fairytales.

Before going into the general, as a brief piece of personal experience - which isn't exclusive to me, as others also shared this. This book actually was what got me into the analysis and study of fairytale. Or rather, when I read it as a pre-teen, it made me discover that... fairytales could have depths. Fairytales could have hidden meanings behind being simple children stories. It made me consider how these stories could be taken and reinterpreted as so many allegories and metaphors, it opened my eyes to a certain visceral, psychic, social aspect of these tales, and without this book I certainly would not have been into fairytales as I am today.

Not that this book is the ultimate resource of fairytale analysis - and the entire process of a psychological reading of fairytales is someting that exists but should not be taken into account when trying to explain them (fairytales being the produce of the encounter between literature and folklore). However, this book stayed a door-opening key for me, outdated maybe, overthinking stuff I guess, but that at least allowed me to glimpse into the "great beyond" behind these stories.

And now for my actual point... How Bettelheim's book saved fairytales in France. This is something I learned when studying the life and work of Pierre Gripari - in a book called "Pierre Gripari, un passeur d'écritures" by Inna Saranovska.

When Bettelheim's book reached France in the late 70s, fairytales were in a bad spot when it came to cultural authorities. Already fairytales had been reduced in people's mind to simple, naive children stories only good for making American cartoons (cough cough, Disney). But those of Perrault were still evoked and studied in schools (little schools for little children) because it was part of the heritage of France, of French culture, and the evolution of French literatue...

However what happened in the 70s? The very serious project of just burying fairytales was brought forward. The talks by politics and school authorities were simple: let us stop teaching fairytales to children in school, let's remove fairytales from school libraries, we do not have any use for them anymore, let them be forgotten. On one side, as I said, there was a discredit due to them being seen as silly children story, and thus no real pedagogic or "useful" chilren literature. But on the other side, there were very concrete and serious political business involved - fairytales were seen as antithetic, and opposed, to the principles of the modern Republic of France. Fairytales were seen as backward antiquities that went against what a great democratic nation should be. For example, people really did took issue in the fact that fairytales depicted monarchies, with kings as absolute authorities, and where a happy ending meant to end up prince or princess. For them, it was literaly teaching children to favor and idealize monarchy when they should rather learn about democracies and republics, and while it might seem silly today, it was serious back then and what almost led to the complete erasure of fairytales from school programs.

But then came Bettelheim's book. A book which proved to these folks that fairytales could be of a deep, psychological, social use to children. A book which taught these authorities to see beyond the "silliness" of these children stories or the "backward social message", and which told them how these stories could contain and express the deep fears, the secret desires of children, and help them grow up and deal with familial, social relationships. The book was a best-seller in France, and it completely changed the higher-ups opinion, and convinced tem fairytales should indeed be maintained in school - because fairytales were now "serious" due to being part of the very serious and praised domains of psychology and psychanalysis (which was all the fad and rage in the second half of the 20th century France).

And as such - no matter what you might say about the book's uality today - it can still be thanked for actually "saving" fairytales in France.

[foggyfanfic]

Bruno's Health After the Walls

This has probably been done before, in fact there's an analysis of the long term effects Bruno's terrible posture has probably had on his spine out there somewhere, that lives rent free in my head. But I wanna do it anyways!

So, let's talk about how living in the walls for ten years probably affected Bruno's health.

First and foremost, let's talk about what isolation does to a person, particularly lack of human touch. Because Bruno was probably ok listening in on his family's conversations, but he has gone a decade without a single hug. I'm sure most of us have heard of that one study where they took a couple of orphaned babies and just didn't give them any physical contact. The babies almost died. So yeah! Bruno is not ok.

Then there's lack of sunlight. It's possible that he's been sneaking out to get fresh air every once in a while, so we'll say this is minimal. But a slight vitamin D deficiency still means lethargy, insomnia, bone/muscle pain, and his OCD would be worse (sunlight helps boost serotonin). So, Bruno is not ok.

He's probably malnourished, even if he's stealing enough food from the kitchen quantity wise, his cooking limitations and reliance on scraps probably means he's not getting a balanced diet. Depending on what nutrients he's not getting this could lead to muscle loss, decrease bone density, affect his immune system, and cause heart problems. And if he's relying too much on a certain food group that could lead to all sorts of long term damage to his digestive system, think things like an overworked liver. Bruno is not ok.

Sanitation is another thing, we see that his living space is overrun with rats. They are a remarkably clean animal, but they still have to poop and stuff. Overexposure to feces of any animal exposes you to all types of disease, viruses, bacteria, mold, you name it. Combined with how dusty it is back there and Bruno is probably breathing the grossest air in human history, possibly doing permanent damage to his respiratory system. Bruno is not ok.

Finally, add in the physical activity required for him to navigate in the walls. There's that big ass hole in the floor that he's apparently been vaulting over for years now. While running is good for your cardiovascular health, it is hell on your joints, and if he already has all of the problems listed above it’s a miracle his knees haven’t given out. Some have suggested that Julieta’s food only heals people if she’s the one giving it, let’s hope for Bruno’s sake that’s not the case, because otherwise… Bruno is NOT ok.

In conclusion, Bruno is not ok after spending ten years in the walls and he is going to need some serious rehabilitation. Honestly, realistically, I would expect him to have scurvy, or be missing hair and fingernails, or something; but it’s a kid’s movie so let’s just handwave a little and say the miracle has prevented the worst of it. The good news is he seems to have held up remarkably well mentally speaking, and is only a little crazy, so with some love and support (and healing magic) he’s still able to have a happy life.

[phoenixlionme]

Encanto: Madrigal Family Relationship Analysis Part 28 - Antonio and Bruno

This is my favorite moment between this uncle and nephew duo; admittedly, it's one of the very few scenes they have together, but I still stand by my point. Antonio offers his stuffed jaguar, made by Mirabell (his favorite relative), to Bruno (a man he's just met and only heard about through his family and town's bias opinion). Jared Bush as confirmed in a twitter post that Antonio considers Bruno his pal. And I can understand why - given his gift, Antonio was told by Bruno's rats not only of the future teller's true personality but also the lengths the latter went to, to protect Mirabel, who Antonio greatly loves, cherishes, and admires. Of course, he would think of Bruno as his pal. And while it wasn't seen in the movie (which should've been), Bruno definitely returned Antonio's jaguar and genuinely thanked his young nephew for the help. And they would develop a tight bond because they are both shy but helpful guys who have an affinity towards animals more than people, and would do anything to help Mirabel, the person in the family who helped them the most (not hating on the Madrigals but the way Mirabel helped them was more beneficial). I can totally imagine Antonio cheerfully dragging Bruno along to play with him and his animals and Bruno happily agreeing since he loves being an uncle in general. I can also see Bruno trying to give good advice to Antonio that it's okay to prefer animals to people, a similar convo like the one Mirabel and Antonio had before his gift ceremony. In conclusion, these are PHENOMENAL PALS FOR LIFE.

[figcookie01]

[astralcities]

there is like one singular jojo fic i think is in character and i'm constantly hoisting it on my shoulders like whenever i think jojo fancontent is universally bad i can pull up this one single fic and go No...There are understanders out there

[viridianvisions]

Animation details in Encanto (probably one of many, many, many posts)

#1 - Bruno before his visions:

His face immediately before the vision forms behind his eyes is serene, though clearly burdened with anticipation...

But you can see the immense effort that it takes to steady and prepare himself for the vision as it materialises and projects from his irises; his hands clench tighter, brows furrow and jaw sets harder. It actually looks painful.

The same can be seen when he has his vision ten years later with Mirabel: although subtle, his frown deepens and his mouth pulls tighter as he steels himself for the onset of probably sharp, stinging bursts of light behind his eyes.

Only when he exhales and stretches out his hands do we see his features relax a little.

But then, right before his eyes light up, we can see just how difficult it is to keep himself poised through the strain. It's clear that, although rusty after a decade, he's learned how to cope with it through this pre-relaxation routine.

It's telling that they took the time to animate all these miniscule details to further convey why Bruno was not only reluctant to perform the vision for Mirabel, but also how part of his anxiety likely stems from the very real expectancy of pain before, and probably during, the vision itself - and all this before he's even had to decipher what symbolism he sees, then convey what that means to the requester.

Dolores was definitely on the mark when she sang that Bruno's gift was "a heavy lift", and the animators made sure to let us know this is the case. 🥺

~If this is the number of years it's taken to get to this point of managing it, I can only imagine how excruciating it must have been when he first started out. He's suffered more than we know. 😭~

[pigeonbboi]

okay I am really autistic and think abt them all the time so

golden wind theories/ hcs abt the main gangs mental illnesses

okay I dont think we talk about how mista probably has ocd enough. we see that he has intrusive thoughts/ obsessions and while we don’t see him have a lot of obvious compulsions but he often acts in a way that may seem irrational to some and has strict routines and fears something will go wrong when they are interrupted. he counts things obsessively, has rituals, etc etc.

short aside: pls don't think I am glorifying/ romanticizing anything I talk abt here these are theories and if anything I say is inaccurate pls lemme know!! I did research abt what I talk abt here but these are my own personal theories/ observations/ how I relate to them :)

I see a lot of people hc narancia as having ADHD but I am here to further my everyone in bucci gang has autism agenda. /hj I am autistic and relate to him. how he has trouble reading peoples intentions and trusts too easily is smth I really relate too! That's not to say he couldn't also have ADHD but if you read him as autistic it adds a lot of depth to his backstory <:) he's also highly empathetic and struggles regulating his emotions.

god sorry this is cringe

oh obviously he's also dyslexic :)

moving on this is obvious and more a plea to people to do research and write realistic recovery for leone being an alcoholic.

I would also love to see more people talking about Bruno. Specifically within the context of bruabba and his savior complex, I can't help but think he would be a little bitter than he is always the one saving people and that he's not allowed to be weak despite all the trauma he went through at a young age and joining the mafia at 14. It would definitely create more vulnerability issues to play parent to not only three traumatized children but also your so, the one who you are meant to feel safest with. I think a lot of Bruno's savior complex issues stems from him thinking that the crimes he has committed in his past and continues to commit as part of his role within Passione make him a bad person, and to atone for these sins he "saves" others. You can see how angry he is when he takes Narancia to the hospital and then he says he also wants to join the gang. To Bruno this is akin to spitting in his face. 'You would throw away the second chance I gave you to make the same mistakes I did?' idk I love him and so many people treat him as if he is perfect and I think he deserves to be complex and maybe resent his family for treating him as a therapist and savior and not always like a flawed human being. basically please let us have more dysfunctional bruabba family I need them to live.

I could write a whole essay on fugo so I shall save him for another time and because I don't trust my own intelligence to talk about him. fugo peak.

A lot of dude bros get mad at Giorno's "lack of personality" as if it doesn't stem directly from him being neglected as a child. He was punished for showing normal emotions as a kid so he hides them as he gets older. He could also totally be read as autistic and thats a hc that holds a special place in my heart. Opposed to Narancia, who is on the high empathy end of the spectrum, Gio, partly as a response to how he was raised, has lower empathy which also effects how he communicates with others. I think he is such a complex character and wish more people devoted time to analyzing him rather than writing him of as boring.

Thats all I have the mental space to write about for write now but I care these idiots so much and please tell me what you think!! Bucci gang 4 eva.

[allthingsencanto]

Maturing is realizing that the Madrigal family are all good people, they just lost sight of what was important over time because they were all so focused on their own struggles and desperately keeping their magic afloat that they ended up hurting each other and either not being there for one another, or not recognizing the other’s hardships. They’re a family who loves one another, but they’re broken due to the generational trauma. Certain characters hid their true feelings, certain characters weren’t there for others, certain characters kept their mouth shut and didn’t intervene, certain characters didn’t see or understand others. They were told how important this miracle is practically all their lives and how they can’t take it for granted that they eventually forgot about what was most important to them in the beginning, their love for each other. The Madrigals being a broken and flawed family but a family filled with good people who still care about one another deep down are statements that should coexist. 🕯❤️

[naoko-world]

Analysing our first encounter with Bruno

As I said I would, here is the analysis of our (and Mirabel's) first encounter with Bruno in the movie.

As a reminder, beforehand we were told that Bruno had a mischievous grin, a seven foot frame, rats along his back, and basically that he was a monster causing disasters we should fear. A vision which was mainly spread by Camilo and his uncle's description, supported by testimonies from the villagers: "He killed my goldfish", "he made me gain weight", "he made me lose my hair". In the song WDTAB you also have Isabela and Dolores saying good things about him but human mind is made so we would only retain the bad things over the good ones.

Then we actually meet Bruno at the same time as Mirabel and… We are taken by surprised by the truth.

First thing we see of Bruno is a pretty scary vision I mean... What the heck Bruno? Are you trying to scare Mirabel so she would give up on finding the truth? Well, too bad! Mirabel being persistent, instead of giving in, she starts to chase after him. To chase after the truth!

We can already notice one detail though: he doesn't smile at all. The first thing we were told about him is actually completely false.

First impression of him: he's actually scary but hide something and this is why he flew. And he could be completely different of what we were told.

During the chase Mirabel ends up falling in a chasm, only holding thanks to a piece of wood. When the piece eventually gives in she's saved by... Bruno! First thing he's saying then? "You're very sweaty."

It doesn't really look like it but that line is the first time we hear Bruno and it's something... Pretty honest! Is it really the time to tell her she's sweaty? You should concentrate on saving her sweety! Only with that line we understand Bruno isn't the cause of disasters, he's simply honest. Yes, she's sweaty. Of course she's sweaty. She just ran after Bruno!

That scene tells us something else: He's kind and caring, he won't let Mirabel fall because he doesn't want her to be harmed. Even if he was fleeing her a minute ago.

Second impression of him: He's an honest, kind and caring man, and certainly not the cause of disasters.

Afterwards, Bruno falls but then bounces back on his feet because the chasm is actually not deep. Did you notice the way he's doing it? He gets up really straight with a shocked face, before looking at the mist which he clears while staying straight. Finally, he shrugs.

I'm certain it's the first time we all laughed because of Bruno when watching the movie the first time. I mean... Isn't that incredibly goofy? Yes, it is and and that's exactly what we understand there! We knew Bruno was kind and honest, but now we also knows he's funny in spite of himself.

Third impression: Bruno is actually funny in a goofy way.

Following that scene, Bruno climbs back the chasm to stand before Mirabel.

Notice the thing here? We know later that Bruno is actually a bit taller than Mirabel but with the perspective in that picture he appears shorter! The intention is clear here: make us understand that Bruno is far from being 7 foot tall.

I'll confess something too... It's the picture of Bruno I think is the cutest. The first one where I thought "oh... cute..." and I don't think I'm the only one who had that thought! Actually, I even believe that short scene where he's standing before Mirabel was made to make us think he's cute!

Why? Well, beforehand he was depicted as a scary monster with many details in Camilo's version of Bruno that was supporting that fact. I won't talk about it here since I already wrote a comparison evil!Bruno/Bruno there, I'll only point out how it's in that part of the movie where his face is the roundest, thus the cutest. Therefore, it's in that part of the movie too where the time almost stops, to let us quietly observe him. For a bit less than 2 minutes (I counted, it lasts 1s46ms) you can see Bruno staring at Mirabel without saying anything, allowing us to register his actual appearance, how he actually looks like. And he's cute!

Fourth impression: He's short. And cute.

At this point we understand Bruno isn't at all like we were promised! The image of the monster breaks down. But there is more!

Well... Maybe I'm mistaken... But that part of the movie... Isn't it the first time Bruno's face shows anxiety? He seems worried and at the edge of tears. And we can understand: That man was hoping never to be found again, especially not by Mirabel and yet here she's, asking for explanations. He hoped to lost her when she followed the rats but he had to save her, thus showing himself as he really is.

Fifth impression: Bruno has anxiety.

That part is followed by a scene where we see him knock on wood, crossing his finger, throwing salt, sugar,... Showing how superstitious he's!

What does that implies you'll ask me? Most people see that as a funny trait, a part of his goofy personality, but it's actually related to the anxious part of Bruno. Not only because it is canonically OCD, but also because it shows he thinks a lot about the future. Bruno knock on woods so the future would be bright!

At the same time it shows how clumsy he can be, as with the picture I chose to illustrate that part of my analysis: he throws the salt and sugar into Mirabel. I don't think he's doing it on purpose, it wouldn't fit his character. No, he's only clumsy!

Sixth impression: Bruno is a clumsy man who worries about the future.

Then we have one big scene! One of the most famous of the movie, I'm even pretty sure it's some people's favorite. Well, it's not mine but I sure love it myself!

In that scene we first discover that Bruno was patching the cracks all that time from the inside of the walls, adding to his kindness and making us understand one important thing that'll be confirmed later with the plate scene: Bruno loves his family.

Bruno patching the cracks means he's doing anything for his family to heal but can't do much besides using anything he has on his own to "patch the cracks". Like when he chose to disappear! Staying would mean Alma would know the vision and Mirabel would have been in big trouble. Like patching the cracks, disappearing prevent Mirabel's situation to worsen but it didn't fix the problem.

Seventh impression: Bruno loves his family.

But then, Bruno does his Hernando/Jorge thing! Personally I think it's really funny but Mirabel only stared at his tío as if saying "what the heck are you doing Tío Bruno? Are you alright?" so I guess she didn't.

Besides it's funny what does it says about Bruno? It shows he likes to make people laugh! Not in spite of himself like earlier, intentionally! With characters like a comedian in a stand-up comedy show!

Eight impression: Bruno likes to be funny!

Between Hernando and Jorge, Bruno chuckles with embarrassement, clearly understanding Mirabel doesn't find it funny.

It pays no mind but that chuckle confirms and adds to some part we saw earlier: That he's clumsy and anxious! I mean, I do the same smile when I make a joke and nobody laugh thus making me feel a bit alone. I'm pretty sure that Mirabel not laughing to his joke made him instantly regret it. He continued after though, so he must have thought that maybe she'd laugh more with Jorge.

Ninth impression of Bruno: He's definitively clumsy and anxious.

And at last! We discovered he was living all that time inside the walls of Casita. At this point we understood he's not bad, only a bit awkward and a good uncle who probably had a good reason to disappear.

And then we learn it was to protect Mirabel! Which makes sense since it's consistent with what we learned during the part before Mirabel finds herself into his hideout.

That's all folks! Hope you liked my new analysis on that man who doesn't want to leave my brain and my heart alone.

[therockandrolllibrarytroll]

Trauma and Stands in JJBA

So this has been swirling around my head for a bit, and because I just lost my job today I figured it would be good to take my mind off of it by indulging in a bit of analytical escapism instead. 

It’s stated several times throughout Jojo that Stands are a manifestation of a person’s most innate self, their “soul” if you will. Some Stands can be a manifestation of positive aspects of a person’s soul, such as Tusk Act IV being a representation of Johnny Joestar’s resilience or Crazy Diamond being a representation of Josuke’s protective nature. It can be a great character analysis to just break down the aspects of a stand and how it relates to each character of Jojo. But that’s gonna be a super long essay that I don’t have the energy to write. 

What I want to talk about is how Stands can be a representation of things like trauma and negative coping mechanisms associated with it. Specifically, part 5 characters that are good examples of this. There could obviously be others from different parts, but these are the ones that I’ve been thinking about. 

The most obvious one would be Fugo. His stand has a lot of meaning to it. I think a lot of people tend to look at his character at only a surface level. Even if you want to discount the anime’s expansion on his backstory, it’s super clear that this kid has experienced serious trauma. Children don’t just become angry without reason. Fugo’s anger is a direct result of trauma, and we can see that with Purple Haze. It’s a Stand built to push people away, to lash out at friend or foe, or even Fugo himself. It’s a representation of Fugo’s desire to isolate himself as a way to cope, which is a common trait among people with CPTSD (article here: https://medium.com/invisible-illness/the-reasons-people-with-complex-ptsd-self-isolate-846266b52a6d). That anger, and by extension Purple Haze, are walls and armor Fugo built.

Another obvious example would be Abbacchio. While his Stand is useful in the events of Vento Aureo, Moody Blues’ ability is a clear representation of symptoms of rumination in PTSD (article here: https://sites.tufts.edu/emotiononthebrain/2014/11/18/hooked-on-a-feeling-intrusive-and-ruminative-symptoms-in-ptsd/). It’s ability is to play back the events of the past, much like how a person with PTSD will replay the memories of a traumatic event in their minds. Obviously the trauma of losing his partner as a cop would make this make sense. Personally, this makes me feel like Abbacchio is one of the most tragic characters in part 5 at least. What would his stand look like if he hadn’t experienced what he had? Not to mention his meeting with Bruno heavily implies engaging in substance abuse. 

Less obvious, but still interesting would be Bruno’s stand. There’s an issue with children of divorce having to deal with “split loyalty.” Even if the divorce his parents had was amicable, and even if Bruno decided to stay with his father, he had to essentially split himself apart to stay loyal to both parents. I honestly highly doubt his mother was just cool with him staying with his father, either. But you could chalk that up to extrapolation. So how does this relate to his Stand? Well, remember the fight with Pesci? When Bruno had to divide his actual physical heart in half to survive? That was not just a fight, that was a demonstration of his childhood. 

This post is so long, I need to go to bed. And find a new job. I hope this made sense to someone. 

[jacarandaaaas]

ooh its 2023 and I’m still seeing the WORST takes on alma. I swear people pick and choose what to say to justify her being a “villain”. Oh she “never apologized” she actually did twice 🤨. “mirabel should have ran away forever” mirabel is a 15 year old girl who was willing to be crushed by her own house for the sake of her family what sense does her running away forever make? yes it makes sense in the movie because she was at her lowest but her family do actually care about her??? Bruno also got an apology it was just shorter because people don’t understand that animated movies cant have as large run times because they are primarily catered towards young children with very small attention spans. I’m sure there was loads of reconciliation cut out because of that reason only. Anyways it’s 2023 and I’m tired of people still somehow misinterpreting such a simple message with alma and her story. I’ve seen CHILDREN young CHILDREN analyze encanto better than a lot of bitches on tiktok

[glitternightingale]

Shower Thoughts

Bruno's Stone Hand: Your Future Awaits

I've been thinking about this statue and trying to get into Bruno's head in case he decided to put it up, and it didn't just appear as a result of Casita's magical rooms. What was the motivation behind it? How long has it been there? And most importantly, what does it mean?

Meaning 1: "Climb all those stairs to get a vision from me."

The most on-the-nose interpretation is that this was simply meant to be a signpost to his Vision Cave for the villagers or other visitors. I can imagine it was set up when there were already a decent number of stairs in Bruno's room. At least, it would make the most sense at that point in time.

Meaning 2: "The way to Heaven/God in Christianity."

So, I saw some gravestones with a similar engraving: a hand with its forefinger pointing up to indicate the deceased's soul has risen to Heaven.

This was a prevalent symbol in the Victorian era (1837 - 1901). Of course, this concept doesn't have to apply to 19XX's Colombia, but it's an interesting thought, especially when one considers the heavy Catholic themes in Encanto and, perhaps, that Bruno might be a little old-fashioned/traditional in one way or another.

Also, most references of these headstone images I found feature the right hand as the "correct" hand for this symbol, regardless of if it's shown from the front or back. Bruno's possible left-handedness shown throughout the movie and his rock statue subverts this theme. He is different, and he is "wrong" in the eyes of the villagers.

Meaning 3: "Now listen up, the Prophet is speaking."

Bruno's expressive hand gestures often come into play when he tries to share his thoughts with other characters (Mirabel and Alma, for example.) I imagine their intention has changed from "Please, listen to me." to "May I just… please… say some–– Okay, never mind." over the course of his life.

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: We Don't Talk About Bruno

("You're gonna show/talk about That Moment, right?" Yes of course I will be showing/talking about That Moment; who do you take me for? 😝)

This video was uploaded on the 26th of February, 2022, it features Ashley Diane (in her second full-length collaboration with Voiceplay), and it is of course a cover of the ridiculously-popular song We Don't Talk About Bruno, from the very-popular Disney movie Encanto (which I have seen 2 or 3 times, including in cinemas, but I'm also very familiar with the movie soundtrack, because it's amazing). To cover such a popular song (let alone acapella-style) can be a challenging task, because obviously there'll be a lot of people who'll already know the original song quite well and who will be prepared to make comparisons, but this is Voiceplay we're talking about! They're not called "the theatre kids of acapella" for nothing, and Disney covers is one of the things they do best (and the video currently sits at a very impressive 5.6 million views on Youtube! (EDIT: as of the 13th of March, it's now 5.7 million!))

So of course I have a lot to talk about with this one, so let's get into it!

Layne was in charge of the video, arrangement, and direction for this one, and he and Tony worked together on set design and costuming. Needless to say, Layne and Tony did an amazing job (and yes, this was of course filmed at Pattycake Productions Studio, which Layne and Tony own and run together)

As for the costuming/characters: Cesar is playing Felix (is it perfect casting, or is Cesar just amazing at slipping into basically any role he's given? You decide), Ashley plays triple roles of Pepa, Isabela, and Mirabel, Eli is maybe Agustin (Agustin doesn't have a lead singing part in the song but the outfit is close enough), Layne is Dolores, and Geoff is either Camilo, Bruno, or both (Camilo pretending to be Bruno perhaps, like in the original scene in the movie?)

If we don't count Jingle Bell Rock (where Eli was wearing glasses while dressed as "Sandy Claws", then I'm fairly certain this is the last/most recent time that Eli has actually worn glasses for a Voiceplay video? And perhaps the only time he's worn them since growing out his facial hair.

Also I'm pretty sure I heard from someone that Geoff's "ruana" (google it) is in fact just a regular blanket/piece of fabric draped (possibly secured/pinned) over his shoulders (it's kind of a Look though ngl)

Not even 30 seconds in and I already stumbled upon a way-funnier-than-expected screencap 🤣

*pfft* XD

Basically, Cesar 100% understood the assignment as Felix, totally hammed it up, and it's highly entertaining 😁

(Also I swear Geoff did a very miniscule eyeroll here? Amazing, love him)

"Hey where'd you get that?" 😂

I know I'm not meant to be talking about vocals in these posts (per my own rules), but I have to give a big shoutout to Layne, who freaking killed it with Dolores's solo part, and it's always so lovely to hear him actually getting a vocal part in a song, as amazing as he is at vocal percussion 💜

Cesar continuing to do The Most (affectionate), and also it's kinda sweet how Geoff is looking at Layne here imo <3 (and also it kinda fits with how the characters they're playing, Camilo (probably) and Dolores are siblings!)

"Grappling with prophecies they couldn't understand." "Do you understand?"

(If you're rewatching a Voiceplay video, try shifting your focus to someone other than whoever you typically focus on for a certain part of the song! It will probably be worth it!)

Trust Geoff to get a dark/spooky section of the song! Voiceplay is nothing if not consistent 😝 (well, sometimes, in regards to some things 😂)

"When he calls your name, it all-" "-fades to black"

I was trying to get a good screencap of Cesar and Ashley on the "we! don't! talk about Bruno!" line, but eh, couldn't get a decent one.

(Oh btw obligatory kudos to Eli for lighting design!)

"He told me my fish would die, the next day, DEAD!"

(Great face, Ashley 😂👌)

Also pay attention to Geoff during this line (before it cuts to a closeup of Ashley) - I love his little shoulder shimmy to the more-uptempo beat!)

"He said that all of my hair-"

"-would disappear..."

"Now look at my head!"

(Rip Eli, but there was no way anybody else was singing that line - it was practically made for him! 😆) (Also love Ashley touching his head in comfort/sympathy 😄)

"He told me that the life of my dreams would be promised and someday be miiine"

(Yes yes of course Ashley is very pretty and I love the petals and the slow-mo on her, now CUE!)

"He told me that my power would grow, like the grapes that thrive on the viiiine"

Yep, that still continues to be up there as one of the most bonkers-ridiculous moments in a Voiceplay video ever. 🤣 (Also if it weren't hilarious enough, check out Ashley's Offended(tm) face in the first and second pictures above, and Layne's Extremely Concerned face in the second picture! ("uhh, Geoff. something you wanna tell me, dude?"))

I'm a little fuzzy on specifics, but apparently the idea for this moment came about when Voiceplay was acquiring clothing for everyone, and Ashley's outfit arrived in two different sizes (just in case one might fit better than the other). Turns out one of the copies of the outfit was a perfect fit for Geoff, and one thing led to another, and we ended up with Aspiring Disney Princess Geoff that you see in the images above 😄😋)

(When I said "don't just get you a man who can do both, get yourself a man that can do everything" back in my Frozen 2 Medley post, I meant it!!!)

(Oh and this section really was slowed down in post-production in order to make the petals (and hair flips!) look nice, and so both Ashley and Geoff were having to sing/lip-sync to sped up versions of their vocal lines!)

"Hey sis..."

(I don't know why this is so funny but it just is 😂)

Ashley in glasses for Mirabel's part!

"Seven foot frame, rats along his back!" *(goat scream)*

(Genuinely not even joking about the goat scream actually)

Geoff and Cesar were competing this whole video in terms of who could be the Biggest Ham I swear 😂

I somehow didn't pick up on this till a commenter pointed it out, but Layne copies Geoff's "spooky finger wiggles" movement! It's got Younger Sibling vibes ngl (though Dolores is actually older than Camillo iirc, and I'm an only child anyway so idk)

Ashley and Cesar were both great in this video, really seemed to play off each other quite a bit!

Man, what a video. Amazing to watch, and also a really great to watch other people react to, for multiple reasons! 😁

There's not much for me to say that I haven't already said about Voiceplay before, but I will say that if you liked this one, go watch their Mini for Surface Pressure if you haven't already! It was filmed during the same shoot as this one (same set, same clothes), and uploaded a few days prior. It's only a short video, sure, but it's still very much worth a watch.