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Every time I hear the name Bruno, "We Don't Talk About Bruno" immediately begins playing in my head. Like many other people around the world, I was obsessed with Encanto when it came out. From the soundtrack to the magic doors, I loved every minute of this movie. I blame Lin-Manuel Miranda for making my Spotify Wrapped solely the Encanto soundtrack. But all Disney factors aside (singing, dancing, charismatic characters) there’s something deeper that made people love this movie so much. You don’t have to have been paying very close attention to notice what one of the main themes of the movie was – intergenerational trauma.
You’re probably wondering to yourself if you haven’t seen the movie, “What does such a heavy topic such as generational trauma have to do with a Disney movie?” That’s what I first thought when I first saw people on social media talking about this movie. Although it was the first time seeing the film in that kind of light, I had unconsciously recognized some of the themes of generational trauma in the film the first time I saw it. For example, when Alma made it very clear to Mirabel that she did not want her help regarding Antonio’s party, a little lightbulb in my brain went off. I noticed how Alma always wanted everything to be perfect all the time, especially when it comes to Isabela.
Isabela’s magical power is simply being perfect; producing flowers and being graceful is her specialty. While preparing for Isabela’s engagement dinner with the Guzmáns, Alma makes sure everyone in the family is aware that they need to be on their best behavior in order to have a perfect night. In this same scene, while hearing the news of the engagement dinner, Isabela nervously spouts flowers. All the flowers that appear on her head are pink, except for one white flower. As Alma says “our perfect Isabela”, she picks the single white flower out of her hair, as it is imperfect and is out of place with the rest of the flowers. She then continues to adjust Isabela’s hair so it can be perfect once again. Fun fact: did you know that Alma says the word perfect or perfectly five times before her character arc?
As a result of Alma choosing to cover up her trauma, she impacts the whole family even though they did not experience her traumatic experience. Instead of addressing her trauma, Alma covers it up in a positive light. She solely focuses on the miracle that kept her and the triplets alive, without acknowledging the fact that she lost her husband and her home. Her trauma affects all the members of the family as she has continuously passed down expectations close to perfection that the members of the family should meet. Since every member of the family is held to a high set of standards on how to act, this causes anxiety, perfectionism, and an underlying fear of rejection.
Then, finally, there’s Bruno. Sweet, precious, and loveable Bruno. For the majority of the movie, Bruno is portrayed in a negative light, as he is described as selfish and possibly evil. But when we finally meet him, we see that he is kind-hearted, caring, and possesses powerful traits of love and loyalty. So why would the Madrigals speak of him in such a negative light when he is the complete opposite? The most heartbreaking scene was Bruno’s plate scene. When Mirabel finds Bruno within the walls of Casita, we see her noticing the table that has a plate with
Bruno’s name on it painted on. As Mirabel looks through the crack in the wall, she realizes that Bruno has been solitarily eating alongside his family every meal on the other side of the wall. Bruno is still longing on the inside to eat with his family once again. This scene truly depicts Bruno’s true colors; he isn’t a villain, but just a man who was been wrongly exiled from his family. Bruno is so loyal to his family and cares for them so much, that he didn’t abandon them; he stayed alongside them in silence with unwavering forgiveness and mercy.
Intergenerational trauma can start with different events. One of its triggers is relocation/immigration. In a research publication by Peter Menzies, Ph.D., RSW, he focuses on Aboriginal people and the indicators of their trauma. Aboriginal people face higher suicide rates, higher levels of depression, and a higher rate of alcohol use in Aboriginal youth. Aboriginal youth are two to six times more likely to use alcohol than non-Aboriginal youth (Menzies, 2010). Another publication by Hailey N. Freeberg studies adolescent residential treatment centers (RTCs) and a program developed to focus on intergeneration trauma with the hopes of ending the cycle. Approximately one in five youth currently endure difficulties with their mental health, while only a third of those youth can gain access to help through mental health services (Freeberg, 2022). Some of the mental disorders they face include Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder (CD), and Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Family trauma and intergenerational trauma are limited topics in family therapy at RTCs. Discussing this heavy topic can help the youth caregivers with connecting youth’s struggles to intergenerational trauma, in addition to helping them distinguish negative family behaviors (Freeberg, 2022). These findings relate back to how generational trauma can have negative effects and how it negatively affects the youth of later generations.
Although the path to healing intergenerational trauma isn’t as simple as repairing your magical house, addressing your problems, and singing, the end result of your healing journey will be a beautiful flower to see blossom. Take it from the Madrigals: talk about your family’s Bruno. You'll be pleased with what the outcome will be, and so will the family members of your future generations.
Sources:
Disney. Art of Encanto. Chronicle Books, 2021. Accessed 17 March 2023.
Encanto. Written by Charise Castro Smith and Jared Bush, Walt Disney Animation Studios, 2021.
Glashow, Courtney. “Disney's Encanto: How It Got Intergenerational Trauma Right — Anchor Therapy, LLC.” Anchor Therapy, 14 September 2022, https://www.anchortherapy.org/blog/disneys-encanto-how-it-got-intergenerational- trauma-right-hoboken-jersey-city-new-jersey. Accessed 16 March 2023.
Verywell Mind. “We Need to Talk About Bruno: What Encanto Tells Us About Intergenerational Trauma.” Verywell Mind, 26 March 2022, https://www.verywellmind.com/we-need-to-talk-about-bruno-5222976. Accessed 16 March 2023.
G, Eldon. “Brunito – Splorchtown.” Splorchtown, 11 January 2022, https://splorchtown.com/2022/01/11/brunito/. Accessed 17 March 2023.
Hailey N Freeberg. "Intergenerational Trauma Approach to Adolescent Residential Family Therapy." The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, 21, June, 2022, 24
Sangalang, C.C., Vang, C. Intergenerational Trauma in Refugee Families: A Systematic Review. J Immigrant Minority Health 19, 745–754 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0499-
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