‘Encanto’ Voice John Leguizamo Says Bruno Has More Fans Than ‘Ice Age’ Sid
The Disney animated movie Encanto is already on its way to becoming a classic. With songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the film’s focus on a Latin-American family was also monumental for representation in family films. Encanto won Best Animated Film at the Oscars and has replaced Ice Age as John Leguizamo’s calling card with kids, since he voiced Bruno in Encanto.
Leguizamo spoke with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about his role in Violent Night, available on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD now. We also asked about Encanto and how young fans respond to it knowing he is the voice of Bruno. Encanto is now streaming on Disney+.
1 ‘Encanto’ is bigger than 5 ‘Ice Age’s with kids
As a comedian, Leguizamo does a lot of different voices. That’s been a boon to him in animation. He’s also voiced characters in Elena of Avalor, Bojack Horseman, Underdogs and more. In five Ice Age movies, Leguizamo played Sid the sloth, a prehistoric animal who teams up with a sabertooth tiger and a mammoth. The Ice Age gang had many adventures together as kids grew up with them but Bruno is already bigger.
“Yeah, for some reason Bruno hit even harder than Ice Age,” Leguizamo said. “I know Ice Age and Luigi from [Super] Mario Brothers were a big deal for kids of a certain age, and The Pest, but this hit little kids really big.”
Why kids may respond more to Bruno than Sid
Bruno was the member of the family who was exiled, hence the Oscar-nominated song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” When Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) actually meets Bruno, she learns he’s not exactly what she’s been told all her life. Leguizamo thought the lesson Bruno teaches could be even more valuable than Sid.
“I think because he’s a human being and not an animal so it’s more relatable,” Leguizamo said. “And he’s this new kind of male, a sigma male instead of an alpha male or a beta male. He’s sensitive, nurturing, awkward. He’s a beautiful spirit in so many ways and I’m so glad that kids love it because I think it’s a new masculinity that we have to embrace.”
‘Encanto’ fans still sing about Bruno
The popularity of Bruno could be as simple as the song. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” was the showstopper of Encanto. Families who like the film tend to listen to the music long after, and sing along, so Bruno is surely mentioned in many households. Leguizamo acknowledges that, but also hopes Encanto fans appreciate his performance.
“That don’t hurt either,” Leguizamo said of the song. “Come on, it’s also I killed that character. Come on, I made that character really funny and interesting.”
