The character appears to symbolize the stigma around mental health issues: While he is never labeled with a specific diagnosis in the film, some viewers have suggested that he has OCD or another type of neurodivergent brain function.
Viewers have theorized that Bruno might be neurodivergent or have a mental illness. Princess Weekes of The Mary Sue wrote that Bruno represents a common pattern in families, that of "depressed outsiders who love their family, but feel like their presence does more harm than good".
Although he is described as a monstrous and sadistic person, Bruno is actually a quiet, shy, and kind man who easily becomes nervous and suffers from anxiety, like his sister, Pepa. Bruno is introduced in the film as insecure and avoidant, and believes others' accusations that his gift only brings problems.
Bruno has a few Autistic traits. In the movie, he developed the form of ritual based off of a combination of superstition and possibly sensory stimming. He would “knock knock knock on wood” all around him which is a way of asking for protection in many cultures from certain spirits.
Pepa seems to suffer from bi polar disorder. Her power is to change the weather and seems to change from "sunny to rain" in the blink of an eye. Her husband Felix helps her control her emotions. Bruno seems to show obvious signs of OCD.
The character appears to symbolize the stigma around mental health issues: While he is never labeled with a specific diagnosis in the film, some viewers have suggested that he has OCD or another type of neurodivergent brain function.
The fact that Bruno's gift is telling the future is also fitting for an autistic person because we love to know what to expect. He is superstitious, doing things like knocking on wood for luck, which could indicate OCD, a common comorbidity of autism. Encanto even includes a clever portrayal of masking.
Now Mirabel may not seem like the most obvious character to lead the cause for the disabled community, but when understood inside the fabric of the film it breaths in, her disability emerges as a striking part of what makes her such a terrific protagonist.
Encanto, a movie about the magical Madrigals, doesn't truly have a bad guy, but one theory speculates that Dolores was the villain all along. Disney's Encanto, which tells the story of the magical Madrigals, doesn't have a bad guy, but one theory speculates that Dolores was the secret villain all along.
Indeed, the reason why Mirabel doesn't get a gift in Encanto is that she already had the brains to take over as the family leader after Abuela Alma. Therefore, the miracle didn't need to give her an additional gift — Mirabel's gift in Encanto is her intellect, which she already possessed before the movie even began.
Dolores was gifted with the power of enhanced hearing, which means she can hear everything, even the slightest noise such as an eye twitching. According to Mirabel's song, she can hear a pin drop and a chorus from a mile away.
Abuela Alma was traumatized when she and her babies were physically displaced, and she witnessed the death of her husband. The third generation of the family, including Mirabel, the film's 15-year old female protagonist, did not exactly experience the trauma but it continues to impact the family.
This can be seen with his "superstition" knocking on wood and saying the same things over and over. I believe it's much more then just being superstition, he believes that if he doesn't do those things, something bad will happen, much like someone who suffers from OCD would.
Audiences found themselves relating to the feelings of inferiority and pressure that the characters were subjected to by their family. It's difficult to deal with the fact that the people who love you can sometimes be the cause of your sadness, and Encanto captures that feeling very well.
Bruno also performed several other well-known behaviors meant to prevent bad luck, including throwing salt over his shoulder, avoiding stepping on cracks, and both holding his breath and crossing his fingers while passing through doorways.
The Entire Town Saw Bruno As A Villain Because Of The Madrigals. Before viewers found out what happened to Bruno, Encanto fans were theorizing about where he went and why he wanted to hurt the Madrigals with bad visions. The entire town heard about Bruno's visions and agreed that he was bad news.
The huge plus for autistic people in Disney is the simplicity and predictability - nothing ever goes wrong. You can rely on the system and if there ever is a problem, the cast members will sort things out to your delight - being just satisfied is not enough.
As for Mirabel not getting a door during her ceremony, it;s widely acknowledged that Mirabel's “power” is as the guardian of the family's magic itself and Mirabel being Abuela's successor, so instead of getting her own room and door, Casita's front door became Mirabel's.
Mirabel didn't get a gift because that would have rewarded Abuela for her manipulation, as she pushed for Mirabel to exist just to add more powers to the family. Not giving Mirabel a gift was Casita's way to “punish” Abuela, forcing her to reflect on what she had done to her family.
The film makes it clear that the children touch the candle, then touch the doorknob and receive their gift. When Mirabel went through this ceremony, she touched the candle, but when she grabbed the knob, the door disappeared. This would suggest that for some reason the magic didn't work for her.
What was likely a hilarious coincidence has now got fans believing Disney has an anti-Bruno agenda. Both characters represent negative emotions like fear, doubt, and insecurity, but without Bruno, the problems plaguing the characters in both "Luca" and "Encanto" wouldn't have been solved.
Bruno was banished from the family's compound years ago by his own mother, Abuela Alma, the matriarch of the family, because the magical gift with which he was “blessed” had a clairvoyant component to it. So when Abuela began to fear Bruno's prophecies might take away her control over the family, she made him leave.
In a real-life scenario, someone like Luisa might suffer from anxiety and depression due to their constant pressure to perform and fulfill the expectations of others. “Her song, 'Surface Pressure,' is relatable to many who experience high-functioning anxiety,” Lurie said.
