Why Dolores Hearing Bruno Isn’t A Plot Hole

In Disney's Encanto, Dolores seems to know Bruno is hiding in the house's walls for years, but there's a reason that isn't a plot hole.

In Disney's Encanto, Dolores seems to know Bruno is hiding in the house's walls for years, but there's a reason that isn't a plot hole. In Encanto, Abuela Alma Madrigal (María Cecilia Botero) receives a miracle on the night her husband died, sacrificing himself for the village and his family. After her husband's death, Alma receives a magical candle, an enchanted house, and her family members get supernatural gifts. For instance, Pepa Madrigal (Carolina Gaitán) has the power to control the weather, and Dolores (Adassa) has the superpowered hearing, allowing her to know all of the town's gossip. But unfortunately, Mirabel Madrigal, one of Alma's granddaughters, doesn't receive a gift, which strains her relationship with Alma.

Like Mirabel, Bruno (John Leguizamo) is also an outcast in the family. Years before the events of Encanto, Bruno had a vision of the future on the night Mirabel didn't receive a magical gift. The vision revealed the magical house falling apart, and Mirabel was at the center of it. So to protect his niece, John Leguizamo's Uncle Bruno went into hiding, living in the house's walls for ten years.

Though Dolores seems to hear Bruno living in the house's walls, there's a reason she doesn't speak up about it. Dolores's super hearing lets her in on all the secrets in the town, and she even admits in "We Don't Talk About Bruno" that she believes she hears Bruno in the walls of the magical Casita. If Dolores had simply spoken up sooner about Bruno, it seems the family could've addressed his dark vision of the future. However, when Mirabel is trying to solve why the house is cracking, Dolores tells her, "The only one worried about the magic is you... and the rats talking in the walls." The statement (pointed out on Reddit) reveals why it's not a plot hole that Dolores heard Bruno in the walls.

Dolores isn't exactly sure what she hears when it comes to Bruno. Bruno left to live in the house's walls when Dolores was just a child, so she's listened to her uncle in the house for years. For Dolores, his sounds are a regular part of her everyday life. From Dolores's line about "rats talking in the walls," it's clear she's probably convinced herself over the years that she's not hearing Bruno. She simply hears rats.

Additionally, it does appear that Dolores previously spoke up in Encanto. Besides telling Mirabel about Bruno during "We Don't Talk About Bruno," Dolores has a triumphant moment at the film's end. After Bruno reveals himself to the family, Dolores says, "I knew he never left." From the statement, it seems like Dolores may have spoken up about Bruno living in the walls before, but people didn't believe her. And after years of people telling her she was wrong, perhaps she didn't believe herself. After all, her mother, Pepa Madrigal, makes sure people "don't talk about Bruno."

More: Encanto: Mirabel Did Get A Gift At Her Ceremony - Theory Explained