Insert Foot joins the “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” bandwagon.

My editor gave me an assignment this week, which I took very seriously because A) The topic is music-related and I used to write about music in a professional capacity until my kids told me I was old.

And, B) because it had to do with film, also about which I used to write in a professional capacity until someone (me) told me (also me) I was better off doing something else (wrong).

But editor-boy asked a legitimate question and obviously came to me because all my vast professional expertise was necessary to get to the bottom of a very important question pertaining to the current state of pop culture, music and film:

“Why is America so insane over not talking about Bruno?”

It’s a good question, I thought to myself … what the hell is he talking about?

“We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is a song from the hit Disney film “Encanto,” which came out in November but I haven’t seen because I’ve been too busy using the pandemic as an excuse to set up my action figures so they can act out old KISS videos.

So we took a break (Ace Frehley was getting tired anyway) and went to the YouTube to see what the hubbub was about (more than 82 million views by the time I got there, with probably just as many spoof videos already).

Yeah … totally get it, after just one listen.

First off, all I needed was the one listen, because the song stuck to my brain like flypaper. But I watched a few more times because it’s a really good pop song.

Isn’t that enough?

Well, no. Not in 2022. Even with today’s capabilities, the accompanying animation was explosively vivid and fresh – just popping off the screen with color. Disney, for all its expensive faults, still does animated optimism right (though I saw something recently about Disney taking more clues from Pixar, which I guess is OK, but still confusing, because Disney owns Pixar. Then again, Disney owns everything, so …

The song, the video, the whole vibe screams happy ensemble magic, of which there’s a desperate shortage. People of all colors dancing, singing like they’re on Broadway. With this kind of popularity, maybe someone should remake “West Side Story.” (You missed out, by the way. And the other seven people who saw it will tell you so, too).

But there’s still hope for musicals; maybe they just have to be animated. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” has topped Apple Music, Spotify and iTunes charts so far. It hit the top 5 of the Billboard singles charts, which hasn’t happened for a song from a Disney animated film since “Let It Go” from “Frozen” (which still gives me nightmarish flashbacks to the year none of my daughters cared about anything else).

“We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is a song for everyone. There’s plenty of wordplay for bright adults to admire. There’s enough energy to propel children. There’s enough diversity to appeal to people around the globe.

There’s enough of Santana’s “Smooth” to get Rob Thomas’ lawyer’s attention.

More research (Googling) shows the movie’s Bruno character is the protagonist’s uncle who can see the future, often to the dismay and denial of those around him. To which the many fans of Dr. Anthony Fauci certainly can relate.

And if that wasn’t enough, the song was written by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, otherwise known as this century’s King Midas around the recording industry. The guy has more hits than Sadaharu Oh.

So, yes, Disney’s calculated formula of luring your ears into its corporate clutches has worked yet again. But is it really such a bad thing? At least for all the money we spend – and will spend on the coming EncatoLand at Disneyland, featuring the colorful, singing Brunocoaster – is a bit of positivity and childlike happiness such a bad return on our (massive) investment?

I’m going to watch the move on Disney+ tonight. Because it probably beats the hell out having COVID and talking to your KISS dolls all day.

Follow music critic Tony Hicks at Twitter.com/TonyBaloney1967.