Disney's animated hit movie Moana, which proved to be wildly popular, and pushed the Mouse House to bring Lin-Manuel Miranda back for more. Encanto is the latest musical effort from Miranda and gave people around the world breakout songs like "We Don't Talk About Bruno." Throughout Encanto's songs, the influence of Hamilton can be heard, but the movie also included a visual reference to the musical.
One of Encanto's most popular songs is Luisa's solo musical number, "Surface Pressure." It is the third song featured in the animated movie and features Luisa (Jessica Darrow) singing about the stresses that come with her powers. Since Luisa is the physically strongest member of the Madrigal family, people constantly give her more to do and ask her to carry the family's burdens. Despite putting on a brave face, "Surface Pressure" makes it clear that she's worried about not being able to live up to expectations.
Encanto's big Luisa song also has a very fun and fantastical look to it, as the movie incorporates plenty of unexpected elements into the visual presentation of "Surface Pressure." This includes a reference to Hercules as the Olypian appears as he fights Cerberus and even a nod to Titanic, but those aren't the only Easter eggs included. "Surface Pressure" includes a quick reference to Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton musical by utilizing the turntable stage prominently featured in the Broadway production. It comes near the very end of the final chorus, as Mirabel and Luisa are standing on a circular platform spinning clockwise while donkeys are below them spinning counter-clockwise.
Although the turntable stage wasn't invented for Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical used it to help tell the story in addition to crafting the song and dance numbers. Many have called Hamilton's use of the turntables to be innovative, as the rotating stage set was meant to amplify the cyclical nature of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr always being part of each other's lives. Disney's quick use of the turntable isn't quite as profound, but it is still a nice reminder that "Surface Pressure" and the rest of the Encanto soundtrack come from Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Not every viewer will catch Encanto's "Surface Pressure" Easter egg for Hamilton, but that hasn't stopped the song and movie from being a huge hit for Disney. With the potential for sequels or spinoffs, the film might not be the last time Lin-Manuel Miranda creates music for these characters. Perhaps future Encanto songs will capture the magic of Hamilton's turntables in animated form in a more substantial way too.
