Warning: Contains spoilers for Encanto
Movies that introduce many new characters at once can sometimes falter under the weight of developing them all sufficiently, but Disney's newest animation, Encanto, manages to succeed, as well as feature the best character introduction song in the company's long filmography. Encanto features a staggering twelve characters, all a part of the family Madrigal. Each member (apart from Mirabel) has a unique magical gift. Disney challenged itself including such a wide array of characters in one film, and it greatly paid off for one character in particular.
The main protagonist, Mirabel, has two sisters. Isabela is defined as the "perfect" one, Mirabel stands as the odd one out, as she doesn't have a gift, and Luisa is the strong one, but the latter grows beyond this identifier in her signature song. Luisa's gift is strength, and she is regularly shown helping out her family and her community, and also serves as the protector. In her song "Surface Pressure" she eventually breaks down and its to Mirabel all of her anxieties regarding the massive responsibility she feels.
It is in this song that Luisa's character is developed exponentially in just three minutes, making it one of the best songs on the Encanto reject tropes in classic Disney movies.
Successfully introducing twelve characters in one film is no easy task, and all the Madrigal family are well-characterized, but Luisa's song is by far the most effective. In such a short space of time, audiences see and understand her familial duty, her worries, her dreams, and her goofiness. This allows audiences to go on a journey, starting with a distanced feeling regarding her character, to absolutely falling in love with her.
Identifiable character songs are a Disney staple, featured in almost every film from the company, but Luisa's "Surface Pressure" is so multi-faceted and realistic that it tops the list. Encanto's aim to introduce such a huge and interesting family (strangely similar to Eternals large character line-up) could have perhaps fallen under its own weight, and its success is a huge achievement. Nearly every character in the film is now a favorite amongst audiences, cementing them as classic Disney characters.
