The Hidden Homage To Batman In The Incredibles Everyone Missed
The Incredibles may have secretly included an homage to Tim Burton's Batman in the form of Michael Giacchino's score. The Incredibles was Pixar's sixth feature film and the first to be written and directed by Brad Bird. It was conceived as a tribute to classic superhero tales, and the film was noted to share more than a few similarities to Alan Moore's Watchmen. However, it may also have included a very clever reference to Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns in the form of its musical score.
Brad Bird's The Incredibles was a love letter to superhero films, and it channeled many comic book influences, from The Fantastic Four to the aforementioned Watchmen. The series followed retired superhero Bob Parr, a.k.a. Mr. Incredible, and his family, wife Helen Parr, a.k.a. Elastigirl, also a retired superhero, and their kids, Violet, Dash, and Jack Jack. Mr. Incredible was drawn into a superhero conspiracy, which ultimately led to his family getting involved, as well as his old superhero friend, Frozone. Ultimately, it was revealed that the superhero community was being murdered by a former admirer of Mr. Incredible, now going by the name Syndrome.
The Incredibles is a throwback to an earlier comic book era, and this is achieved not just in the look, but also in the score. The Incredibles' theme actually hides a musical Batman Easter egg. Toward the end of its main melody (heard at around the 34-second mark, via Youtube), there is a brief music cue that sounds suspiciously similar to Danny Elfman's Batman score. It only lasts around three or four seconds, but it undeniably sounds just like the main melody of Elfman's Batman theme. Batman had one of the most iconic superhero themes ever, alongside John William's Superman, so it makes sense that Giacchino would want to pay tribute to such an incredible soundtrack and further homage the superhero movies that came before.
Though it may have been purely coincidental, it's likely Giacchino did it intentionally. The composer is no stranger to making little jokes and references within his scores, such as in his Spider-Man: No Way Home soundtrack, which contained subtle references to the iconic Spider-Man theme from Sam Raimi's original trilogy, which Elfman also scored. As Giacchino's other projects show he's clearly willing to pay tribute to Danny Elfman's music, it's not unreasonable to think that he intentionally did the same with The Incredibles' score. While Giacchino has never confirmed the Incredibles musical cue was purposeful, it's more than a bit likely.
Additionally, the film and its sequel, The Incredibles 2, featured many homages to classic superhero media. Elastigirl's powers are very similar to the Fantastic Four's Mr. Fantastic's, Violet's are almost identical to The Invisible Woman's, and the Incredibles themselves are clearly modelled on Marvel's First Family more generally. Frozone's power set is also very similar to that of the X-Men's Iceman, and the entire aesthetic of both films is very much inspired by classic Golden Age comic books, further suggesting that the musical homage may have been intentional.
Even without the music, The Incredibles was a love letter to Marvel, DC, and other major comic books like Watchmen. But if Michael Giacchino did indeed use a lick from Danny Elfman's Batman score to give the film's main theme that iconic, nostalgic superhero feeling, that makes it even better. Such carefully crafted homage to its superhero influences is what makes the Pixar movie such a modern classic.