Tag Archives: Pixar

Soundtrack News: Luca (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Dan Romer is Available Now!

Walt Disney Records releases Disney and Pixar’s Luca Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, available today. The score is composed and produced by Dan Romer (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”). A story about two teenage sea monsters who experience a life-changing summer, Disney and Pixar’s “Luca” is now streaming exclusively on Disney+ (where Disney+ is available).

The score was recorded with an 82-piece orchestra at the Newman Recording Stage, and was orchestrated and conducted by Mark Graham. Romer performed on accordion and acoustic guitar.

Dan Romer is an award-winning composer, songwriter and music producer based in Los Angeles. Romer’s scores include Disney and Pixar’s feature, Luca (Disney+) coming out Summer 2021, four-time Oscar®-nominated Beasts of the Southern Wild (Searchlight),” “Maniac” (Netflix), “The Good Doctor” (ABC), “Beasts of No Nation” (Netflix), “Atypical” (Netflix), “Ski” (A24) Wendy (Searchlight) and Emmy® award-winning series “Ramy” (Hulu). In 2018, Romer composed the music for Ubisoft’s flagship video game Far Cry 5.

Luca director Enrico Casarosa turned to Romer to help set the stage and convey the youthful point of view of the main character, Luca. “I love his style—his accordion skills—and his ability to blend his style with the nuances of Italian music for this score,” said Casarosa.

The film is set on the Italian Riviera during the late 1950s, early 1960s. However, said Romer, “Enrico wanted something that felt like more of a nod, or a memory, than something that felt historically accurate. He told me what he really wanted was a more Italian-sounding version of the style of music I already make, which was very exciting and freeing!”

The composer especially liked working on the film’s dream sequences where Luca soars to great heights—feeling the freedom he craves. “They called for the most lush instrumentation, and usually the most wild rhythms,” he says.

Romer added, “It was an absolute joy getting to make such a melodically driven score and I’m excited for everyone to see the film.”

Track List

1. Meet Luca (4:08)
2. Did You Hide? (1:04)
3. The Curious Fish (1:39)
4. You Forgot Your Harpoon (0:39)
5. Phantom Tail (2:09)
6. Walking Is Just Like Swimming (2:02)
7. Vespa è Libertà (1:42)
8. You Hold the Ramp (0:59)
9. Silenzio Bruno (0:41)
10. That’s the Dream (2:05)
11. The Bottom of the Ocean (1:52)
12. Take Me, Gravity (1:44)
13. Portorosso (1:36)
14. Signor Vespa (1:17)
15. This Isn’t Any Old Race (2:55)
16. Buonanotte, Boys (1:27)
17. Land Monsters Everywhere (0:55)
18. Buongiorno Massimo (3:03)
19. The Out of Town Weirdo Tax (1:48)
20. Rules Are for Rule People (1:08)
21. How Humans Swim (1:03)
22. Not Our Kid (0:49)
23. Telescope (2:46)
24. Beyond the Solar System (1:02)
25. We Don’t Need Anybody (1:54)
26. The Sea Monster (3:33)
27. I Wish I Could Take It Back (4:01)
28. The Portorosso Cup (7:34)
29. How to Find the Good Ones (5:14)
30. Go Find Out for Me (1:39)

You can digitally download the soundtrack for Luca through any major digital music service. Enjoy!

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My Thoughts on: Soul (2020)

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Animated Film Reviews

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My Thoughts on: Onward (2020)

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Onward is a film that I’ve been pretty excited about ever since it was announced because, let’s face it, in a world dominated by ongoing franchises, sequels, reboots, etc., you don’t see wholly original stories all that often. This is one such example and it lived up to pretty much all of my expectations.

The story is set in a fantasy world turned on its head. Imagine a world filled with unicorns, mermaids, elves, fairies, even manticores…but modernized. Instead of using magic, modern technology took over. Enter Ian and Barley Lightfoot (Tom Holland and Chris Pratt respectively), two brothers who have an amazing opportunity thrust upon them: the chance to be reunited with their late father for one day only. This revelation sends the brothers on an insane quest to achieve the impossible.

I’m not sure where to even start because there is so much to love about Onward. First of all, Tom Holland and Chris Pratt are fantastic together. I’ll bet anything they recorded lines together because the chemistry between the two is off the charts. Also, there’s something just inherently funny about all of these fantasy creatures living in a modern suburban environment. I know this is hardly the first story to put fantasy creatures in a modern setting, but the way Onward does it is just a lot of fun. Outside of the Lightfoot brothers, my favorite character is the Manticore, she is in one of my favorite moments in the entire film.

The setting of New Mushroomton is beautifully rendered and contains a lot of Easter Eggs. I won’t spoil any of them but there’s one pretty early in the film that made everybody in the theater laugh. Also, fans of Dungeons and Dragons will likely love this movie because one of the major plot elements is basically straight out of a D&D book (the film doesn’t call it that but the reference is obvious). And the one spoiler I will mention: the fact that all of the spells in the roleplaying book are real is just funny.

The quest, once it gets started, is mostly hilarious though (this being Disney/Pixar) there are some serious twists and turns before it’s all over. Onward deals several emotional gut punches, none of which I can discuss for spoiler reasons, but believe me when I say that you will need tissues before the end credits roll. It’s very satisfying to watch Ian and Barley grow throughout the story. The ending will probably surprise you, by the way, but I do understand why Disney/Pixar went the route they did. It’s very atypical for this kind of story, and it’s nice that the studio tried something new.

All in all, I highly recommend Onward to anyone wanting to have a good time at the movies. I would be more than willing to go see a sequel, as this is a world I very much want to visit again. Bravo to everyone who helped create such a beautiful story and bravo to Disney/Pixar for creating something original!

Let me know what you think about Onward in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

Animated Film Reviews

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My Thoughts on: Incredibles 2 (2018)

Animated Film Reviews

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Patrick Doyle talks Brave (2012)

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Brave is a gorgeous animated film that was created by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Studios in 2012 (Disney acquired Pixar in 2006). The lead character, Princess Merida, has a distinct honor: she is the first Pixar character to be named an official Disney Princess.

In Brave, Merida, a headstrong princess of the clan Dunbroch and the eldest child of King Fergus and Queen Elinor, is upset to learn that she will be betrothed to a prince from another clan. During an archery tournament that is meant to determine who she will marry, Merida secretly enters and wins the contest, shaming the other princes and infuriating her mother, who desperately wants Merida to act like “a proper princess.”

Wanting to change her fate, Merida defies her family with near-disastrous consequences for all involved. She follows will-o’-the-wisps to the hut of an elderly witch and receives a spell in the form of a cake which she is told to feed to her mother. Upon doing so, Elinor is transformed into a bear and loses her ability to speak. Upon returning to the hut, the pair find the witch gone with a message that explains that “the bond torn by pride” must be repaired by the second sunrise or the transformation will be permanent. Merida must work to repair her relationship with her mother and also prevent war from breaking out between the clans due to Merida’s actions at the tournament. Part of the plot involves respecting tradition while also learning to change for the future. Ultimately, Merida is able to convince the other clans (with subtle help from her mother) that the firstborn of any clan, male or female, should marry in their own time to whoever they choose.

The score for this film was composed by Patrick Doyle, a Scottish film composer best known for his work on several Shakespeare films (Henry V (1989) and Hamlet (1996)) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). In this five minute interview, Doyle talks about the score and how he created a musical theme for Merida.

Have you seen Brave? What did you think of it? Did you like the music? Let me know in the comments!

See also:

Film Composer Interviews A-H

Film Composer Interviews K-Z

Patrick Doyle Talks Cinderella (2015)

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Michael Giacchino talks The Incredibles (2004)

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Michael Giacchino talks The Incredibles (2004)

In 2004, Pixar Animation Studios released The Incredibles, the story of a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers and live normal lives (after a series of events forces all superheroes to retire).

Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible, his wife Helen/Elasti-Girl, their son Dash (super-speed) and daughter Violet (invisibility/forcefields) and youngest son Jack-Jack (revealed to potentially have multiple powers at the end of the film), are doing their best to blend in when the former Mr. Incredible, extremely dissatisfied with living life as an “ordinary person” is given an offer to destroy a robot on a distant island. But there’s a lot more at play here than just a runaway robot, and soon the entire family will find themselves embroiled in a huge conflict with a strange figure from Mr. Incredibles’ past.

As it turns out, The Incredibles was the first major film commission for composer Michael Giacchino (known today for such works as Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and Zootopia). Director Brad Bird noticed Giacchino after hearing his work on the tv show Alias (2001-2006). Prior to this, Pixar had only used the music of Thomas or Randy Newman in their films, so Giacchino’s jazzy style was a significant departure for the studio. To help give the score that “old-style” feel of the 1960s, Giacchino deliberately recorded the score on analog tapes (as opposed to digital recording).

The featurette linked above gives an in-depth look at the recording process of the film’s score, as well as how Giacchino initially developed the music on the piano. It’s always interesting to see where a major film composer first got their start, and I bet there are some people who don’t realize that Giacchino’s first film score was for an animated family film.

I hope you enjoy this behind the scenes look at the score for The Incredibles. With news of a sequel due out in 2019 , I am happy to report that Michael Giacchino will return to score that film as well. It will be very interesting to hear how the composer’s style has evolved over the years since the first film came out. Have a good Friday!

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Michael Giacchino talks Up (2009)

Michael Giacchino talks Star Trek (2009)

Michael Giacchino talks Super 8 (2011)

Michael Giacchino talks John Carter (2012)

Michael Giacchino talks Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

Michael Giacchino talks Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Michael Giacchino talks Jurassic World (2015)

Michael Giacchino scoring Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Michael Giacchino talks Zootopia (2016)

Michael Giacchino talks Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Film Composer Interviews A-H

Film Composer Interviews K-Z

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*poster image is the property of Walt Disney Studios

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Thomas Newman talks Wall-E (2008)

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In 2008 Pixar made the leap into outer space and released a film named WALL-E, a touching tale about a waste-cleaning robot named WALL-E who works all alone on a garbage covered Earth in 2805. Having spent so many years alone (the other robots having long since broken down), WALL-E has developed an individual consciousness and identity of his own: he salvages items he deems “special” and keeps them in his “home” (such items include an ancient tape copy of Hello, Dolly). The monotony of WALL-E’s life changes dramatically when he discovers a plant seedling; not long afterward, a strange ship arrives bearing a feminine robot named EVE. WALL-E (being very lonely) falls in love and embarks on a huge adventure that, ultimately, will save the long absent human race once and for all.

Composer Thomas Newman had worked very well with director Andrew Stanton on Finding Nemo (2003) and began working on the score as early as 2005 (EVE’s theme was first arranged in 2007). Newman found the score to be a good challenge, as the first portion of the film is largely silent (with no dialogue in the traditional sense). Stanton had originally envisioned a purely orchestral score, but Newman eventually included electronic elements as well. Several scenes also include selections from previously composed works, most notably Hello Dolly! and La vie en rose (as performed by Louis Armstrong) during a sequence between EVE and WALL-E on Earth. Newman’s score was nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song, but it lost to Slumdog Millionaire (2008).

Interestingly, with the film making several references to Hello Dolly!, it’s cool to note that Thomas Newman’s uncle Lionel Newman (1916-1989) worked on that production.

WALL-E is such an adorable film, and it’s commentary on society (most notably how it deals with consumerism) makes it a must-see for all ages. Please enjoy this behind the scenes look at the score of this film.

You can become a patron of the blog at: patreon.com/musicgamer460

Film Composer Interviews A-H

Film Composer Interviews K-Z

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*poster image is the property of Walt Disney/Pixar

Michael Giacchino talks Ratatouille (2007)

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Michael Giacchino talks Ratatouille (2007)

In 2007, a lot was happening in my life, I graduated high school, got accepted to a university, and in the film world, Pixar released its eighth animated feature: Ratatouille. The film tells the story of a French rat named Remy who absolutely loves to cook, and who desperately wants to be a chef (despite the fact that he’s, you know, a rat). Remy ends up crossing paths with the son of his cooking idol and together Remy attempts to realize his dreams.

Director Brad Bird had already worked with composer Michael Giacchino for The Incredibles (2004) and they’d gotten along so well that Bird decided to bring him back for this film as well. Giacchino and Bird have become a rather reliable duo over the years, and to date they have worked together on: The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Tomorrowland, with Giacchino slated to score The Incredibles 2.

For Ratatouille, Giacchino created two themes for Remy: the first theme describing his life as a thief (which, for the other rats, is what life is meant to be about), and the other theme describes Remy’s hopes and dreams. The score was so well-received that it gave Giacchino his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score (losing out to Atonement. He would finally win with his score for Up.)

In the interview clip found above, Giacchino takes us through the process of scoring the film, and as always, there are some wonderful shots of the orchestra in the process of recording, while the director and composer watch a rough cut of the film (I would love to sit in on the scoring process, and with my career aspirations, maybe I will some day!) Enjoy an inside look at Ratatouille!

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Michael Giacchino talks Up (2009)

Michael Giacchino talks Star Trek (2009)

Michael Giacchino talks Super 8 (2011)

Michael Giacchino talks John Carter (2012)

Michael Giacchino talks Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

Michael Giacchino talks Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Michael Giacchino talks Jurassic World (2015)

Michael Giacchino scoring Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Michael Giacchino talks Zootopia (2016)

Michael Giacchino talks Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Film Composer Interviews A-H

Film Composer Interviews K-Z

Become a patron of the blog at: patreon.com/musicgamer460

Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

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Michael Giacchino talks Up (2009)

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So, I have a confession. It took me WAY too long to see Up (2009). All of my friends were raving about it when it came out, but for some reason I was not into the movie at all, so it was years later before I saw it. And then there’s that crazy huge bird, the talking dogs, a half-crazed explorer, etc. etc. But, I digress….

Michael Giacchino talks Up (2009)

Up tells the story of retired widower Carl Fredrickson (Ed Asner), who turns his old house into a flying machine via thousands of balloons so that he can fulfill the last dream of his deceased wife: to visit Paradise Falls in South America. Almost immediately he picks up a stowaway: a young “Wilderness Explorer” named Russell (Jordan Nagai) who needs to earn his final merit badge for assisting the elderly.

The journey is full of surprises, including an unexpected encounter with Charles F. Muntz (Christopher Plummer), a legendary explorer that Carl idolized as a child. Decades ago, he returned from an expedition claiming he’d discovered a new type of flightless bird, but was ridiculed by the scientific community as a liar. He departed, vowing to bring back a live specimen, and had never returned. As it turns out, Carl and Russell end up encountering a certain flightless bird (dubbed “Kevin” by Russell) which inevitably brings them to Muntz’s attention.

The music for this whimsical (and at the same time, deeply touching) film was composed by Michael Giacchino, whose prior work includes such films as Mission Impossible III, Star Trek and the sequel Into Darkness, The Incredibles, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Jurassic World.

The opening of the film is what always sticks with me the most. In it, we see a montage of Carl’s life, from meeting Ellie as a young boy, to falling in love with her, to sadly discovering they can’t have children of their own, to the pair growing old. Over time, they continually save up to make that trip to Paradise Falls, but something always happens to stop them. Finally, Carl has the tickets purchased, but as he prepares to surprise his wife, she collapses and has to go to the hospital. That’s why Carl is so determined to make the trip, he knows it’s what Ellie would have wanted him to do. This part still makes me cry every single time I see it.

In this interview segment, Giacchino, along with the director, discuss how the score came together, and inbetween the moments of talking, there are wonderful scenes showing the orchestra in the recording studio (I love watching moments like these). Giacchino is an immensely talented composer, and Up is a great addition to both film and film music.

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Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

Michael Giacchino talks Mission: Impossible 3 (2006)

Michael Giacchino talks Ratatouille (2007)

Michael Giacchino talks Star Trek (2009)

Michael Giacchino talks Super 8 (2011)

Michael Giacchino talks John Carter (2012)

Michael Giacchino talks Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

Michael Giacchino talks Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Michael Giacchino talks Jurassic World (2015)

Michael Giacchino scoring Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Michael Giacchino talks Zootopia (2016)