HOLLYWOOD – Fans of Pixar in Southern California have been in heaven this weekend as the legendary animation house has been the subject of a very special tribute at the famed Hollywood Bowl.
Under the direction of Thomas Wilkins, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra has been performing selections from the scores of Randy Newman, Thomas Newman, Michael Giacchino and Patrick Doyle alongside projected imagery from their respective Pixar films. In fact, every film has been given a share of the spotlight (yes, even the much maligned “Cars 2”) and the concert is a wonderful trip down memory lane. The Bowl has put on two shows so far, Friday and Saturday night, and the third and final performance is tonight, Sunday August. 5 (as of publication, some seats were still available).
Attending the packed Saturday night concert along with a slew of industry colleagues, I was struck by how far Pixar’s CG animation has developed in the 17 years since the release of “Toy Story.” That first classic toon sadly does look a tad dated and “A Bug’s Life” could easily be forgotten, but boy do “Finding Nemo” and “The Incredibles” still look gorgeous. Watching the footage without the character dialogue reinforced how impressive Pixar artists have been in creating intricate and breathtaking cinematic worlds (let alone characters). Also, assuming they stage this weekend of shows again (and based on the fan reaction I’d be stunned if they didn’t), it’s a great treat for kids and not a bad way to introduce them to the wonders of hearing an orchestra perform live.
As for the composers themselves, Randy Newman and Michael Giacchino were in attendance and received a nice round of applause from the audience. According to Wilkins, Pixar and Disney Animation Creative Chief John Lasseter hosted Friday’s concert. And, just to clarify for those curious, the concert did not highlight songs from each film, just the orchestral scores.
Here’s a quick rundown of the scores preformed during the concert and their impressive Oscar pedigree.
“Toy Story”
Randy Newman
Best Music, Original Music or Comedy – nominee
“A Bug’s Life”
Randy Newman
Best Music, Original Music or Comedy – nominee
“Toy Story 2”
Randy Newman
“Finding Nemo”
Thomas Newman
Best Music, Original Score – nominee
“Cars”
Randy Newman
“Ratatouille”
Michael Giacchino
Best Music, Original Score – nominee
“WALL-E”
Thomas Newman
Best Music, Original Score – nominee
“Up”
Michael Giacchino
Best Music, Original Score – winner
“The Incredibles”
Michael Giacchino
“Cars 2”
Michael Giacchino
“Monster’s Inc”
Thomas Newman
Best Music, Original Score – nominee
“Brave”
Patrick Doyle
“Toy Story 3”
Randy Newman