Randy Newman and Pixar

When I think of Pixar, I think of toys coming to life, monsters, talking cars, a rat  that has a way for cooking (not gordon ramsay), ripped off superheroes from age old comic books and yes… you guessed it Randy Newman. Afterall, if Pixar have not employed Newman as their composer, chances are you are listening to his cousin Thomas Newman (Finding Nemo, Wall-E) or the remarkable composer Michael Giacchino (Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Up – and of course he also wrote the music for the Medal of Honor video games and Lost…and Star Trek).  

You might be wondering why I am not writing this article about Giacchino. I could, but there is something different about Newman’s writing that puts him a cut above the rest. It is only when you listen to his soundtracks in isolation, without the screenplay, is it possible to recognise the brilliance that is at play in scores such as Toy Story, Monsters Inc and A Bugs Life. Try watching the intro scene to Toy Story in mute. You will soon come to understand the contribution that Newman has made to these films.

And most consider Randy Newman as a fat, ageing American bloke who ‘just sings about Jesus and drinks wine all day’ (line taken from his song entitled Sail Away). He had a modest solo career as a singer/songwriter writing hits such as ‘Short People’ and ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come’. Since then he has become known as a film composer, writing music for ‘Meet the Parents’, ‘The Princess and the Frog’and ‘Awakenings’. But what is it about his music that draws us into the picture? He seems to have the nack of arousing a nostalgic feeling in everyone from the age of five to eighty five. How can someone watch this scene : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px0j1EHF8Y0 without producing watery eyes? Newman can create songs that are anthems for feeling good. Take this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dixXub_dmA&feature=related , it makes you feel that the world isn’t so bad after all – there is love, loyalty and friendship here on planet earth. This is also true in Newman’s title song from Toy Story 3; ‘We Belong Together’.  America, a nation that is hated throughout the world for political reasons can now rely on Disney to distribute films that will hopefully portray them in a better light. This reminds me of the Randy Newman song ‘Political Science’- a satirical account of America wanting to take over the world because of their poor relations throughout the world. He sings the line ‘even our old friends put us down’ – well Randy as a British Citizen may I say I won’t put you down, Pixar or Disney in these remarkable animations that we are treated to annually.