In a profile on Incredibles and Up composer Michael Giacchino, Variety reported that he is currently working on developing the score for Cars 2. This is an interesting move considering frequent Pixar collaborator Randy Newman composed music for the original Cars.
Giacchino first worked with Pixar on Brad Bird’s The Incredibles, and went on to score Ratatouille (again working with Bird). Most recently he provided the music for Up, winning an Academy Award for his work. Known for working with J.J. Abrams often (he scored the entire soundtrack for ABC’s Lost), Giacchino has become another go-to for Pixar. He has also broken through into the elite group of composers in Hollywood.
On the decision to move from Newman to Giacchino for the sequel, perhaps Pixar was trying to give the film a fresh feel. Cars 2‘s plot involves a tournament of races around the world, likely making the film ‘bigger’ than its predecessor. Or it could be another completely unrelated reason. It’s all speculation at this point.
To read the full Variety article, click here. Note that if you are not a registered user of the site, it may ask you to register to view the article.
Cars 2 hits theaters on June 24, 2011.