Giacchino, Michael: Up

Disney and Pixar’s Up was released in 2009, continuing Pixar’s string of wildly successful, high-quality films. Up focused on a grumpy retiree traveling to South America aboard a flying house to fulfill a promise to his late wife. Along the way, he is joined in his adventures by several misfits: a young lost Wilderness Explorer, a talking dog, and a flightless bird. The film expertly captures a nostalgic spirit of adventure with its unlikely heroes, breathtaking visuals, and a unique, imaginative story. Up was a massive success with audiences, and critics lauded Pixar’s shift to a more mature tone of storytelling. Michael Giacchino’s lighthearted, sentimental score was recognized with Pixar’s first-ever Oscar® for Best Original Score. There are two musical themes central to the story: the vaudeville-esque tune for famed explorer Charles Muntz and the theme for the film’s signature moment, the beautiful montage of Carl and Ellie’s life together, punctuated with moments of such happiness and sadness that you feel like you’ve watched an entire movie by the time it ends. The score is notable for Giacchino’s thematic and orchestral restraint, mainly through delicate instrumental passages that create enormous emotional impact. Poignant, bittersweet piano solos occur throughout, emotionally anchoring us to our main character. The intimate moments are wonderfully contrasted with exciting scenes of large-orchestral splendor, humor and levity, and refreshing stylistic shifts, like the South American samba-flavored music of Paradise Falls. For the first time, musicians, music students, conductors – any music lover – can study the Oscar®-winning Up in this durable, high-quality edition, carefully reproduced and edited from the scores and parts.