The Incredibles (Music from the Motion Picture)

Michael Giacchino had already established himself as a videogame composer when he was tapped to score his first big movie project, The Incredibles, a 2004 animated film from Pixar. (Since that time, Giacchino has developed quite a reputation both for his feature scores and for his excellent work on the television series, Lost.) The music for The Incredibles, a tale of a retired superhero couple — and their superhero children — swinging into action, is influenced by ‘50s and ’60s thriller and spy movie soundtracks. Composer John Barry’s work on early James Bond movies, in particular, serves as a key inspiration. Giacchino’s music includes both sweeping orchestrations and big-band jazz workouts that favor brash, edgy brass writing. “The Glory Days” evokes both Barry and Elmer Bernstein’s music for the classic 1957 drama, Sweet Smell of Success. On “100 Mile Dash,” fast marimba runs and darting section writing captures the blinding speed of Dash, the couple’s superhero son, and “The Incredits,” with its smooth woodwinds, plunger brass parts, and herky-jerky drum patterns, brings the album to an exciting close.