WALL•E (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) / WALLoE (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)

If Wall-E echoes elements of the ‘70s sci-fi cult classic Silent Running, director Andrew Stanton’s vision of humanity’s eco-challenged future and the tiny service droid who holds its key is leavened by a brighter, more wondrous spirit. Stanton wisely tapped his Finding Nemo collaborator Thomas Newman to score his expansive Pixar space adventure, and the composer responds with a score that skillfully interpolates his restless, inventive sense of timbre within his family’s rich Hollywood musical traditions. Book-ended by a pair of Michael Crawford-performed songs from Hello Dolly that are key to Stanton’s quirky vision and seasoned with Louis Armstrong’s vintage “La Vie en Rose” and Peter Gabriel’s muscular new “Down to Earth,” Newman’s texturally-rich score bobs and weaves from the orchestral to the synthetic with impressive grace. He even collaborates with Gabriel on the wondrous “Eve” theme and the humorous mock jingle for “BNL, ” before tracks like the tongue-in-cheeky Euro-pop of “First Date” and nervy exercises like “Foreign Contaminant,” “72 Degrees and Sunny,” and the moody “Directive A-113” showcase the true emotional range of Newman’s inquisitive muse.