Disney Shares LIGHTYEAR Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Academy Award®-winning composer Michael Giacchino is behind the scores of eight Pixar films, but "Lightyear" stands out as a real labor of love. "What I've enjoyed so much about working on 'Lightyear' is that it's not just a sci-fi movie-it's a sci-fi movie that exists within Andy's world," says Giacchino.

"I felt thatthe music needed to embody the love that Andy felt watching Buzz on screen for the first time. The more I thought about Andy in the theater seeing this movie, the more I realized that 'Lightyear' is exactly the kind of movie that I would have loved as a kid. So, I tried to inject the music with as much fun and childlike joy as I could, to honor the spirit of kids-like me and Andy-seeing their favorite movies on the big screen for the very first time."

"Michael Giacchino has been a friend and colleague for many years now, but that's not the only reason he was our first and only choice," says producer Galyn Susman. "'Lightyear' is a sci-fi action-adventure movie, and it needs a bombastic sci-fi score. Between 'Star Trek' and 'Rogue One,' he has clearly proven his sci-fi chops."

The original score for "Lightyear" was recorded over 15 days with an 89-piece orchestra and a 39-member choir. In the midst of the COVID pandemic, sections were recorded separately in five different groups: strings, piano and harp; brass; winds; rhythm section and percussion; and choir. "'Lightyear' is my first Pixar film to have choir," says Giacchino. "In order to firmly place this score and film within the world of big sci-fi flicks, I felt it was a really important element to have, during Zurg's theme in particular."

Adds the composer, "The main themes in 'Lightyear' are for Buzz, the Hawthornes and Zurg. Buzz's theme is almost always played by the brass, and it's all about the excitement of exploring space and the nobility of that pursuit. The Hawthornes, Izzy and Alisha, also have a theme, which is more about family and about everything that brings Buzz back down to Earth. As for Zurg, his theme is just big, scary and evil. He's the ultimate villain."

"With Michael, you know you're in the hands of a professional and, honestly, he is so much fun to work with that you can hear that fun in his music," says Susman. "The themes he creates have a personality in and of themselves. You hear the theme and realize he's truly captured the essence of that character."

But composing the score for "Lightyear" was not without its challenges. "One of my favorite sequences is called Mission Perpetual," says Giacchino. "It's early on in the film when Buzz is trying to accomplish a mission and keeps failing. It was an exciting challenge for me because there were so many things the music needed to convey: Buzz's frustration with himself and the sadness of being alone in his pursuit, but also his undying ambition and drive to achieve his goal. I went through a similar 'mission' myself to get this cue right, but once I did, it was incredibly rewarding."

Editor Tony Greenberg emphasizes the power that music choices, such as these, have over the audience. "The score informs and cues the audience as to how they should feel about what they're looking at. You can really dramatically change the viewer's perspective, if you change the score. I think that's the magic of movie making."

Giacchino recalls his close collaboration with director Angus MacLane: "This is my first feature with my great pal Angus. We first met on 'One Man Band' when he was an animator, and then we worked together again on the Pixar short 'Toy Story OF TERROR!' So, I've gotten to know him very well over the years. I love working with Angus. He is such an incredible storyteller, and after working together for so many years, our communication has become second nature. We're both such big nerds about everything to do with film-especially sci-fi and space-and we had so many common reference points for how certain scenes, characters and moments should make us feel. It was like working with a childhood friend."

MacLane concurs. "Whenever I get to work with Michael, it's always a fun collaboration," he says. "I consider him a very close creative partner independent of music. That's his specialty, but he's also a really good director. During production, I showed him the movie and involved him way earlier than normal. He understood what we were going for, not only as a composer but as a filmmaker. His score is just what you want to feel when watching 'Lightyear.'"

Listen to the new soundrack here:

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