I've thought long and hard about what to showcase in my first post. I'm listening to some great stuff right now, too much to cover all at once, but finally came to the best possible conclusion. The first batch of music I will cover is the soundtrack to the Pixar/Disney movie, The Incredibles. It's a fabulous movie and contains some stunning music that would be easy to overlook.


The music was written by Michael Giacchino and is evocative of spy movies of the 60's, with jazzy melodies, strong horns, and a full orchestra. The liner notes describe it as, "big, funny, sexy, dangerous, exotic, (and) romantic". Personally, I find it evocative of Henry Mancini and early James Bond flicks.

Also very interesting is how it was recorded. Instead of being recorded digitally, it was recorded on analog equipment, in order to retain the 60's feel of the music and to allow for the full range of the massive brass sound. All the performers were in the same room together, which makes the sound fill the recording and allows the performers to play against and with one another. I watched the DVD extra about the music and score the other day, and it reminded me that it was more than the style that I loved, it was the extra seasoning that comes from a good grouping of excellent musicians (rather than simply tracks that are recorded essentially as solos and are later put together in post-production).

The soundtrack is well worth a listen.

Beyond the music, this is a movie I watch over and over again. I love the way it is character driven, and I love the counterpoint of the superheroes and their family life. This is what I think elevates it from a simple cartoon to something, much, much better. Pull it out of your DVD collection and watch it again. Better yet, watch while listening to the commentaries. Hearing how Brad Bird put it all together is it's own masterclass and it's own reward.

Support Lou Romano's blog, who did much of the concept and design work. (He graciously allowed the image of Mr. Incredible to be used in this blog).

Cheers - Dan