The Incredibles

Michael Giacchino

Rating: 8.0


The Incredibles is Pixar's most drastic stylistic deviation from their tried-and-true formula for children's movies to date, and it has received critical acclaim. As the first Pixar film to be directed by Brad Bird, no one knew which composer would be hired for this Pixar job. Bird's vision for The Incredibles was a very retro-superhero-ish one, and as such, the score needed to be reminiscent of the over-the-top, unrestrained style of big brass action music used so much for that type of film. John Berry's James Bond music came to be a sort of role model for The Incredibles music, and the task of obviously harking back to this style without plagiarism was big one. But Bird knew the composer for the job, and his trust in Michael Giacchino payed off.

Michael Giacchino received his first recognition for the orchestral score accompaniment to the Medal Of Honor games, and many consider his style of the time to be very John Williams-esque. In 2001 he scored the TV show Alias, which was his first big TV show assignment. In 2004 the TV show Lost made him its composer, and it was also in this year that he landed The Incredibles, which was to be his break into the world of large film projects. As a fairly newcomer, he had much to prove, and the challenges of The Incredibles gave him a perfect opportunity to do so.

"The Glory Days" starts out the album in a very positive way, with its bold, big band, brass-heavy sound setting the tone that the rest of the cd follows. From the start the album is bombastic and very reminiscent of James Bond. So reminiscent that some question its authenticity, but I will have more to say on that later. "Mr. Hurph Will See You Now" continues in a slightly more subdued and and intense manner, with muted horns playing many of the short, fragmented melodies. For me, the highlight of the entire album is "Life's Incredible Again". It is by far the most 'feel good' track, and its big-band/jazz combination works together wonderfully, with the slow, laid-back drum-kit rhythm holding the whole thing together very well.

Both "New And Improved" and "Kronos Unveiled" feature impressive orchestral builds within the distinctive style the album holds itself to, and "Kronos Unveiled" has a very well done, epic sounding finale to its build, using the lower portions of the brass section to their fullest potential. Much of the album from then on is action-based and driving. "The Incredits" is one of the stand-outs, and is a completely not-held-back, big, fun, conclusion. Muted horns blare, strings chase each other around, brass bellows from whatever range it happens to be in, the xylophone is used to great effect, and all this chaos is held together in the exciting compositional style of Michael Giacchino.

While there can be no doubt that The Incredibles is a fun listen, is it valid? Does it try so hard to copy James Bond that Giacchino deserves no credit, but all should be given to Berry? Let us examine the similarities as well as the dissimilarities. Orchestrationaly, Berry was very fond of the brass section in his Bond scores, and there is no doubt that this choir is given precedence in both Bond and Incredibles. Of course, this, on its own, means nothing, as music from the William Tell Overture to any number of contemporary soundtracks have given full reign to the brass section. Giacchino's xylophone usage is quite prominent, compared with the little bit that Berry used it. On the other hand, Berry used the violin section frequently to state a melody, which is quite rare in The Incredibles. The electric guitar and bass guitar find their way into both, but are certainly more prominent in the Bond scores, as are the the synthesizers, giving Bond a more modern sound, while The Incredibles holds itself to more of a big band atmosphere, staying quite authentic in its acoustic instrumentation. However, it would be very hard not to copy others orchestrationaly, considering most everything that works has been done. In composition we can see much better a composer's influences. Perhaps the biggest similarity in composition styles is the use of the half step drop at the end of a melody. The device creates an increase in tension, especially when the tone is outside of the tonal key. Sometimes it is used as a variation of a melody, when a short melody is played, and then repeated with the drop tone at the end. But one must understand that John Berry did not invent this, and it is only because of the orchestrational similarities that this is considered a similarity at all.

Ultimately, Giacchino does copy the John Berry style, but one must understand that that style is merely a blending of many other styles, including classical, big band, jazz, and even a bit of popular. The dissimilarities are clearly there, as well. The Incredibles has a distinctly cartoon-ish feel. Much of the Bond music would have been too epic for the subject matter, and Giacchino manages to replicate a style, while retaining a sound unique to himself.

What determines whether you enjoy this soundtrack is, as always, your own personal taste. If you enjoyed the Bond music, than you may enjoy a clever, nearly tongue-in-cheek, tribute to John Berry's music. If, however, this sort of music is too bombastic for you, be forewarned that The Incredibles is, if anything, more bombastic and unrestrained. Giacchino has made good the vision of Brad Bird, and shown that he can succeed amazingly, even within some quite limiting boundaries.

-Colin Thomson


Track List:

The Glory Days
Mr. Hurph Will See You
Adventure Calling
Bob Vs. The Omnidrold
Lava In The Afternoon
Life's Incredible Again
Off To Work
New And Improved
Kronos Unveiled
Marital Rescue
Missile Lock
Lithe Or Death
100 Mile Dash
A While Family Of Supers
Escaping Nomanisan
Road Trip!
Saving Metroville
The New Babysitter
The Incredits