Disney’s upcoming animated feature, Zootopia, has roped in Michael Giacchino, award-winning composer for his first-ever feature collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studios. Featuring an 80-piece orchestra and conductor Tim Simonec, Giacchino’s score is being recorded this week.
Byron Howard, Director, said, “We tell stories with images, Michael tells stories with music. In a world as vast as Zootopia, we needed someone who could deliver a score that can feel powerful and also provide that same emotional intimacy.” He further claimed, “Zootopia is a massive film with deep emotional themes running throughout the story, and Michael was the perfect choice to bring the music of this extraordinary animal world to life.”
Director Rich Moore added, “Zootopia is a thriving metropolis inhabited by animals from around globe, and Michael’s music has captured a wonderful international spirit that blends perfectly with the visuals. I’m very excited for audiences to experience this incredible new world we’ve created together.”
According to Giacchino, the score is very diverse instrumentally, “There are flavors of world music sprinkled in everywhere. But at its core, the score always follows the emotional story of Hopps, the bunny, and Nick, the red fox.We’ve had a lot of fun working together and the directors have been wonderfully supportive of me throughout the entire process, giving me an incredible amount of freedom to really explore the tone and emotional side of the story.”
“The process of working with Michael is unique as it doesn’t feel like a process,” said Moore. “It feels more like visiting with a childhood friend. We started by talking about the film, the themes, the tone, the characters, the emotional moments. We talked about what inspired us, and our hopes for the movie. And from those conversations, Michael began building the score. When we listened to his work together, an amazing thing happened! Michael somehow took those conversations and turned them into music. It’s creative collaboration, pure and simple.”
Feeling proud to be a part of this film Giacchino claimed, “It’s one of those films with a huge heart and wonderfully realised characters set within a story that’s not only incredibly fun but takes an honest look at our own world and the important issues we deal with living in such a diverse society. That’s what really attracted me to the film.”
Giacchino’s credits feature some of the most popular and acclaimed film projects including Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, as well as Jurassic World, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. His score for Disney/Pixar’s 2009 feature Up earned him an Oscar, a Golden Globe, the BAFTA, the Broadcast Film Critics’ Choice Award and two GRAMMY Awards.
So, we know what to expect and can already imagine his effective work for Zooptia arriving in theatres on 4 March, 2016.