Introduction:
When Hollywood makes a movie that becomes and instant sensation, the studio often decides to continue the story in hopes that there is more cash to be milked out of it. This results in sequels of varying quality which may sour some opinions of the original film. Fortunately, this is not the case with Pixar’s beloved Toy Story franchise. Both sequels add a new spin on the story of toys who have a life of their own when humans cannot see them. In particular, Toy Story 3 deals with themes of growing up and moving on from loved ones. To underscore this film, Pixar once again brought on famous satirist Randy Newman.
Composer Biography
Born on November 28th, 1943, Randall Stuart Newman lived in New Orleans until he was 11 years old. …show more content…
A symphony orchestra consists of the strings section, which sits right in front of the composer; a woodwind section that sits behind the strings; a brass section that sits behind them; and a percussion section which may sit or stand behind them. The strings consists of, in descending order of pitch: violins, violas, cellos, basses and harps. These instruments have strings that must be plucked with the fingers or with a bow. The woodwinds consists of instruments that must be blown into to play, often with the aid of a double or single reed. These instruments include the flute, the oboe, the English horn, the bassoon, the clarinet. The brass section consists of instruments whose sound is traditionally made by buzzing into a mouthpiece. This includes the trumpet, the French horn, the euphonium and the tuba. The final section is the percussion instruments, whose sound is made by striking two objects together. This includes the piano (and its relatives the harpsichord and clavichord), the xylophone and marimba, the chimes, the timpani drums, and many more. This is a very common setup for a film score to use because of the sheer variety of instruments available to …show more content…
The first scene in the movie features the song “Cowboy!” to represent Andy’s childhood and his interactions with Buzz, Woody and the other toys. To introduce the film, a fanfare is played by first the French horn then by the trumpets. Throughout the rest of the piece, various brief ostinatos, such as the one used while on Dr. Porkchop’s ship, give an air of heart-racing excitement to the preceding. Like many children, Andy plays with a variety of toys at once that may not fit the theme of play, such as a convertible in a western setting. However, Newman’s score is superb at melding these elements together like having an electric guitar, a common instrument in western scores, play a leitmotif for the aforementioned car. Overall, this piece captures the excitement of a child at play and how intense and all-encompassing it can
When Hollywood makes a movie that becomes and instant sensation, the studio often decides to continue the story in hopes that there is more cash to be milked out of it. This results in sequels of varying quality which may sour some opinions of the original film. Fortunately, this is not the case with Pixar’s beloved Toy Story franchise. Both sequels add a new spin on the story of toys who have a life of their own when humans cannot see them. In particular, Toy Story 3 deals with themes of growing up and moving on from loved ones. To underscore this film, Pixar once again brought on famous satirist Randy Newman.
Composer Biography
Born on November 28th, 1943, Randall Stuart Newman lived in New Orleans until he was 11 years old. …show more content…
A symphony orchestra consists of the strings section, which sits right in front of the composer; a woodwind section that sits behind the strings; a brass section that sits behind them; and a percussion section which may sit or stand behind them. The strings consists of, in descending order of pitch: violins, violas, cellos, basses and harps. These instruments have strings that must be plucked with the fingers or with a bow. The woodwinds consists of instruments that must be blown into to play, often with the aid of a double or single reed. These instruments include the flute, the oboe, the English horn, the bassoon, the clarinet. The brass section consists of instruments whose sound is traditionally made by buzzing into a mouthpiece. This includes the trumpet, the French horn, the euphonium and the tuba. The final section is the percussion instruments, whose sound is made by striking two objects together. This includes the piano (and its relatives the harpsichord and clavichord), the xylophone and marimba, the chimes, the timpani drums, and many more. This is a very common setup for a film score to use because of the sheer variety of instruments available to …show more content…
The first scene in the movie features the song “Cowboy!” to represent Andy’s childhood and his interactions with Buzz, Woody and the other toys. To introduce the film, a fanfare is played by first the French horn then by the trumpets. Throughout the rest of the piece, various brief ostinatos, such as the one used while on Dr. Porkchop’s ship, give an air of heart-racing excitement to the preceding. Like many children, Andy plays with a variety of toys at once that may not fit the theme of play, such as a convertible in a western setting. However, Newman’s score is superb at melding these elements together like having an electric guitar, a common instrument in western scores, play a leitmotif for the aforementioned car. Overall, this piece captures the excitement of a child at play and how intense and all-encompassing it can