Composer Thomas Newman on Why the Opening Montage of ‘Elemental’ Was the Hardest Moment to Score
variety.comJazz Tangcay Artisans Editor When composer Thomas Newman was having early conversations about the music of Pixar’s “Elemental,” he looked for a connecting thread between the film’s imaginary world, where elements are characters, and the human world. “I looked for similar issues of otherness and how that could be reflected in music, and how we would identify with that through our human ear,” says Newman.
His approach to cracking the score was about applying a “musical color,” and association to the universal themes. When he looked at scenes and the vibrant colors of “Elemental,” what did his ears hear sonically, and did that match what his eyes were seeing?
With 93 credits to his name, and having worked on Pixar movies like “Wall-E” and “Finding Nemo,” Newman is no stranger to scoring music for otherness-type characters.
Peter Sohn’s story builds a city where earth, water, fire and air are characters, living in their respective communities. But, at its heart, “Elemental” is a story of immigration and love between two opposites.
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