If you asked me to think of the first animated film that comes to mind it would be, Toy Story. If you asked me to think of the first song that came to my mind from that film, it would easily be Randy Newman’s, You’ve Got A Friend In Me.
From the exuberant open notes of the film’s score, Newman’s work helped to define the brilliance of not just the first Toy Story, but also the following two films in the franchise (along with many other Pixar films). With the upcoming Toy Story 4 (June 15, 2018) on the docket, the question arose — would Pixar choose Newman to continue the series, or would they want to give the film a drastically different musical voice to kick off the fourth installment?
Well, luckily for us, we now know the answer. In a recent interview with The Advertiser (spotted by Dan the Pixar Fan), Newman not only mentioned that he’d be scoring Toy Story 4, but he also expressed that he’s working on Cars 3(June 16, 2017).
Advertiser: I read in The Atlantic you’re working on an album now.
Newman: “I think I’ll play two or three songs from it. There are a couple of love songs on it; there’s a song about Putin. I’ve got a song about Sonny Boy Williamson, a blues guy. But I’ll do some, definitely.”
Advertiser: What’s the ETA on that one?
Newman: “I don’t know. Probably I’ll be done by the middle of this year with it. I’m just doing arrangements. I’ve recorded the songs, but I just have arrangements to do, which I find difficult, always. I would think next year. Since I’m doing a few movies and so I can’t go on that much. I’m doing ‘Cars III,’ another movie, and then ‘Toy Story IV.’ But the album’s my main interest.”
With Randy’s return for the Cars franchise, we’re equally excited to hear his take on the new film (he scored the first Cars movie while Michael Giacchino scored Cars 2). Back in October 2013, Michael Wallis (voice of Sheriff) noted that he was excited that the Cars franchise was going to return to its California roots and that the film would travel up Route 99 now (rather than Route 66). Of course, without official word from Pixar, that news is still a rumor — but if the film does return to the smaller town feel and focus on friends and family, Randy’s heartfelt score will be a perfect match for the secretive film.
In regards to the secretive nature of the film, Cars 3 may be one of Pixar’s most quiet films to date — with a release date approximately 14 months away, we don’t have any additional plot details or even know who will be directing. Let’s hope we get some big updates at the 2016 Cinemacon event. Disney has a 3-hour event scheduled for April 13 and we’re hoping for some updates from Cars 3, Coco, Toy Story 4, and hopefully some more information on a few additional films as well (if we’re lucky).
So, what are your thoughts on Randy Newman returning to score Toy Story 4 and Cars 3?
