Michael Giacchino (b. 1967) is known for his many film scores, including most of the Pixar films since 2004’s The Incredibles, the new Star Trek franchise, Rogue OneJurassic World, and many others (see his IMDB page for the full list). Born in New Jersey, he was a film buff as a kid, bringing tape recorders into theaters so he could listen to the soundtracks later. After study at the School of Visual Arts and the Juilliard School in New York City, he began his career at Disney. He started in the publicity office, then worked to become a producer, knowing that producers hired the composers and thus looking to essentially hire himself. He started in video games (notably the Medal of Honor series) before moving to television thanks to J. J. Abrams, who hired him for his shows Alias and Lost. The Incredibles was his first film, and set the stage for many more that followed. See his website and Wikipedia for more.

Up is a Pixar film from 2009 that tells the story of the unlikely adventures of Carl Fredricksen, an elderly widower who goes to South America by tying hundreds of colorful balloons to his house. The music is adventurous and poignant, so much so that it won Giacchino the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 2009. Probably the most famous sequence comes at the beginning, which gives Carl’s back story and puts one gentle waltz theme through just about every emotional state. Warning: tears are highly likely when viewing this clip!

Michael Brown created a medley for concert band that uses several selections from the film. Listen and view the score here (but note that many of the tempos differ from the film originals):

For an interesting take on what makes this music (and others of the Pixar family) so effective, watch this aptly titled video. Watch in the middle (around 3:30) for a very specific take on the scene above: