One of the key factors that has ensured Pixar has stayed relevant over the years is the fact that the esteemed animation studio balances financially-sound sequels with breakout new IPs. For every Toy Story 3, there’s a Wall-E. And as the company moves forward, it continues to diversify, serving up two all-new features in 2015 in the form of The Good Dinosaur and emotional drama, Inside Out.
But look further afield and you’ll happen across Pixar’s Día de los Muertos, the studio’s animation based on the world-famous Mexcian holiday. Up until this point, it’s been a project shrouded in secrecy, with nary a word of plot or casting as Pixar focuses all attention on 2015’s two aforementioned heavy-hitters, but according to Randy Newman — who has collaborated with the company on numerous projects including Finding Nemo — the upcoming project could turn out to be the studio’s very first musical.
In an interview with Classic FM, here’s what Newman had to say on the matter:
I’m not so sure I don’t have a reputation for being a little trouble. Lee Unkrich isn’t going to use me, I don’t think.
And not only that, Lee Unkrich had Toy Story 3 temped with my music and it was limiting to me. It was fine, the movie did great and everything and maybe I’m wrong and if I look back on it I won’t know the difference, but it didn’t fit hand in glove the way I would have tried to do. And he fell in love with the temp, very much so. Now he’s not going to use me to work with him again. He’s doing a musical now.
Pixar has been linked to the prospect of making a musical for quite some time, though opted against it in order to differentiate itself from Disney Animation, who mould their stories around the lyrical format. Whether Newman’s comments is the first inkling of the company changing tact for Día de los Muertos remains to be seen, but given the celebratory nature of the titular holiday, the Unkrich-helmed animation could serve as the perfect jumping off point.