Oscar-winning composer gears up for Cars 2

Composer Michael Giacchino, whose musical score for Pixar's Up won an Academy Award, is gearing up for Cars 2, due out June 2011. Giacchino is no stranger to Pixar films, having scored The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and short Pixar films such as Lifted, One Man Band, and more recently Day & Night. He's also known for his excellent work scoring ABC's hit show Lost.

The first Cars featured a number of classic and contemporary songs such as "Route 66" by Chuck Berry, "Sh-boom" by The Chords, "Real Gone" by Sheryl Crow, "Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts, as well as an orchestral score by Randy Newman.

Is Giacchino a good choice for Cars 2? Are you kidding! His music is excellent. Even though Up won him an Oscar, I still think his score for The Incredibles is in some respects even more amazing.

For more on Giacchino's role in scoring Cars 2 see the Variety article.