Pixar in Concert is a live performance of some of the best pieces of music from every single Pixar movie to date, accompanied by a giant projection of the movies themselves. This was my first time watching the San Francisco Symphony and I was blown away by how beautiful the live versions of my favorite Pixar songs sounded. The concert took place at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, which is the official home of the San Francisco Symphony. The symphony has a year round schedule with a large number of events and concerts throughout the year. Pixar in Concert focused on the most iconic and recognizable music from the films as each piece lasted probably less than 10 minutes. The projection on the large screen, which was above the orchestra, played a cleverly edited version of the film focusing on the best scenes of each movie to match the music played by the orchestra. Sometimes the film may have jumped around a bit in order to maintain the tempo and emotion through the piece. The director of Toy Story 3, Lee Unkrich was there to present the show, and explained how the idea of Pixar in Concert came about. The show was full of nostalgia for me as I am a big fan of Pixar and just about everything they come up with. Their characters and stories have at one point of another left a mark in my life. The stories they choose to bring to the big screen are wonderful tales of what makes us human. Love, loss, growing up, learning to let go and move on, finding what our place in the world is, and who we are.
The only thing that did not seem to work towards the idea Mr. Unkrich said Pixar had in mind when they came up with Pixar in Concert was the screen above the orchestra. Mr. Unkrich said the idea behind the whole show was to give the audience a taste of what it was like to hear these pieces played for the first time live. The screen which completely blocked out the orchestra seemed to defeat the purpose or playing the music live. As a first timer at the SF Symphony, I felt like I was missing out on the true magic of what music brings to our hearts. A good piece of music does not need to have a picture to go along with it in order to bring us to our knees. That would be my only criticism about the concert. If possible I would have liked for them to take away the screen and let me truly enjoy the music for what it is. I do understand Pixar put a lot of work into their visuals given they make animated films, but it is also nice to appreciate every part separately as well whether it be the writing, the animation, the music, the voice acting, or the technological aspects that help bring it all together.
Overall the concert was well put together, as there was a lot of thought put into every aspect of it. The visuals went perfectly to the music that drove the story home to our hearts. I found myself not only remembering the films themselves and thinking about how good they are; but I also found myself remembering where in my life I was when I watched the films. They were always relatable to me from the very beginning, and they always taught me something about me or somebody else. Pixar has found a wonderful balance of mixing good stories with astounding visuals and moving musical content, and I hope they continue to strive for greatness in years to come.
9/10
Reviewed by Edwin R.R.
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