Janae Epp’s Reviews > Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as Religious Experience > Status Update

“From within a culture that suffers under the weight of a surfeit of information and a distinct lack of deep and thoughtful reflection, do films like Cars promote the cultivation of wisdom, or do they simply present us with something more easily digested but far from enduring?” Author advocates for meaningful use of film (including other Pixar films) where music invites engagement, not mindless reception.

“Interestingly, each of Pixar’s films in some way addresses the bleak or more menacing side of our lived experience…Yet especially in the studio’s earlier films, music often works to undermine or mitigate the stark (and perhaps all-too-real) narratives. Indeed, the music often anesthetizes the brutality of the images and narratives we witness.” E.g., Toy Story, Monsters Inc, etc.