We’re not entirely sure.
But sites have been buzzing about the possibility of a Pixar musical after an interview Randy Newman gave for Classic FM, in which he mentioned that Lee Unkrich is currently working on a musical.
Immediately speculation arose about whether this musical 
was Unkrich’s untitled Dia de Los Muertos film (the Mexican holiday celebrating the dead, translated to Day of the Dead), which was announced in 2012. There haven’t been a lot of updates on the film since then, but that is to be expected as Pixar operates on a high level of secrecy concerning films in the pipeline. As this film doesn’t have a release date yet, it makes sense that not too much information or artwork has been revealed.
You can hear Newman at the 0:39 mark in the soundclip on Classic FM say: “He [Unkrich] isn’t gonna work with me again. He’s doing a musical now.”
Neither Unkrich nor Pixar have confirmed Newman’s comment, but we still have a long time to wait before we know whether his statement is accurate. What’s more telling about this interview is Newman’s assertion that he doesn’t get along with directors and that he may not work with Pixar again, as the byline for the article reads.
Randy Newman has scored and performed the music for a number of Pixar films, winning Oscars for “If I Didn’t Have You” from Monsters, Inc. and “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3, which Unkrich directed. Newman remarked that he wasn’t keen on the temporary score he created for the film, but Unkrich fell in love with it.
Whether Lee Unkrich is working on a musical (and whether Randy Newman will no longer create lasting, memorable music for Pixar) remains to be seen.
But the idea of a Pixar musical is a tantalizing one. That’s a territory the studio has yet to cover, and would prove the studio’s willingness to experiment with the new. Of course a Pixar musical would also invite the possible unfair comparisons to its parent company Disney. And if Lee Unkrich’s day of the dead film is the musical in question, it would certainly invite comparisons to Reel FX’s The Book of Life.
We can be sure nonetheless that the film will be bold and intriguing no matter what direction it’s taken in.
Are you for or against Pixar releasing a musical?
Editor in Chief
Will there be a Pixar musical?
Simoa
Simoa (Elliefredricksen) is Editor in Chief of Upcoming Pixar and an aspiring Pixar heroine. She joined Upcoming Pixar in 2014 and is always excited to see how her favorite animation studio changes and grows.
Musical or not doesn’t get my interest as much as Newman’s other statements. Losing that collaboration with him would be a real loss for Pixar (and us). Hopefully they will be able to put personal issues aside and keep working together,even if not on the particular project he mentions.
Now I’m curious what part of the ts3 soundtrack he thought of as temporary. I wonder if I would have agreed with him on what needed more work. I do think it recycled too much from past movies. Would he have preferred to do more original stuff for the movie given more time?