The audience was feeling un poco crazy at 2026 D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event with The Art of the Score panel presented by Disney Music. Legendary composer Michael Giacchino led the presentation talking about the process of bringing the iconic and indelible sounds of classic Disney stories to life. Although Anthony Gonzales (Miguel from COCO) was originally billed as being part of this panel he unfortunately was not present.

Here’s a look at what we got to see (and hear!) during 2026 D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event (formerly D23 Expo) taking place from August 14 – 16, 2026.

Fresh off of his panel at San Diego Comic-Con talking about his musical endeavors, Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino landed on D23 2026 for another panel talking about the The Art of the Score… Disney style! John Burlingame moderated the discussion where Giacchino shared an inside look at his creative process—across Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Marvel—and how he develops music that supports a filmmaker’s vision and creates unforgettable tunes for fans.

Here’s a look some of the highlights from the panel.

• Early Career & Disney Roots
  • Michael Giacchino began his career in Disney publicity around 1991, where he gained foundational knowledge about the business side of filmmaking, organized interviews, and interacted closely with producers.
  • During the New York City premiere of THE ROCKETEER, the actor hired to wear the promotional costume called in sick. Michael Giacchino volunteered to fill in but mistakenly wore the signature rocket backpack on the outside of his leather jacket.
  • Disney executives, including Michael Scmenti, Gary Kalin, and Terry Press, utilized the company’s continuing education program to fund his night classes in orchestration at Juilliard and UCLA.
  • He submitted a blind composition for a Disney “Movie News” radio jingle, won the job, and used the $2,000 payout to purchase his own music equipment.
• Transition to Composing & Video Games
  • While working as an assistant producer on interactive games like PINOCCHIO, MAUI MALLARD, and THE LION KING, he would occasionally write rush music to fill immediate project needs.
  • He wrote demo music for THE LOST WORLD video game, which caught the attention of Steven Spielberg who would go on to insist on using a live orchestra for the game’s score, effectively launching Michael Giacchino‘s composing career.
• Television Breakthroughs

  • J.J. Abrams hired him to score ALIAS after hearing his video game compositions. Abrams successfully fought network pushback to secure a live weekly orchestra for the series.
  • This working relationship continued onto LOST, where Michael Giacchino composed nearly 52 hours of original music. He purposefully avoided reading scripts in advance so his musical compositions would reflect a genuine, real-time reaction to the plot twists.
• Pixar Collaborations
  • Brad Bird hired him for THE INCREDIBLES after they bonded over their shared geeky love for Johnny Quest and composer Hoyt Curtin. It was who Bird emphasized that the score must align perfectly with the story to avoid confusing the audience’s emotional tracking.
  • RATATOUILLE was a last-minute project pivot after a planned 1906 earthquake movie was scrapped. The score was structured to sound like a hastily thrown-together meal made from random kitchen ingredients.
  • John Williams originally turned down UP, opening the door for Michael Giacchino to meet with director Pete Docter. The two bonded during a drive to Disneyland while blasting The Muppets.
  • The INSIDE OUT score was deeply personal, acting as a tribute to his daughter, Gracie, and Pete Docter‘s daughter, Ellie. During recording, he utilized an isolated booth for percussionists Bernie Dresel, Walter Rodriguez, and Alex Acuña to capture a joyful, chaotic session.
  • For COCO, he collaborated closely with Camilo Lara of the Mexican Institute of Sound to ensure regional authenticity and avoid generic musical cliches.
• Live-Action Disney & Star Wars

  • He cameoed as a character named Mike Lazarus in TOMORROWLAND, for which he pitched a dark opening sequence featuring his character’s dead body floating through the It’s a Small World ride.
  • Working on TOMORROWLAND allowed him to collaborate with Richard Sherman (composer for MARY POPPINS and WINNIE THE POOH) on a recording of “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.”
  • He said working with Richard Sherman was an absolute honor. They tell you not to meet your heroes, but Giacchino said that was the opposite in this case. Sherman said the newest version of The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow they used in Tomorrowland was better.
  • For ROGUE ONE, he focused on serving the immediate story rather than leaning exclusively on nostalgia, carefully and selectively weaving in John Williams‘s original themes.
  • He made on-screen cameos in STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS as a Stormtrooper who arrests Poe Dameron, and as a Sith Trooper in STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER.
• Marvel Cinematic Universe
  • He turned down CAPTAIN AMERICA and THE AVENGERS due to scheduling conflicts, but later accepted DOCTOR STRANGE from Kevin Feige due to a childhood love for weird flea-market comic books.
  • For THE FANTASTIC FOUR, he wrote an optimistic, major-key theme inspired by a mashup of the Disneyland Main Street Electrical Parade and THE RIGHT STUFF. It was recorded at Abbey Road with a 101-piece orchestra. There was also a 100-person choir to sing the themes only words: “FANTASTIC FOUR.”
  • Fulfilling a lifelong dream of making monster movies, he directed and scored the Disney+ special WEREWOLF BY NIGHT.
  • For SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, he reflected Peter Parker’s newfound loneliness by stripping down his original theme, explicitly removing the musical notes that previously represented his lost friends, family, and past life. He wrote a brand-new theme but threw it away. He went back to the original theme but removed some elements to make it sadder and more solitary, reflecting what Peter was going through.
  • Giacchino said he will always use a live orchestra for his scores. He has played with synths but will always go to record with a live orchestra.

See it for Yourself

D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event takes place in Anaheim from August 14 – 16, 2026.

MORE INFO: Check out all MouseInfo coverage for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event at MouseInfo.com/D23

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