Film Music Reporter has received official confirmation that Patrick Doyle is attached to score the upcoming Pixar animation movie Brave. Pixar’s first fairy tale and first female-driven feature tells the story of an impulsive princess who aims to shed her royal ties and become the world’s first great female archer. It was recenly announced that Kelly Macdonald will be voicing the main character. The film’s voice cast also includes Emma Thompson, Craig Ferguson and Billy Connolly. Brave is directed by Mark Andrews who worked as story supervisor on The Incredibles and Ratatouille. The project marks Doyle’s first collaboration with Pixar. Doyle follows Randy Newman, Thomas Newman and Michael Giacchino as the fourth composer scoring a feature animation film for the studio. The Scottish composer seems like a logical choice given the film’s setting in the Scottish Highlands. Brave is scheduled to be released on June 22, 2012.

Doyle also has the sci-fi action movie Rise of the Apes coming out later this summer. The movie has been described as an origin story of the Planet of the Apes saga. The film is set in present day San Francisco and deals with the aftermath of man’s experiments with genetic engineering that lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. Rise of the Apes stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow and Brian Cox. The movie is directed by Rupert Wyatt who previously directed the 2008 crime thriller The Escapist. Doyle follows Jerry Goldsmith, Tom Scott, Leonard Rosenman and Danny Elfman as the fifth composer scoring a theatrical movie in the Planet of the Apes universe. Rise of the Apes has recently been scheduled for an August 5, 2011 release date.

Also coming up for Doyle is Marvel Studios’ Thor. As reported last week, a soundtrack album featuring Doyle’s score will be released by Walt Disney Records.

  1. What do you think of Emma Thompson’s singing voice? What other movie’s has she sung in?