Walt Disney Records, out now

Michael Giacchino returns to the Pixar Disney series that helped launch his movie career with a vibrant, brassy blast of joy.

It’s amazing to think that when Michael Giacchino wrote the score to The Incredibles in 2004 he only had a handful of video game and lesser-known movie credits to his name. This was six years before his Oscar-winning Up, and now he’s one of the biggest composers on the planet, writing for the Marvel, Star Wars, Planet of the Apes and Jurassic Park franchises. So many films in the interim, including regular superhero gigs, but what’s unchanged is the cheeky charm of that original soundtrack.

The Incredibles as a family are superheroes, but Giacchino instead treats them to a 1960s spy caper score; this is John Barry James Bond pastiche of the highest order, as evidenced in A Tony Perspective, which starts with a Connery-era love theme, and then goes the full Barry as the brass kicks in. Consider Yourselves Undermined! brings in the wah-wah trumpets to full effect – it’s infectious fun.

A Matter of Perception pulls away from the action beats, building up the awe in a cue that’s reminiscent of his recent Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom work, while Diggin’ the New Digs is a lovely swing of big band lounge music. You might just want to jump to the 10-minute end credits – or as Giacchino would have it, Incredits 2 – to sample the full spectrum of the composer’s work.

Verdict: In a year where we’ve already enjoyed his Coco and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Michael Giacchino reminds us once again with Incredibles 2 why he’s one of the most chameleonic and exciting A-List soundtrack composers we have. 9/10

Nick Joy