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Irwin Kostal

Irwin Kostal

Composer · Died November 23, 1994, aged 83 · Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Born
October 1, 1911
Died
November 23, 1994 (aged 83)
From
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Works as
Composer
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 8% in 30 days

What are Irwin Kostal's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Animation4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
53%
Self
20%
Power
8%
Survival
8%
Morality
5%
Society
4%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 9 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 5

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 5 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 8 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 2

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 9 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
6
Joyful
5
Hopeful
5
Tense
4
Bittersweet
3
Other
8

How their films linger

Feel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Irwin Kostal's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Irwin Kostal's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

23 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.

  • Mickey's Christmas Carol(1983)

    Composer · Songs

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Perfectly Frank: Frank Loesser Revued (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Orchestrator

  • The Magic of Lassie(1978)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Million Dollar Dixie Deliverance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Composer

  • Pete's Dragon(1977)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Blue Bird(1976)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Charlotte's Web(1973)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1973)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Bedknobs and Broomsticks(1971)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Chitty Chitty Bang Bang(1968)

    Composer · Conductor · Music Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Half a Sixpence(1967)

    Composer · Songs

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Lucy in London (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Composer

  • Brigadoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Conductor · Music Arranger

  • The Sound of Music(1965)

    Composer · Conductor · Music Arranger · Music Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Mary Poppins(1964)

    Composer · Conductor · Music Arranger · Music Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Orchestrator

  • West Side Story(1961)

    Composer · Music Supervisor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Marco Polo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Orchestrator

  • Paris in the Springtime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Music Arranger · Songs

  • Heidi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • The Desert Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Music Arranger

  • A Connecticut Yankee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Music Arranger

  • Satins and Spurs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Music Arranger

Career shape

A full career of 22 titles from 1954 to 1983.

Biggest box office

The Sound of Music (1965)

$162M worldwide

Highest rated

The Sound of Music (1965)

Midcredits 98th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music11 of 22: 8 only music, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score67thOther crew14 of 22: 11 only other crew, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score95th

22 titles, 3 with more than one role — other crew and music overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1950s6 · crew1960s8 · crew1970s6 · crew1980s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Irwin Kostal's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 79th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

93rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · composer

The Blue Bird (1976)

76th percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

The Sound of Music (1965)

Midcredits 98th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 67/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Irwin Kostal's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles9–40 · median 23 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles4–19 · median 9 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles3–19 · median 6 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles14–34 · median 26 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles17–52 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Irwin Kostal work with?

People who share at least 2 of Irwin Kostal's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Don Chaffey shares the most, 2.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles