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Michael McCuistion

Michael McCuistion

Composer

Primetime Emmy nominee

Michael McCuistion is an Emmy Award-winning composer who has been working in film and television for over 15 years. Nominated for ten Emmy Awards and two Annie Awards, he has also composed and conducted the music for the Oscar-winning short film My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples in New York (1998), Activision's Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004) which were released simultaneously with both blockbuster motion pictures. Early in his career McCuistion gained experience as an orchestrator on top Hollywood films, working with many A-list film composers such as Carter Burwell, Danny Elfman, Elliot Goldenthal, Michael Kamen, Howard Shore and Shirley Walker. He has recorded film, television and concert works in the United States, Europe and Australia, and presently resides in Los Angeles.

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Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Composer
Titles
35 on MovieCove · 43 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 48% in 30 days

What are Michael McCuistion's films like?

Across their 28 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
42%
Self
28%
Morality
19%
Society
6%
Survival
3%
Ideas
1%
Power
1%
Family bonds11 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship9 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity10 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice8 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty6 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 13 · Serious 7 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 8

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

Gentle 5 · Charged 12 · Intense 4

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

Steady 12 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 8

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 6

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

Casual 14 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 19 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Thrilling
22
Joyful
13
Hopeful
9
Tense
6
Warm
6
Other
16

How their films linger

Fun18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy16
  • Bittersweet9
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

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 Michael McCuistion's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 35 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Michael McCuistion'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

43 credits, 35 with a MovieCove page.

Career shape

A full career of 34 titles from 1996 to 2023.

Biggest box office

Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

$4.5M worldwide

Highest rated

The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Ben 10: Ultimate Alien (2010)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music33 of 34: 32 only music, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score70thOther crew2 of 34: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1990s6 · crew2000s6 · crew2010s19 · crew2020s3 · 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.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 2005–2010.

  1. 2010
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)
  2. 2005
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Main Title Theme Music

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Michael McCuistion's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 62nd percentile, the median of all 23; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 35 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th14
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 35 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · composer

An Act of Love (2015)

93rd percentile spread · 26% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Young Justice (2010)

Midcredits 98th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 60/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 66, detractors 44. 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 Michael McCuistion's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles33–62 · median 47 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles12–57 · median 18 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles5–52 · median 25 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles9–38 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles31–59 · median 40 · 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 Michael McCuistion work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael McCuistion's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kristopher Carter shares the most, 26.

Directors

Writers

  • Bob Kane8 titles    See all 8 shared titles with Bob Kane
  • Bill Finger7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Bill Finger
  • Marty Isenberg6 titles    See all 6 shared titles with Marty Isenberg
  • Bruce Timm8 titles · 5 as writer    See all 8 shared titles with Bruce Timm

Actors

  • Dee Bradley Baker8 titles    See all 8 shared titles with Dee Bradley Baker
  • Grey DeLisle7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Grey DeLisle
  • John DiMaggio7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with John DiMaggio
  • Kevin Conroy6 titles    See all 6 shared titles with Kevin Conroy

Composers and editors

  • Kristopher Carter26 titles    See newest 12 of 26 shared titles with Kristopher Carter
  • Lolita Ritmanis25 titles    See newest 12 of 25 shared titles with Lolita Ritmanis
  • Christopher D. Lozinski6 titles    See all 6 shared titles with Christopher D. Lozinski
  • Craig Paulsen4 titles    See all 4 shared titles with Craig Paulsen

Producers

  • Sam Register13 titles    See newest 12 of 13 shared titles with Sam Register
  • Michael E. Uslan8 titles    See all 8 shared titles with Michael E. Uslan
  • Amy McKenna7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Amy McKenna
  • Benjamin Melniker7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Benjamin Melniker

Mixed roles