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“Like most of JOHN
POWELL's other scores for animated feature films, you can be certain
of one thing, and that is that you simply cannot be certain about
what sort of musical styles or instruments might be injected into
this score. ”
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Music to Yopp By
Review by Christopher Coleman
From his feature debut on FACE/OFF, to his collaborative efforts with
HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS, to his more recent barrage of solo projects,
composer JOHN POWELL has fast become one of the most prolific and
innovative composers in Hollywood. While clearly capable of delivering
decent music for films in the romantic-comedy genre (P.S. I Love You) or
action-dramas (The Bourne Series), some would say that Powell's creativity
shines brightest when working in the genre of animated features. Some of
his more celebrated scores have come from the burgeoning world of 3-D
animation and include ANTZ, CHICKEN RUN, and SHREK. More recently, Powell
has continued to provide an entertaining musical voice for his animated
projects. 2008 is no different with two major 3-D animated films on the
composers slate: his collaborative effort with Hans Zimmer for KUNG FU
PANDA and the re-imagining of the classic from Dr. Suess - HORTON HEARS A
WHO.
If the comedic line up of Steve Carrell and Jim Carrey wasn't enough to
get you excited about the possibilities for unending spontaneous humor,
then hopefully the announcement of JOHN POWELL as composer got you excited
about the possibility of unending, genre-bending, underscore. As you might
well come to expect for a feature like this, Powell leaves few stones
unturned, and fewer stops un-pulled. HORTON HEARS A WHO is just full of
the brand of zany-ness that animation composer-pioneers like: Scott
Bradley, Raymond Scott and Carl Stalling would deliver, if they were
writing today.
The 2008-iteration of this Horton story brings many contemporary ideals
along with it...mostly in terms of the humor, but does manage to adhere to
the foundation of the original Dr. Suess tale. In terms of the score as it
operates within the film itself, the score was, at most times,
underwhelming. Perhaps this was due to the fact that I saw the film
in the subtitled-for-the-hearing-impaired-variety, but the score was mixed
so low that it was hard to appreciate. While the beginning and end of the
film does feature John Powell's score front and center, in between it
seems to become just as invisible as the Whos are. One's attention is much
more focused on the Suessian visuals and uneven humor than Powell's music.
When it comes to listening to the original soundtrack, as released by
Varesè Sarabande, there is a distinctly different experience.
To start, Varesè Sarabande's release contains a fairly generous, 34 tracks
totaling just under 1 hour-worth of music. Considering the film is but 88
minutes, we can be sure we've got the Hortons-share of Powell's score.
Like most of JOHN POWELL's other scores for animated feature films, you
can be certain of one thing, and that is that you simply cannot be certain
about what sort of musical styles or instruments might be injected into
his score. You might find parallel ideas with Happy Feet when the choir or
trumpet accents appear such as in: Breakfast with the Mayor (8), The Town
Council (10) and Mountain Chase (23). Still Powell seems to break forth
from any constraints that HAPPY FEET or even ICE AGE 2 had placed upon
him. In several instances, John Powell jumps and switches styles of
music and instrumentation several times within a single track! Found
in tracks such as: "Enter the Kangaroo" (5), "Hello" (11), "Dr. Larue"
(12), and "Memory Game" (25), is a style that evokes those lauded names of
Bradley, Scott, and Stalling. Another connection to the golden-age of
cartoon-animation is Powell's use of the saxophones and bassoons. Whether
it is in the nemesis Kangaroo's theme, "Enter the Kangaroo" (5) or in
moments of levity or intensity, "We are Here" (29), the use of bassoons
and especially saxophone resurrect a sonic-texture from animation's
classic past.
As we progress through to the end of the soundtrack, JOHN POWELL's music
grows in intensity. While there are a number of action cues throughout the
soundtrack ["Banana Wars" (6), "Vlad Attack" (20)], the most interesting
come towards its end. Tracks like "We Are Here" (29) and "Symphonophone"
(30) are the epitome of "musical-suessification." With ties all the way
back to the classic cartoon, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and even
"The Grinch" (James Horner) the representation of the Whos is largely
connected to the performance of a wide variety of musical instruments. As
James Horner did, Powell does here - momentarily spotlighting instruments
such as muted trumpets, tubas, bass drums, or accordion. Of course for
HORTON HEARS A WHO, Powell layers in his own identifiable style with
chorus, trumpet fanfares, bells and snare drums. Sadly the film ends with
the big faux pas - the main characters singing REO Speedwagon's "I Can't
Fight This Feeling Anymore." Thankfully, Varesè Sarabande was wise enough
(or shrewd enough to avoid the licensing fees) to leave that unnecessary
and un-listenable track off. Instead, the soundtrack concludes with an
almost 7 minute suite of music from the film, "Horton Suite" (33), and, as
John Powell does so well, a rapturous finale "A Big Ending" (34).
HORTON HEARS A WHO was a somewhat uneven film and that's not too
surprising given that a children's short story is being stretched out to
fill almost 1.5 hours. Some of this "unevenness" is transferred
finds its way into musical experience to some degree; thereby keeping
Powell's latest effort a notch or two below some of his other earlier
works for animated films (but certainly above ROBOTS). That being said,
there is probably no better setting for John Powell's creative talents
than a world from the mind of Dr. Suess. To hear a score that unashamedly
puts the "looney" back in the "tunes" is a refreshing experience. Sure -
it won't be something that is unceasingly listen to, but HORTON is
definitely another score to be added to John Powell's pantheon of
invention that should be long appreciated by many. With the box office
success of this Horton tale, it would surprise few if the big,
compassionate and faithful, pacaderm finds his way back to the big screen
- perched atop a fragile, little egg. But if that were to happen, there'd
certainly be a public "Yopp!" if John Powell was not hired to provide the
score.
Rating:
6/10
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Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
|
1 |
Fall From Tree |
1:06 |
*** |
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2 |
Cave of
Destiny |
0:32 |
*** |
|
3 |
Jungle
of Nool |
0:47 |
*** |
|
4 |
Horton
Takes
a
Luxurious
Bath |
1:42 |
*** |
|
5 |
Enter
the
Kangaroo |
1:13 |
**** |
| 6 |
Banana Wars |
1:03 |
*** |
| 7 |
Saved |
2:22 |
*** |
| 8 |
Into Whoville/ Breakfast with the Mayor |
3:04 |
**** |
| 9 |
Club Nool |
1:41 |
*** |
| 10 |
The Town Council |
1:13 |
*** |
| 11 |
Hello |
2:17 |
*** |
| 12 |
Dr. Larue |
1:17 |
*** |
| 13 |
The Quest |
1:36 |
*** |
| 14 |
The Bridge Work |
2:29 |
*** |
| 15 |
Horton Dance! |
0:24 |
*** |
| 16 |
Handle with Care |
1:21 |
*** |
| 17 |
Bedtime |
1:56 |
*** |
| 18 |
Snow Day |
1:18 |
**** |
| 19 |
Horton Tells of the Kangaroo's Duplicity |
2:30 |
*** |
| 20 |
Vlad Attack |
1:54 |
*** |
| 21 |
Power Grab |
2:45 |
*** |
| 22 |
Kite Flying Day |
1:22 |
*** |
| 23 |
Mountain Chase |
2:08 |
**** |
| 24 |
Clover Filed Search |
2:16 |
*** |
| 25 |
Memory Game |
1:04 |
*** |
| 26 |
For the Children!! |
0:59 |
*** |
| 27 |
Angry Mob |
2:40 |
*** |
| 28 |
Roping and Caging |
1:03 |
*** |
| 29 |
We are Here |
1:04 |
**** |
| 30 |
Symphonophone |
1:12 |
**** |
| 31 |
JoJo Saves the Day |
2:22 |
**** |
| 32 |
Hall of Mayors |
1:31 |
*** |
| 33 |
Horton Suite |
6:52 |
*** |
| 34 |
A Big Ending |
0:53 |
*** |
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Total Running Time (approx) |
60 minutes |
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