Music Behind the Screen

Back to our musical score time machine! For this edition, we're looking at 2000! Here's a look back at the scores of 2000 with my list of the 10 Best Scores Turning 20!

Let's start the ranking!

10. Cast Away (Alan Silvestri)

Interestingly, music doesn't appear in most of the film. When it does, it perfectly adds to the emotions of Wilson floating away. The theme is poignant and emotional. Music then appears through scenes of him trying to reconnect with his past life - summing up nicely in the end credit suite.

9. The Legend of Bagger Vance (Rachel Portman)

Portman's score is full of lyric melodies and sentimental underscoring. The lovely piano and string writing fits right in her wheelhouse and really helps support the spiritual and magical story.

8. The Perfect Storm (James Horner)

Horner's score captures both the humanity of the fishermen and the riveting drama of the sea. His themes go through multiple transformations, and the aggressive action is top notch.

7. Remember the Titans (Trevor Rabin)

While much of the film contains pop hits, Trevor Rabin's score adds the spirit to this football drama. The anthemic moments are so enjoyable, and its rousing Titans Spirit has been re-purposed everywhere from politics to the Olympics.

6. Unbreakable (James Newton Howard)

James Newton Howard reunites with director Shyamalan as a followup to The Sixth Sense. Featuring subtle themes and stunning string and piano writing, the score helps blend the normal and fantastical worlds.

5. Chicken Run (John Powell & Harry Gregson-Williams)

Re-teaming after Antz, Powell and Gregson-Williams provide a fantastic score that works while parodying several similar escape film scores. It's full of fun ditties, adventure, great orchestration and perfectly scored montage sequences. Bonus points for the kazoos.

4. Dinosaur (James Newton Howard)

Dinosaur marked a turning point to Disney animation: groundbreaking CG animation, no songs and instead a full orchestral score. Howard offers some magnificent cues with African choral flair and dramatic action. It's the stunning match of music to visuals in The Egg Travels that remains the highlight.

3. The Patriot (John Williams)

Williams elevates The Patriot with early American patriotic music. It's got a grandiose theme, solo violin, and drums and fifes. In a film that veers semi-silly, Williams helps sell the over-the-top villain, emotional scenes and rousing climax.

2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Tan Dun)

Blending Eastern and Western musical writing, Dun's evocative score matches the film's romance and cinematography. It's seemingly simple and complex at the same time. The cello solos by Yo Yo Ma add to the Chinese instrumentation.

1. Gladiator (Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard)

Zimmer's powerful score (with all its classical nods) doesn't stray far from his action sound. Thankfully we also get ethnic instrumentation and Gerrard's haunting vocals. It has since become a template for several similar genre films and a favorite among Zimmer's filmography.

Honorable Mentions:
Chocolat (Rachel Portman), The Family Man (Danny Elfman), Hollow Man (Jerry Goldsmith), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (James Horner), Pay it Forward (Thomas Newman), The Road to El Dorado (Hans Zimmer & John Powell), X-Men (Michael Kamen)

Any personal favorites of yours from 2000 that I didn't include?

Circle-Vision films are part of Disney parks history. In this Music Behind the Ride, I'm looking at the films and their music from across the parks.

Pioneered by Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney envisioned a film system like the popular Cinerama. Iwerks fashioned a 360 degree camera rig to get a film in the ultimate surround experience. Among the Disneyland Park opening attractions in 1955, the Circarama theater was in located in Tomorrowland. The circular theater (with no seats) surrounded the audience with 360 degrees of screens and projectors. Tomorrowland updated in 1967 and the attraction was renamed Circle-Vision 360°, along with changing the screens/projectors to 9 from the original 11.

The other Circle-Vision 360° theaters began appearing in later parks as opening attractions - Walt Disney World's Tomorrowland in 1971, Epcot in 1982, Tokyo Disneyland in 1983, and Disneyland Paris in 1992.  Currently, the only films appear in Epcot's World Showcase.

DISNEYLAND
In the Tomorrowland Circarama theater, A Tour of the West ran from 1955-1960. Guests cruised by Beverly Hills, the LA freeway, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Las Vegas strip. Also included was a high speed chase down Wilshire Boulevard and a speedboat segment in Newport Harbor. Next came America the Beautiful, originally shown at the 1958 World's Fair in Belgium. Running from 1960-1967, this trip around America showed sights of New York Harbor, factories in Pittsburgh and Detroit, Oklahoma cattle, Monument Valley, and the Golden Gate Bridge, among others.

America the Beautiful (version 2) debuted in 1967 in the updated New Tomorrowland. This updated film showed sights across the country – from historical sights to national parks. For music, we hear orchestral underscoring by Buddy Baker with instrumental and choral arrangements of America the Beautiful and Battle Hymn of the Republic. The film remained in the theater until 1984.

Next came American Journeys from 1984-1996. This new film featured more stunning landscapes with facets of American life and culture. A sweeping orchestral score by Basil Poledourisaccompanied the film. At the same time, the Epcot film Wonders of China was shown from 1984-1996 with music direction by Buddy Baker. America the Beautiful made reprise showings before the theater became the queue area for Rocket Rods in 1998. The show building sat unused until Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters opened in 2005.

WALT DISNEY WORLD
Opening with Magic Kingdom in 1971, the updated America the Beautiful film was shown in Tomorrowland’s Circle-Vision theater. In 1974, the film left the theater to return with additional Bicentennial footage in 1975. Taking its place was Magic Carpet ‘Round the World– a film narrating scenes around 20 countries. Buddy Baker composed the underscore, which changed instrumentation and melodies by country. America the Beautiful returned to stayed until 1979, and Magic Carpet had a reprise until 1984. Just like Disneyland, American Journeys took the theater from 1984-1994.

In 1994 The Timekeeper was brought over from Disneyland Paris. The first Circle-Vision show to feature a storyline and animatronics. The inventive show included characters Nine-Eye and Timekeeper (voiced by Robin Williams). The film From Time to Time featured time travelling to dinosaurs, Ice Age, da Vinci, H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. The thrilling thematic music was composed by Bruce Broughton. The Timekeeper moved to seasonal showings in 2001 and closed for good in 2006. The building became Monsters Inc Laugh Floor in 2007.

EPCOT – WORLD SHOWCASE
Located in the Canada pavilion, the highlight edutainment attraction is the Circle-Vision theater. Opening with Epcot in 1982, O Canada! took at glimpse of Canadian scenery, landmarks and events. This film also featured the cheesy song Canada (You’re a Lifetime Journey). After years of requests, the film was thankfully updated in 2007. Newly added was narrator Martin Short, a rerecording of the song and a new orchestral score by Bruce Broughton. In 2019 the film was replaced with a new film, Canada Far and Wide. In addition to the new footage, narration was provided by Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara with a brand new score by (Canada’s own) Andrew Lockington.

The China pavilion has the other Circle-Vision travelogue film in World Showcase. Wonders of Chinaopened with Epcot in 1982 showing the Chinese landscape, way of life and famous landmarks. Music direction was by Buddy Baker. Running until 2003, the film was finally updated (along with much of China since the 80's). With new music by Richard Bellis, Reflections of China opened in 2003.

DISNEYLAND PARIS

Le Visionarium: Un Voyage a Travers le Temps opened with the park in 1992 as the headline attraction in Discoveryland. The area was based on the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells instead of the usually dated future of Tomorrowland. The score to the French original was written by Bruce Broughton (different than the American edition). This version closed in 2004 and replaced by Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast.

TOKYO DISNEYLAND
Magic Carpet ‘Round the World was shown from 1983-1986. American Journeys took the theater from 1986-1992 and Visionarium: Featuring From Time to Time played the theater from 1993-2002. In 2004, the building became…you guessed it…Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters.

These films have had music and arrangements by Buddy Baker, Richard Bellis, Bruce Broughton, Basil Poledouris and Andrew Lockington. Unfortunately, the only official music releases have been the America the Beautiful (1967 edition) in the massive Musical History of Disneyland compilation and Reflection of China Suite appeared on the Four Parks: One World album. Here's hoping for the Poledouris and Broughton official releases some day.

Back to our musical time machine! For this edition, we're looking at 2010! Here's a look back at the scores of 2010 with my list of the 10 Best Scores Turning 10!

Let's start the ranking!

10. The Social Network (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)

The dark ambient sounds of Reznor and Ross are divisive to many score fans. Glimpses of melody mixed are with the often abrasive electronic elements. It works as underscoring although it can be relentless on the album.

9. The Ghost Writer (Alexandre Desplat)

Desplat crafted a Herrmann-esque thriller that still sounds like undeniable Desplat. He keeps it suspenseful while keeping the momentum through to the standout climax.

8. The King's Speech (Alexandre Desplat)

Desplat's score is a bit more restrained for this Best Picture winner. Piano and strings add much to the serious struggle but also the lightness of the speech rehearsal.

7. True Grit (Carter Burwell)

Burwell based much of the score on Protestant hymns, and his arrangements of the hymns are smartly done. He was able to tap into the lyrical sadness and give it the Western flair. It stands out as one his strongest Coen brothers collaborations.

6. Toy Story 3 (Randy Newman)

Newman brings a bunch of new ideas to mingle with the past material. Stand outs include Flamenco Buzz, Lotso's theme, Ken's campy theme and the incinerator sequence. But it's the heart-wrenchingly lovely finale that Newman really sticks the ending.

5. Inception (Hans Zimmer)

Many of Zimmer's signature moves are on display in one of his most popular recent scores. The score nicely accents the action and building drama with his blend of orchestra and electronics. The music is a distinct touchstone as much as the visuals.

4. The Last Airbender (James Newton Howard)

Easily the redeemable part of the film, Howard's large orchestra and choir delivers a wonderful landscape. The solemn string writing, highlighted percussion and sweeping majestic moments keep this score memorable.

3. Alice in Wonderland (Danny Elfman)

Alice's Theme is one of Elfman's strongest melodies and the backbone of the score. Thankfully, the album contains oodles of choral versions and variations. The battle material and softer side work really well in this Alice retelling.

2. TRON: Legacy (Daft Punk)

One of the most inventive scores of the year. It mixes genres, orchestral and electronic textures, heroic themes and a variety of composer influences. (Shout out to Joseph Trapanese's orchestration and arrangements). The unique musical landscape fits the dark sci-fi tone and also works extremely well outside of the film.

1. How to Train Your Dragon (John Powell)

Powell packs so much into this score - fantastic themes, orchestral bombast, Celtic instrumentation, and tender emotional material. But it's the thrilling flying sequences that continue to be the strongest highlight. This masterclass of musical storytelling makes this one of best animated film scores.

Honorable Mentions:
The A-Team (Alan Silvestri), Black Swan (Clint Mansell), Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (David Arnold), The Expendables (Brian Tyler), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Alexandre Desplat), Predators (John Debney), The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Harry Gregson-Williams), Tangled (Alan Menken)

Any personal favorites of yours from 2010 that I didn't include?

In this Screen Credit Quiz, I continue with TV Credits Season 2!
There are some from all different TV eras! Name the TV series by title card...good luck!

10.

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One of the biggest and relatively new studios is DreamWorks Animation. It has a short logo history, but full of fun variations. Originally spun off from DreamWorks Pictures SKG in 2004, DreamWorks Animation is now owned by Comcast/NBCUniversal.

For the logo, we see a boy rising through the sky with balloons into the crescent moon. His balloons continue above him and burst to form the colorful DreamWorks logo. For films not starting with the original score, many films have the logo accompanied by the adapted Shrek cue "Fairytale" (Harry Gregson-Williams & John Powell).

Here is a brief history of the logo and some fun film variations.

DreamWorks Logo (1998 - 2003)
As seen here in The Prince of Egypt (1998)

DreamWorks Animation Logo (2004 - 2009)
First seen in Shrek 2 (2004)

DreamWorks Animation Logo (2006 change)
Boy and moon stays over the text
Seen here in Shrek the Third (2007)

DreamWorks Animation Logo (2010 - 2017)
Nighttime sky with cloud-swooshing line and hook
First seen in How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

20th Anniversary Logo (2014)

Seen here in How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

DreamWorks Animation Logo (2018 - Current)

Mix of 2D and 3D painted clouds forming the logo

New fanfare by John Powell

25th Anniversary Montage & Logo (2020)

Seen here in Trolls World Tour (2020)

And now for some fun logo variations:

Shrek (2001) - A little Shrek pop at the end of the logo

Bee Movie (2007) - The boy gets stung and falls off the moon while Barry takes his place

Kung Fu Panda (2008) - An animal dashes up to the moon and fishes the logo up

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) - The boy gets dragged away, Penguins take his place and reel in a fish and high five each other. "Ice cold sushi for breakfast"

Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) - B&W logo has a UFO appear over the boy and beam him up

How to Train Your Dragon (2010) - Toothless flies in the dark background's new design

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) - Flower petals rise to form Master Oogway who fishes the logo up

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) - Logo appears over blue African sky

Rise of the Guardians (2012) - Jack Frost swirls snowflakes in the moon as the font freezes over

The Croods (2013) - An ember illuminates cave paintings and the logo

Mr. Peabody and Sherman (2014) - Sherman has a blast taking his turn fishing on the moon

Penguins of Madagascar (2014) - The logo appears on the glacier which crashes to show the Penguins atop each other fishing

Home (2015) - The boy gets picked up and replaced by Oh

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) - Po climbs several stairs only to relax in the moon and fish the logo up

Trolls (2016) - Fairytale is sung acapella as the logo turns into a scrapbook page

The Boss Baby (2017) - Fairytale gets a music box arrangement and the logo appears in a mobile

Trolls World Tour (2020) - The logo turns into a scrapbook page as a Hard Rock Troll plays an guitar riff

One of the more unique Disney parks attraction was Captain EO. In this edition of Music Behind the Ride, I'll explore the 3D science fiction/fairytale/adventure/music video. With this attraction, the backstory is possibly more interesting than the film!

In an effort to bring new crowds into Disneyland, the idea was to create a 3D music video starring Michael Jackson. At the time, Jackson was a Disneyland regular and was at the height of his "Thriller" fame. At the same time Disney had invited George Lucas to collaborate on new attractions - Star Tours would later open at Disneyland in 1987. The idea of Intergalactic Music Man healing things through music was set in motion.

The creative all stars were lead by George Lucas as executive producer with director Francis Ford Coppola at the helm. The production crew included Rusty Lemorande as producer/co-writer, John Napier as costume designer, Jeff Hornaday as choreographer, visual effects by Harrison Ellenshaw, makeup and character designs by Rick Baker, Tom Burman and Lance Anderson. The human cast included Jackson as Captain EO and Angelica Huston as the Supreme Leader. The rest of EO's colorful crew included clumsy Hooter, the connected Geex, robotic Major Domo and small Fuzzball.

Inside, you get your 3D glasses and watch the short preshow video. The video features behind the scene footage with Imagineers, Coppola and Lucas. Music for the video was by Richard Bellis. From there you entered the 700 seat theater and took your seat.

Captain EO and crew fly through space and are instructed by Commander Bog (Dick Shawn's holographic head) to find a homing beacon. Their ship crashes on the new planet. The crew is instructed to find the Supreme Leader (Anjelica Huston) and deliver her the gift. Guards surround the crew and take them to the Supreme Leader's lair. Captain EO says he has the gift that you don't just see, but also hear. Major Domo and Minor Domo transform into a keyboard, drum set and guitar. Hooter sets up the keyboard and EO's power turns the guards into backup dancers. They break into a full choreographed dance while EO sings "We Are Here to Change the World". EO's laser powers transforms more guards and eventually transform the Supreme Leader into an angelic woman with her metal surroundings turning to a lush Grecian-style temple. EO starts to sing "Another Part of Me" as they head for the gate and say goodbye.

Besides the 3D aspects, live theater effects included fog and lasers synced with the film. For this, Disneyland transformed the Space Stage to the enclosed Magic Eye Theater. Epcot's 3D theater in the Imagination Pavilion was renovated to accommodate the new film. Captain EO opened at both parks in September 1986. It would open in Tokyo Disneyland in 1987 and open with Disneyland Paris in 1992.

Musically, two new Michael Jackson songs are the centerpiece of the film. The rest of the film's music was provided by James Horner with additional music by Tim Truman. Horner's score has some mesmerizing future music for the auditorium entrance, and there's plenty of Star Trek and The Rocketeer comparisons in the spaceship portion of the film. There is a bit of Aliens-style menace to the Supreme Leader's lair before it transitions to the song portion. While he scored several Disney films, this would be Horner's only theme park work until Pandora opened in 2017. No part of the score has been released on album. "Another Part of Me" was released on the Bad album in 1987, but it took until The Ultimate Collection in 2004 for a truncated "We Are Here to Change the World".

Captain EO closed in Epcot in 1994 and Disneyland in 1997 (both replaced by Honey, I Shrunk the Audience). Tokyo ended its run in 1996 and Paris ending in 1998.
Its story continued long after closure. Following Michael Jackson's death in 2009, Disney pleased fans by bringing the Captain back to the parks as Captain EO Tribute. There were some slight audio/visual upgrades and readjustments of the in-theater effects. By 2015, the tribute had closed throughout the world.

At the time, Captain EO had everything - the production team, a powerhouse lead and groundbreaking theater effects. And that's not even mentioning the outrageous budget and production woes. Given the more than troublesome past of Michael Jackson, it's unlikely this will ever be seen on the big screen again.

Rejected scores often have some interesting backstories. I featured past stories in Part I and Part II (linked here). Now I'm featuring a few more new stories of notable rejected scores and their replacements.

5. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

[Georges Delerue]
Delerue composed a dark Herrmann-esque score for the dark fantasy Disney film. It included full orchestra and choir with plenty of themes that highlight the foreboding and lyrical moments. Delerue completed and recorded the score. After test screenings, it was decided by Disney and writer Ray Bradbury that the film needed an overhaul that involved new narration, new editor, special effects and score. James Horner's replacement score wasn't enough to save it at the box office.

4. Blackhat (2015)
[Harry Gregson-Williams, etc]
Rarely do film scores make industry news. Gregson-Williams noted in an online post that while credited as sole composer, much of the score wasn't his. Director Michael Mann, known for his cut-and-paste scores, also used compositions from Atticus and Leo Ross, Mike Dean and used cues from Ryan Amon's score to Elysium.

3. Romeo and Juliet (2013)
[James Horner]
Horner completed and recorded his score which didn't get praised in an early test screening. At the same time, producers hired Abel Korzeniowski to compose a replacement score. They decided to test the film simultaneously with both scores and used the data to stick with Korzeniowski.

2. Interview with the Vampire (1994)
[George Fenton]

Director Neil Jordan hired Fenton, his past collaborator. With writing done, the score was rejected for being too dark and slow. They turned to Elliot Goldenthal to write the score - and gave him only three weeks. Goldenthal's score would be Academy Award nominated.

1. The Prince of Tides (1991)
[John Barry]
Barry had recently won his Dances with Wolves Oscar when director Barbra Streisand hired him for the film. He ended ultimately upset about being asked to move to Los Angeles and to have Streisand very hands-on during the scoring process. He left the film and was replaced by James Newton Howard. Howard's romantic score would be Academy Award nominated.

Recording the unused Romeo and Juliet - singers Iestyn Davies and Sissel with James Horner (center)

For you score detectives out there, here's a rundown with a listing of how to hear some of these rejected scores.

Something Wicked This Way Comes
Delerue recorded a suite for The London Sessions (1991 Varese Sarabande Records). The entire unused score and source music was released by Intrada Records in 2015.
Blackhat
No soundtrack release for the multiple contributions to the film.
Romeo and Juliet
No official release for Horner's work.
Interview with the Vampire
No official release for Fenton's work, but his source music arrangements remain in the film.
The Prince of Tides
Barry's main theme was turned into a piece titled "Moviola" released on his album Moviola in 1992. The theme was also used in the 1995 IMAX film, Across the Sea of Time.

Animal Crackers

Music composed and conducted by Bear McCreary
Music recorded at Ocean Way Recording Studio, Nashville

Album running time: 74 minutes
Available on Sony Classical

After years of financial and distribution troubles, this 2017 film finally got its release on Netflix. This delightful animated film has a great voice cast and a first animated score for Bear McCreary. Like so many animated films, McCreary brings in leitmotifs for just about every character - and they're heard throughout the entire score.

The first track, Animal Crackers Overture arranges all the themes. After the calliope intro, we hear the factory theme (very Powerhouse by Raymond Scott). Entering with a saxophone solo is the bouncy Huntington Brothers theme, and then the oboe and flute led family theme. Next is the theme for villainous Uncle Horatio with lumbering strings and bassoon melody. Zucchini gets his theme with a chorus of kazoos. The magical circus theme is complete with gypsy-style violin solo. Mr. Woodley and Brock's theme are represented with tuba solo and funk guitar, respectively. It wraps up with a return of the calliope and factory theme. The overture is a perfect encapsulation of the themes that appears as the end credit suite.

The Huntington Brothers contains many statements of their theme in addition to the circus theme with miniature violin cadenzas and accordion moments. Right as the track ends we hear a grand statement of the Huntington theme. Life at the Circus is naturally a madcap arrangement of the Huntington theme and we hear some tender and sweeping versions of the family theme. Mr. Woodley's tuba theme is prominent near the end.

The Dog Food Factory combines the factory theme, family theme, Woodley and Brock's themes combined with some "mickey-mousing" suspense. News of the Fire has bits of the family theme in more subdued underscoring. Circus Memorial begins with a wistful Huntington theme before the sinister-sounding Horatio's theme creeps in and grows with Zucchini's kazoos. Holy Moly changes tones using some great orchestral colors with the family theme sprinkled in.

Zucchini Chase passes his theme through a wild set of instruments - kazoos, accordion, banjo, violin solo, and surf guitar with the momentum running through the action cue. Little Cookie Me reprises the family theme and Huntington theme, turning it into a brief gentle waltz. We also hear Zucchini's kazoos and ending with the calliope. The Magic is Gone has a tender reprise of the Huntington theme as the gloomy tone turns more upbeat. Brock and Woodley contains much of Brock's funk guitar, sax solo, brass hits and Woodley's tuba.

Papa Bear contains some of the warmest renditions of the family theme. A Helping Hoof is another lively cue with the circus calliope underneath the Huntington theme, brass fanfares and Zucchini's kazoo sting. The Tiger introduces some varied percussion along large statements of the family theme and Huntington theme. Monkeying Around brings back Woodley's tuba, Brock's funk guitar, factory theme, Zucchini's theme, big brass hits, swirling strings, with themes all switching at breakneck speed. An Offer from Horatio has a tender reprise of the Huntington theme, then adds in Horatio's ominous theme and ends with the sweeping family theme.

Freak Fight begins with Horatio's theme before turning into a swirling mix of past themes underscoring the big top madness. Chimera brings Horatio's theme to the fore as he combines several animal crackers together. There's also bits the magical circus violin, family theme and great use of orchestral techniques and effects. Showtime has several reprises of the Huntington's theme, an off kilter reprise of Zucchini's theme, sweet reprise of the family theme, Woodley's theme, and the magical circus theme all rising to a grand ending. Bonus track Fanfare for Bullet Man features high trumpet wails and an Also sprach Zarathustra reference. Bonus track Blue Dream Studios Logo underscores the film's opening logo.

For his first animated score, Bear McCreary pulled out all the stops. Character themes really permeate almost every moment of the score. The score is definitely inspired by the "mickey-mousing" style popularized by Carl Stalling (Merrie Melodies) and Scott Bradley (Tom and Jerry). Often times those scores are jarring without picture, something this score can shine without. McCreary often finds the identity of the score through the orchestration - and this has one of everything! It's such a fun score that certainly stands out from McCreary's other serious and darker works. Definitely worth seeking out!

Two quick things: The Overture, Papa Bear and Showtime are extended on the album and their shorter versions are on the song album. The album art alone is a blast - drawn by writer/director Scott Christian Sava - it's Bear McCreary as a bear conducting the animal orchestra!

I love watching film credits - I even made a separate blog featuring them. While collecting the composer credits, I noticed a few films honor composers that have passed away. Sadly, several on this list left us far too early. It's a strange topic, but here are some examples of composers getting honored in a credits dedication.

Max Steiner (1888-1971)

King Kong (2005)

Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975)

Taxi Driver (1976)

God Told Me To (1976)

Howard Ashman (1950-1991)

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Georges Delerue (1925-1992)

Rich in Love (1992)

Michael Kamen (1948-2003)

Boo, Zino & The Snurks (2004)

Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)

First Daughter (2004)

Captain Abu Raed (2007)

Shirley Walker (1945-2006)

Black Christmas (2006)

Basil Poledouris (1945-2006)

Captain Abu Raed (2007)

Marvin Hamlisch (1944-2012)

Behind the Candelabra (2013)

James Horner (1953-2015)

Southpaw (2015)

The 33 (2015)

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Jóhann Jóhannsson (1969-2018)

Mandy (2018)

Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

Christopher Robin (2018)

It's Tough to Be a Bug is one of the more fun shows at Disney's Animal Kingdom. In this edition of Music Behind the Ride, I'll explore the short history of the attraction and music.

At Disney's Animal Kingdom, the 145-foot Tree of Life is the focal point in the center of the park. In the design process, the interior of the tree was switched from restaurant to theater space. Ultimately they went with a show about the one important thing not covered in the park: insects. Similar to the 1969 Disney short, "It's Tough to Be A Bird", this new show would fit Animal Kingdom's 'edutainment" model - entertaining guests while connecting them to the vital role of bugs. It was CEO Michael Eisner's idea to attach the show to the upcoming Pixar animated film A Bug's Life. This attraction would mark Pixar's first appearance in a Disney Park and would open seven months before the film in 1998.

Since the show is located in the base of the Tree of Life, the queue winds through the lushly forested area at the roots. You pass by several large animal carvings and take in great views of the Tree of Life. The queue also has parody posters staring the show's bugs: Weevil Kneevil, Termite-ator, Claire De Room, Chili and The Dung Brothers. (New characters were created because at the time, Pixar had only Flik and Hopper to use).

The lobby of the theater is full of insect carvings and even a large dung ball. This is also the area where you see theater parody posters of past productions of the "Tree of Life Repertory Theatre": My Fair Ladybug, Little Shop of Hoppers, The Grass Menagerie, Barefoot in the Bark, The Dung and I, Web Side Story, Antie, Beauty and the Bees, and A Cockroach Line.

From there you get your special bug-eyed themed 3D glasses and enter the theater. Like several other Disney shows, this has 3D screens, animatronics and in-theater effects. An audio-animatronic Flik appears and explains how tough it is to be a bug. First enters Chili the Tarantula who fires his poisonous quills at some acorn targets which explode in a gust of wind near the audience's faces. Next is the Termite-a-tor explaining his green acid which he shoots at the audience. The stink bug Clare De Room enters and stinks up the theater. A huge Hopper animatronic appears to yell at the audience about their mistreatment of insects. Giving us a taste of our own medicine, Hopper orders bugs attack the audience with a fly swatter, bug spray smoke, back poking hornets and spiders lowered down from the ceiling. Just then, a chameleon appears and scares away Hopper. Flik reappears with other bugs to do their final song and dance routine. The announcer asks the audience to stay seated just as bugs scurry past your feet and back. The 9-minute show is a lot of fun, but often is full of audience screams and kids crying!

For music, the attraction contains three aspects - the theater lobby, the show and the finale song. Keeping with the Broadway-style parody posters, the lobby music contains songs from the posted shows arranged for buzzing bees, crickets and other noisy insects. We hear "One" from A Chorus Line, "Beauty and the Bees" from Beauty and the Beast, "Tomorrow" from Annie, "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story, "Hello Dung Lovers (Hello Young Lovers)" from The King and I and "Tonight" from West Side Story mixed naturally with a bit of Flight of the Bumblebee. These ingenious arrangements were done by Disney parks favorite George Wilkins. The music for the show was composed by Bruce Broughton. It has a showbiz sound, reminiscent of his animated work, with the cartoon villain sound for Hopper's section. The finale song, "It's Tough to Be a Bug", was composed by Wilkins and Kevin Rafferty.

The show opened with Animal Kingdom in April, 1998 and is still running. The show was replicated at Disney California Adventure when that park opened in February, 2001. Instead of the Tree of Life, the theater would be located in the Bountiful Valley Farm area and in 2002 would be part of A Bug's Land alongside more kid-friendly rides. In 2018, the area permanently closed to become the area for the Avengers Campus (opening TBD).

As far as recordings, the 2001 Music from California Adventure album contained the "Beauty and the Bees" section of the lobby music and the exit song "It's Tough to Be a Bug". Both have also appeared on several Walt Disney World and Disneyland compilation albums. Since the other lobby songs don't belong to Disney, it's assumed that rights issues prevent them from being released. As with several of his other park music, Bruce Broughton's music has not been released. To hear all the music, you'll have to stop by and visit Flik at the Tree of Life!

As Disney remakes many of their animated films into live action, the music still plays a important part. Almost every of these re-imagined films use a song or song melody to help tie the film to the original. Let's take a look film by film and see how the original music was used.

101 Dalmatians (1996)
Original Composer: George Bruns
Original Songwriter: Mel Leven
Remake Composer: Michael Kamen
Music Reused: Cruella De Vil

Re-imagining the animated film, they opted to have real-life (non-speaking) animals. The lead human Roger is a no longer a composer and doesn't perform the film songs "Cruella De Vil" and "Dalmatian Plantation". The popular takeaway song "Cruella De Vil" appears in the end credits performed by Dr. John.

Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Original Composer: Oliver Wallace
Remake Composer: Danny Elfman
Music Reused: none

Sparking the new age of Disney remakes, this retelling is more an extension of the Alice stories. Since it's more of a fantasy adventure, the various song snippets from the animated film aren't used. One original song "Very Good Advice" appeared on the Almost Alice compilation album.

Maleficent (2014)
Original Composer: George Bruns
Remake Composer: James Newton Howard
Music Reused: Once Upon a Dream

They continued the story of Sleeping Beauty with this live action extension to the story. We get a new fantasy score with no singing from the animated film. The original's takeaway song "Once Upon A Dream" is performed by Lana Del Rey in the end credits.

Cinderella (2015)

Original Composer: Oliver Wallace, Paul J. Smith
Original Songwriters: Mack David, Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston
Remake Composer: Patrick Doyle
Music Reused: A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, Sing Sweet Nightingale, Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo

While not a complete remake, it borrows much from the 1950 animated film. We hear the briefest reference to "Sing Sweet Nightingale" while Cinderella is cleaning. Since characters don't sing in the film, two popular songs are heard in the end credits - "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" performed by Lily James and "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" performed by Helena Bonham Carter.

The Jungle Book (2016)
Original Composer: George Bruns
Original Songwriters: Terry Gilkyson, Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman
Remake Composer: John Debney
Music Reused: Jungle Beat, The Bare Necessities, I Wanna Be Like You, Trust In Me

In a fun nod and are appearance by a non-song melody, Debney incorporated Bruns'"Jungle Beat" into the main title sequence. Both the popular "Bare Necessities" and "I Wanna Be Like You" are sung in the film by Bill Murray and Christopher Walken, respectively. The latter song received new lyrics by composer Richard M. Sherman and was on hand during the scoring process. Song melodies also appear in the underscore. End credits feature "Trust in Me" performed by Scarlett Johansson and "The Bare Necessities" performed by Dr. John.

Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Original Composer: Alan Menken
Original Songwriter: Alan Menken, Howard Ashman
Remake Composer: Alan Menken
Music Reused: Belle, Gaston, Be Our Guest, Something There, Beauty and the Beast, The Mob Song

Disney decided to go full-remake with this classic. All the animated songs appear, alongside three new songs. The new songs form much of the new underscore, with some parts of the animated score fitted with a bigger orchestration and new arrangements.

Dumbo (2019)
Original Composer: Oliver Wallace, Frank Churchill
Original Songwriters: Frank Churchill, Oliver Wallace, Ned Washington
Remake Composer: Danny Elfman
Music Reused: Casey Junior, Baby Mine, Pink Elephants on Parade, When I See an Elephant Fly

Dumbo expanded on the animated film but kept a few key musical aspects. In an opening montage as the circus comes to town, the melody of "Casey Junior" is heard. "Baby Mine", heavily featured in the marketing, gets sung in the film and in the end credits. An updated version of "Pink Elephants on Parade" appears in a circus balloon sequence. A Dixieland arrangement of "When I See an Elephant Fly" is heard as an end credits tag.

Aladdin (2019)
Original Composer: Alan Menken
Original Songwriter: Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice
Remake Composer: Alan Menken
Music Reused: Arabian Nights, One Jump Ahead, Friend Like Me, Prince Ali, A Whole New World

Menken returned to rescore the film, again weaving the animated songs into the underscore. The one new song is mixed into the score as Jasmine's theme. The score arrangements are full of bigger orchestration, Middle Eastern styling and pop elements.

The Lion King (2019)
Original Composer: Hans Zimmer
Original Songwriters: Elton John, Tim Rice
Remake Composer: Hans Zimmer
Music Reused: Circle of Life/Nants' Ingonyama, I Just Can't Wait to Be King, Be Prepared, Hakuna Matata, Can You Feel the Love Tonight

All animated songs returned, with new arrangements and more pop vocals. The song "Busa" is unfortunately replaced by the new Beyoncé song, "Spirit". With this almost direct remake, Zimmer retooled much of his score - pretty much all original themes and sequences return. The score does get more African influences, bigger arrangements and enhanced orchestration. The Lion King II/Broadway song "He Lives In You" appears in the end credits.

Lady and the Tramp (2019)
Original Composer: Oliver Wallace
Original Songwriters: Peggy Lee, Sonny Burke
Remake Composer: Joseph Trapanese
Music Reused: Main Title (Bella Notte), Peace on Earth, La La Lu, Bella Notte, He's a Tramp

Plenty of the songs make reprises in the film (minus one problematic Siamese cat song). The opening features a new choral version of "Bella Notte" and reuses the 1955 "Peace on Earth" recording by Donald Novis. "La La Lu" is quoted in the score with a southern jazz treatment. "La La Lu" and "Bella Notte" are also sung in full, while "He's a Tramp" has rewritten lyrics.

Mulan (2020)
Original Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
Original Songwriters: Matthew Wilder, David Zippel
Remake Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
Music Reused: Honor To Us All, Reflection

Returning the film to its epic heritage, many of the aspects of the original film were put aside. With no characters singing, instrumental versions of the songs are incorporated into the score. We hear the melody to "Honor To Us All" in one of the lighter moments, and "Reflection" in several pivotal scenes in various arrangements. The song is also used in the end credits, sung first by Christina Aguilera (again) and actress Yifei Liu (in Mandarin).

The Jungle Book

Beauty and the Beast

The Lion King

Lady and the Tramp

Mulan

The world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. Since then, Holmes has been featured in countless films, novels, short stories, plays and television series. I wanted to do a brief run through of Sherlock on film and his corresponding music.

Holmes appeared in silent film shorts starting with Sherlock Holmes Baffled (1900). He appeared in several silent films including the French-British produced Éclair shorts (1912-1913), the British Stoll Pictures starring prolific Eille Norwood (1921-1923) and Arthur Wontner portrayed the detective in a series of films in the 1930s.

Starting in 1939, the series of films starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson have become the US standard for Holmes on film. They made 14 films together, for both 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures, with Universal moving the films from the Victorian to modern era with several scripts based very loosely on Conan Doyle's stories. With these popular films, several Holmes tropes like the deerstalker hat and "elementary, my dear Watson" started getting cemented into popular culture. Their Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) is still one of best film adaptations.

For music in the Rathbone era, the Fox films used studio composer Cyril J. Mockridge as music director along with uncredited music by David Buttolph and David Raksin among a few others. The Universal Studios films used studio composer Frank Skinner, know for his scores to the classic monster films. Another monster composer, Hans J. Salter was music director for the next two Holmes films, using new compositions and stock music. Later Universal films used re-worked music and stock music.

Meanwhile, 1965 saw Holmes meet Jack the Ripper in A Study in Terror with music by John Scott. The 1970s saw many iterations of the great detective. Director Billy Wilder took a turn in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) and reunited with composer Miklos Rozsa. Holmes met with Sigmund Freud in The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) scored by John Addison. There were also interesting takes on the character like in They Might Be Giants (1971) scored by John Barry and Gene Wilder's comedy The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975) with music by John Morris.

The 1980s saw Holmes as a young adventurer in Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) with music by Bruce Broughton. Many of Sherlock's trademarks were used in Disney's animated The Great Mouse Detective (1986) with music by Henry Mancini. Mancini also scored the comedy Without a Clue (1988). Holmes would appear in several television movies and series all through this time and into the 1990s.

Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes (2009) brought back Holmes into theaters with a big splash starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, with a score by Hans Zimmer. They would return for a sequel in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) with another score by Zimmer. Sherlock's film success brought him to prominent TV series and future film adaptations. BBC had the 2010-2017 Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock series and the CBS 2012-2019 procedural Elementary. Later theatrical takes on the character were in Mr. Holmes (2015), the animated Sherlock Gnomes (2018), buddy comedy Holmes & Watson (2018), and spin-off Enola Holmes (2020). Music was supplied by Carter Burwell, Chris Bacon, Mark Mothersbaugh and Daniel Pemberton, respectively.

Musically, Sherlock Holmes is all over the map. In all the various adaptations, the score often reflects the film's choices - Victorian over modern era, mystery adventure over horror, serious over tongue-in-cheek. It has taken quite a long time to get many of the aforementioned scores released. In 1996, Varese Sarabande did release a compilation titled Sherlock Holmes: Classic Themes From 221B Baker Street featuring cues from the various films.

In this Screen Credit Quiz, let's get spooky for some Horror films!

I tried to include some interesting titles all from different eras! Name the horror film by title card...good luck! Happy Halloween!

10.

The Witches
Music composed by Alan Silvestri
Music orchestrated by Mark Graham

Music conducted by Gavin Greenaway, Cliff Masterson
Music recorded at Abbey Road Studios
Album running time: 72 minutes

Available on WaterTower Music (digital only)

Roald Dahl has had an interesting history of film adaptation, and some have had some great music. Recently we've had Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), and The BFG (2016). The Witches (1990) is a fan favorite, and there's much to compare....so I won't.

We do have another collaboration of Alan Silvestri with director Robert Zemeckis, and this is #18 if you're keeping track. For the score, Silvestri provides two key themes: the main theme and the Grand High Witch theme. The themes appear throughout the score, especially the main theme which goes through many transformations.

Witches Are Real sets up the magical mood before presenting the main theme (in a minor key) on brass. The tremolo strings and percussion bring the adventurous aspect that sounds like classic Silvestri. A bit of mystery starts off My First Witch. The clarinet brings in a softer take on the main theme. It continues into some string dissonance, eerie solos with brass and percussion breaking it for a few stings. What You Saw introduces the Grand High Witch material among foreboding orchestral writing and a bit of madcap writing at the close.

Chickenafied is the Grandmother's backstory of her friend's encounter with a witch - the low strings charge ahead with some dark brass moments. Enter the Witches brings the magical string ostinato from the first track along with many statements of a magic motif in strings, harp and celeste. We also hear a snippet of the waltz-like High Witch theme.

Grand High Witch begins with some magical motif elements and suspense before some extended statements of the Grand High Witch theme. Witches naturally continues the sound of the last track with some exotic instruments and the Witch theme in the forefront. As the witches meet to discuss their evil plan in Instant Mouse, the orchestra gets to really shine. The track also has the choir enter, a ticking clock, a great suspense ostinato and a large Grand High Witch reprise. Recently mouseifed, A Narrow Escape gets the main characters out of the ballroom with some fun action. We get the first major key version of the main theme, as Daisy is heroic. Stravinsky-like charges of the orchestra lead to some loud blasts.

Fourth Floor underscores the mice antics, a bit of lighter action with the main themes getting tossed around the orchestra. There are few big main theme statements and some madcap cartoon-like scoring. It Can Be Very Dangerous relaxes for a sentimental moment, with a piano solo taking the main theme. The action picks up more with woodwind accents and builds to a statement of the main theme. The Potion begins with a bit of ominous and magical sounds. Propulsive percussion and strings bring back the main theme among the suspenseful moments. Let's Make a Potion first uses some eerie harmonics before settling to the softer version of the main theme and eventually building to some militaristic writing.

Action really takes over The Mission with bold statements of the main theme and hints of the Witch theme. Soup Is On has plenty of unsettling low woodwinds and brass and high strings keeping the tension. Pigtails continues the tension until exploding in a burst of excitement. The main theme is tossed into the manic orchestral runs - we hear a heroic version along with a snippet of the 1812 Overture as the witches meet their demise. The orchestra keeps chugging along which leads to a delightful end.

A Stolen Key brings the ticking clock back alongside suspenseful rumbles and high-pitched eerie sounds. The orchestra springs to life with some dark fanfares, main theme and the Stravinsky-esque jabs. Let Me Out has lighter bits of the main theme and then digs into the propulsive action that includes the Grand High Witch's theme. I Didn't Hear A Thing starts off with the sweeter and sweeping setting of the main theme leading to the liveliest and most cheerful version of the main theme - it's a real treat! Pea Soup brings back the orchestral jabs alongside the main theme. End Credits is a great summation of the score - starting with the exciting version of the main theme, lengthy reprises of action cues, and more statements of the Grand High Witch's theme.

Thankfully Silvestri's score fares better than the film itself. It has lots of recognizable features of a Silvestri score - and here it works great. The themes are used frequently and go through many different guises and get woven into his action cues like he's done for many films past. In the non-action moments, I like the tender thematic reprises for grandmother and the hero boy (no really, he isn't given a name). Silvestri uses all the evergreen tricks of keeping the momentum up in the scenes of CGI mice running from whatever Anne Hathaway was doing. Listen to the end credits - and if you like what he's written, definitely seek out the rest.

While listening to John Williams scores, one name pops up across the years - Leslie Bricusse. In case you don't know the name, you might be familiar with his works across stage and screen. He became well known writing with Anthony Newley for the stage musicals Stop the World - I Want to Get Off (1961) and The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd (1964). Working with fellow Brit John Barry, Bricusse provided lyrics to the title songs for Goldfinger (1964) and You Only Live Twice (1967). He wrote the score and songs for Doctor Doolittle (1967) which earned him the Academy Award for "Talk to the Animals". He also wrote the songs for the hit Scrooge (1970). Bricusse and Newley's biggest hit was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). He wrote lyrics for composer Henry Mancini on Victor/Victoria (1982) and Santa Claus: The Movie (1985), the former earning Bricusse an Oscar for Best Adaptation and Original Song Score.

Now onto John Williams.
Williams (still going as Johnny), jumped between many styles but worked on several caper and sex comedies in the 1960s. Bricusse first collaborated with Williams with How to Steal a Million (1966), providing lyrics to the love theme and released as "Two Lovers". Penelope (1966) had a typical groovy main title song with lyrics by Bricusse and performed by The Pennypipers. Next in their comedy list was the swinging main title song for A Guide for the Married Man (1967) performed by The Turtles.

After the flop musical version of Doolittle, producer Arthur P. Jacobs brought Bricusse to write music and lyrics for the musical remake of Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969). Andre Previn suggested Williams to be music supervisor (a role he also did for Previn's Valley of the Dolls in 1967). For the film, Bricusse provided the songs as Williams provided the underscore, orchestrations, conducting, and source music. The songs have rich orchestral arrangements and the underscore has many of his musical stylings and familiar flourishes. Bricusse and Williams would be Oscar nominated for Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation).

By 1978, Williams was at the top of his symphonic game and had several blockbusters under his belt. With Superman (1978) the producers had a tough time deciding what the flying sequence needed: an instrumental love theme or pop vocal version. Bricusse was brought in to add lyrics to the already written love theme in what became "Can You Read My Mind" to be sung by Toni Tennille. Director Richard Donner wanted actress Margot Kidder to sing it, but instead Kidder spoke the lyrics. The song was a hit on the pop charts as sung by Maureen McGovern.

Williams again turned to Bricusse to add lyrics to some Christmas-style songs for Home Alone (1990). The lyrics to "Somewhere in My Memory" and "Star of Bethlehem" were written over a weekend. Both were featured in the film itself, end credits and subsequent sequel. At the Academy Awards, Williams was nominated for Best Original Score and the duo was nominated for Best Original Song for "Somewhere in My Memory". As Bricusse tells it, while going over the drafts, Steven Spielberg called to discuss their next big collaboration.

Spielberg had a plan to make Peter Pan into a old-style Hollywood musical. Songs for Hook would be of course written by Williams and Bricusse. Plans changed, and the musical idea was scrapped and most of the unused song melodies became part of the score. For example, "Low Below" became pirate material and "Childhood" became the major theme of the film. A few song snippets remain - "Pick 'em Up" the Lost Boys chant, and "We Don't Want to Grow Up" for the opening elementary school presentation. "When You're Alone" is used in full during the film (sung by actress Amber Scott). The song would garner Williams and Bricusse another Oscar nomination.

The team naturally came back together for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Both songs from the original made their way into the sequel as two new songs were added. We hear "Christmas Star" sung by a choir as Kevin says goodnight to his family. The other new song, "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas" is given a full choral rendition for the end credits.

Of the attractions that perfectly capture the early days of EPCOT at Walt Disney World, Kitchen Kabaret is that and more. In this edition of Music Behind the Ride, I'll be taking a look at this lost musical attraction.

The Land Pavilion focused on agriculture and at opening in October 1982 the pavilion had: slow boat ride Listen to the Land, short film Symbiosis and audio-animatronic stage show Kitchen Kabaret in addition to the Farmers Market food court and the rotating Good Turn Restaurant. (Shockingly the essence of The Land remains to this day).

Kraft Foods sponsored the pavilion and focused it on food production, while the revue used humor and musical numbers to emphasize healthy eating and the four main food groups: meat, dairy, grains and fruits & vegetables.

The waiting rooms were stylized shop fronts with food references and posters for the various characters from the show. As you enter the theater, you're greeted by the large Kraft logo on the curtain and the cast member introducing the 13 minute show.

We are first introduced to our host, Bonnie Appetit, an animatronic lady sitting on a stack of cookbooks. She sings the "Meal Time Blues"and then the Kitchen Krackpots animatronics rise at the front of the stage. The band made up of Kraft condiments perform "Chase Those Meal Time Blues Away" with Bonnie. The dixieland style number is about how the key to good nutrition is the combination of the food groups. Next she introduces Mr. Dairy Goods and his Stars of the Milky Way!

The fridge door opens and Mr. Dairy Goods (a singing milk carton naturally) croons into an old microphone as he introduces Miss Cheese, Miss Yogurt and Miss Ice Cream, styled after fashion models as they sing about their benefits in "The Stars of the Milky Way". Bonnie next introduces the Cereal Sisters. Modeled after the Andrews Sisters, the glamorous packages of corn, rice and oats sing "The Boogie Woogie Bakery Boy". The boy himself appears out of a toaster; he's a sunglass-wearing bread slice blowing his bugle.

Bonnie next introduces the breakfast duo Hamm & Eggz performing their "Meat Ditties". They use some vaudeville style comedy bits to discuss protein sources. As they exit, we hear tropical percussion and the Colander Combo and the Fiesta Fruit appear. The animated produce sing the song "Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit" with Bonnie in a Carmen Miranda outfit atop a crescent moon. For the "Kabaret Finale", all the past characters return to the stage, give one last reminder about their food group and say goodbye.

In 1994, Nestle took over the sponsorship of The Land pavilion, overhauling a few attractions in the process. In January 1994, Kitchen Kabaret closed and the space was taken up by Food Rocks. Food Rocks was another animatronic music show but appealed to younger audiences with popular songs and food-inspired parody lyrics. Food Rocks stayed until 2004 as the theater was torn apart to become part of the Soarin' queue area.

Music for Kitchen Kabaret was written by Disney Legend Buddy Baker, the original music director of Epcot Center and featured lyrics by Imagineer Scott Hennessy. The music is catchy and they fit the pastiche styles of the characters. The choice of 1930s-1940s musical stylings seems strange for 1980s kids and adults, but that adds the charm to this Epcot oddity. The Kitchen Kabaret Medley appeared on the Official Album Of Walt Disney World Epcot Center in 1982 and featured "Boogie Woogie Bakery Boy", a segment of "Meat Ditties" and "Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit". The Medley can also be heard on several Epcot and WDW albums through the years.

Thankfully, you can find several video recordings of the show. Merchandise from the attraction existed in the '80s and reappeared for Epcot's 30th anniversary. From the fascinating character designs and musical pastiches, Kitchen Kabaret is a lost Epcot treasure. While the show is gone, it stays in our hearts (and possibly our nightmares). It's always time to get "Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit" stuck in your head!

With Season 2 just ending, I wanted to feature the end credits of The Mandalorian. It has some of my favorite things rolled in one: Star Wars, composer title cards and concept art. I like the new musical direction Ludwig Göransson has taken the franchise and the end credits have a great statement of the main theme. Spoiler warning for scenes in the art.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Soul

Original score by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

Jazz compositions and arrangements byJon Batiste
Album running time: 64 minutes
Available on Walt Disney Records (digital)

With music being such an important aspect of Soul, director Pete Doctor turned to two unlikely sources. Our lead, Joe is a middle school band teacher longing to break into the real jazz piano world. His musical world is represented by music by Jon Batiste. Batiste arranged several jazz pieces and performed Joe's piano solos. Unfortunately, Joe meets an unexpected end and winds up in The Great Before, represented with music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

These separate parts were released on vinyl separately as Original Score and Music From and Inspired by Soul. The music from both albums was combined in film order for the digital release. To separate them, this color is for Batiste and this color for Reznor & Ross.

The album begins with a handful of short Batiste jazz tracks: Born to Play, Born to Play Reprise, Bigger Than Us, Collard Greens and Cornbread Strut. It's this jazz that helps build's Joe's world and features some fantastic performances by the featured jazz musicians. Note: the "middle school band" performance for the Disney logo isn't featured on any album.

The Great Beyond showcases several of R&R's ethereal and electronic ideas for the afterlife. Falling combines electronic soundwaves with a falling scale pattern. The Great Before/U Seminar has more soundscapes with ethereal voices, and space-like synths floating around. Jump to Earth is buoyant and stands out with a videogame hook. We hear source cue Rappin Ced (written and performed by Daveed Diggs) in a flashback, and Joe's Lowdown Blues with its trilling piano and minor blues chords.

Terry Time features a bouncing motif with clock ticking that returns with Terry through the film, while Joe's Life has long chords that seem a bit melancholy. Portal/The Hall of Everything has a variety of new layered patterns that stop and start for comedic effect. Run/Astral Plane has bright moments and introduces the solo piano line and Lost Soul is a brief moment of abrasive sound. Meditation/Return to Earth features the solo piano among the soundscape.

Batiste's next few cues follow scenes of Joe and 22's earth antics. 22's Getaway has an energetic shuffle with drum set leading the charge. Apex Wedge is a brief samba and quick trumpet wail. Let Your Soul Glow is an upbeat funk number with saxes. Terry Time Too returns the bouncing motif with a spy sound and flute solo. Upbeat jazz returns in Feel Soul Good, this time with some light scatting. Source cue Parting Ways (written and performed by Cody ChesnuTT) is heard as our main characters enter the subway and hear the street singer.

Looking at Life is a mellow tune with neat bass line and sax feature while Fruit of the Vine has a low piano hook. 22 Is Ready continues the live piano among the synth atmosphere. Pursuit/Terry's World stands out with R&R's take on madcap jazz before blending into the electronic Terry's bouncing motif. Betrayal brings the piano scales and ethereal voices back to the forefront.

Next, we hear arrangements of Space Maker (by Walter Norris) and Cristo Redentor (by Duke Pearson). The Epic Conversationalist/Born to Play brings lively piano and sax bouncing off each other, eventually bringing in the melody from the beginning of the album. Celestial Spaces in Blue is another semi-samba with some great piano and sax riffs. The sax continues in Spiritual Connection.

The breathy synths return in the brief cue, Lost. Solo piano takes the lead in Epiphany - the standout (and longest) cue for Reznor & Ross. It's surprisingly nice, and the climax of their dramatic work for the film. Ship Chase and Escape/Inside 22 provides some of the action beats with their propulsive rhythms and harsher sounds. Flashback adds the piano scales while Earthbound builds with the electronics and piano. The wash of sounds continues in Thank You, while Enjoy Every Minute adds the live piano bringing it all to a sweet finish. It's All Right (by Curtis Mayfield) works well as the end credits roll. Just Us stands out as an encapsulation of much of their score.

Having the score split worked well in the film and it's not as jarring as it might seem on the album. When R&R were brought on, we knew what to expect...and we got 40ish minutes of ambient/electronica/spacey synth music.

Music for Pixar films typically work extremely well, and this was a bold move that just didn't land entirely for me. Unfortunately, the score seems to be lost in the background and the standout musical moments just don't pop like I thought they would. Thankfully the film itself is chockfull of stunning imagery and emotions, because the music feels distant and several emotional beats are left unscored. While I admire the bold choice of composers, someone like Randy Newman, Michael Giacchino or Thomas Newman could have straddled the musical worlds with more storytelling prowess and emotional heft.

Here's the annual 2020 Roundup of Original Score nominations and winners from various awards associations. Winners will be marked in red and updated regularly!

ACADEMY AWARD
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
[nominations March 15th, winners April 25th]

GOLDEN GLOBE
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
[winners February 28th]

Mank (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)

The Midnight Sky (Alexandre Desplat)

News of the World (James Newton Howard)
Soul (Trent Rezor & Atticus Ross, John Batiste)
Tenet (Ludwig Goransson)

BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS (BAFTA)
[winners April 11th]

ANNIE AWARDS
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE PRODUCTION
[nominations March 3rd, winners April 16th]

SATELLITE AWARDS (INTERNATIONAL PRESS ACADEMY)
ORIGINAL SCORE

[winners February 15th]

Mank (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)

The Midnight Sky (Alexandre Desplat)

Minari (Emile Mosseri)

News of the World (James Newton Howard)

One Night in Miami (Terence Blanchard)

Tenet (Ludwig Goransson)

LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSIC SCORE
*Soul (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste)
Runner Up: Lovers Rock (Mica Levi)

HOLLYWOOD CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST SCORE

[winners March 5th]

Mank (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)

The Midnight Sky (Alexandre Desplat)

Minari (Emile Mosseri)

News of the World (James Newton Howard)

Soul (Trent Rezor & Atticus Ross, John Batiste)

SAN DIEGO FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
BEST USE OF MUSIC
Hamilton
Runner Ups: David Byrne's American Utopia, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Da 5 Bloods (Terence Blanchard)

Mank (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)
Minari (Emile Mosseri)
One Night in Miami (Terence Blanchard)
*Soul (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste)

SEATTLE FILM CRITICS SOCIETY

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
[winners February 15th]

Da 5 Bloods (Terence Blanchard)

Mank (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)

Minari (Emile Mosseri)

Soul (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste)

Tenet (Ludwig Goransson)

WASHINGTON DC AREA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Mank (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)

Minari (Emile Mosseri)

News of the World (James Newton Howard)

*Soul (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste)

Tenet (Ludwig Goransson)

BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
*Minari (Emile Mosseri)

CHICAGO FILM CRITICS AWARDS
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Da 5 Bloods (Terence Blanchard)
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Branford Marsalis)
Mank (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)
*Soul (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste)
Tenet (Ludwig Goransson)

DETROIT FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
BEST USE OF MUSIC

ST. LOUIS FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSIC SCORE
Mank (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)
News of the World (James Newton Howard)
Nomadland (Ludovico Einaudi)
*Soul (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste)
Tenet (Ludwig Goransson)

INDIANA FILM JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSICAL SCORE
*Tenet (Ludwig Goransson)
Runner Up: Minari (Emile Mosseri)

AUSTIN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST SCORE

NORTH CAROLINA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSIC
Da 5 Bloods (Terence Blanchard)
Mank (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)
Minari (Emile Mosseri)
*Soul (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste)
Tenet (Ludwig Goransson)

DALLAS-FORT WORTH FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSICAL SCORE

HOUSTON FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Mank (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)
The Midnight Sky (Alexandre Desplat)
News of the World (James Newton Howard)
*Soul (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste)
Tenet (Ludwig Goransson)

PHOENIX CRITICS CIRCLE
BEST SCORE

LAS VEGAS FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
BEST SCORE

FLORIDA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
BEST SCORE
First Cow (William Tyler)

The Midnight Sky (Alexandre Desplat)
*Soul (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste)
Runner Up: Tenet (Ludwig Goransson)

GEORGIA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
[nominations March 5th, winners March 12]

LONDON CRITICS CIRCLE FILM AWARDS
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT (FOR MUSIC)
Lovers Rock (Ed Bailie)

CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS
BEST SCORE

Mank (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)

The Midnight Sky (Alexandre Desplat)

Minari (Emile Mosseri)

News of the World (James Newton Howard)

Soul (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste)

Tenet (Ludwig Goransson)

SATURN AWARDS
BEST MUSIC

Back to our musical score time machine! For this edition, we're looking back to 1991!

Lots of top notch scores this year! Here's a look back at the scores of the year with my list of the 10 Best Scores Turning 30!

Let's start the ranking!

10. Fried Green Tomatoes (Thomas Newman)

Newman infused his melodic score with bits of southern styling. This early orchestral Newman score still has many of his hallmarks with unique instruments and interesting harmonies. It's evocative and soulful with a hint of the lyricism he'd add to future scores.

9. Naked Lunch (Howard Shore)

This wonderfully unique score adds the dark Cronenberg material with the schizophrenic sound of Ornette Coleman's free jazz saxophone solos. It's not the easiest listen, but Shore's musical landscape is fascinating.

8. The Addams Family (Marc Shaiman)

Shaiman created a delightful score with sweeping main waltz, sparkling orchestrations and great sense of supporting the comedy and dark humor. A tone-perfect orchestral comedy score is rare, and this one is always a delight to listen to.

7. The Silence of the Lambs (Howard Shore)

Shore's dark and brooding score helped create much of the atmosphere. The melodic themes for Lecter and Clarice are nicely woven together but never get in the way. It has some great woodwind and string writing and great uses of some extended orchestral techniques.

6. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (Brad Fiedel)

Never before has clanging percussion, grinding metal and relentless synths matched a film so well. Even the more intimate moments are full of intensity. It's still the most bombastic and best score in the franchise.

5. JFK (John Williams)

Most listeners know the main trumpet theme, but the score delves much deeper into the dissonant suspense of the assassination and conspirators. More than many Williams scores, it has some incredibly haunting and tense writing which fits the film well.

4. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Michael Kamen)

One of the biggest orchestra crowd pleasers, Kamen knocks it out of the park with just the main titles. We get plenty of lighthearted moments, dark action cues and of course the standout romantic love theme that turned into the hit song. Fans of bombastic action cues can look no further.

3. The Rocketeer (James Horner)

A favorite of Horner fans, the exuberant main theme takes off many times in the score. It's full of superhero styled action, the unabashed love theme and villain theme. It's one of Horner's most rousing and accessible scores.

2. Hook (John Williams)

This score truly adds the magic, tenderness and swashbuckling adventure. Williams taps into the emotional memories of childhood and the thrill of flying. The way he recalls and uses his bevy of themes in the finale is one of the reasons this Williams score shines.

1. Beauty and the Beast (Alan Menken)

The film is still the gold standard of Disney animation, songs and music. Menken improved on his orchestral writing and his songs are integrated into the score with grace and purpose. Naturally, the melodies are the standout, the songs are still the best, and the prologue and transformation sequences are some of the most magical writing for the film.

Honorable Mentions:

An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (James Horner), Backdraft (Hans Zimmer), The Prince of Tides (James Newton Howard), Sleeping with the Enemy (Jerry Goldsmith), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Cliff Eidelman), Thelma & Louise (Hans Zimmer)

Any personal favorites of yours from 1991 that I didn't include?

Top 10 Scores Turning 20 in 2020

Music Behind the Ride: Circle-Vision 360°

Top 10 Scores Turning 10 in 2020

Screen Credit Quiz (TV Edition 2)

DreamWorks Animation Logo

Music Behind the Ride: Captain EO

Rejected Scores: Part III

Quick Review: Animal Crackers

Dedicated Composers

Music Behind the Ride: It's Tough to Be a Bug

Music of Disney Live Action Remakes

Sherlock Holmes on Film

Screen Credit Quiz (Horror Edition)

Quick Review: The Witches

Somewhere in My Memory: Leslie Bricusse and John Williams

Music Behind the Ride: Kitchen Kabaret

The Mandalorian Screen Credits

Quick Review: Soul

2020 Original Score Awards Roundup

Top 10 Scores Turning 30 in 2021