Music Behind the Screen

Back to our musical score time machine! For this edition, we're looking back to 1992! 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. A River Runs Through It (Mark Isham)

After a rejected score by Elmer Bernstein, Isham provided a lush orchestral score to Robert Redford's film. The expressive score is full of touching Americana melodies and lovely instrumental solos.

9. The Power of One (Hans Zimmer)

While Hans Zimmer is top billed as composer, the real star of the music is Lebo M's masterful choral arrangements. The film is full of acoustic drumming, panpipes and South African singers. Notably, it was this score that inspired the directors to hire Zimmer (and also Lebo M) to score The Lion King. Many seeds of his Disney work are heard throughout this drama.

8. Alien 3 (Elliot Goldenthal)

In a departure from the action mode in Aliens, Goldenthal's score is unnerving from the get-go. The darkly dissonant score perfectly captures the mood of the film with well crafted advanced orchestral writing.

7. Sneakers (James Horner)

Horner crams tons of themes and inventive moments into the fun caper. There is plenty of light jazz moments with soloist Branford Marsalis, with suspense cues and thrilling moments.

6. Last of the Mohicans (Trevor Jones, Randy Edelman)

The score shines with a fantastic main theme. After the rush of orchestral reworking by Jones, Edelman came in to fill the gaps of the score. The two composers' styles don't necessarily mesh, which is a shame. The highlights of the best selling album are mainly from from Jones' work (and his arrangement of The Gael).

5. Bram Stoker's Dracula (Wojciech Kilar)

Known for his classical work, Kilar made a splash with his large scale Gothic score to the Coppola retelling. His main three themes are magnificent and are used nicely throughout the score. Naturally the score has several passionate moments and also some terrifying vocals.

4. Aladdin (Alan Menken)

Similar to his other scores of the time, the backbone is filled with versions of his fantastic song melodies and the usual amount of cartoonish writing. The score works the best in the adventure-filled darker moments with bold brass and "Arabian" influences.

3. Batman Returns (Danny Elfman)

Elfman expanded his dark soundscape of Gotham with more mature writing style. He notably spends much of the score focused on the villains. Penguin and Catwoman themes are featured with sliding strings, lullaby-like melodies, and carnival material. It's the Burton-iest film, and Elfman provided a strong score for that.

2. Basic Instinct (Jerry Goldsmith)

It would be hard to imagine the film's suspense, violence and sex without Goldsmith's score. His alluring strings, synths and main melody add much to the erotic thriller. The rumble of the piano and searing orchestral stabs add to the drama.

1. Far and Away (John Williams)

There's something magical about this Williams score. Perhaps it is the love theme, the rollicking Irish influences or the glorious set pieces like The Land Race where Williams gets to really shine. It all perfectly comes together in the end credits, making it one of his most enjoyable.

Honorable Mentions:

1492: The Conquest of Paradise (Vangelis)

Chaplin (John Barry)

Death Becomes Her (Alan Silvestri)

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (Bruce Broughton)

Medicine Man (Jerry Goldsmith)

Patriot Games (James Horner)

Scent of a Woman (Thomas Newman)

Any personal favorites of yours from 1992 that I didn't include?

With its recent return to Disneyland, this edition of Music Behind the Ride I wanted to take a look at the 50th anniversary edition of the Main Street Electrical Parade!

The parade has gone through several changes in Disneyland in its initial run, before coming back in 2017 and now 2022. It also ran for decades in Florida's Magic Kingdom starting in 1977 (with a few limited returns tossed in). Similar parades were also found in Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris over the decades.

So now, in 2022 the parade is rolling back down the streets to celebrate the parade's first Disneyland appearance in 1972. Since there have been several past changes and additions to the music and floats, I'm going to just focus on the current 50th edition.

First we hear the iconic musical fanfare and updated vocoder introduction. The Casey Jr. train and drum carries Goofy, Minnie and Mickey with the drum spelling out "Disneyland presents - Main Street Electrical Parade - 50 Years".

The next Alice in Wonderland units include the classic designs of snail, turtle, ladybug and butterfly on a mushroom, and bumblebee. We see White Rabbit walking around, Alice atop a mushroom with the Cheshire Cat, centipede, Caterpillar atop a mushroom.

Next is the dressed up mice walking ahead of the Cinderella unit. The pumpkin coach carries Cinderella inside with Fairy Godmother at the rear. The royal dancers bookend the unit with Prince Charming (and glass slipper) with Anastasia and Drizella waving in the back.

Big Ben starts the Peter Pan section, then Peter Pan and Captain Hook on the Jolly Roger, Smee rowing a boat. Fairies with lighted lanterns lead Tinker Bell's flowery float.

The Snow White section begins with Dopey in the bejeweled mine cars followed by the miner Dwarfs and Snow White, with the rest of the Dwarfs in the mine cave float.

Pinocchio and the donkey headed dancers lead the next section which contains the Pleasure Island float. One of the most nostalgic and iconic units, Pete is riding the giant Elliot from Pete's Dragon, blowing smoke out of his nose.

The brand new finale unit is inspired by Mary Blair's It's a Small World designs but featuring more modern Disney and Pixar characters and small tributes to past editions. We see the Blue Fairy, Merida, Miguel, Hercules, Tiana, Moana, Mulan, Pocahontas, Anna & Elsa, Raya, Mowgli, Aladdin & Jasmine flying the magic carpet, Mirabel & Antonio. The last segment is a combination of It's a Small World and Sleeping Beauty castle.

Since the beginning, the music of the parade has been an arrangement of Baroque Hoedown (Perrey and Kingsley). As part of the arrangement, versions of Disney songs were synchronized with the respective parade units and blended with Baroque Hoedown's Moog synth style. With this 50th anniversary edition, most of the music remains the same as past versions until the finale.

Keen listeners can hear these songs in the show: "In the Golden Afternoon", "The Unbirthday Song" (Alice in Wonderland); "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes", "So This Is Love", "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" (Cinderella); "A Pirate's Life", "You Can Fly" (Peter Pan); "Silly Song", "Heigh-Ho" (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs); "Little Wooden Head", "Give a Little Whistle" (Pinocchio); "Razzle Dazzle Day" (Pete's Dragon).

For the finale you can hear a random snippets of songs including: "Dig a Little Deeper", "Gonna Take You There", "Just Around the Riverbend", "We Know the Way", "Do You Want to Build a Snowman", "The Bare Necessities", "It's a Small World", "Touch the Sky", "Go the Distance", "How Far I'll Go", "A Whole New World", "The Family Madrigal", "Un Poco Loco", and "I'll Make a Man Out of You".

Back to our musical score time machine! For this edition, we're looking back to 2002! Here's a look back at the scores of the year with my list of the 10 Best Scores Turning 20!

Let's start the ranking!

10. The Hours (Philip Glass)

Glass' minimalist score for (mainly) piano and strings helps link the disparate stories of the three lead women. His repetitious patterns are always in the floating in the background but are excessive to those that don't care for Glass' work.

9. Minority Report (John Williams)

Williams matched Spielberg's dark future with a noir score that is often dissonant and Herrmann-esque. Repeating figures add to the suspense, with the standouts being the lost son's theme and action material.

8. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (John Williams)

Much has been written about the reuse and rearranging of cues from the first Harry Potter film with many of those tracked moments helping establish the characters and locations. Even in his busy year, Williams added new themes that expand on the last film and featured in concert arrangement on the album. The highlight is easily the magical cue, Fawkes the Phoenix.

7. Frida (Elliot Goldenthal)

Goldenthal adapted his style, using a simpler orchestration and harmony to help marry his Mexican-esque melodies to the traditional Mexican folk songs peppered throughout the film (and some songs written by Julie Taymor and Goldenthal). His unique sound shines through some of the cues and helps underscore the film's striking images.

6. Spider-Man (Danny Elfman)

Elfman showed a new side to his superhero scoring. His rousing Spider-Man theme during the swinging scenes is still the gold standard for the character. He managed to also include a fun side for Peter's transformation, somber responsibility, with dark synth and percussion of the Goblin. The energy and propulsive music helped later Marvel scores.

5. Far From Heaven (Elmer Bernstein)

Bernstein's final film score is lyrical and romantic, matching the 1950s-set melodrama. We hear plenty lush strings and solo piano in his restrained chamber ensemble. Bernstein showed his talent at letting us hear the characters through music.

4. Road to Perdition (Thomas Newman)

Like their previous collaboration on American Beauty, Newman's score shines. Full of Newman's unique style, it features some great emotional underscoring and Celtic influences for the darker moments.

3. Signs (James Newton Howard)

It's amazing how much transformation Howard got from the 3-note motif first heard in the main titles. It's heard through the ominous suspense cues and even the softer moments. Everything builds to the emotional climax - one of his shining moments.

2. Catch Me If You Can (John Williams)

Williams got to show off elements from his jazz past starting with the great animated title sequence. His triumphant light music heard in The Float is the standout. Overall, the music emphasizes the fun caper and also supports the darker drama.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Howard Shore)

With a considerably darker movie, Shore had to weave several action moments with the thematic work of the previous film. He expands the world with excellent vocal and instrumental solos, theme for Rohan, Helm's Deep sequence and the eerie end credits song. It's a great score, stuck between two other fantastic scores.

Honorable Mentions:

Ice Age (David Newman), Return to Neverland (Joel McNeely), Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones (John Williams), The Sum of All Fears (Jerry Goldsmith), The Time Machine (Klaus Badelt), Treasure Planet (James Newton Howard)

Any personal favorites of yours from 2002 that I didn't include?

Lightyear
Music composed by Michael Giacchino

Orchestrated by Jeff Kryka, Pedro Osuna

Additional music by Curtis Green

Orchestra conducted by Marshall Bowen

Music edited by Stephen M. Davis
Score recorded at Warner Bros Eastwood Scoring Stage

Album running time: 76 minutes
Available on Walt Disney Records

For Lightyear, we return to the Toy Story universe (in a convoluted way that's mentioned at the top of the film). Here, Buzz Lightyear is a real Space Ranger from Star Command and we get to see his adventures. Musically, we get Michael Giacchino returning for his eighth Pixar animated film, having done the music for The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Up, Cars 2, Inside Out, Coco, Incredibles 2. That's one less than Randy Newman. Speaking of Newman, we don't hear any musical references to his Toy Story scores.

Giacchino's score heavily features three main themes - Buzz's theme, Zurg's theme and the Hawthorne theme. The score uses a big orchestra and choir (all sections were recorded separately due to COVID restrictions) to get that big sci-fi adventure sound. The themes work well, Buzz's theme is hummable and able to be noble and heroic. Zurg's theme is full villain-mode and the Hawthorne theme is saved for the tender moments, reminiscent of his Lost material.

We hear the militaristic snare drum in Mission Log, followed by the introduction of Buzz's theme. Initial Greetings jumps into action mode, with rapid string/woodwind runs, and large brass presence. Lightyear continues the military snare with Buzz's theme in hero mode before building the theme up until the end of the cue. The Best Laid Plans of Space and Men continues Buzz's theme in the forefront with some electronics underneath. Blown on Course adds some anxiety into the mix with Buzz's theme added underneath a dancing string line. Brass lead the charge in some great sci-fi style writing.

We get a bit of reflective music in A Hyper Failure, with a bit of mysterious drama after a sting. That tone continues in Lightyear's Behind, adding a poignant piano solo of the Hawthorne theme. Mission Perpetual focuses on Buzz's relentless need to correct his original mission. Naturally, it focuses on the driving strings and snare with several statements of Buzz's theme. The Lone Space Ranger continues with the poignant Hawthorne theme for strings and piano. Afternoon Delight Speed features some frantic writing with a sneaky interlude before hammering in a large end. The brief cues Light Speed at the End of the Tunnel and Relative Success burst with repeating patterns for the whole orchestra.

Zurg Awakens finally introduces parts of the villain's theme with high shrieking strings, low brass and ominous choir. Operation Surprise Party is a bit of comic underscoring with a hint of Buzz's theme. A Good Day to Not Die has some roaring brass and stomping rhythm. The full brass and choir open Zurg's Displeasure with Zurg's theme in full villain march mode. Space Afraiders starts with a bit of light pizzicato strings and clarinet before ostinato strings bring action and then a big statement of Zurg's theme. Zurg's theme is mixed in the frantic action in Zurg-onomics with some heroic moments mixed in with the over-the-top villain material. Oh, Hover keeps the movement going with a fun motif getting passed around the orchestra.

Mistake It All In features the Hawthorne theme after some action. Buzz, Meet Zurg has a full grandiose stomping sound of Zurg's theme with choir and organ. To Infinity and Be Gone uses the Hawthorne material, but a bit more reflective, and then picking up the speed in Hawthorn In Her Side.

World’s Worst Self-Destruct Sequence brings the militaristic momentum back, with a brief Zurg theme interruption. Time to Space Your Fears again has Zurg interruptions among the militaristic tension building. Hiding from Yourself uses Zurg's theme with Buzz's theme bursting through in Improv-Izzy-tion. The orchestra gets to really show off in Back to Buzzness, with bright brass and rapid strings playing off Buzz's and Zurg's themes.

In Home on the Space Range, we hear a long build-up of Buzz's theme before the film's most optimistic and heroic statement of the theme. Infinite MOEtion adds the choir and electric guitar to Buzz's theme, with the Hawthorne theme overlaid in some sections. It's a fun wrap-up of the thematic material with an end credit flair. One Suite Buzz, is naturally a longer exploration of the main themes in slightly different arrangements with Buzz's fanfare getting the most repetition.

Giacchino's themes are the highlight of the score, and are used extensively through the score but not at the levels of The Batman. It's nice to get a fully orchestral (with choir!) animated sci-fi score and it's fun to hear a few of Giacchino's score influences mixed into the action. It doesn't drift into cartoonish sounding, with the score grounding the characters and adding the necessary emotional beats. Buzz's theme matches the film's version of the character and adds that hopeful and heroic moments the film needed.

In this edition of Spotlight On... I'm entering the world of the blockbuster Illumination franchise - Despicable Me& Minionsspinoffs. In honor of the newest release, I'm looking back score by score in the series.

Despicable Me (2010)
Music by Pharrell Williams, Heitor Pereira
Pharrell provided original songs and tunes that are featured as Gru's thematic material. The score features some breezy spy material, slight cartoony writing, and sweeter moments involving the girls. With Pharrell's songs being front and center, no official score album was released.

Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Music by Heitor Pereira, Pharrell Williams

Pharrell returns with new songs, the Minions are more prominent, and Pereira's score is overall more noticeable. The score is bolder, with more brass and electronics added. We get themes from the first film, more comic mayhem, slick spy material, as well as new Luchador-style material for El Macho. (Just listen to: Break-In, Going to Save the World, El Macho's Lair)

Minions (2015)
Music by Heitor Pereira
Pereira gets to really shine in his first solo score featuring a retro jazz ensemble, choir and several madcap styles. The previous Minion material gets expanded with a little extra for Kevin, Stuart and Bob. Scarlet Overkill, the new villain gets a theme. (Just listen to: Minions Through Time, Minion Mission, Greatest Renegade Unveiling)

Despicable Me 3 (2017)
Music by Heitor Pereira
New villain Bathazar Bratt brings an 80s synth vibe alongside a wide variety of musical styles for Gru and Dru's trip to Freedonia. We also hear the returning Minion music along with the previous breezy spy comedy style and a nice mix of short lighthearted and sentimental cues. (Just listen to: My Brother!, Sneaking, Rejected Me, Back and Bigger Than Ever)

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
Music by Heitor Pereira
Pereira offers up some plenty of 1970s funk to match the setting, adding in Kung Fu stylings and seemingly longer action cues in between songs. Of course we still get comic Minion material, matching their wilder situations in the action. (Just listen to: Vicious Funk, Intruders, Zodiac Battle)

Look for others franchises in my Spotlight On series:

Harry Potter, Batman, James Bond, Star Trek, Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men, Spider-Man, Superman, Transformers, Planet of the Apes, The Hunger Games, The Fast and the Furious, Mission Impossible, Rambo, The Terminator, MonsterVerse

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Music composed by Bear McCreary
Orchestra conducted by David Shipps
Additional music by Sam Ewing, Omer Ben-Zvi
Orchestrated by Benjamin Hoff, Jamie Thierman, Sean Barrett
Songs by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner
Song orchestrations by August Eriksmoen, Alan Lee Silva
Score recorded at Sound Kitchen, Nashville
Album running time: 53 minutes
Available on Sparks and Shadows (digital)

Easily the most appealing aspect of this animated film is Bear McCreary's score. I really enjoyed his first animated film, 2017's Animal Crackers. Originally titled Blazing Samurai, the film is a semi-remake of Blazing Saddles (1974). For the score, McCreary was drawn to the styles of 1970's martial arts funk and 1960's spaghetti westerns. Hearing the inspirations of Lalo Schifrin and Ennio Morricone add to the fun. McCreary supplemented his orchestra with a small group of Asian instrumental soloists that are heard throughout. The two main songs were written by Broadway songwriters Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner - Shaft-style "The Coolest Cat" for the end credits and western "Blazing Samurai" opening title number. The score's main theme for Hank is based on the "Blazing Samurai" melody.

Samurai For Dummies has the Hank theme tossed throughout the orchestra above the funky wah-wah guitar, bongos and brass hits. Henchman Ohga gets an imposing brass march in Kakamucho Under Attack as his gang enters the town. In Ikachu, we hear Ikachu's tango-esque theme, with woodwinds, pizzicato strings and woodblocks alongside his name chanted by the choir. The Shogun features brass fanfares and Asian touches, the cue ending with the Ikachu chant.

Hank's Escape leans heavy into the blended Samurai-Jazz-Morricone. It's a great mix of styles and instrumentation with a nice blend of action and comedy. Hank Meets Jimbo reuses Hank's theme in a lyrical adaption for his solo Japanese instruments before evolving into a Morricone style theme for trumpets. Signing the Contract gives us a flighty version of Hank's theme with some John Powell-esque touches and brassy jam.

Fireside Flashback is a great action cue full of taiko drums, Morricone trumpet solo, and jazzy pizzazz. Enter the Sumo brings more Morricone vibes with electric guitar, whistling, trumpet solos and and later adding jazzy elements and Ohga's theme with chanting choir. Meanwhile, Sumo Fight is a great mix of big band, wah-wah guitar, bongos and Japanese instruments. Origami features a lyrical/solemn version of the main theme with the traditional instruments taking the lead, which also continues into Torn Contract.

Jimbo's Sacrifice quickly bursts on the scene with a rousing version of Hank's theme, later adding in Ikachu's theme and the Japanese instruments. There's some quick action beats, heavy dramatics and a light comedic moment at the end of the cue. For The Battle of Kakamucho, McCreary uses all the themes and it builds up to some bombastic orchestral moments and another rousing statement of Hank's theme. Showdown on the Super Bowl uses the main theme with spaghetti western-style whistling, big orchestral moments, and choir chants. Samurai Hank has a great versions of Hank's theme, with some quieter reprises snuck inside the exciting orchestral writing. The last moments of the score jumps straight back to 70's funk with Hank's theme taking the lead.

McCreary's score really tells the action, comedy and emotion with his unique take on some familiar musical inspiration. While not over the top, we hear the tropes of the Schifrin 70's jazz, martial arts films and Morricone spaghetti westerns blended together. We've heard some of those ideas in films like Kung Fu Panda (2008) and Rango (2011), but McCreary uses them in some really creative ways. The score never feels frantic like the enjoyable Animal Crackers (2017) and his use of the song melody through the score is a blast.

Back to our musical score time machine! For this edition, we're looking back to 2012! Here's a look back at the scores of the year with my list of the 10 Best Scores Turning 10!

Let's start the ranking!

10. The Master (Jonny Greenwood)

Greenwood provides an unsettling score that digs at the dangerous underbelly of the characters. It's simple, yet complex with some hypnotic qualities - much like the film itself.

9. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Howard Shore)

One of the most anticipated scores, Shore added lighter moments and a book's worth of new motifs that blend into his Middle Earth sound. It's a smaller adventure than LOTR, but still works in the sweeping adventure and nice character moments.

8. Skyfall (Thomas Newman)

Newman added his own intriguing style to the moody atmosphere of the film. We get plenty of action and emotional weight with interesting ways of including the musical Bond references.

7. The Amazing Spider-Man (James Horner)

Horner made a big splash into superhero scoring and his Spider-Man theme is the strongest aspect of the score. He throws everything at the film - love theme, action and suspense with enough triumphant moments.

6. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (Andrew Lockington)

What a delight to hear a full adventure score with large intertwining themes. The orchestra and choir get to really show off with the majestic writing and energetic action sequences. More Andrew Lockington please!

5. The Impossible (Fernando Velazquez)

Velazquez's achingly beautiful score starts right at the powerful main title theme which is used throughout the score. His somber theme is lovely on strings and piano and adds so much humanity to a film about a horrific tragedy.

4. Brave (Patrick Doyle)

Doyle's score captures the independent spirit of Merida with Celtic flair and instrumentation. His lilting melodies mix wonderfully with the sentimental music that culminates in the touching finale.

3. John Carter (Michael Giacchino)

Giacchino's score conjures up the Martian characters, epic set pieces and heroic adventure. Similar to his Star Trek scores, we get a large orchestra and choir action score full of intriguing themes. It's worth the listen, even without the mediocre film.

2. The Life of Pi (Mychael Danna)

Danna's Oscar winning score features lovely and oftentimes subtle melodies like Pi's Lullaby. Much of the score is emotional storytelling, with majestic choir and Indian influences. It's a spiritual score that matches with the film's beautiful imagery

1. Lincoln (John Williams)

Williams stirs up his sentimental side with heavy doses of Americana melodies and harmonies. His stoic melodies for strings and soloists (with some great trumpet solos) are able to shine among the film's moving speeches. His introspective score is one of his finest and most intimate.

Honorable Mentions:
Beasts of the Southern Wild (Dan Romer, Benh Zeitlin)
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Thomas Newman)
The Hunger Games (James Newton Howard)
Rise of the Guardians (Alexandre Desplat)
W.E. (Abel Korzeniowski)

Any personal favorites of yours from 2012 that I didn't include?

In this Music Behind the Ride, we're taking a trip back to the early days of EPCOT to the Wonders of Life pavilion. I'll dig into the history and music of these classic closed attractions.

Located in EPCOT's Future World, the Wonders of Life pavilion was sandwiched between the Universe of Energy and Horizons, opening in October 1989. Sponsored by MetLife, the pavilion gave guests a look at heath and fitness through rides, films and fitness machines. The pavilion was known for the golden dome and huge Tower of Life DNA strand at the entrance.

Let's start with the main attraction - Body Wars. The attraction used the same new film and simulator technology used in Disneyland's Star Tours. [In Walt Disney World, Body Wars opened a few months before the MGM Studios' Star Tours]. For the ride, you will be exploring the human body onboard the LGS-2050 Body Probe Vehicle. We hear from Dr. Cynthia Lair (Elisabeth Shue) who is inside a body studying how white blood cells attack a splinter. Mission Control introduces us to our Bravo 229 pilot, Captain Braddock (Tim Matheson), and tells us enter and buckle into our seats.

The ship launches and miniaturizes as you launch under the skin. We see the splinter, white blood cells and spot Dr. Lair. She gets pulled into a capillary, and we follow her to the heart and lungs. Braddock shoots a laser to stun the cells as Dr. Lair boards the ship. Now the ship doesn't have enough energy to beam out, so we fly through the heart to the brain. The neurons fire, giving enough power to beam us back to the MET lab, where Mission Control tells us we broke all the rules but "managed to pull off the most spectacular mission".

The 7 minute film was directed by Leonard Nimoy, and was one of the first thrill rides at EPCOT. Speaking of thrill, the ride was notorious for being more intense than Star Tours. The combination of pulsing movement in the lungs and heartbeat sections, rough vehicle movements and anatomy subject led to frequent guests suffering motion sickness.

The music for the attraction was written by Leonard Rosenman. Rosenman recently had written the music for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) directed by Nimoy and much earlier had written the score to Fantastic Voyage (1966) a similarly themed body exploration film. The music was first released on the Film Score Society album Alexander the Great and Other Rare Rosenman in 2012.

In the next part, I'll explore the other attractions in the pavilion, including the other standout, Cranium Command.

Starting on Disney+ in 2021, there have been several Marvel Studios television series that are connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the shows add new characters and musical themes, the shows include musical cameos and references from several MCU films. Here's a rundown of MCU shows and the credited themes they included.

WandaVision (2021)
Series composed by Christophe Beck

Alongside Beck's score, we get television pastiche songs and WandaVision theme by Kristin Anderson-Lopez and Bobby Lopez. In the show, we also hear Doctor Strange Theme by Michael Giacchino and Avengers Theme by Alan Silvestri.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
Series composed by Henry Jackman

Henry Jackman naturally continued to use his Captain America, Falcon, Winter Soldier and Zemo themes from Captain America: Civil War and The Winter Soldier. We also get a snippet from Black Panther Score by Ludwig Göransson and a modernized version of "The Star-Spangled Man" by Alan Menken and David Zippel.

Loki (2021)
Series composed by Natalie Holt

While showing flashbacks of Loki's past, we hear cues from The Avengers by Alan Silvestri.

What If...? (2021)
Series composed by Laura Karpman

This Marvel animated anthology showed off several different timelines. Laura Karpman was able to play in the musical sandbox and sprinkle in themes from several films including Themes from Thor: Ragnarok by Mark Mothersbaugh, Themes from Thor by Patrick Doyle, Captain Marvel Theme by Pinar Toprak, Themes from Black Panther by Ludwig Göransson, Themes from Black Widow by Lorne Balfe, Themes from The Avengers by Alan Silvestri, Themes from Doctor Strange by Michael Giacchino, and Themes from Captain America: The First Avenger by Alan Silvestri.

Hawkeye (2021)
Series composed by Christophe Beck, Michael Paraskevas

In addition to the multiple Christmas needle drops, we hear Themes from Avengers: Endgame by Alan Silvestri and Black Widow Theme by Lorne Balfe.

Moon Knight (2022)
Series composed by Hesham Nazih

Shockingly, Moon Knight doesn't musically reference any other MCU projects.

Ms. Marvel (2022)
Series composed by Laura Karpman

Karpman featured several South Asian influences into her score which also includes another reference to "The Star-Spangled Man" by Alan Menken and David Zippel and the briefest hint of X-Men '97 Theme by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy [also used notably in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness].

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
Series composed by Amie Doherty

Doherty's fun modern score used references to Themes from Black Panther by Ludwig Göransson, a surprising cameos of Marvel Studios Fanfare by Michael Giacchino, Daredevil by John Paesano [from the Netflix series], and The Incredible Hulk Theme by Joe Harnell [from the 1970s series].

The Fabelmans
Music composed and conducted by John Williams
Music edited by Ramiro Belgardt
Music recorded and mixed by Shawn Murphy
Score recorded at Sony Pictures Studios
Album running time: 31 minutes
Available on Sony Classical

For Steven Spielberg's most recent film, he travels back to his childhood - and brings along his most trusted collaborator. Of course their work together started all way back with 1974's The Sugarland Express - now 29 films later. It's an intimate score for Williams, perfectly fitting Spielberg's personal portrait of Sammy Fabelman and family. It's also one of Williams' shorter scores, sparingly used in the film alongside source music and classic piano pieces (some of which are included on the album).

The piano tends to be featured in Williams' more reflective and emotional scores, and we hear the fantastic pianist Joanne Pearce Martin through most of the cues. The chamber-sized orchestra also features plenty of harp and celeste for lighter, subtle moments.

The Fabelmans begins with a lovely theme on piano solo. It's a pretty theme and is the score's main identity - Sammy and his relationship with his mother, even if it doesn't appear often in the film. Mitzi's Dance underscores his mother's angelic dance in the car headlights with strings, harp and celeste featured. This secondary theme is tied to scenes with Mitzi, always containing a bit of sadness and seemingly related to Satie's Gymnopédie No. 1. Next on the album is a real classical piece - a movement from Sonatina in A Minor by Friedrich Kuhlau.

Midnight Call moves slowly with dark lower strings before adding the long-held higher strings, with dissonances as they move. We also hear harp and celeste accents. Reverie brings the solo piano back and the descending second theme heard earlier in Mitzi's Dance. Mother and Son, a highlight of the album, brings the main theme to guitar (guitar solo by George Doering). Warm strings take the middle section, before the piano solo takes the theme over - it's a real delight.

Next is the spiritoso movement of Sonatina in C Major by Muzio Clementi. The second theme appears on a celeste in the start of Reflections with the light textures continuing on harp and solo violin. The next classical piece is the adagio movement of Bach's Concerto in D Minor with its ever present right hand ornamentation. New House continues the adagio tempo, with strings under a repeating piano figure and later adding a rare moment of brass.

The Letter begins with the descending theme on celeste, slowly adding in hopeful woodwind solos. The Journey Begins underscores the ending of Sammy's meeting at the studio - the breezy playfulness scherzo is sure to bring a smile to listeners. The film's credits roll with the excerpt of Haydn's Piano Sonata, before transitioning to Williams' secondary theme on celeste and strings. The main theme takes over on solo piano, with strings and guitar as accompaniment. There's a fantastic moment of strings taking the theme over, with glistening piano runs floating above.

The Fabelmans is an interesting mixed bag of music. We get Williams at his most restrained, still melodic but more distant that usual. His next film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny probably will have everything else we come to expect from the maestro.

We also see Williams and Spielberg minimally spot the film with original score - we hear it in key sequences but often it stays just beneath the surface in the most understated way. As mentioned before, it's a very short score, padded with some classical selections that interrupt the flow a bit. Overall, the score feels like a lovely gift, meticulously wrapped by Williams to Spielberg for all the years together and a fond remembrance of his parents and childhood.

In this Music Behind the Ride, we're continuing our look into the EPCOT classic pavilion - Wonders of Life. Part One featured the main attraction, Body Wars, which you can read here.

Located in EPCOT's Future World, the Wonders of Life pavilion was sandwiched between the Universe of Energy and Horizons, opening in October 1989. Sponsored by MetLife, the pavilion gave guests a look at heath and fitness through rides, films and fitness machines. The pavilion was known for the golden dome and huge Tower of Life DNA strand at the entrance.

On we go to another major attraction in the pavilion - Cranium Command.

It featured a look inside the militaristic functions of the brain as it connects with the rest of the human body. The show was divided into two sections: the animated preshow and main theater attraction with an animatronic, animation and live action segments.

In the preshow, we first meet our fearless leader - General Knowledge, in charge of us Cranium Commando recruits to run the brain. (Corey Burton provides the drill sergeant voice of the General). He runs through some facts about the brain and includes references to Albert Einstein and Jim Varney's Ernest character. We then meet Buzzy along with the new recruits. He gives each of them their human assignments with a bit of blustery insults. Buzzy is given the "most unstable craft in the fleet", a twelve year old adolescent boy. General Knowledge then orders everyone into the main theater.

The main theater is a few rows of benches facing the command center inside the head of twelve year old Bobby. We now see Captain Buzzy, an animatronic on a swivel chair. The General tells Buzzy he needs to guide Bobby through a typical day. We are introduced to Hypothalamus who explains his job as Bobby wakes up. We see everything through his POV with smaller screens around the control center. Buzzy checks in with the various parts with celebrity roles: steadfast Left Brain (Charles Grodin), groovy Right Brain (Jon Lovitz). In the heart we meet Left and Right Ventricle (Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey doing their SNL Hans and Franz bit). Frazzled Adrenal Gland (Bobcat Goldthwait) reports, as does hungry Stomach (George Wendt). As Buzzy rushes Bobby past breakfast and missing the bus, the various parts provide body commentary as he makes it into science class and meeting new cute classmate Annie. We follow Bobby into the cafeteria, meeting bullies and leading a food fight.

General Knowledge interrupts the chaos as the boy is sent to the principal's office. Buzzy takes control and gets the parts to cooperate. Bobby runs into Annie who agrees to meet up with him after school and kisses him, leading to cheers from all the parts. The General congratulates Buzzy for for keeping cool under stress and thanks us as we exit the auditorium.

Cranium Command opened with the pavilion in October 1989. The 20-ish minute show had some great comedy moments, aided with the 1980s comedians. The preshow was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise (both would go on to direct Beauty and the Beast, Hunchback and Atlantis). The live action segments were directed by Jerry Rees (director of The Brave Little Toaster among other park attractions). The music was written by David Newman, who worked on Brave Little Toaster and several future Disney projects. The preshow is full of militaristic fanfares and the main show is full of peppy and manic moments. As far as I've seen, no recording of the music has been released.

Next we head to the back of the pavilion to The Making Of Me.

At the entrance and in the park guide, this attraction had a parental warning as it features the topic human reproduction and birth - pretty unusual for a theme park.

Showing every 15 minutes, the show begins with host Martin Short (years before his appearance in O Canada! across the park). He narrates in his parents past, following them in school and the school dance. He also get in front of a chalkboard to lecture about the difference between male and female bodies. The school dance fades into their wedding with some pretty funny interludes. He awkwardly explains the way sperm meets the egg as the film turns animated. We see animated sperm in a race to the fallopian tubes. Next we see some up close fetal footage with Short narrating the stages. The footage fades out as the baby is born.

Music was composed by Bruce Broughton, the Disney parks musical legend. The music really carries this short film, with several sweet moments, and the full Carl Stalling-style cartoon segment with a Ride of the Valkyries reference and sexy saxophone representing the egg. No recording of this material has been publicly released.

The rest of the pavilion had the Fitness Fairgrounds, small activities and shorter programs. Goofy About Health was an 8 minute theater show reminding the audience to exercise, eat right and be healthy. Of course you see Goofy with his bad habits and the doctor sings the "Unhealthy Living Blues" over a montage of old Goofy cartoons. The AnaComical Theatre had actors doing improv sketches about healthy lifestyles, which ended in 2000. The Sensory Funhouse had interactive exhibits to test your senses. The more active section had Coach's Corner with sports equipment to test your swing speed, Wonder Cycles to pedal your stationary bike while watching video clips. There was also Frontiers of Medicine with its real medical exhibits and Lifestyle Revue gave you health tips after putting your habits into a computer.

By 2001, MetLife ended their sponsorship of the pavilion. The main attractions continued to run, with the fairground area staying generally empty. In 2004, the entire pavilion ran only seasonally before officially closing the doors in 2007. The pavilion was used for Epcot Festivals with most of the interior details removed or just blocked off. In 2019, talks were made to transform the The Wonders of Life pavilion into the Play Pavilion....which may be officially cancelled as of 2022.

Like many things from the original Epcot days, this pavilion fizzled away over the decades. The attractions from this pavilion haven't had the same resurgence in Disney nostalgia like other things from lost Epcot. The exception may be Buzzy, whose apparent theft gave many Disney fans something to discuss. Overall, the pavilion was a fun and interesting way to tackle the info-tainment that was part of early Epcot's vision.

Babylon
Music composed by Justin Hurwitz
Orchestrated and conducted by Justin Hurwitz
Album running time: 97 minutes
Available on Interscope Records

By now, we know director Damien Chazelle and Justin Hurwitz love jazz. They've collaborated on Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009), Whiplash (2014), La La Land (2016) and First Man (2018) - many of which are jazz based scores. In their films, music is often the subject and carries much of the weight of the film. And boy this movie is covered in music - namely source music performed by the on screen bands and film ensembles. We hear a lot of party music throughout with a 1940s big band style (even if the film takes place in the 1920s). There is traditional film score as well, held together mainly by the main character theme. It's a long album, so I'll be brief with a mostly non-spoiler rundown.

Welcome starts with crowd hoots and vocals adding to the saxophones, clarinets and trumpets with some solos taking over this raucous party music. Next we meet an important part of the emotional underscore in Manny and Nellie’s Theme. The minor key honky-tonk piano and finger snaps sound like a very close relative of "City of Stars" - this theme will come back in different reprises throughout the score. King of the Circus continues the party scoring with interesting vocals and drums before the repetitive pattern adds the woodwinds and brass. Jazz source continues in Jub Jub with another repeating riff for brass/sax.

Coke Room is a lively version of the Manny/Nellie Theme featuring sax. My Girl's Pussy is is a slow jazz number performed at the party (original lyrics by Harry Roy from 1931!) while Idaho picks up the lively pace and features Theremin. Voodoo Mama is the signature piece of the film and used in much of the advertising as Nellie wildly dances at the party - we hear the growling saxes and wailing trumpet that builds until the chaotic ending. Gold Coast Rhythm (Wallach Party) is the music as everyone scraps themselves together after the party - with a few melodic similarities to La La Land. Ain't Life Grand brings back the Manny/Nellie theme with honky-tonk piano, added organ and vibes. Babylon features erhu and a large buildup signifying the title card.

Morning is mix of Schubert-inspired classical and jazz with piano and strings taking the lead. As we see the Kinescope filming day, we get several source cues: Kinescope Ragtime Piano, Kinescope Erhu (Orientally Yours) on erhu, Kinescope Carnival Music cleverly reprising the music from the opening, and Kinescope Organ Music. We also see a full orchestra on set performing the classical work Night on Bald Mountain (Modest Mussorgsky) as they stage the large action fight.

Herman's Hustle uses Manny/Nellie's theme on sax with some wild percussion. Gold Coast Sunset underscores the funny moment of getting the last shot before the sun sets with a bit of Wagner's Liebestod as classical inspiration. Champagne, a samba-like piece based on unused La La Land music builds with trumpet solos. Wild Child is a fun jazz piece with chorus over the montage of Nellie's rise to fame. Manny/Nellie's theme returns as they reconnect in New York, while the theme is more bare and sadder in See You Back in LA. Red Devil is jazz source party music after Kinescope moves to talking pictures.

I Want a Man is a steel drum version of Manny/Nellie's theme in addition to lyrics barely heard in the party background. We see an erhu playing at the party as Orientally Yours expands on the Kinescope source heard earlier - this time with a seductive interlude. Gimme underscores Nellie taking over the party leading them to the snake fight in the desert. In the studio, we see the studio filming the The Hollywood Revue of 1929 version of Singin' in the Rain with trumpet obbligato. Pharaoh John, another source jazz piece underscoring the rise of trumpet player Sidney Palmer.

As Manny and Nellie reconnect, we hear a bit of their melancholic theme in Meet Miss LaRoy. Call Me Manny continues the upbeat version of their theme. Classical inspiration à la Ravel's Bolero underscores Nellie's attempt to class things up at the Hearst Party. Damascus Thump is aggressive quasi-source with featured a heartbreaking moment Sidney Palmer on trumpet. All Figured Out returns back to Manny/Nellie's theme. Nea Smyrni plays as we enter the exotic world of the mob and Waikele Tango plays during the odd encounter with the mob boss. For their unnerving visit to the "underworld", we hear Toad and Blockhouse - full of Theremin-esque electronics and processed voices. Listen closely for the early party theme appearing in the latter cue.

Jack's Party Band is boppy party music while Gold Coast Rhythm (Jack’s Party) is the same laidback tune heard after the initial party. Levántate and Señor Avocado are Latin-eque pieces as Manny and Nellie escape to Mexico with some great jazz trumpet moments. Source music returns in Heyo with vocals and Gold Coast Rhythm (Juan Bonilla) brings back a peppier version of that theme heard a few times.

Te Amo Nellie brings the Manny/Nellie theme back as she dances into the dark. We see Sidney's return to the stage and hear Gold Coast Rhythm (Sidney’s Solo) with more elaborate trumpet solo. The same piece underscores a melancholic montage of the passage of time. Manny wanders Los Angeles and into a movie theater, catching Singin' in the Rain. As he's watching, we get to hear a wistful version of their theme in Manny and Nellie’s Theme (Reprise). Finale continues with their theme before overlapping the opening party theme, as he flashbacks to his time in Hollywood. The music turns to wild cacophony and a reprise of the title card music.

In Babylon, Hurwitz's music blurs the line between score and source music. What starts as party music, transfers over to montages, and full dialogue scenes. If some of the music seems repetitive during the cues, it is often dialed down during dialogue or when the band isn't seen.

The main themes that return are changed around enough to follow the story, mainly Manny and Nellie's Theme and the Gold Coast Rhythm. They are easy to follow during the film and represent the story on the album.

This album is the total listening package, much like the La La Land Complete Musical Experience combination of song and score albums. Fans of the score could easily trim the 97 minute release into a more concentrated listen if they so choose.

Hurwitz didn't step completely out of his comfort zone with this score, but his sheer ambition to create a nonstop party with generous amounts of source music, electronics, fantastic instrumental solos over a ton of sessions is admirable. The amount of music and its importance in the film is what has clearly caught on with listeners and critics alike.

Here's the annual 2022 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

All Quiet On The Western Front (Volker Bertelmann)

Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Banshees Of Inisherin (Carter Burwell)

Everything Everywhere All At Once (Son Lux)
The Fabelmans (John Williams)

GOLDEN GLOBE
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

*Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Banshees of Inisherin (Carter Burwell)

The Fabelmans (John Williams)

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat)

Women Talking (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS (BAFTA)

All Quiet On The Western Front (Volker Bertelmann)

Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Banshees Of Inisherin (Carter Burwell)

Everything Everywhere All At Once (Son Lux)

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat)

ANNIE AWARDS
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE PRODUCTION

Awards 2/25

SATELLITE AWARDS (INTERNATIONAL PRESS ACADEMY)
ORIGINAL SCORE

Awards 2/14

Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Banshees of Inisherin (Carter Burwell)

The Fabelmans (John Williams)

Top Gun: Maverick (Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, Hans Zimmer & Lorne Balfe)

The Woman King (Terence Blanchard)

Women Talking (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSIC/SCORE

*RRR (M.M. Keeravani)

Runner-up: EO (Paweł Mykietyn)

HOLLYWOOD CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST SCORE

Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Banshees of Inisherin (Carter Burwell)

The Batman (Michael Giacchino)

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat)

Women Talking (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

SAN DIEGO FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
BEST USE OF MUSIC

The Banshees of Inisherin
*Elvis
The Fabelmans
Runner-up: TÁR
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Banshees of Inisherin (Carter Burwell)

The Fabelmans (John Williams)

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat)

*Women Talking (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

SEATTLE FILM CRITICS SOCIETY

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

*Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Banshees of Inisherin (Carter Burwell)

The Batman (Michael Giacchino)

The Fabelmans (John Williams)

Nope (Michael Abels)

WASHINGTON DC AREA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

*The Batman (Michael Giacchino)

The Fabelmans (John Williams)

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat)

TÁR (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

Women Talking (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
*RRR (M.M. Keeravani)

CHICAGO FILM CRITICS AWARDS
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

*Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Banshees of Inisherin (Carter Burwell)

The Batman (Michael Giacchino)

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat)

RRR (M.M. Keeravani)

DETROIT FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
BEST USE OF MUSIC/SOUND

ST. LOUIS FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSIC SCORE

Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Banshees of Inisherin (Carter Burwell)

The Batman (Michael Giacchino)

The Fabelmans (John Williams)

*Women Talking (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

INDIANA FILM JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSICAL SCORE

*Winner: The Batman (Michael Giacchino)

Runner-up: RRR (M.M. Keeravani)

AUSTIN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST SCORE

*Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Banshees of Inisherin (Carter Burwell)

The Batman (Michael Giacchino)
Everything Everywhere All at Once (Son Lux)

RRR (M.M. Keeravani)

NORTH CAROLINA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSIC

Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Banshees of Inisherin (Carter Burwell)

*The Batman (Michael Giacchino)
The Fabelmans (John Williams)
RRR (M.M. Keeravani)

DALLAS-FORT WORTH FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSICAL SCORE

*Winner: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat)

Runner-up: The Fabelmans (John Williams)

HOUSTON FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Banshees of Inisherin (Carter Burwell)

Empire of Light (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross)

The Fabelmans (John Williams)

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat)

Women Talking (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

PHOENIX CRITICS CIRCLE
BEST SCORE

*Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Batman (Michael Giacchino)

The Fabelmans (John Williams)

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat)

LAS VEGAS FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
BEST SCORE

The Batman (Michael Giacchino)

The Fabelmans (John Williams)

*Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat)

The Northman (Robin Carolan & Sebastian Gainsborough)

Women Talking (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

PORTLAND CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)
Runner-up: The Batman (Michael Giacchino)
*Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat)
RRR (M.M. Keeravani)

FLORIDA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
BEST SCORE

*Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

Runner-up: Empire of Light (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross)

Everything Everywhere All at Once (Son Lux)

The Fabelmans (John Williams)

Runner-up: Nope (Michael Abels)

GEORGIA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Runner-up: Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)
*The Batman (Michael Giacchino)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Ludwig Göransson)

The Fabelmans (John Williams)
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat)

Nope (Michael Abels)

LONDON FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT (FOR MUSIC)
None given

BLACK REEL AWARDS
OUTSTANDING SCORE

Alice (Common)

End of the Road (Craig Deleon)

Nanny (Tanerelle & Bartek Gliniak)

Nope (Michael Abels)

The Woman King (Terence Blanchard)

CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS
BEST SCORE

Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)

The Batman (Michael Giacchino)

The Fabelmans (John Williams)

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat)

*Tár (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

Women Talking (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

SATURN AWARDS
BEST MUSIC

This edition of Spotlight On takes a look back at Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this phase we get new composers with some returning favorites, a few MCU missteps and a grab bag of returning themes.

Black Widow (2021)
Music by Lorne Balfe
Balfe finally gives Black Widow her own theme - a moving piece that appears in several serious and action settings. His villain material covers Dreykov, Taskmaster and the Red Room with slithering electronics and dark choir. The Russian choral and traditional instrumentation add a nice touch to the score. (Just listen to: Natasha's Lullaby, Fireflies, Yelena Belova, Natasha Soars)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Music by Joel P. West
In his highest profile score to date, West was able to blend the Marvel sound with a Chinese ensemble. The instrumentation stands out among the lyrical moments (which end up being better than the battle music). Shang-Chi's theme is present through much of the score, as is the villain Wenwu - a variation of the same theme. These main themes layer together, much like themes for mother Ying Li and sister Xialing. (Just listen to: Xu Shang-Chi, Your Mother, The Waterfall, Ancestors)

Eternals (2021)
Music by Ramin Djawadi

Djawadi returns to the MCU with a more orchestral and dramatic score. For themes, there's the overarching Eternals theme and foreboding Celestials theme but they don't stand out too much within the film. There's more mystical aspects, and the score features more somber moments than action. (Just listen to: Eternals Theme, Not Worth Saving, Across the Oceans of Time, This Is Your Fight Now)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Music by Michael Giacchino
Giacchino finished out his trilogy by returning to several of his themes - the Spidey theme, Doctor Strange theme, the love theme and a brief Mysterio appearance from Far From Home. For this film, he adds a theme representing loss, hope, and an multi-use villain theme. With the multiverse opening, we also get plenty of slapped in past references from other Spider-Man films with music by Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer and James Horner. (Just listen to: Gone in a Flash, Sling vs Bling, Shield of Pain, Arachoverture)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Music by Danny Elfman
Giacchino's original Doctor Strange theme makes a few cameos, as does Elfman's expansion of the theme for Wanda from Age of Ultron. Elfman gives Strange a new theme, but gets overshadowed by Wanda's thematic material which is allowed to go full monstrous. America Chavez's material is also heard a few times in pivotal moments. Elfman's music for the musical fight is a blast, as is the several music cameos that were released as bonus tracks. (Just listen to: Multiverse of Madness, Cup of Tea, Lethal Symphony, The Illuminati, Main Titles)

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Music by Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad
Thor gets (another) new theme with a few electronic references to the style from Ragnarok. This theme also represents Jane's Mighty Thor while the villainous Gorr gets an ominous motif that doesn't stand out from the orchestral textures. It's important to note that themes were by Giacchino with score by Giacchino and collaborator Nami Melumad. (Just listen to: Mama's Got a Brand New Hammer, Gorr Animals, The Zeus Fanfares, The Ballad of Love and Thunder)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Music by Ludwig Göransson
Göransson builds on the musical textures from his Oscar-winning score. He continues collaborating with African vocalists and percussionists, mixing his style into his past themes. We hear Black Panther's theme, Wakanda theme, Dora Milaje's motif. He adds in a new theme for Shuri and dramatic theme for Namor - incorporating Mayan musical touches and instrumentation.   (Just listen to: Imperius Rex, Wakanda Forever, Yibambe!, T'Challa)

Check out the others in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series!

MCU Phase One, MCU Phase Two, MCU Phase Three

The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Music composed by Brian Tyler
Original Nintendo themes by Koji Kondo
Score conducted by Brian Tyler
Score recorded at Warner Bros Studios - Eastwood Stage
Album running time: 87 minutes
Available on Back Lot Music

Here we go! Of course the music of the Mario games is iconic as the characters. As part of the references and major nostalgia, there are tons of classic Mario themes used. I'm sure Mario music experts will be digging through the soundtrack second-by-second even more than I tried to do.

Thankfully, Brian Tyler added his own themes into the Mario universe - a theme for Mario & Luigi, Peach, Donkey Kong and of course over-the-top villain theme for Bowser. Tyler was able to blend the new and old themes together into a cohesive listening experience that is just plain fun for Nintendo fans. I'm going into the album track-by track and seeing what's in store.

Super Mario Bros. Opus is a suite of the main Tyler material, with little snippets of classic Kondo bits. Right after the classic Mario theme opening, we get the peppy new Mario Bros theme (which I think is intentionally written to mix nicely with the game theme). Next is the grand Peach/Mushroom Kingdom theme and a quiet, piano-led section for Peach and Mario before returning to the Peach theme with choir layered with the Super Star motif. We transition into the menacing Bowser music which plays a large part in score. The Mario theme returns and builds to a big finish and a wink to classic Mario. It's a great album suite, full of what Tyler has to offer.

Next up is Press Start - Mario's theme is right upfront with some light orchestration with some 8-bit sound effects and overlays of Kondo motifs - the best moment is the orchestra speeding up after we hear the classic Hurry Up motif with the Super Star and Death motifs to close the track. King of the Koopas brings a militaristic rhythm to Airship and Bowser's theme, in addition to some serious villain writing and a rock interlude. Plumbin' Aint Easy brings the cheerful Mario theme back with some orchestral flourishes. It's a Dog Eat Plumber World starts off with a cool jazz version of Super Mario 3's Ground before jumping into some big hits and charging strings and choir. We get a bit of tension building in Saving Brooklyn with drums and strings.

The Warp Pipe begins with some suspense and bits of the original Underground motif before taken over by choir and racing strings. Strange New World starts with original Mario theme in choir. A change of orchestration brings us Captain Toad's theme (heard prominently in Super Mario 3D World), and later a brief statement of Bowser's theme and fanfare version of the Castle theme (Mario 64). The Darklands explores the darker side of Bowser's kingdom and features plenty of references in the mix including Deep Dark Galaxy (Galaxy), Fortress (Super Mario 3), Ghost House (Super Mario World) and dark version of music from Luigi's Mansion.

Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom references original Mario themes (Fossil Falls from Odyssey, Mario Bros 3, World, Super Mario Bros, Galaxy and 64) at a breakneck speed - it's an amazing feat to blend them together. 2 Player Game lets the new Mario theme shine, first on solo violin followed by the whole orchestra with little interludes of the original Mario theme. Bits of the Mushroom Kingdom theme appear and eventually Bowser's theme stomps in which is then replaced by a large reprise of Mario's theme with the classic theme mixed in. The Mushroom Council jumps around with styles, but includes Bowser's theme, Mushroom Kingdom and a nod to Peronza Plaza from Odyssey. The Plumber and the Peach leads with Tyler's original themes and builds up to Mario's theme.

Platforming Princess naturally gives Peach's theme a workout ending with the classic flag Course Clear. World 1-1 uses a strong version of Mario's theme with classic Mario sprinkled in. The theme gets a little waltz variation and at this point, the new theme is definitely stuck in your head and feels like it belongs alongside the original game music. The Adventure Begins starts right off with the Course Clear motif, Castle theme (64) and the Mushroom Kingdom theme in various fanfares with Bowser's theme near the end of the track. Bowser sits at a piano singing Peaches, it's pretty funny moment that works better in theater than on album.

Lost and Crowned is used in some of the quieter moments, with Peach's backstory. Imprisoned features more ominous Bowser material and some light underscoring moments. The change of location in Courting the Kongs gives us jungle percussion and serious version of Jungle Hijinx from Donkey Kong Country. The fun jungle rhythms continue in Drivin' Me Bananas, with Mario's theme getting a jungle rock variation. The percussion and chants continue in Rumble in the Jungle, with plenty of thrilling fanfares of Peach and Mario's themes.

The next bunch of tracks feature the Mario Kart race. We start off with Karts! featuring a great reference to the kart selection from Mario Kart 8 before really kicking it into gear with Tyler's signature rock drums with Mario's theme. In the middle of the race, we cut to Bowser's wedding speech "rehearsal" in Practice Makes Perfect. Buckle Up builds back up the race leading into the classic Rainbow Road music combined with Mario and Peach's themes. Rainbow Road Rage brings Bowser's theme into the action which keeps ratcheting up the tension leading up to a heroic Mario theme right before leading into the next track. Blue Shelled has some fantastic choir moments with running strings and the original Tyler themes in some new variations.

An Indecent Proposal naturally combines Peach and Bowser's themes, with a few comic moments tossed in the middle of the over-the-top drama. The Belly of the Beast sees our heroes in....the belly of a beast, not before escaping with a heroic Mario fanfare. Fighting Tooth and Nail is the first Bowser fight and it culminates in a bunch of game themes like the ending of Super Mario Bros, the Airship (Mario 3), lively remix of Ground (Super Mario Bros), Athletic (Mario 3) and even some Galaxy mixed with Tyler's Mario theme.

Tactical Tanooki builds back up the frantic pace as Mario flies in his raccoon suit away from Banzai Bill. Next up is the Mario Brothers Rap, their commercial heard also earlier in the film (originally from The New Super Mario Brothers Super Show). The big battle continues in Grapple in the Big Apple. The sweeter moments between Mario and Luigi are a highlight.

Superstars brings back the Super Star motif combined with Mario's theme in the big finale of their boss battle with Bowser. The Super Mario Brothers reprises Mario and Peach's themes. Bonus Level is from the end credit scene features a bit of mystery with jungle drums and flute and then a Mario theme reprise. Level Complete is the beginning of the credits with a payload of classic Mario themes like Super Mario Bros theme, Super Mario Bros 2 Overworld theme, Underground, Captain Toad, Super Mario Bros 3 Bonus, Underwater theme, Castle motif from Super Mario World and Gusty Garden Galaxy from Mario Galaxy before ending with one finale statement of Tyler's Mario theme. The arrangements are a blast!

The film and score are pure fun. There's almost 40 years worth of nostalgic Mario music that Brian Tyler and Koji Kondo were able to [lovingly] cram into the film. The album is a bit out of order and has some music not used in the film - not to mention the now infamous pop songs instead of score. The large orchestra is cranked up to the max throughout the whole film - Tyler is known for his rock style orchestra that really shines here. His new material also gets lots of play, but fits brilliantly into the Nintendo world - his Mario theme is one of the catchiest he's written since Iron Man 3 in my opinion. It's a sugary-sweet score to a candy of a film, already liked by fans of all ages.

Throughout his theatrical writing career, Andrew Lloyd Webber has become a household name. He is known for his extremely popular hit musicals worldwide, but I wanted to take a look at the film adaptations over the years.

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)

The Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical started life as rock opera album before turning into a hit on Broadway and in London. For the film, several Broadway cast members returned along with all the original songs with the new song, "Then We Are Decided". The film was nominated at the Oscars for Best Original Song Score and/or Adaptation (Andrew Lloyd Webber, André Previn and Herbert W. Spencer)

Evita (1996)

After years of stalled adaptations, Lloyd Webber and Rice's 1978 London/1979 Broadway hit finally made it to the big screen with Madonna in the lead role. Most of the original songs carried over, and also included "The Lady's Got Potential" from the 1976 concept album. With a rewrite of the last half, director Alan Parker reunited ALW and Rice after years of falling out. The song became "You Must Love Me", which won Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice the Oscar and has since been added to subsequent live productions.

The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

After taking London by storm in 1986 and Broadway in 1988 and years of development, Phantom arrived in the movie theater. The film added more backstory and pathos, but was generally disliked by critics. The Phantom was given a new ballad, titled "No One Would Listen". After the song was cut, the melody was used for the end credits song "Learn to be Lonely" with new lyrics by Charles Hart. The song was nominated for Best Song at the Oscars.

Cats (2019)

It's hard to sum up what director Tom Hooper did with this London and Broadway hit. The musical numbers are generally untouched. The film elaborated on Victoria, and she is given a new ballad "Beautiful Ghosts", written by ALW and Taylor Swift. (Swift appears as Bombalurina and sings the end credits version). Lloyd Webber has since disowned the critical and box office bomb. However, the new song was nominated for the Golden Globe and Grammy awards.

One of the more successful ventures for Lloyd Webber were the direct-to-video and television versions. They vary in quality, but are faithful versions of the original theatrical shows. Soon after the London closure, Song and Dance was filmed live for television in 1984. In a streak, we've gotten Cats (1998), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1999), Jesus Christ Superstar (2000), By Jeeves (2001). The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall celebrated the show's 25th anniversary with a staged production shown in theaters and home video in 2011. The Phantom sequel, Love Never Dies was filmed live in Australia also 2011 for home video. In 2018, NBC aired Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. It won Outstanding Variety Special (Live) at the Emmys, giving Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice EGOT status.

For his non-theatrical work, Lloyd Webber has written two film scores.

Gumshoe (1971)

A noir-like black comedy follows Albert Finney getting himself in too deep while wishing he was a 1940's private eye. There isn't much original music, but one melody became the title song in Sunset Boulevard decades later. He also wrote the source song "Baby, You're Good for Me" with Tim Rice. There has been no official soundtrack release.

The Odessa File (1974)

This thriller has Jon Voight tracking down neo-Nazis in 1960s Germany. Again, music is sparse, except for some electronic suspense and chase music and Miller's theme which eventually was reused in Evita as "Art of the Possible". ALW and Rice also wrote the song "Christmas Dream" sung by Perry Como as source music and used other times in the score.

The Little Mermaid

Score by Alan Menken

Lyrics by Howard Ashman

New Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Additional Music by Julian Kershaw, Michael Higham, Jeff Morrow, Aaron Kenny

Vocal Arrangements and Additional Song Arrangements by Michael Kosarin

Total album running time: Regular 40 minutes, Deluxe 78 minutes
Available on Walt Disney Records

Of course we all know the Disney renaissance masterpieces by Menken and Ashman: The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Aladdin (1992). We've now seen all of them get the live-action remake treatment in 2023, 2017 and 2019, respectively.

Like before, Alan Menken returns with an updated score, with new arrangements and new renditions of familiar songs. Skipping past anything from the Broadway adaptation, we get 3 new songs by Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. From the original film, they've sadly cut Daughters of Triton and Les Poissons. A new song for Triton, Impossible Child, was also cut.

With the deluxe version, it's just the soundtrack and then 22 score tracks - I've decided to go in album order rather than the corrected film order.

Triton's Kingdom has rippling string patterns accompanying parts of Part of Your World and Ariel's siren. We hear string runs and some great female vocals as we journey through the underwater environment. Halle Bailey provides a thrilling new rendition of Part of Your World, showing off her vocal range with added flair among a lush new orchestral arrangement. Fathoms Below begins with an original score callback to "Fireworks", as we meet Prince Eric's ship and crew partying. The shortened song is given a sea chanty arrangement. Bailey gives a lovely rendition of Part of Your World (Reprise), and in the interlude we get a few statements of the melody from Wild Uncharted Waters.

Under the Sea expands the calypso vibe with Daveed Diggs' charming vocal. The orchestral arrangement seems simplified and never reaches the full "hot crustacean band" he promises. The Ariel harmonies are sweet but seem out of character, and the film version has a lively underwater dance break that didn't make the soundtrack. Wild Uncharted Waters is the new standout ballad for Prince Eric, incorporating Ariel's siren. Melissa McCarthy provides a delightfully campy version of Poor Unfortunate Souls, even if the middle section has been cut. New song For the First Time gives us Ariel's inner thoughts in her human world montage - creatively using a original film motif also used in Broadway's "Beyond My Wildest Dreams". Kiss the Girl uses a simplified calypso arrangement with only the supporting characters adding harmony. The Scuttlebutt has been getting the attention of the internet as the "worst Disney song" using Miranda's need to add some fast lyrics cramming some exposition for Scuttle and Sebastian.

Eric's Decision opens with parts of Wild Uncharted Waters and builds with the siren call. Vanessa's Trick continues the siren call before it turns into the Poor Unfortunate Souls reprise as we reveal Vanessa's true identity. The new section, Part of Your World (Reprise II) adds more pathos to Ariel's choices with some subtle cello and violin solos. Kiss the Girl (Island Band Reprise) is a charming calypso source cue. Finale is primarily the Part of Your World melody building to a choral climax with Wild Uncharted Waters mixed in.

Opening Title has the rippling water motif with Ariel's siren. Eric's Ship features churning strings with rising brass chords. Shipwreck Graveyard has some mysterious underscoring with some lighthearted rippling motif for woodwinds. Shark Attack lets the orchestra rip with banging percussion, brass clusters and wild strings before settling down with the siren motif. Dinglehopper brings some excitement with Scuttle and later a sprightly version of the siren.

In Ursula's Reveal we hear some fun rubbed percussion and creepy string effects - much more sinister than before. Ariel's Grotto has some nice string and choral moments with the siren. Shipwreck again lets the orchestra shine with bits of the original's Storm reused. The calm returns in The Rescue, using part of Eric's Uncharted Waters theme. Triton's Fury builds on the ripple motif as Triton destroys her human artifacts. Journey to Ursula continues a variation of Ariel's siren in tremolo strings and hints of Poor Unfortunate Souls. The eerie Ursula sounds continue with later string attacks and brass jabs. Ursula's Lair uses an woodwind ostinato through the track with string harmonics.

Eric's Library is a lovely track for strings and harp using fragments of Wild Uncharted Waters but never sounds far from Part of Your World. Carriage Ride brings an exciting take of statements of Wild Uncharted Waters and For the First Time. Marketplace is calypso steel drums with trumpet solo and later with the melody of Kiss the Girl. Ursula's Potion uses some creepy low strings/woodwinds and choir. Ariel Regains Her Voice charges ahead as they battle Vanessa's shell away as her siren call making a full appearance returning to Ariel. The Sun Sets rises up to some stings and dramatic moments.

Ursula Battle continues the dissonance but picks up the orchestral action with swirling strings and large brass presence and we do get bits of Poor Unfortunate Souls and Wild Uncharted Waters among the commotion. Metamorphosis uses a string figure and builds with brass and choir. The Kiss is a lovely reprise of Wild Uncharted Waters before a phrase of Part of Your World. The same themes are intertwined in the sentimental Ariel's Goodbye.

I'm glad they released the deluxe edition with score, but you really do need to put it in film order for it to make sense. Disney does love to frontload the soundtracks with the songs so you don't have to find them. Menken's original melodies are still the Disney gold standard and his team of co-composers work them into the underscore, but not as much as Menken used to. The song arrangements fit this version, although I was often wishing for a bit more. The underscore is still prominent, bigger and dramatic, but still gives time to reflective instrumental solos, and calypso source music. Put the album in order and get transported under the sea for some of Menken's best melodies.

Back to our musical score time machine! For this edition, we're looking way back to 1993! 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. True Romance (Hans Zimmer)

Repeating through the film, you hear the "You're So Cool" theme. Its use is an homage to Badlands (1973) and an arrangement of Gassenhauer from the Orff Schulwerk - but it somehow works in this wild comedy/romance/crime Tony Scott film.

9. Searching for Bobby Fischer (James Horner)

A lovely Horner score featuring wistful themes on woodwinds and piano. It's a smaller dramatic score, but with all the careful brushstrokes. The finale is a standout, and you hear the "genius" music which has appeared in future Horner scores.

8. The Piano (Michael Nyman)

Nyman composed a generally minimalist (but warm) score for Jane Campion's lovely film. It's unobtrusive, flowing through scenes with its gorgeous flowing piano solos and featured woodwinds. Even more surprising is the success the album had - going gold and platinum.

7. The Fugitive (James Newton Howard)

The jagged rhythms in the suspense and action cues keep these score memorable - it's effective in the thriller and action territories. He uses synths and percussion in the forefront, shown in cues like the explosive Helicopter Chase.

6. Gettysburg (Randy Edelman)

The rousing main theme matches the sweeping Civil War epic and ranks with Edelman's finest. His battle music generally keeps the momentum, while giving some quieter moments to guitar. His use of synths are an interesting choice for the time/budget, and might discourage some listeners.

5. Tombstone (Bruce Broughton)

Another killer western score like Silverado before it. Broughton shines with a strong main theme, love theme, gritty action and darker moments. The score elevates the film's drama and violence of the OK Corral.

4. Rudy (Jerry Goldsmith)

After Hoosiers, Goldsmith brings his best to stronger sports drama. The score crosses between the lovely Irish-themed main theme and thrilling game theme. Both themes stand out in his filmography as slightly simple but incredibly effective and memorable.

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (Danny Elfman)

A perfect match of music and vision - Elfman's knack for kooky melodies are on full display in the songs (which he wrote and sang). It's hard to imagine the film without Elfman's style of writing and the fun arrangements/orchestrations. The score blends the Halloween and Christmas worlds and breathes life into the characters.

2. Jurassic Park (John Williams)

I'm drawn to the bombast and majesty that Williams can offer - and both are on display. He is able to expertly juggle the action and horror aspects of the island, but capture the awe and wonder of the dinosaurs. His main theme (and adventure theme) easily gets added to the list of his most famous works.

1. Schindler's List (John Williams)

Williams transports listeners with evocative violin solos performed by Itzhak Perlman. Often restrained and underscored, the score is known for its heartbreaking main theme, but there is more moving and dramatic moments outside of that. As the film garnered much praise and awards, it's no surprise Williams was honored for his contribution.

Honorable Mentions:
Addams Family Values (Marc Shaiman), Dave (James Newton Howard), The Firm (Dave Grusin), Hocus Pocus (John Debney), Indecent Proposal (John Barry), The Three Musketeers (Michael Kamen)

Any personal favorites of yours from 1993 that I didn't include?

In this Music Behind the Ride, I wanted to look at a current music-based attraction located in almost all the Disney parks - Mickey's PhilharMagic.

Mickey's PhilharMagic is a 4-D theater show featuring the antics of Donald Duck, Mickey's sorcerer's hat from Fantasia and musical selections from popular Disney animated films.

Here's the rundown of the show - Mickey Mouse is advertised in concert with his PhilharMagic Orchestra. The lobby is lined with past concert posters, with background music playing classical selections from Fantasia and instrumental Disney songs. You also pick up your 3D "opera glasses" before entering the theater.

We hear Goofy doing some finishing touches as the stage manager and then Minnie gives us the pre-show spiel. They hurriedly begin the show before realizing Donald and the orchestra are missing. Mickey comes onstage to a sleeping Donald, telling him to get the orchestra ready and "don't touch my hat".

Donald pulls all the instruments out of a crate before stepping on the podium with baton in hand. As he sneakily puts on the sorcerer's hat, the instruments come to life and begin to tune and play snippets of songs. He calls them to attention and they play in cacophony - one piccolo bounces around performing the "Mickey Mouse Club March" which he then throws into the audience and boomerangs back to him. Getting angry, he tries to stomp on the piccolo which brings all the instruments above him and swirl around him in a cloud of smoke. We hear a minor version of the march as Donald and instruments go flying around into a vortex.

After a moment of darkness, we see the familiar flame of Lumiere as he sings the first verse of "Be Our Guest". Donald is sitting at the table and sees the sorcerer's hat bounce by on a dish. We also get a few smells piped into the auditorium as food is shown. The song continues into the finale with popping champagne bottles represented with air bursts in the theater. Donald crashes into a pile of dishes.

A door opens as the brooms from Fantasia enter carrying their buckets, and naturally we hear "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". They splash Donald with their water buckets and one gigantic broom takes his revenge with a splash sending him to the next sequence.

We're now underwater in Ariel's grotto. The hat floats by Flounder as Ariel begins an abbreviated "Part of Your World" - now singing it to Donald in scuba gear. As the song ends, he is ready to kiss Ariel, but gets zapped by an electric eel. The opening of her grotto transitions into the bright sun of the next sequence.

We jump into Simba and Zazu singing "I Just Can't Wait to Be King". Donald continues to catch the hat on and among stylized 2D animals. We transition into the Land of the Dead and see Miguel singing"Un Poco Loco" with Héctor. We see Donald chase alebrije Dante before take taking off into the sky with Pepita.

Over the sky we see Tinker Bell flying over Big Ben, with Peter Pan landing on the clock with the sorcerer's hat. Sprinkled with pixie dust, Donald flies over London to a snippet of "You Can Fly". We then see the Flying Carpet with Prince Ali and Jasmine singing "A Whole New World". Donald chases after them on second carpet, running into Agrabah stalls. As he pulls next to the couple, Jasmine places the sorcerer's hat on Donald, right before Iago knocks it off.

Donald is sent back into the instrument vortex and Mickey takes control, landing all the instruments back in place. Together they finish the "Mickey Mouse Club March" as Donald is launched from a tuba past the screen. In the theater's back wall, we see an animatronic rear end of Donald stuck in the wall and falling into the rubble.

The attraction opened first in 2003 at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, in the same theater originally used for the music themed Mickey Mouse Revue. Hong Kong Disneyland's version opened with the park in 2005. The show opened in 2011 at Tokyo Disneyland (sung in Japanese), replacing the 26 year run of the Mickey Mouse Revue. It arrived at Disneyland Paris in 2018 in their 3D/4D Discoveryland Theatre. It then arrived in Disney California Adventure in 2019, appearing in Hollywood Land.

While featuring original soundtracks, the show mainly reused Clarence Nash's archival audio for Donald Duck. Starting 2021, the Coco sequence was added to California Adventure, Paris, Tokyo and Magic Kingdom. Being a musical revue, there was never an official album release until 2011 Tokyo Disneyland's album. It features the opening, Japanese songs and exit music.

The show brings a creative spark to Mickey and Donald, while reimagining scenes from Beauty and the Beast, Fantasia, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Coco, Peter Pan and Aladdin. It's a delightful show for all ages, especially those that love Disney music.

Back to our musical score time machine! For this edition, we're looking back to 2003! Quite the selections to choose from! Here's a look back at the scores of the year with my list of the 10 Best Scores Turning 20!

Let's start the ranking!

10. Cold Mountain (Gabriel Yared)

More notice went to the song work by music producer T Bone Burnett than Yared's plaintive score. The melancholic music often relies on piano and strings with some lovely melodies. Thankfully the score was released in full in 2021.

9. The Core (Christopher Young)

A larger-than-life score that is miles better than the film. Themes appear throughout, and often with an enormous choir and orchestra. Action and heroics sound like throwbacks to older scores in the disaster genre (and that's a great thing!)

8. Seabiscuit (Randy Newman)

A heartwarming underdog story seems to fit Newman nicely with his characteristic Americana sound. We hear some fantastic solos for trumpet, guitar and flute amid the typical warm Newman sound. It's moving but never gets overly sentimental.

7. Big Fish (Danny Elfman)

Elfman uses an interesting mix of styles for this Tim Burton film. Overall, it's more sentimental and subtle, with a bluegrass voice. The lyrical themes meet the whimsical fun in flashbacks. The motifs connect together in the gorgeous finale.

6. The Last Samurai (Hans Zimmer)

Lush strings and haunting Japanese instrumentation with some restrained action dot Zimmer's score. The melodies work nicely, even with some similarities to other work. The score works with Edward Zwick's epic film, and an emotional highlight for Zimmer.

5. The Matrix Revolutions (Don Davis)

The scores have grown even larger for each film in the trilogy. We get more minimalistic and atonal stylings, wild orchestral techniques, Juno Reactor continued collaboration, emotional and action climaxes - the powerful choral Neodammerung being the highlight.

4. Peter Pan (James Newton Howard)

Scores for Pan are always chock-full of action, drama, suspense, swashbuckling and flying themes. Right from the titles, JNH adds lilting themes with choir and celeste and enchanting moments throughout the score. His stunning flying cue also adds drums and synths that surprisingly helps the score take off.

3. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (Harry Gregson-Williams)

Continuing his success in animation, Gregson-Williams' music shows off light hearted action, female vocal highlights and swashbuckling fun. The rousing orchestral themes add to one of the best early DreamWorks scores for this sadly forgotten film.

2. Finding Nemo (Thomas Newman)

Pixar changed musical tones completely to Thomas Newman after a string of scores by Randy Newman. Nemo has all the lovely orchestration and writing of a "serious" film combined with the wonder and whimsy of the underwater world. His sparingly used main theme is a great match for the film. Newman's work here is only matched by his later work for Wall-E.

1. Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Howard Shore)

Shore's monumental trilogy ends with a fantastic score - building with new majestic themes and revisiting past themes with urgency and devastation. It also features some of the grandest battle music, sweeping action and most emotional moments. Thus ends one of the best film/score collaborations.

Honorable Mentions:
Elf (John Debney), Girl with the Pearl Earring (Alexandre Desplat), Looney Tunes Back in Action (Jerry Goldsmith), Love Actually (Craig Armstrong), X2 (John Ottman)

Any personal favorites of yours from 2003 that I didn't include?

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