How To Train Your Dragon

John Powell | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: March 23, 2010
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• Copyright: 2010 DreamWorks Animation LLC
• Total Length: 1:12:09
• Genres:
• ASIN: B003EVFHYG
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,978 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)
  • #8 in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Albums > Soundtracks > Movie Scores

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music To Listen To While Riding Dragons, April 18, 2010

By 

Flap Jackson "Sky Is Burning, But At Least We... (State Road, NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: How To Train Your Dragon (MP3 Download)

Looking back on How To Train Your Dragon, you're going to remember this amazing movie that moved you, remembering the story, the characters, the animation, but probably not the music. However, if you remember closely, the soundtrack was key to your enjoyment. It punctuated the movie. It put its stamp on classic scenes in the best way possible. John Powell has always been one of the best composers in Hollywood today, but I think this soundtrack is his crowning achievement. Having to incorporate a full range of emotions in this soundtrack, while also keeping to the spirit of the environment, it wasn't an easy task. Rest assured, this is the best soundtrack since Up. And even then, I might debate that it exceeds it.

Highlights Include:
This is Berk
Forbidden Friendship
Test Drive
Romantic Fight
Sticks & Stones

Comparing the flying music for HTTYD & Avatar for instance is no comparison. Avatar doesn't have a track like "Test Flight," which is certainly the best soundtrack piece since Up's "Married Life." There's just so much life, adventure, enchantment & magic here, it soars in every way possible, and then some. And despite the fact that the track is only a couple minutes long, it uses every second to its full potential. It also serves as the theme to the movie, so it gets played off a variety of splendid way throughout the soundtrack.

The rest of the instrumental works also work quite well and they all convey the right range of emotions, from intensity (The Kill Ring), to romantic moments (Romantic Fight), to wonder and playfulness (Forbidden Friendship), to foreboding (Ready The Ships). The whole soundtrack is an absolute wonder with its massive orchestra adding that much of a grander scale to the proceedings, its variety, and its Celtic influences. And when its all said and done, there's an immense sense of satisfaction just by listening to the music here.

But as soon as the movie ended, this satisfaction only grew when I heard the song playing over the credits. That song is "Sticks & Stones" by Sigur Rós frontman & singer, Jónsi. It's a mixture of English & Icelandic that fits perfectly into a fast-paced sunny & hopeful indie tune that punctuates the movie in a unexpected way. I mean, you'd expect a lame pop song to play over the credits of a movie like this, not a tune by an indie legend.

Overall, for soundtrack lovers, for people that loved the movie, and everybody in-between, the HTTYD soundtrack is an unexpected joyful masterpiece for soundtracks. And it's sure to keep you in the spirit of the wonderful film for a long time to come.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is indeed very good. Cant stop listening to it, June 24, 2010

By 

BH - See all my reviews

This review is from: How To Train Your Dragon (MP3 Download)

I agree with the other reviews that this soundtrack is very, very good. If you like instrumental soundtracks, I think you will be moved by this. I am a fan of the Braveheart, Gladiator, etc, and this is almost if not as good.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure storybook wonder music, April 13, 2010

By 

Backroads "Scatter-brained book fan" (Cache Valley, Utah) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: How To Train Your Dragon (MP3 Download)

The movie came out. I work in an elementary school and am surrounded by kids constantly, so naturally I have to go see the cool (and quality) movies that excite the kids (and this one looked pretty good.) So I went to the theatre and thoroughly enjoyed the enchanting story and incredible imagination. So no disrepect to those aspects of the movie whatsoever.

BUT I firmly believe this movie would have not been what it was without the score. I can't remember the time I had heard a score that so well matched the story and emotion of a film. This movie is loosely based on a children's book and I think the music somehow brought along that literary magic. Just listen to the music and you can tell more or less what part of the movie it is. I remember sitting in the theatre, stunned at how well this music supported the story.

Thus, I am calling this storybook music. It's sweet, simple, and all the while completely joyous/powerful/sad/whatever the occassion called for. A little Celtic touch completes the magic, not to mention those certain chords tying all the pieces together. I left the theatre believing the music was the best part of an already awesome movie and downloaded the album.

And here is an example of this music's power: My classroom, last week, was painted and recarpeted. This of course meant that moving back in was hell and at this time I still don't know where a quarter of my things are--including the CD player used for listening centers, story readings, and the five minutes after recess where I play instrumental music to calm down the kids. So instead I pulled out my music-playing phone and turned up the volume on this album. Every student who had seen the movie IMMEDIATELY recognized what the music was (and became very excited and defeated the purpose of the calming down period).

If squirrly first graders are touched enough by this music to recognize it, well, I can't tell you a more powerful testimony.