Customer Reviews

Meet the Robinsons [An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this CD because (1) I'm a big Disney fan and (2) I'm a big Danny Elfman fan. And it didn't really disappoint me on either front.

First, the songs. Rufus Wainwright's "Another Believer" is a great, Beatles-esque ditty that I loved the first time I heard it during the movie. The All-American Rejects' "The Future Has Arrived" is also pretty great. Rob Thomas's "Little Wonders" is another solid song, although in my opinion it doesn't quite fit the movie as well. There are several other songs, but mostly they are unremarkable. The one remaining exception is They Might Be Giants' cover of "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" from the Carousel of Progress. That's a very apprpropriate inclusion; it fits the theme of the movie extremely well, and is also a good tip of the hat to Walt himself.

As for Danny Elfman's score, it's one of the better he's put forth in the past few years. It's very much in the vein of "classic" Elfman (that is, late '80s and early '90s Elfman). If you're a fan of his, you will love it.

I was just as impressed by the music and soundtrack of MEET THE ROBINSONS as I was by the visual images from the film and, therefore, decided to get the soundtrack. Like the characters in the movie, the songs on the cd fit into a wide range of genres. Rufus Wainwright, Rob Thomas, The All-American Rejects, They Might Be Giants, Jamie Cullen, and Jonas Brothers all contribute to songs on the MEET THE ROBINSONS SOUNDTRACK. The score is by Danny Elfman and is a pretty good one. The songs from the score that I especially enjoy are, "Goob's Story" and "A Family United." The lyrical songs that I enjoy most from the album are:

"Little Wonders"--Rob Thomas

"The Future Has Arrived"--The All-American Rejects

"There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow"--They Might Be Giants.

If you really enjoyed the movie or are a fan of Danny Elfman's music, then this is a cd that you will probably enjoy.

It's refreshing that a contemporary animated soundtrack not fall back on existing pop tunes to elicit "easy" emotional reactions from the theater audiences, but rather create new songs by popular artists. The Meet the Robinsons CD not only features new songs, but from the copyright notices on the liner notes, they're all new Disney songs.

Like the best examples of recordings for the family, and Disney records in general, Meet the Robinsons is eclectic, with selections running from power rock to big band crooning, in addition to the landmark score by Danny Elfman, landmark because it's his first for a Walt Disney animated feature, if you don't count Nightmare Before Christmas or James and the Giant Peach, which somehow seem outside the "Brand" (sorry to use the "B" word!) Elfman also co-wrote The All-American Rejects' "The Future Has Arrived."

Rufus Wainwright contributes two tunes, his co-written potential hit "Another Believer," and the especially engaging, self-penned "The Motion Waltz."

For a completely different change of pace, Jamie Cullum adds a touch of pop jazz style with the new song, "Wherer is Your Heart At?' as well as the classic standard "Give Me the Simple Life" (which some may remember being used several years ago for Campbell s soup TV commercials).

Also unlike some contemporary animated film soundtrack albums, the Meet the Robinsons disc does not skimp on background score tracks, dismissing a great score with a few cuts and a "suite." Instead, there are ten instrumental tracks, essentially making this practically two albums in one.

There are also two bonus tracks, including the Jonas Brothers' "King of the Future," which got lots of Disney Channel play.

But it's the other bonus track that really stands out for Disney fans: an interpretation of "There's a Great Big, Beautiful Tomorrow," the classic Sherman Brothers theme for the Carousel of Progress attraction at the New York World's Fair, Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Rather than turning the song into a new pop track, They Might Be Giants have done an astonishing, spot-on tribute to the Rex Allen version, soprano and all, that adds a fine instrumental bridge.

What a treat!

What can anyone say other than Danny Elfman is like gold when it comes to scoring movies (especially light hearted family fair). Anyone who likes classic Elfman (ie: Beetlejuice, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, etc) will love this score. From start to finish, another great effort.

This was another CD I bought for my little one and it was a big hit! At first it was great to get the initial excitment and believe me the screams from the back seat #18, #18!!! A Jonas brothers song, became a headache, but also one I could play in the office as well. It really is a great CD but a little heavy on the orchestra side.

If you like Disney, or if you liked this movie, you will like the music

...you will enjoy the music on its own. This one is a good mix!

I saw Meet the Robinsons when it first came out and it didn't thrill me (plus I may have slept through part of it). But I recently watched it again (and stayed awake this time) and liked it much better and discovered there was a variety of good music in there as well. I guess I was drawn to this soundtrack by Rob Thomas' Small Wonders, but have come to appreciate much of the other music by Rufus Wainwright, Jamie Callum, the ALl-American Losers, and of course Danny Elfman. There's a range of styles from pop/rock to Rat-Packish big band to Elman's usually energetic, yet strangly reto score. (I'm 45, so the Jonas Brothers song doesn't do much for me, but it's there as well.) This is lyrics-heavy soundtrack, but it's become a disc I listen to usually all the way through again and again in my car. One complaint for me is the cover art, which certainly didn't draw me and doesn't evoke the spirit of the film for me.

This music is cool. I like the song, "The Future Has Arrived". if you get this thing. I would suggest getting Meet the Robinsons Movie

The movie is so cool!

Walt Disney's 46th feature length animation, and their major animated effort for 2007, Meet the Robinsons surprisingly fell under the radar, and was a comparative box office failure. It tells the story of a young orphan inventor named Lewis, who embarks on a series of extravagant, time-traveling adventures with various members of the futuristic Robinson family as he attempts to find his real family. The film was directed by Steve Anderson and featured the voice talents of the likes of Angela Bassett and Tom Selleck, as well as an original score by Danny Elfman. The film sees Elfman in what one could call "madcap mode", in much the same way as he was on scores such as Flubber and Mars Attacks. The score see-saws between emotional, heartfelt orchestral themes - notably "The Prologue", "A Family United" and the sumptuous finale "Setting Things Right" - and Elfman's brand of patented wackiness. The zaniness first emerges in the quirkily helter-skelter "To the Future", and continues through the funky retro grooves of "Meeting the Robinsons" and the rampaging Beetlejuician tones of "The Science Fair". There's even a duet between a Theremin and Elfman's patented la-la choir in "Pop Quiz and The Time Machine Montage", in case you had forgotten which composer had written the music and needed a reminder. It's all fun, undemanding stuff, and firmly rooted in the offbeat Elfman sound that many people love, but when compared to Elfman's wider body of work it seems a little insubstantial. The songs which pad out the CD running time are actually all pretty decent, ranging from cover versions by the sultry-voiced Jamie Cullum to the quirky title track, "Another Believer", by singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, which will likely be up or Oscar consideration.