Customer Reviews

How To Train Your Dragon

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We're in a Golden Age of animated motion pictures. When I was a kid growing up in the 1980s you got one, maybe two films from Disney in a calendar year, plus the odd independent movie like Watership Down or The Secret of NIMH, or some arty foreign language thing with bad dubbing, but that was about your lot. Since the Disney renaissance began in 1989 with The Little Mermaid the strength and popularity of the animated feature has grown exponentially, to the point where every major studio has its own animation department, well over a dozen full length feature animations are released each year, and companies like Pixar break box office records with apparent ease. The competition is fierce, but the Dreamworks studio seems to have managed the right blend of hip comedy and family-friendly action, spinning off from their massively successful Shrek series with hits such as Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, and their 20th and most recent feature, How to Train Your Dragon.

Based on a popular children's book by Cressida Cowell, the film is a tale of Vikings and dragons, set on the island of Berk, where fighting dragons is a way of life. Hiccup, the son of the Viking chief Stoick the Vast, is a brainy outsider with a smart mouth, and would rather not grow up to fight dragons; he is a terrible embarrassment to his father, who in an attempt to `toughen up' the boy, sends to the dragon-fighting school of Gobber the Belch. However, rather than becoming the fearsome warrior his father intended, Hiccup inadvertently saves the life and befriends the dragon he was supposed to kill... The film stars the voice talent of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrara, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Jonah Hill, and is directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, who previously directed Lilo & Stitch for Disney in 2002.

Musically, Dreamworks Animation has been the sole domain of Hans Zimmer and his protégés from Media Ventures and now Remote Control since day one. Having already worked on Antz, The Road to El Dorado, Chicken Run, Kung Fu Panda, and the original Shrek movie, English composer John Powell returns for a sixth time - although, ironically, the first time as a sole credited composer - and has written the best score for the studio since Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas back in 2003, and overall one of the best scores of his entire career.

The first thing I should point out is that, while he is clearly excellent at music, John Powell could do with brushing up on his geography a ltitle. Powell was obviously playing with the joke that the Viking adults in the film are voiced by Scottish actors - Butler and Ferguson - but may have taken it a step too far by injecting the music of the Highlands into his score too. Bagpipes skirl, whistles dance and fiddles fly in a manner unbecoming a noble Scandinavian gentlemen. It could be that Powell used a Swedish säckpipa or a Norwegian Hardanger fiddle and not one of their Celtic cousins from across the North Sea, but there is still a slight, if fleeting, geographical disconnect that occurs, causing a brief moment of puzzlement when the score first begins.

This small issue aside, the rest of How to Train Your Dragon is an absolute delight. The word which keeps springing to mind when listening to this music is `joyous'. It's music that wows you with stirring action sequences, touches you with more lyrical material, and slaps a big, silly smile on your face from the first cue to the last. John Powell seems to excel at animation scores more than any other type of film he attempts; the level of inventiveness in works such as Robots, the Ice Age series, and his work with Harry Gregson-Williams on Chicken Run and the Shrek series is obvious, but these scores sometimes have a schizophrenic everything-including-the-kitchen-sink approach that can make the album a disjointed affair, jumping from style to style and theme to theme seemingly at random. How to Train Your Dragon is not like that; it flows beautifully from start to finish as a cohesive listening experience, and as such is probably Powell's most satisfying work, in any genre, in years.

The opening cue, "This is Berk", introduces the three score's main themes. It begins with a noble horn performance of what eventually becomes the score's `flying theme', and segues into a sweet woodwind piece for Hiccup and his would-be girlfriend Astrid that recalls the more low-key moments of Chicken Run, before literally exploding into the first performance of the score's main theme, a rousing anthem for the entire orchestra and a male voice choir that is simply magnificent. The large orchestra/male voice choir/Scottish instruments combination heard here is basically the blueprint for the entire score, with some variation of one of more of these elements appearing in every cue. The main theme re-occurs regularly throughout the score, receiving notable recapitulations in cues such as "New Tail", "This Time For Sure" and "Astrid Goes For a Spin" to excellent effect. The tender piano performance of the theme in "Where's Hiccup" is magical.

The flying cues, where Hiccup takes to the skies on the back of his scaly friend Toothless, are exhilarating in the best possible way, with the astonishing "Test Drive" capturing the spectacular freedom of flight in no uncertain terms. The music in these cues swoops and dives, and opens into expansive statements of the flying theme which are quite thrilling, especially when the bagpipes and an electric guitar join the orchestra. Listening to this music, you can almost feel the wind in your hair, taking your breath away, as you wheel through the skies. Occasionally, in some of these more open moments, the score reminds me of Hummie Mann's vastly underrated score for Year of the Comet, and those few who are familiar with that excellent work will know what a compliment that is.

The action music is equally superb; energetic, tuneful, creative, and often featuring statements of or more of the main themes. "Dragon Battle" has some fearsome low brass chords mixed in with propulsive, urgent rhythmic writing, providing the fire-breathing beasties with a sense of menace and danger. Later cues such as "The Downed Dragon", "Dragon Training", "Focus, Hiccup", "Dragon's Den", "The Kill Ring" and the astonishingly intense "Counter Attack" are no less entertaining, running the gamut of emotions, occasionally tense and nervous, occasionally downright threatening, but often embracing a free-wheeling, carefree vitality that is a pleasure to experience. In each of these cues, the power generated by the orchestra, and the way in which Powell orchestrates each section with such apparent ease, is outstanding.

The score is not all bombast and histrionics, though. "Forbidden Friendship" has a dreamy, almost New Age vibe, with an unusual tick-tock percussion element highlighting marimbas and xylophones, a breathy female vocalist, and even sleigh bells, which gradually reveals itself as a creative variation on the flying theme. "See You Tomorrow" is a toe-tapping Highland reel with fluttering pennywhistles forefronting several huge thematic performances, and is probably the closest Powell has come to recapturing the vitality of "Building the Crate" from Chicken Run in over a decade (still one of the highlight cues of his career). The romantic theme for Hiccup and Astrid, hints of which appear in the opening cue, is expanded in the glorious, sweeping "Romantic Flight", another one of the score's many high points.

The score's finale, from "Ready the Ships" through to "Coming Back Around", represents 20 minutes of the best action music of John Powell's entire career. "Ready the Ships" had a determined, expectant feeling, although the hocking male voice choirs and martial percussion hits do give way at one point to a more subtle, reflective sequence which is quite lovely. "Battling the Green Death" is utterly spectacular, and even has a sequence of Erich Wolfgang Korngold/Max Steiner-style swashbuckling adventure music which gives the cue a wonderfully nostalgic Golden Age feel. When Powell restates the flying theme at around the 4½ minute mark, and in the conclusive "Coming Back Around", the music absolutely soars.

Possibly the only misfire on the album is the song at the end of the album, "Sticks & Stones" by Jónsi, better known as Jón Þór Birgisson of the Icelandic rock band Sigur Rós. I like Sigur Rós, and having an actual Scandinavian artist contribute to the project makes sense, but the downbeat introspection and morose style of Birgisson's music seems even gloomier considering the nature of the music that preceded it.

It's very rare that one can listen to an entire 70+ minute album and honestly say that all of them have musical merit, but that is genuinely the case here. Usually scores of this length have a fair amount of filler, and would benefit from a bit of editorial pruning to get it down to 45-50 minutes, but on How to Train Your Dragon every cue has worth, either through a thematic restatement or a new and interesting texture. What I also like a great deal about this score is the clarity of its sound. Although for a great deal of the running time the entire orchestra is in play, in virtually every cue there is a moment where one specific instrument will come to the fore in a featured performance, just for a couple of bars; the opening cue alone has moments for clarinet and harp that are excellent. Later, in "The Dragon Book", a harpsichord pops up playing off brass triplets - and that's just one of literally dozens and dozens of moments throughout the score that make you sit up and take notice.

I'm running out of superlatives now, but I think I've made my point. How to Train Your Dragon is a 5-star score all the way, a fine example of modern film music which reaffirms my faith in John Powell. I have to admit that, in recent years, his Bourne Identity urban thriller style had started to try my patience, and I was beginning to wonder whether the composer who impressed me so much at the turn of the millennium was ever going to come back. Thankfully, he has, and with a score which sets the benchmark for 2010 almost impossibly high. In an already crowded market it's an early contender for score of the year, and anyone who revels in old fashioned thematic orchestral writing will absolutely love it.

I mean, sheesh, really?

I'm a youngun (18) and I've always had a bit of a thing for instrumentals, soundtracks, what have you- this is probably the first movie of my life I walked out of thinking, I MUST HAVE THAT SOUNDTRACK.

Seriously, this is strong stuff. Emotional roller-coaster stuff. It's like coffee, actually- I've found myself PUMPED after every listening.

The opening, "This Is Berk" is a rip-roaring rollicking "overture" of sorts that makes you wanna leap out of bed, grab your horns and a bucket of water, and go fight some dragons.

All in all, it's great listening if you're draggin' a little. (Ha, draggin'... )

Other great tracks include "Forbidden Friendship" which of course makes you picture some of the most endearing scenes of the movie, while rousing you with the soul-twisting strings at the finale. "See You Tomorrow", a personal favorite, is a melodramatic little jig between heroic theatrics and unassuming Celtic reel- so cinematic and rousing I've actually used it for curtain-call at a high school play. Astrid's character is repeatedly echoed in her own set of strings, in the ever-so "Romantic Flight".

It's all so very cinematic, at points, it's almost like watching the movie again- there are moments where you can tell EXACTLY what's supposed to be going on on-screen. It's wonderful.

Do not listen to this right before bed, unless you want to stay up all night. Absolutely listen to it if you need to get something done in your life, as this music will convince you that it is Heroic and Important and Possible. You will GET THINGS DONE to this music, I promise you.

DreamWorks couldn't have found a better composer for this film when they brouht John Powell on board. Already with scores for Shrek and Horton Hears a Who under his belt, Powell does a terrific job with this 25-track album.

Most of the score contains classic orchestration; largely strings with plenty of woodwinds. The songs are generally upbeat, and the soundtrack grows thunderous as the film progresses. While the movie takes place in the mythical island of Berk, songs like "New Tail" and "This is Berk" have a pleasant Celtic twist to them.

The more offbeat instrumentation in the album includes the East Indian sitar in "Dragon Book", and the xylophone in "Forbidden Friendship." A few inclusions in the album also incorporate an intense chorus, such as the Danny Elfman vibed "Wounded". Speaking of other composers, I also enjoyed "Romantic Flight", a hopeful and inspiring song that is almost a throwback to the older work of James Horner.

The most distinct song on the album isn't by John Powell, it's the falsetto pop-rock "Sticks and Stones" that plays during the credits. It's appropriate for a movie with vikings, as it was recorded exclusively for the soundtrack by Icelandic singer Jónsi of Sigur Rós. Little trivia: director Dean Deblois also shot a film of Jónsi performing one of his albums, which might help to explain the connection.

The more lively songs on the album seem to stick to the same melody, but the album doesn't feel too repetitious. It's amazing to watch Powell do a great job composing for Green Zone, and immediately follow it up with a beautiful score for a fun children's film. Another must-have album for soundtrack aficionados.

John Powell is without a doubt one of the most unique voices in film composition. His style is nothing but his own. I have never heard another composer come close to his sound and what he's able to do with it. John Powell also has the honor of being the best modern day composer of animated films.

How To Train Your Dragon is Powell's first animated score since Ice Age 3, which I will admit was a disappointment even though I loved his score to Ice Age 2. How To Train Your Dragon is a much more inspired film, and John Powell brought every ounce of effort he had to the table.

The score itself is just beautiful if you had to describe it in one word. There are two themes that Powell uses variations of. The themes themselves are 100% pure Powell. Fans of his may hear a bit of Kung Fu Panda in it with a touch of Ice Age. However, the score as an exercise in storytelling is just brilliant and one of a kind when examined that way. It will gently carry you and lift you up to a level you could never imagine. Beauty emerges from its simplicity and the emotions that grow will remind you for just a moment how unique it is to be a human being and feel these emotions. Tracks like "Forbidden Friendship" and "Where's Hiccup" will move you in a delicate fashion. Examining moments of fear with curiosity and a growing companionship, or moments of loss and hope and the ability to come back when all seems lost.

Tracks like "Test Drive", "Romantic Flight" and "Coming Back Around" soar high on human spirit and are just pure celebrations of joy and love and will likely bring you to tears. Powell does incorporate a Scottish sound for one of the themes to add flavor and atmosphere to the setting, but it never outweighs the true identity of the score. The song "Sticks & Stones" is included near the end of the album and is performed by Jónsi who is part of the Icelandic group Sigur Rós. It's a perfect closing to an amazing album.

Full of Powell's trademark percussion and signature descending note progression this score is an absolute wonder. It reinforces just how powerful an inspired score can be and what it can do for the film. It's a beautiful celebration of the human spirit and the bond of friendship. This is a score you won't want to pass over. I always felt that Happy Feet was Powell's best score up to this point, but I do believe he has topped himself.

I am typically not someone who buys movie soundtracks, however every now and then I see a movie which really connects with me (both visually and musically) and "How To Train Your Dragon" is one of those films. This is my favorite movie soundtrack that I have purchased since the soundtrack to Dragonheart (which features the magnificent "To The Stars" score which is, unfortunately, not known to many people except from several movie trailers such as "Mulan" and many others...that link is for the tape since the cd version oddly has no sound clips but just search for "Dragonheart" in Music for the cd).

Anyways, onto this soundtrack. It has quite a lot to offer from the movie. There are a few pieces of music which are missing (such as the music played right as Stoick learns of the dragon nest from Hiccup and steps outside and nearly loses his composure, as well as the music that plays right as Hiccup wanders into the lagoon for the first time with the fish as the dragon creeps down behind him). Everything else (to my knowledge) is included.

The main themes you will want from this soundtrack are "Forbidden Friendship", "Test Drive" and "Romantic Flight". "Forbidden Friendship" is the adorable yet beautiful theme that plays as Hiccup begins bonding with the dragon and they learn to trust each other. Particularly stunning is the epic buildup to the section that plays as Hiccup is wandering through the maze-like lines to reach the dragon, which (to me) foreshadows that Hiccup will not have a straight, easy path to reaching and be-friending the dragon (and having it be accepted).

"Test Drive" is the epic bagpipe influenced piece that plays as Hiccup takes Toothless out on his first major flight with Toothless after fixing his tail. The music is exciting and builds up to wonderful chill-inducing "hook" that plays as they dive straight toward the ocean in a breath-taking scene that couldn't have been more amazing even in live action.

Finally, "Romantic Flight" is the beautiful (but short) theme that plays as Hiccup, Astrid and Toothless soar through the dusk/night skies over the ocean once Toothless has accepted Astrid's apology and learned that she is not a threat. The build-up to this theme is beautiful as they fly through and obove the clouds with the northern lights brilliantly shining in the background. My mom in particular loves this track (and "Forbidden Friendship) even though she (sadly) hated the movie (she felt Toothless looked far too "evil"...good grief!).

The other tracks on this soundtrack are also great, as this cd can be listened straight through without any skipped tracks. I also love the epic intro to "Dragon Training" as this cd lets you hear the almost brooding theme that Gobber talks over in the movie (:30-:50) which sounds straight out of the "Dragonheart" or even "The Lord Of The Rings" movies.

Overall, if you love epic, beautiful movie scores, I would strongly recommend both the soundtracks to "How To Train Your Dragon" as well as the aforementioned "Dragonheart" (composed by Randy Edelman). You can not go wrong with either.

In reviewing the title movie, I did not mention the soundtrack at all; it deserves its own review. I am amazed by how, more and more, the animated features get the red carpet treatment when it comes to music. This one is certainly at the head of the pack in that category, but is one of the best soundtracks of recent release regardless of the kind of picture it supports. I think Powell must have had to jump up and down on the score to cram so much wonderful, rich, and colorful rhythm and instrumentation into this composition. While the whole is unified through repetition and variation of the main themes, there are plenty of different musical ideas here to keep it from getting even close to boring. This is one boisterous, joyful, foot-stomping joy-ride....just like the film itself. Those already familiar with the film will immediately recognize such wonderful cues as 'This is Berk', 'Test Drive', and 'Romantic Flight', and there are many other rousing renditions of these main themes. I would also suggest 'Dragon's Den' for its drving rhythmic energy, darker tones, and subtle,warm dissonance. Its sinister mood is still very likeable and deserves repeated listening. The closing cues around the final battle scene are, as expected, big and bombastic, and add a fitting end to all the fun. One other piece that should not be missed is 'Coming Back Around', which, while a restatement of 'Test Drive', is twice as big and exhilirating.

As one might expect for the subject matter, there are many Celtic and folk sounding themes and tunes throughout. The instrumentation runs the gamut from small ensembles to oversized orchestra, with everything from traditional strings to bagpipes to even some synth effects. There is a smorgasboard of musical idioms from simple pastoral fiddle solos to jigs and hornpipes to lush, soaring romantic fantasy to full orchestral artillery to finally what could be a marchout of the massed bands at the Edinburgh Tattoo (...who knows - they may play this some day!). Although there are a few less memorable pieces, they serve well to segue between the larger efforts. I did find the additional piece by Jonsi to be a bit of a misfit, and would have preferred a complete statement of the end credits, but there is more than enough here to more than compensate for a few slight detractions. Put this one in your cart now for your next trip to the grocery store. Or the beach. Or the ballgame. Or family get-together...or even your next flight ;o)

This is quite possibly - no, most DEFINITELY, the best soundtrack I have ever owned. Now I know youre probably like - really? Everyone has their own tastes, so you might disagree...this is ok. But in my opinion an album that already surpasses the number of plays per song on all my other albums (according to my iTunes) within 5 weeks says something. But I digress.

A quick history of my experience with "How to Train Your Dragon:" For some ridiculous reason, I did not want to see this film. I refused to spend the money in theaters to see it and waited about 7 months to actually see it. I think because I was sick and tired of seeing so many Shrek films come out and other films like Monsters vs Aliens, and Madagascar that sort of lacked in story and characters that I actually cared about that its kind of cheapened the value of Dreamworks Animation for me. One day I decided to buy it on Bluray, after my parents kept raving about it... Half way through the film I couldn't believe I didn't see this movie earlier and regretted not seeing it in theaters. Not only is the film visually appealing, but the story was great, and the characters were expressive and motivated and you had that "i care about this guy" feeling. It is a very uplifting film to watch.

The soundtrack to this film, I believe, takes this film to the next level of awesomeness. It did extremely well in enhancing the tone of the film and heightened the feelings of certain scenes. I knew half way through the movie that I NEEDED to get this soundtrack. Most soundtracks come with about half the songs in the movie, which I think is pretty darn lame - this soundtrack comes with pretty much everything! 25 songs!!! And a really good thing is that the songs arent shortened like most other soundtrack albums - they are full length. This is a great soundtrack to just sit back, relax, and listen to.

When you love a movie, you always want the movie score to be just as wonderful. To take you "back there," to the moments that made you love the movie without thinking.

Well, you dragon-lovers, here you go. For a delightful film, we got an equally delicate and lovely soundtrack.

The score by John Powell matches that delight step for step. I was blown away. He manages to use faithful instrumentation, including early instruments like dulcimers and uillean pipes, etc., and these really add to the movie's beautiful look and feel. (For those scoffing at the idea of pipes and Scottish reels in a 'viking' story, it wouldn't hurt to remember that the 'Vikings' became 'Northmen' famed for their exploits in Scotland, the Hebrides, and surrounding lands. So the accents were fine with me.)

Meanwhile, this was a soundtrack I loved and immediately knew I had to own. I'm a film music buff and this one was just lovely. It's by far John Powell's best, incorporating the lyricism and romance of his previous scores for DreamWorks with the ferocity and drama the story demanded.

And (to echo past partnerships), or those who enjoy the film's percussive strange beauty, I'd HIGHLY recommend Harry Gregson-Williams' score to "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe," which incorporates similar and far more 'glassy' or 'icy' sounding instruments for a beautiful nod to the winter theme pervading the film.

Kudos to all involved. A beautiful and moving film, and a lovely score that I bought as fast as I could after seeing this wonderful movie. The music helps you fly again, back up in the clouds with Toothless and Hiccup. Certain moments still bring a lump to my throat. Hope they do for you as well... in your flights with dragons...

When I saw the movie, I absolutely knew that I had to have the CD of the soundtrack when it came out. The music is thrilling, full of emotion. The arrangement is not a strict match to the movie but it is closer to it than many other disks produced of this nature. I highly recommend this CD for any person who loves music of this type.

This has to be one of the best scores that I've heard in a long while. Since Howard Shore scored Lord of the Rings in fact.

The music has been so well blended and cut into the movie......they're practically symbiotic. In fact I can't imagine this HTTYD existing without this soundtrack attached.

Favourite tracks have to be This is Berk, Forbidden Friendship, Test Drive, See you Tomorrow and Where is Hiccup?

I rank Forbidden Friendship highest just for the emotional attachment it makes you feel at that point in the movie. Powell must have really gelled with that scene to write this piece. It just screams Toothless. Additionally if you have pets (and i have a few cats) the impact of this scene will resonate all the more. Never heard a xylophone used so effectively before.

Test Drive comes in a close second for me. Just for that feeling of flight. But with a different twist, a more grandiose feel.

Wheres Hiccup has such a tender solo piano part. I immediately started interpreting it for guitar. A little more difficult.....but that inspirational

This CD has been in my cars CD player for 3 weeks straight now....and I'm still not tired of it....and still play it from track 1 to 25.

I highly recommend it......whether you have seen the movie or not.