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The movie isn't getting a lot of love from the critics but this wonderful score from John Powell certainly should. I am always excited when either John Powell or Michael Giacchino take the helm to score the latest family adventure film. Both composers have a real knack for this sort of work and I have especially loved Powell's work on films like Bolt, Rio, Ice Age, The Lorax, and of course...How to Train Your Dragon. They really are some challenging scores because of the various movements, multi-faceted instrumentation, huge orchestras, and powerfully thematic material. Trying to capture musically the sound of child-like imagination is a daunting task indeed.
Powell seems to dump everything in his score like acoustic guitar, piano, choir, a colorful assortment of percussion, and a gigantic orchestra. Various musical styles like Latin, Western, and Tribal can be heard through the various cues. Powell sprinkles a bold theme throughout the score like pixie dust and a magical musical adventure easily takes flight. His music certainly makes closing your eyes and dreaming about far away imaginary places much easier. Many of the cues tell a story all on their own. "Crocodiles and Mermaids", track 15, begins with a lazy acoustic guitar that reminds me of relaxing on a beach. The cue signals trouble as the crocs appear but are soon defeated as the mermaids save the day. The cue closes with an angelic choir as if the mermaids are saying goodbye. I have no idea if something like that even happens in the movie (haven't seen it yet) but it's a testament to Powell's story telling power musically. "The Boy Who Could Fly", track 18, is another personal favorite. Is this when the ability of flight is discovered? I'm not sure but it is a great thematic and climatic piece that Powell spins out nicely. I also personally like the piece "Tramp Stamp", track 11. The percussion work is really great in this one!
There are four other interesting tracks on the album as well. There are two songs from artist Lily Allen entitled "Something's Not Right" and "Little Soldier Boy" and two more from the cast of Pan entitled "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Blitzkrieg Bop". The later two songs are covers from Nirvana and The Ramones and are pretty fun to listen to. "Somethings Not Right" is a nice sentimental piece by Lily Allen and "Soldier Boy" is a more upbeat title that closes the score album. I prefer Powell's orchestral score over this so I just consider this nice bonus material to have on the CD.
As far as I can tell, there are no differences in the various versions of this score that is being released (digital, Import, Amazon CDR). I originally ordered the import version but changed my mind once I saw that Amazon was releasing this as an "on demand" CDR. The import version was pretty expensive and I've always preferred to own physical copies of my music. I've purchased several CDRs from Amazon in the past and have always been pleased with their packaging. However, my last two CDR purchases from them have been somewhat lackluster. The scores for "San Andreas" and "Batman Arkham Knight" were poorly done with cheap inserts, poor track listings, and no picture discs. I took a chance with this one and I can thankfully say that my faith has been restored. Amazon has returned to making a quality "official" looking CD package. There is a 12 page insert that contains photos from the film, credits to orchestra/choir, music production team credits, and thank you notes from the composer. The CD contains 21 tracks with a total running time of 1 hour and 10 minutes. John Powell once again proves his mastery with scoring brilliant family adventure films. There is plenty to love and dream with here! I recommend!
Take flight with Powell's magical music! Faith restored in Amazon's CDRs!
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2015
The movie isn't getting a lot of love from the critics but this wonderful score from John Powell certainly should. I am always excited when either John Powell or Michael Giacchino take the helm to score the latest family adventure film. Both composers have a real knack for this sort of work and I have especially loved Powell's work on films like Bolt, Rio, Ice Age, The Lorax, and of course...How to Train Your Dragon. They really are some challenging scores because of the various movements, multi-faceted instrumentation, huge orchestras, and powerfully thematic material. Trying to capture musically the sound of child-like imagination is a daunting task indeed.Powell seems to dump everything in his score like acoustic guitar, piano, choir, a colorful assortment of percussion, and a gigantic orchestra. Various musical styles like Latin, Western, and Tribal can be heard through the various cues. Powell sprinkles a bold theme throughout the score like pixie dust and a magical musical adventure easily takes flight. His music certainly makes closing your eyes and dreaming about far away imaginary places much easier. Many of the cues tell a story all on their own. "Crocodiles and Mermaids", track 15, begins with a lazy acoustic guitar that reminds me of relaxing on a beach. The cue signals trouble as the crocs appear but are soon defeated as the mermaids save the day. The cue closes with an angelic choir as if the mermaids are saying goodbye. I have no idea if something like that even happens in the movie (haven't seen it yet) but it's a testament to Powell's story telling power musically. "The Boy Who Could Fly", track 18, is another personal favorite. Is this when the ability of flight is discovered? I'm not sure but it is a great thematic and climatic piece that Powell spins out nicely. I also personally like the piece "Tramp Stamp", track 11. The percussion work is really great in this one!There are four other interesting tracks on the album as well. There are two songs from artist Lily Allen entitled "Something's Not Right" and "Little Soldier Boy" and two more from the cast of Pan entitled "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Blitzkrieg Bop". The later two songs are covers from Nirvana and The Ramones and are pretty fun to listen to. "Somethings Not Right" is a nice sentimental piece by Lily Allen and "Soldier Boy" is a more upbeat title that closes the score album. I prefer Powell's orchestral score over this so I just consider this nice bonus material to have on the CD.As far as I can tell, there are no differences in the various versions of this score that is being released (digital, Import, Amazon CDR). I originally ordered the import version but changed my mind once I saw that Amazon was releasing this as an "on demand" CDR. The import version was pretty expensive and I've always preferred to own physical copies of my music. I've purchased several CDRs from Amazon in the past and have always been pleased with their packaging. However, my last two CDR purchases from them have been somewhat lackluster. The scores for "San Andreas" and "Batman Arkham Knight" were poorly done with cheap inserts, poor track listings, and no picture discs. I took a chance with this one and I can thankfully say that my faith has been restored. Amazon has returned to making a quality "official" looking CD package. There is a 12 page insert that contains photos from the film, credits to orchestra/choir, music production team credits, and thank you notes from the composer. The CD contains 21 tracks with a total running time of 1 hour and 10 minutes. John Powell once again proves his mastery with scoring brilliant family adventure films. There is plenty to love and dream with here! I recommend!
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2015
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 10, 2015
Powell seems to dump everything in his score like acoustic guitar, piano, choir, a colorful assortment of percussion, and a gigantic orchestra. Various musical styles like Latin, Western, and Tribal can be heard through the various cues. Powell sprinkles a bold theme throughout the score like pixie dust and a magical musical adventure easily takes flight. His music certainly makes closing your eyes and dreaming about far away imaginary places much easier. Many of the cues tell a story all on their own. "Crocodiles and Mermaids", track 15, begins with a lazy acoustic guitar that reminds me of relaxing on a beach. The cue signals trouble as the crocs appear but are soon defeated as the mermaids save the day. The cue closes with an angelic choir as if the mermaids are saying goodbye. I have no idea if something like that even happens in the movie (haven't seen it yet) but it's a testament to Powell's story telling power musically. "The Boy Who Could Fly", track 18, is another personal favorite. Is this when the ability of flight is discovered? I'm not sure but it is a great thematic and climatic piece that Powell spins out nicely. I also personally like the piece "Tramp Stamp", track 11. The percussion work is really great in this one!
There are four other interesting tracks on the album as well. There are two songs from artist Lily Allen entitled "Something's Not Right" and "Little Soldier Boy" and two more from the cast of Pan entitled "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Blitzkrieg Bop". The later two songs are covers from Nirvana and The Ramones and are pretty fun to listen to. "Somethings Not Right" is a nice sentimental piece by Lily Allen and "Soldier Boy" is a more upbeat title that closes the score album. I prefer Powell's orchestral score over this so I just consider this nice bonus material to have on the CD.
As far as I can tell, there are no differences in the various versions of this score that is being released (digital, Import, Amazon CDR). I originally ordered the import version but changed my mind once I saw that Amazon was releasing this as an "on demand" CDR. The import version was pretty expensive and I've always preferred to own physical copies of my music. I've purchased several CDRs from Amazon in the past and have always been pleased with their packaging. However, my last two CDR purchases from them have been somewhat lackluster. The scores for "San Andreas" and "Batman Arkham Knight" were poorly done with cheap inserts, poor track listings, and no picture discs. I took a chance with this one and I can thankfully say that my faith has been restored. Amazon has returned to making a quality "official" looking CD package. There is a 12 page insert that contains photos from the film, credits to orchestra/choir, music production team credits, and thank you notes from the composer. The CD contains 21 tracks with a total running time of 1 hour and 10 minutes. John Powell once again proves his mastery with scoring brilliant family adventure films. There is plenty to love and dream with here! I recommend!
Take flight with Powell's magical music! Faith restored in Amazon's CDRs!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 10, 2015
The movie isn't getting a lot of love from the critics but this wonderful score from John Powell certainly should. I am always excited when either John Powell or Michael Giacchino take the helm to score the latest family adventure film. Both composers have a real knack for this sort of work and I have especially loved Powell's work on films like Bolt, Rio, Ice Age, The Lorax, and of course...How to Train Your Dragon. They really are some challenging scores because of the various movements, multi-faceted instrumentation, huge orchestras, and powerfully thematic material. Trying to capture musically the sound of child-like imagination is a daunting task indeed.Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 10, 2015
Powell seems to dump everything in his score like acoustic guitar, piano, choir, a colorful assortment of percussion, and a gigantic orchestra. Various musical styles like Latin, Western, and Tribal can be heard through the various cues. Powell sprinkles a bold theme throughout the score like pixie dust and a magical musical adventure easily takes flight. His music certainly makes closing your eyes and dreaming about far away imaginary places much easier. Many of the cues tell a story all on their own. "Crocodiles and Mermaids", track 15, begins with a lazy acoustic guitar that reminds me of relaxing on a beach. The cue signals trouble as the crocs appear but are soon defeated as the mermaids save the day. The cue closes with an angelic choir as if the mermaids are saying goodbye. I have no idea if something like that even happens in the movie (haven't seen it yet) but it's a testament to Powell's story telling power musically. "The Boy Who Could Fly", track 18, is another personal favorite. Is this when the ability of flight is discovered? I'm not sure but it is a great thematic and climatic piece that Powell spins out nicely. I also personally like the piece "Tramp Stamp", track 11. The percussion work is really great in this one!
There are four other interesting tracks on the album as well. There are two songs from artist Lily Allen entitled "Something's Not Right" and "Little Soldier Boy" and two more from the cast of Pan entitled "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Blitzkrieg Bop". The later two songs are covers from Nirvana and The Ramones and are pretty fun to listen to. "Somethings Not Right" is a nice sentimental piece by Lily Allen and "Soldier Boy" is a more upbeat title that closes the score album. I prefer Powell's orchestral score over this so I just consider this nice bonus material to have on the CD.
As far as I can tell, there are no differences in the various versions of this score that is being released (digital, Import, Amazon CDR). I originally ordered the import version but changed my mind once I saw that Amazon was releasing this as an "on demand" CDR. The import version was pretty expensive and I've always preferred to own physical copies of my music. I've purchased several CDRs from Amazon in the past and have always been pleased with their packaging. However, my last two CDR purchases from them have been somewhat lackluster. The scores for "San Andreas" and "Batman Arkham Knight" were poorly done with cheap inserts, poor track listings, and no picture discs. I took a chance with this one and I can thankfully say that my faith has been restored. Amazon has returned to making a quality "official" looking CD package. There is a 12 page insert that contains photos from the film, credits to orchestra/choir, music production team credits, and thank you notes from the composer. The CD contains 21 tracks with a total running time of 1 hour and 10 minutes. John Powell once again proves his mastery with scoring brilliant family adventure films. There is plenty to love and dream with here! I recommend!
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 16, 2018
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 14, 2015
