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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you seek one of James Horner's most charmingly heart-breaking lullabies, performed by solo piano, choir, and full ensemble over the course of twenty gorgeous minutes in Casper. Avoid it... if the presence of the lullaby cannot compensate for 45 remaining minutes of merely average comedy action and fluffy suspense writing common to both the careers of Horner and Danny Elfman. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Casper does benefit from two deviations from the normal equation for Horner's children's scores; first, he uses a comical set of themes and rhythms that pushes towards the boundaries of animated parody writing, and secondly, he wrote one spectacular lullaby for Casper that would be rearranged, as mentioned previously, for use in The Spiderwick Chronicles. In both of its somewhat unique characteristics, Casper is the closest Horner would come to emulating the comical spirit and supernatural beauty offered by Danny Elfman during the same era. The opening cue marches through Horner's thematic ideas for Casper, emphasizing the motifs that deal with jazzy comedy, goofy action, and silly character sketches. Due to the movement of the film, these ideas would not receive lengthy treatment until the more cohesive suite-like presentation in the "End Credits." A theme for the evil "Carrigan & Digs" is a harpsichord and saxophone dance with a pompous rhythm for their bumbling buffoonery (ending with a notable theremin throwback motif for an old-style haunted mansion). The sax in this cue draws the easiest connection to Elfman's work, and this idea would be extended into the even more flamboyant "March of the Exorcists." The suspense and action cues would offer other specialty performances and continued Elfman references. The wild rhythms of "First Haunting" is pulled from the opening of Beetlejuice, though the latter half of the cue, "The Swordfight" would mock Korngold action from long before. The later action cues would be more conventional entries in Horner's typical sound, though the infusion of "Casper's Lullaby" would elevate the score to a far more memorable status. First introduced during the gorgeous lighthouse sequence in the film, this melancholy theme delicately rolls on solo piano before being joined by full strings and light choir. This quiet, somber, and surprisingly simple lullaby is anchored by poignant piano performances that expand in scope throughout the film as Casper's relationship with the daughter grows and Casper's sadness becomes more evident. This primary character theme is romantic and longing, really deserving a film better than Casper, but it plays an important role in the film nonetheless. Various woodwinds and Horner's sweepingly majestic choir provide two full performances of this theme in the concert arrangement ("Casper's Lullaby") and as Casper's wish to be alive again comes true in "One Last Wish," the theme matures into an even fuller orchestral and choral piece. For these haunting moments alone, the album is worth the price. The theme would receive a more upbeat series of variations in "Fond Memories," though its sorrowful form would send off the "End Credits" and album with taste. Aside from the gorgeous lullaby, little remains on this score that is particularly interesting or important. The comedy mould is somewhat different for Horner in Casper, but much of it sounds too intent on mirroring Danny Elfman to be taken seriously. While other parts definitely reference The Land Before Time, the lack of resounding power from the previous work can be heard in the Los Angeles performers' less robust recording stature. The jazzy material dedicated to the three supporting ghosts will attract some listeners, as will a rambling creativity in the percussion section that would foreshadow some of the ambitious rhythmic usage in Bicentennial Man. While refreshing in their application to this film, these sequences aren't particularly listenable outside of context, including the extremely obnoxious "The Uncles Swing" at the finale of the film. The Universal album for Casper is of considerable length, with well over an hour of Horner's score interrupted by only two songs utilized in the film. Of the two songs, the soft rock piece used for the pivotal scene at the end of the film is quite decent. It's easy to understand the appearance of Little Richard's performance of "Casper the Friendly Ghost," but tolerating it for any length of time is another story. The score and album's redeeming element, however, comes with "Casper's Lullaby" and its twenty minutes of variants throughout the work. Its heart-breaking melody will charm itself onto a permanent spot on your CD shelves, regardless of your opinion about the rest of the score. ***
The insert includes no extra information about the score or film. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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