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Orchestrated by:
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Brad Dechter
Frank Bennett
Don Nemitz
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Release Date:
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November 11th, 2003
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Audio Clips:
1. Papa Elf (0:30), 150K elf1.ra
2. Main Title (0:32), 159K elf2.ra
15. Showdown in the Park (0:29), 146K elf15.ra
16. Buddy and Santa's Flight (0:30), 150K elf16.ra
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you can become addicted to 1950's era whistling and singing
over light orchestral rhythms and John Debney's usual, strong thematic
output.
Avoid it... if you believe, on the other hand, that if you've heard one
light Debney comedy score, you've heard them all.
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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| | Debney | |
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Elf: (John Debney) In a project perfectly constructed
for composer John Debney, Elf is a personality-driven urban fantasy
film with plenty of fluff to go around. The story of the human toddler who
accidentally ended up in Santa's bag of toys and was adopted by elves at the
North Pole doesn't sound like a sure winner, but Elf debuted strongly
at the start of the 2003 holiday movie season. As the manchild raised by
elves (being a manchild raised by elves is still better than being a
manchild raised by Michael Jackson, no?) is re-integrated into urban
society, the film follows the comedy of his acclimation until its
heartwarming, feel-good conclusion. John Debney seems to find himself
involved in countless silly projects such as this, and his comedy skills
would lend themselves well to the project. Debney's Snow Dogs the
previous year was the most recent adventurous activity for Debney in snowy
climates, and his music for the setting is always complete with appropriate
holiday percussion. Like Bruce Almighty earlier this year, Debney's
music for Elf runs the risk of anonymity due to his own knack for
strong consistency. There are probably few cues in Elf that Debney
fans will be unable to re-trace to a previous Debney effort. In the end, the
only truly distinguishing aspect of Elf is the conscious effort by
Debney to spruce it up with a saturating holiday spirit. At times, this
Christmas spirit seems overplayed, but given that Elf is a ridiculous
comedy, the flamboyant style of Debney's work is strangely appropriate. The
music was clearly not meant to compete with John Williams' Home
Alone, the modern standard for holiday film music, and yet Elf
has a free-flowing spirit that may make it a better listen for lighter
moods.
Imagine any plethora of strong, but rather non-descript
Debney scores for romantic comedies. That's the base for Elf, with a
decent, though not particularly overwhelming theme for the manchild 'Buddy'
utilized throughout the score. More enjoyable than Buddy's theme is the
whistling theme for the elf colony itself. The film begins with three cues
of this theme, all with sleigh bells ringing, tambourines slapping, and a
business-like snare keeping a steady pace for the "whistle while you work"
inspired theme. Chimes, bells, and a chorus are joined by a noble trumpet
for the proceedings, and with the cute nature and diverse instrumentation of
this whistling theme, you almost wish the whole film was located in the
North Pole. Even an uncredited accordion is used throughout the score, and
while that's not really a holiday instrument, it likely serves its purpose
for the film's later, brewing romance. As Debney has done in his last few
scores, a light choir has been added to a medium-sized orchestral ensemble
for more of that movie-going magic element. Traditional Christmas carols are
found only in two cues: first, in a few bars of Jingle Bells at the start
and then in a jazzy medley of traditional tunes in "Christmas Medley" (no
surprise there...). The score is slowed considerably by prancing comedy
rhythms that poke around and frolic during cute moments on screen. The
intense action cues, appearing in "The Frozen Battlefield" and "Showdown in
the Park," could very well be from Debney's Sudden Death or The
Tuxedo, but they refrain from electronic accompaniment and break up the
often monotonous light comedy rhythms. With only a short, 30-minute
commercial album available for Elf, you'll keep coming back to the
strangely addictive, 1950's era whistling and singing elf theme centered at
the start of the album. The score fizzles out without much fanfare at its
end on album. Overall, it's a slightly more dazzling take on Debney's usual
output in the comedy genre, and would certainly be a decent used-CD find. ***
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Papa Elf (1:35)
• 2. Main Title (1:59)
• 3. Buddy's Journey (2:38)
• 4. A Stroll with Buddy (1:32)
• 5. Christmas Medley (2:23)
• 6. Weird Wonderland (1:34)
• 7. The Frozen Battlefield (1:29)
• 8. Buddy's Theme (0:58)
• 9. Santa's in Trouble (2:06)
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• 10. A Walk in the Park (1:01)
• 11. Attack of the Little People (1:15)
• 12. Central Park Rangers (2:54)
• 13. Working with Dad (0:36)
• 14. A Snowman's Advice (1:47)
• 15. Showdown in the Park (3:31)
• 16. Buddy and Santa's Flight (1:15)
• 17. Spaghetti and Syrup (1:36)
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The full color insert includes a list of performers, but no extra information about the score or film.
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