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Hop: (Christopher Lennertz) So the heir to the
throne of Easter Island decides that he doesn't want to follow in his
father's footsteps and become the next Easter Bunny. Instead, this
affable young fur-ball exclaims that he wants to be a drummer in a rock
band and runs off to Hollywood to pursue a career. With the help of a
sympathetic human companion, he realizes a taste of his dreams while
ultimately accepting his fate and repairing his relationship with his
dad. Sound corny? Critics certainly thought so, praising the blend of
live-action and animated elements in the early 2011 film
Hop but
universally panning a juvenile script aimed at the lesser intelligent
contingent of youth in the audience. Never the less, director Tim Hill
sought to repeat his immense financial success from
Alvin and the
Chipmunks in 2007, at least initially showing the same box office
promise here. An abundance of silly humor that pokes fun at the
entertainment industry and holiday traditions (no word from fanatical
Christians as of yet) presents unique challenges to the soundtrack for
Hop, especially considering the musical aspirations of the
primary character. Arguably still a more difficult score to write was
the one for
Alvin and the Chipmunks, however, and having
succeeded in supplementing the high-pitched voices in that film without
aggravating listeners, composer Christopher Lennertz was hired by Hill
once again for
Hop. Lennertz became somewhat trapped in a cycle
of comedy scores in the 2000's, either writing over-the-top (and
generally quite outstanding) parodies or generically frenetic animated
"talking animal" scores derived from the formulas of Warner Brothers
cartoons and the multitude of composers stuck in the same rut during the
1990's. With
Hop, you know precisely what you're going to get
from Lennertz. Anybody searching for the true musical voice of the
composer will be forced to continue that hunt, because there is once
more nothing particularly unique about this music. Then again, it is so
derivative of the structure and variety of instrumental pieces of his
scores for
Alvin and the Chipmunks,
Marmaduke, and
Cats
and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (as well as equivalent entries
by Mark Mothersbaugh and Theodore Shapiro) that perhaps this sound is
indeed representative of Lennertz's actual dominant style. On the
upside, at least you realize before a listening experience like this
that the composer is capable of doing his job to the extent that the
film requires, so while there's not much chance for
Hop to receive
a four star rating, you can count on it achieving at least three stars
for dutifully going through the motions.
The foundation for
Hop's score is as expected,
consisting of dynamically spread orchestral duties and supplemental
roles for contemporary instrumentation, occasional electronic accents,
and the necessary cooing choir. Lennertz made an attempt to infuse a
more aggressive posture for drums and cymbals in a few places to
represent the lead character's passion for rock music, but outside of a
rambunctious passage for percussion and guitars at the end of "Don't
Want to Be the Easter Bunny," the score itself is surprisingly short on
such reminders. Some related character comes through in Lennertz's
representation of the entertainment industry, hip Hammond organ and
acoustic guitar sequences also using the emphasized percussion to a
lesser degree. More prevalent, interestingly, is the application of a
wilder drum ensemble of almost a primal variety for several sequences
representing Easter Island, culminating in a largely solo role in "Air
Traffic Control." The orchestra never deviates from its usual assigned
duties, solo piano poignantly conveying character contemplation, solo
strings underlining moments of melancholy, tingling percussion infusing
magic, and tubas bolstering the villains' activities. The choir makes a
few notable contributions in the higher ranges ("Prologue" is once again
a reminder of James Horner's early 1990's children's music), the
occasional exhales or singing from lower registers far more enticing.
The most unique instrumental tones come early, with Lennertz giving
Eastern Island's introduction almost comical
Jurassic Park
treatment and the "Candy Factory" cue clearly taking inspiration from
Danny Elfman's cutesy 1950's suburbia tone from
Edward
Scissorhands. As the action and resolution cues arrive in the second
half, Lennertz stays more true to old fashion orchestral bombast and
majesty, albeit in fragmented doses. The tone is so light throughout the
score that the ensemble plays like yet another extension of the David
Newman 1990's comedy sound. Thematically,
Hop is rich with
motifs, though none of them really stands above the others to define the
score in your memory. The "Reunion/Proclamation" cue perhaps best
summarizes the saccharine primary melody with beautiful colors, its
presentation earlier in the score not as cohesive because of the main
character's identity crisis. The Easter Bunny concept receives its own
theme of quiet stature, the villains' militaristic material is best
heard in the last third of the score, and other secondary ideas persist.
Not surprisingly, the highlights of the score are individual moments of
unique flair, such as the rolling piano in "Got the Blues." Overall,
little new is heard in
Hop, but Lennertz executes the score with
workmanlike precision and continues to reinforce himself as a reliable
composer for this genre. Now, if only a studio would give him a grand
historical drama or two...
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The insert includes a list of performers and notes from both the director
and producer about the score.
