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Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams
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Conducted by:
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Pete Anthony
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Release Date:
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August 6th, 2002
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you have a kid yourself who wants a souvenir from the
film, or if you are a die-hard John Debney completist.
Avoid it... if you believe, like many others, that all Debney action
scores between 1999 and 2003 are beginning to sound alike.
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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| | Debney |
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| | Rodriguez | |
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Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams: (Robert
Rodriguez/John Debney) With the Spy Kids franchise being the sole
dream of director and producer Robert Rodriguez, it is no surprise that
Rodriguez would fill some of the composing duties for the franchise himself.
The first Spy Kids film was built on a foundation laid by Rodriguez
and Danny Elfman, with several composers from under the roof of Hans
Zimmer's Media Ventures business filling out the majority of the score. At
the last minute, action and children's film veteran John Debney was brought
in to flesh out some orchestrations and write some additional material for
that score. The result was a campy but serviceable score for the genre.
Spy Kids 2, as Rodriguez states, is a Ray Harryhausen kind of flick,
with odd monsters and grand, ancient settings. It reunites the entire
primary cast from the first film, though don't expect the same themes to
appear this time around. In fact, this project is so new that it is the
first ever performance of the newly assembled Texas Philharmonic. For Spy
Kids 2, Rodriguez once again set out to write much of the score himself,
and like last time, he asked John Debney to score the remaining half of the
film. The Spy Kids films are aimed at the fantasies of kids, and thus
the score plays to several cliches in action and thriller music that appeal
to kids.
The first Spy Kids score may have been a funky
adventure given the broad collection of talent, and Spy Kids 2 is
more of a stock action/adventure score that one would expect from John
Debney, with the unpredictable elements thrown in by Rodriguez. It is not
difficult to see why Rodriguez originally approached Danny Elfman for the
franchise, given that Rodriguez's own cues pay great tribute to Elfman's now
classic The Nightmare Before Christmas sound. Sadly absent from this
score is Harry Gregson-Williams' robust and melodic family theme from the
first score. While Rodriguez provides the personality for Spy Kids 2
(such as in the spoof tracks of "R.A.L.P.H.," "Floop's Dream," and the song
"Isle of Dreams"), Debney's action music features the brawn of the score.
The highlights of the score are roughly five to ten minutes of Debney's
material, but fans of his will recognize these sounds from Inspector
Gadget and many of his animated scores from the mid-1990's. The
interesting aspect of Spy Kids 2 is that Rodriguez's cues, while not
possessing the same complexity of sound as Debney's music, sound very
similar to Debney's style. It's difficult to say if that is because
Rodriguez's talents in composition are strong or if Debney's adaptation and
expansion of Rodriguez's cues is that precise. In any event, the highlight
of the score for most teenage buyers will be the Alexa Vega "James Bondish"
song at the end. For film score fans, you will have heard this Debney music
before, countless times, and if you value creativity in your children's
adventure scores, the first Spy Kids score may be a better choice. ***
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. The Juggler (Rodriguez) (2:08)
• 2. Spy Ballet (Rodriguez) (3:51)
• 3. Magna Men (Debney) (1:49)
• 4. Treehouse (Debney/Rodriguez) (2:03)
• 5. R.A.L.P.H. (Rodriguez) (1:07)
• 6. Floop's Dream (Rodriguez - Alan Cumming) (1:11)
• 7. Escape From DragonSpy (Debney) (1:58)
• 8. SpyParents (Debney/Rodriguez) (0:57)
• 9. Island of Lost Dreams (Rodriguez) (1:04)
• 10. Donnagon's Big Office/The Giggles (Rodriguez) (2:35)
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• 11. Mysterious Volcano Island (Debney) (2:03)
• 12. Romero's Zoo Too (Debney/Rodriguez) (2:47)
• 13. Mothership/Spy Grandparents (Rodriguez) (3:06)
• 14. Magna Racers (Debney/Rodriguez) (1:42)
• 15. Azetec Treasure Room (Rodriguez) (2:09)
• 16. Skeletons (Debney) (3:40)
• 17. Creature Battle (Debney) (1:48)
• 18. Romero's Creatures/Spy Beach (Rodriguez) (1:19)
• 19. Spy Dad vs. Spy Dad/Romero's Gift (Rodriguez) (2:24)
• 20. Isle of Dreams (Rodriguez - Carmen Cortez) (4:13)
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Insert includes a note from Rodriguez about the score and film, as well as extensive credits.
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