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| Elfman |
Dr. Seuss' The Grinch: (Danny Elfman) The 2018
animated fluff-fest
Dr. Seuss' The Grinch is the third adaptation
of the original Dr. Seuss classic tale of Christmas spirit, following
the 1966 television production and the 2000 live-action cinematic
expansion. Just as with the 2000 film, the innocuous but rather
pointless 2018 version struggles to fill a feature-length film with
content originally perfect for a short. The basic concept is retained,
however, as the story is one of transformation for the titular Grinch as
he discovers the true meaning of Christmas after trying to steal it away
from his neighboring fantasy world of Whoville. Additional slapstick
humor aimed at the kids is once again the studio's technique, and the
ploy yielded financial success even if critics couldn't have cared less.
Perhaps if the angry, brightly colored Grinch had simply been given a
Twitter account with which to rant about how the Whos are all illegal
immigrants, the rest of us would have been spared the unlikely
transcendence of character. Enthusiasts of the 1966 Boris
Karloff-performed version of the tale will find traces of its music
still alive in
Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, though the soundtrack is,
as expected, part marketing stunt and part generic collection of holiday
staples. Composer Danny Elfman is largely the glue of the 2018 project's
music, writing the score and producing original songs as well. The
headlining songs are a duo by rapper Tyler Okonma (a.k.a. Tyler, the
Creator), including an adaptation of one of Albert Hague's original 1966
melodies. Not only are these songs so disparate in style from the rest
of the production that they make no sense in context, but bless the
younglings who, after hearing the artist here, venture off to enjoy
other performances by Tyler, the Creator in all their profane glory. How
far the world has come from Nat King Cole! (Though not really, as his
"The Christmas Song" is included in this soundtrack as well.) Elfman is
sure to include the famous Hague melodic material in his score,
particularly the extremely austere "Welcome Christmas," so that it
receives both outward cameo and subtle interpolation treatment. The
resulting score has considerable merit as a joyful tribute to the 1966
original and is on par with the style and spirit of James Horner's 2000
equivalent. But, like the film, you get the feeling that everything in
the score is perfunctory, a little too predictable, and, for Elfman
collectors, pleasantly anonymous.
There's little surprising to be heard from Elfman in
Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, and that's the biggest strength and the
biggest weakness of the work. The composer's animated scores of this era
(though it had been since 2014 before this entry) don't really exude the
same emotional appeal as his early classics or, for that matter, his
vintage holiday-related outings. But they are generally very competent
in their entirety and humorously zany at their best. Such is the case
with
Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, as the conservative interpolations of
the 1996 melodies, traditional Christmas carols, and the aforementioned
Nat King Cole all root the score in wholesome cheer. Elfman's main theme
for Whoville is adapted straight from Hague's "Welcome Christmas," heard
first in "The Big Opening" and particularly poignant renditions saved
for the last few cues of self-discovery. With this material comes all
the usual holiday instrumentation, heavy on metallic percussion, and
angelic voices. The orchestra's duties expand into the humorous action
sequences, where shades of the composer's
Pee Wee and
Beetlejuice rhythmic roots are evident. From the blurting low
brass to wailing saxophone and the thunderous pipe organ to the
obligatory theremin for suspense, Elfman accesses all his usual
techniques for the occasion. The latter two elements are a pleasure in
their application to the composer's theme for the Grinch himself. Heard
initially at 2:20 into "The Big Opening," this idea is extended the
furthest in "Forlorn." Understandably, this menacing identity loses
cohesion and disappears later in the score (listen for the sprightly
woodwind application of the idea to the Grinch's sidekick in "Dog
Tongue"), and it's a bit disappointing that Elfman didn't take the easy
path of switching the already ascending phrasing of the melody into the
major key to denote the transformation. The short cue durations produce
a rocky listening experience at times; listeners may wish to consolidate
the wild action passages and redemptive dramatic ones for their own
sanity. Some of the humor in the action cues is quite admirable, if not
a bit unlistenable, akin to Elfman's
Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory. The album concludes with sound effects and source vocals to
hammer home this humor. That product was primarily distributed via lossy
download, with no CD option, but a high-resolution download alternative
was made available at limited stores. Ultimately,
Dr. Seuss' The
Grinch is a respectful and effective score, but it's Elfman clearly
on auto-pilot, and don't be surprised if the score-only album provides
you nothing more than a short-lived mood perk.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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No official packaging exists from the label for this album.
