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There was clearly a concerted effort by Powell to freely reprise any and all motific devices from How to Train Your Dragon in its successor. From the main theme for the village of Berk to the identities for love and flying, the melodies from the 2010 classic are all supplied in excess here. The composer specifically threw all of these themes, as well as secondary devices, into one rollicking overture for the "Dragon Racing" cue that opens How to Train Your Dragon 2, a remarkably condensed and satisfying tribute to nearly everything you heard in the prior score. Thereafter, these identities continue to appear at regular intervals, Powell seemingly certain to ensure that each theme is given its fair amount of airtime. The flying theme is perhaps the most frequently utilized, though that perception may come from the fact that it heavily informs one of the two major new themes provided by Powell to the sequel. That flying material is also infused into Jonsi's song as its bridge sequence; the primary phrases of that song are separate from Powell's score with the exception of one scene. Despite listeners' familiarity with the existing themes, Powell really does emphasize the two new themes in the latter two thirds of this work. The first idea is what he calls the "lost and found" theme, one for Hiccup's maturation that became necessary because of all the serious sequences involving family and loss in this story. While this idea develops in part out of the thematic base of the existing material, its choral lamentation is quite unique in this soundscape, experiencing its own evolution from a tool for denoting sadness early in the score to one of reverence and transcendence by its performance in the final cue. The theme is malleable enough to represent Hiccup's strained relationship with Toothless, his dragon, a newfound discovery in his mother, and the ultimate fate of his father, and Powell isn't afraid to allow this identity a fair amount of space in its lengthy sequences at the forefront. On album, the theme is introduced late in "Toothless Lost," tentatively developed in "Should I Know You?" and "Valka's Dragon Sanctuary," exuberantly translated in "Flying With Mother," tempered by shock in "Stoick Saves Hiccup," victoriously exclaimed in "Toothless Found," and slowed to a fanfare crawl in "Two New Alphas." The performances of this theme are typically defined by the light cooing of the choir, during which times James Horner and Danny Elfman sadness is recalled, but the aid of accent instruments in places, as in "Flying With Mother," forces the idea into variations that interact with the franchise's other themes.

As important as the "lost and found" theme in How to Train Your Dragon 2 may be, it cannot compete with the identity for the dragon-hunting villain, Drago Bludvist, in terms of singular, memorable moments. Heard first in fragments during "Drago's Coming," the theme receives its fullest, concert-like performance in "Meet Drago" before regularly appearing in a number of battle and suspense cues until it whimpers out at the start of "Two New Alphas." Deep choir and overbearing brass are understandable instrumental choices for this theme, but highly curious is Powell's decision to portray the character as having some kind of needless Arabian connection, both in the progressions of the melody and in the occasional rhythmic accompaniment by metallic percussion. The progressions may be especially distracting for some listeners, though at the very least they make the villain sound exotic enough to truly stand apart from the rest of the themes. The highlight of this theme's menacing performances is clearly the one that starts about 3:30 into "Meet Drago," the kind of glorious, conquering Arabic bombast that wouldn't sound too terribly out of place in a sickening Islamic State propaganda video. A bit awkward, indeed. Listeners who prefer an eerie choral take on the theme can seek the middle sequence of "Hiccup Confronts Drago" or perhaps the opening of "Alpha Comes to Berk," which translates the theme into a hypnotic high-voice range appropriate for the mind-controlling capabilities of the alpha dragons. That latter cue is a solid example of Powell's ability to shift between the new and old identities with ease, an inspiring, battle-ready performance of the Berk theme introduced by patriotic flute in ways reminiscent of calls to summons for ants and chickens. True to Powell's ability to use any instrument at any time, it sounds as though the Berk theme's performance in that cue is not only aided by chimes to beef up the bass but also by electric guitar. Subsequently, "Toothless Found" allows the propulsive, militaristic element of Powell's writing, once again with tasteful electronic aids in the bass, to shine through snare, trumpets, flutes, and choir. The narrative of the score, on the whole, is easy to follow because of Powell's extremely transparent application of emotional shifts, adhering to one of the basic rules of cartoon music writing. There may be some listeners who seek a greater dose of subtle performances of intertwined themes, but that's not the goal here. Even the brazen finale at the conclusion of "Two New Alphas" doesn't hold back on its intentions; few happy endings are as bombastic in their proclamations of awesomeness.

The entire package of How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a triumphant return to the glory of the preceding work, but it is not without a few curious aspects that could be considered detriments by some listeners. Some dissatisfaction with the ordering of the cues on the album release has persisted, though that's a relatively minor quibble. Of more importance is the somewhat odd insertion points for the various identities of the prior score, the themes not always placed intuitively given their prior usage. In other words, Powell seems to throw whatever theme from the prior score he wishes into several scenes as conveniently as it can be merged with surrounding material or how well it sounds in that place, even if the purpose of that theme is not the best suited for that positioning. On album, this issue is less relevant. The orchestral performances of the score, while usually fantastic, are not without fault; the most distracting performance error comes on trumpets at 2:30 into "Battle of the Bewilderbeast," unfortunately during an important moment in that cue. The songs are also questionable. Compared to the usual Disney musical juggernaut, the one cast performance in "For the Dancing and the Dreaming" is remarkably weak. One would figure that if the time was right for the story to be sung at a particular moment, then that one, with its comedic tilt, is a bit odd. On the bright side, it informs the "Stoick's Ship" score cue well. While Jonsi's "Where No One Goes" is likely to appeal to the target audience, its mix is a highly obnoxious blend of trance and new age trash that reduces Powell's material to a drug-induced hallucinatory stupor. Thankfully, the score remains immune to this collaborative mess, Powell's own orchestral, choral, and Celtic combinations free of punishment from overtly contemporary tones. His place in animation now equals what James Horner accomplished in the late 1980's and early 1990's, dominating the field with clearly superior work. The original How to Train Your Dragon score was released in an extraordinary year for film music, competing against the likes of Alice in Wonderland, Space Battleship Yamato, and The Last Airbender. It's almost impossible to determine where How to Train Your Dragon 2 would have fit into the rankings amongst that type of competition should it arise in 2014, but it suffices to say that the score is in many ways equal in quality to its predecessor. At some point, when the music reaches this level of accomplishment, it is neither necessary nor useful to try to determine which of the first two How to Train Your Dragon scores is superior. The first has nostalgic appeal while the second is better rounded in its themes. In the end, what matters most about the sequel is that Powell definitely did not fuck it up.  *****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For John Powell reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.22 (in 46 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.12 (in 48,588 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 68:16