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How to Train Your Dragon 2
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Composed and Produced by:
Conducted by:
Gavin Greenaway
Orchestrated and/or Arranged by:
Paul Mounsey Anthony Willis John Ashton Thomas Andrew Kinney Randy Kerber Dave Metzger Tommy Laurence Pete Anthony Germaine Franco Jeff Atmajian
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LABEL & RELEASE DATE
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Relativity Music Group
(June 17th, 2014)
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ALBUM AVAILABILITY
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Regular U.S. release. An international edition of the soundtrack includes
an additional pop song at the end.
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AWARDS
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None.
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ALSO SEE
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Buy it... even if you adore the prior film's score and have fears
about the quality of the sequel, for John Powell has written an
entertaining, well-rounded thematic romp in the same mould for the
second entry.
Avoid it... if you still cannot tolerate Powell's overtly bombastic
style of exuberant, rowdy orchestral music for the animation genre
despite its undeniably high quality.
BUY IT
 | Powell |
How to Train Your Dragon 2: (John Powell) While
studios always aim to be pleasantly surprised by a new animated concept,
few have experienced the outright phenomenal success that Dreamworks
stumbled upon with How to Train Your Dragon in 2010. So
remarkable was its critical and popular appeal across all age groups
that the studio and filmmakers toiled laboriously for four years to
perfect a sequel, fearful of the decline in quality that many animation
franchises suffer. Now that peace has been made between Vikings and
dragons after the prior film, the story of How to Train Your Dragon
2 seeks to accomplish two goals, first telling a "coming of age"
chapter about young Viking Hiccup, son of the chief of his village, and
his family, and secondly introducing new human and dragon antagonists
who threaten everyone within reach. Complications and heartbreaks await
Hiccup on this journey, the tale remaining decidedly darker than the
kind of material you usually see in animation, and some concept purists
clinging to Cressida Cowell's books that inspired this franchise may be
deterred. That issue apparently repelled few viewers, however, with
reaction to the sequel seemingly as glowing as that for the predecessor,
and the third installment was immediately planned for a release in 2016.
The animated realm has consumed the career of composer John Powell in
the 2010's, and for good reason. After spending much of the 2000's
redefining the common industry conception of a modern thriller score, he
admittedly became tired of writing endless variations on his 2002 music
for The Bourne Identity, choosing instead to explore the
expressive freedom afforded to him in the children's genre. Since his
Oscar-nominated triumph for How to Train Your Dragon in 2010, he
has not returned to live action, taking some time off in 2013 to be with
family and write concert work outside of the stresses of Hollywood. His
return in 2014 for Rio 2 and How to Train Your Dragon 2 is
not surprising given his affinity for both franchises and their music,
especially the Brazilian flair in the case of the former. While his
score for Rio 2 was workmanlike as always, the task at hand for
How to Train Your Dragon 2 was significantly more challenging. In
his first answer during one interview about the score, his exclaimed
that his sentiment about the sequel was, "Hopefully I haven't fucked it
up," a phrase he reiterated later in the same interview. Powell had ample time ensure that he didn't disappoint
viewers and listeners with How to Train Your Dragon 2, tinkering
with ideas for the movie as early as 18 months prior to the score's
recording. His collaboration with Icelandic composer and performer Jon
Thor ("Jonsi") Birgisson continued from the prior film, and they
produced one song early that needed to be incorporated into a scene in
which characters sing to the tune on screen. They also paired more
closely to overlap melodic material for "Where No One Goes," the more
standard dance song that bookends the film. On Powell's part, the need
to address the prior film's magnificent score and supply an evolution of
that sound required a set of choices that yielded some predictable and
some not-so-predictable results. Easy to foresee was a continuation of
the composer's outstanding orchestral, choral, and specialty instrument
blend, utilizing a 120-piece orchestra, 100-member choir, and accents
such as uilleann pipes, tin whistle, celtic harp, dulcimer, bodhran, and
bagpipes. The bagpipes in particular are a point of pride for Powell in
this work, though detractors of the instrument will be pleased to know
that their usage is actually quite restrained. The scope and romanticism
of the score's constructs are a key connection to How to Train Your
Dragon, Powell's enthusiasm for unashamed expression of lyricism
remaining on full display. The recording itself is once again
resounding, if not improved in its handling of layers and reverb. The
trademark Powell mannerisms that constitute his best romantic work are
certainly prevalent, especially in the use of anticipatory chord
movements that reliably hang in suggestive limbo to reflect mourning, an
emotion not lacking in this story. The composer's handling of flute
lines in counterpoint and ascendant application of trumpets atop the
ensemble to punctuate heroism are equally up to the task. Collectors of
the composer's music will be immersed in another experience that is
purely Powell's in its personality, retaining traits still from his
early entries of Antz and Chicken Run. In many ways, both
Rio 2 and How to Train Your Dragon 2 are entertaining if
only because they are exhibits of a composer who is comfortable in this
genre and, more importantly, having fun. Fortunately, with the musical
production values of the latter meeting the high expectations set for
this sequel score, attention can be turned to the thematic development,
where the interesting discussion lies.
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 3.11
(in 48,161 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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Total Time: 68:16
1. Dragon Racing (4:34)
2. Together We Map the World (2:19)
3. Hiccup the Chief/Drago's Coming (4:44)
4. Toothless Lost (3:28)
5. Should I Know You (1:56)
6. Valka's Dragon Sanctuary (3:19)
7. Losing Mom/Meet the Good Alpha (3:24)
8. Meet Drago (4:26)
9. Stoick Finds Beauty (2:33)
10. Flying With Mother (2:49)
11. For the Dancing and the Dreaming - performed by Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, and Mary Jane Wells (3:06)
12. Battle of the Bewilderbeast (6:26)
13. Hiccup Confronts Drago (4:06)
14. Stoick Saves Hiccup (2:23)
15. Stoick's Ship (3:48)
16. Alpha Comes to Berk (2:20)
17. Toothless Found (3:46)
18. Two New Alphas (6:06)
19. Where No One Goes - performed by Jonsi (2:44)
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(international edition includes an additional pop song at the end)
The packaging's pictorial booklet contains no extra information about the score or film,
but a free-floating, one-page insert sheet also included in the product features a long note
from the director about both.
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