: (James Horner) In the decade
before Walt Disney reclaimed its domination over the animated film
genre, Steven Spielberg and Don Bluth provided several noteworthy hits
for Universal that would be so financially successful that most of them
would spawn several sequels, both on the big screen and straight to
video. While
, the 1988 tale about persevering dinosaurs would by itself
inspire no less than ten sequels aimed directly at the video market. The
migrating dinosaur story is insufferable in its cuteness at times,
accentuated by James Horner's effervescent music. Horner had been widely
recognized for his score and song work for
and
by 1988 had established himself as an Oscar contender of mainstream
status. That year in particular would prove to be among the best in the
composer's career, with
serving as sister scores sharing many of the characteristics that have
garnered them similar acclaim through the years. While
is
superior in its more melodramatic statements of theme and rowdy action
sequences,
is the softer, more consistently
lyrical companion piece. One of the more interesting overarching aspects
of
is precisely that consistency; animated
film scores, especially those with romping characters in the animal
kingdom, typically maneuver at such high speeds that it's difficult for
a composer to provide significant lengths of flowing harmony. Horner not
only minimizes his interruptions for comedy or action, he composes
extremely long cues for
that in many regards
emulate the style of concert suites. Despite slight changes in mood
throughout the score's 50+ minutes of length on album, there really are
only two full action pieces and one questionable comedy romp. Otherwise,
is both a delightfully consistent listening
experience and, for those who have sought additional music from
Three primary themes exist in
The Land Before Time,
with several surrounding motifs shared between them. A few singular
moments of theme not reprised anywhere else in the score are also treats
along the way. Rather than composing thematic ideas for each member in
the troop of lovable characters, Horner provides representation for
broader situations. First, he opens with a rousing and noble theme for
the dinosaurs as a whole. Secondly, a bright and spirited comedy theme
dances to softer rhythmic tones. Finally, the primary theme of the film
is introduced last, and serves as the inspiration for the plight of the
migrating dinosaurs; it's the "feel good" romantic melody that would
double as the construct of the typical Diana Ross song for the film.
Sadly, the most interesting theme is the one best promised by Horner but
least utilized thereafter. After a respectful choral prelude, Horner
unleashes the dinosaurs' general theme with remarkable majesty. A choral
crescendo in the style of
Willow leads to a rolling string and
piano rhythm of resounding power, accompanying the powerful theme as it
is passed around the brass and woodwind sections. Several aspects of
this portion of "The Great Migration" are noteworthy. The theme itself
is an intelligent combination of both prowess of strength and the
clumsiness of size; the first three-quarters of its progression are
particularly bold, and yet Horner tacks on four rather lazy notes after
a natural conclusion that perfectly embody the lumbering movement of a
large animal (along with some rolling timpani, which always helps). The
transitions between the instruments carrying the melody is also creative
in that the French horns, trumpets, trombones, and what sounds like a
flugelhorn could very well each represent a different kind of dinosaur
in the migration. A careful mix of the score allows the woodwinds, all
in unison, to carry a portion of this theme. Although it's almost lost
under the action, the piano sets its own elegant rhythm in this portion
of the cue, playing a role that Horner would expand upon in
The New
World. The cue transitions to a light mid-range drum rhythm over
which various woodwinds offer the cute comedy idea that would be fleshed
out further in later cues. A beautiful, rising string interlude to this
theme maintains its listenability.
After a brief burst of brass for a flurry of animated
action, Horner concludes "The Great Migration" with an intentional
statement of his theme from his obscure score for
The Journey of
Natty Gann on an exuberant flute. A foreshadowing of a choral
segment from the forthcoming theme of inspiration in later cues will
recall the delicacy of
Casper. This theme would finally be heard
in full at the outset of "Sharptooth and the Earthquake." Compared to
Horner's other lyrical children's themes, this one is a bit anonymous,
but the orchestration of the theme's statements, as well as the very
good mix of the choir, elevate this one beyond most of his others. A
minor sub-theme follows, meandering between major and minor key in its
fragmented appearances throughout the score; its performances by flute
and choir are quite intoxicating. The second half of "Sharptooth and the
Earthquake" is one of the score's primary action pieces. Sharing most of
its timpani rumbling, snare-ripping, and cymbal crashing qualities with
Willow's numerous similar cues, the later parts of this cue have
pieces of bombast from
Brainstorm as well as a foreshadowing of
tension heard later in
Apollo 13. Despite its adequacy, the brief
action music in
The Land Before Time is its weakest element. The
restrained beauty of "Whispering Winds" is the score's most prominent
use of the inspiration theme. Aside from occasional, light romps, this
9-minute cue is a seamless performance of the theme in the most innocent
sonic capabilities of the woodwinds and choir. One fascinating aspect of
this cue is a bass string rhythm under piano and meandering choir (in
three sequences during the cue) that would trick most casual listeners
into thinking they were listening to Danny Elfman's
Edward
Scissorhands. Horner uses metallic percussion to simulate the sound
of wind in much the same fashion as he did in
Willow, but it's
not as prominent in the mix here. An ensemble choral performance of the
theme at the end of the cue is not to be missed. Throughout the score,
the London Symphony Orchestra proves its credentials; not a single major
flub is to be heard.
One of the few reprises of the noble dinosaurs' theme
from the opening cue is provided at the outset of "Foraging for Food," a
cue that thereafter gives the playful comedy theme its primary airtime.
A pan flute rhythm provides a unique variant on the theme's light tones.
If you're adverse to tingling triangles, or despise Horner's sometimes
wild percussive rhythms that build to an ambitious crescendo (as in
Bicentennial Man), then avoid this cue. A triumphant brass and
layered string performance of the inspiration theme opens "The
Rescue/Discovery of the Great Valley," leading to a brief action
sequence that soars with harmonic spirit most similar to
The
Rocketeer. As the dinosaurs reach the Great Valley, their
overarching theme from the start of the score returns with a softer,
more elegant rendition. As anticipation of the arrival builds, snare
rhythms once again reminiscent of
The Rocketeer eventually yield
to a final, cymbal crashing ensemble performance of the inspiration
theme. The theme's choral interlude provides a joyous conclusion that
develops into an enthusiastic end credits cue that summarizes only parts
of the score. A flourishing string rhythm propelling the cue recalls
An American Tail, underlining the score's most ambitious layering
of the comedy theme in all its upbeat glee. After two minutes, the
inspiration theme plays to the end with performances very similar to
those that came immediately before in the finale of the film. A big
disappointment with this cue is the lack of a statement of the
dinosaurs' main theme; while not as relevant at the end of the film as
the other two themes, Horner extends the inspiration theme to
unnecessarily dull lengths at the end of this suite, time during which
he could easily have wrapped up the score's themes in their entirety.
Otherwise,
The Land Before Time is an outstanding genre score
that is always a joy to hear on album. The Ross song is not offensive,
though it's somewhat predictable given Horner's usual song adaptation
habits, and Will Jennings' lyrics are atrocious. The album, despite
being readily available in the 1990's, became quite scarce in the
2000's. Among the plethora of animated genre film scores that Horner has
composed over the earlier years of his career, none has been able to
recapture the consistent majesty and beauty of
The Land Before
Time. Along with
Willow, it was easily one of the top
highlights of 1988.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
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| Bias Check: |
For James Horner reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.16
(in 103 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.26
(in 193,176 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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