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| Newman |
Monsters University: (Randy Newman) Haggling
between Disney's Michael Eisner and Pixar's Steve Jobs caused 2005 plans
for a sequel to the 2001 hit
Monsters, Inc. to remain in limbo
for years, though with one studio wrestling away the sequel rights (and
one of those CEO's dead), nothing was to stop the pair of companies from
creating what became a prequel to the original story. Deliberately
ignoring some continuity issues with the prior film, 2013's
Monsters
University depicts the meeting and developing of a friendship
between the two main characters from
Monsters, Inc., voiced by
Billy Crystal and John Goodman. They unite at "Monsters University,"
where they hope to graduate in the art of scaring humans and someday
work at "Monsters, Inc.," a feat they accomplish via a circuitous route.
Along the way, they run through the stereotypical pitfalls of college
life, screwing up in all the manners you'd expect from young monsters
who don't have their act together. The prequel, which was initially free
of the lawsuit problems that plagued
Monsters, Inc., was met with
moderate praise but not the same immediate, overwhelming fiscal response
as its predecessor. There's something nostalgic about seeing the crew of
the 2001 assemble for another entry in the concept a dozen years later,
and that feeling especially applies to composer Randy Newman's continued
involvement. Interestingly, however, the music produced by Newman for
Monsters University has very little to do with that which he
wrote for
Monsters, Inc., an intriguing and somewhat
disappointing turn of events given that the prior work left some clear
room for improvement. While there remains continuity in Newman's basic
style and a few token references to the prior score, there is no
significant thematic carry-over despite the return of the same
characters and a few scenes staged at "Monsters, Inc." Even though those
two characters affirm their bond at the end of
Monsters
University and achieve their goal of gaining employment at
"Monsters, Inc.," the melody of Newman's Oscar-winning song, "If I
Didn't Have You," is absent from the prequel. In fact, you don't hear
Newman sing a song at all in
Monsters University, making this
seventh Pixar entry for the composer a bit awkwardly positioned. Even a
simple reprise would have sufficed. That said, Newman does throw a few
references to the prior score in during "Field Trip" as appropriate, and
his musical language, despite losing some of grand jazz existing in the
2001 work, is largely familiar enough to function for most
listeners.
On the plus side for
Monsters University's music
is a greater sense of thematic continuity. Newman generates a wealth of
themes for this story, starting with a traditional Newmanesque melody
for Mike Wazowski on clarinet and allowing it to mature from its
exuberant initial performance in "Young Michael." A more laid back idea
for Sully is heard in the track of that name, though it utilizes the
same basic rhythmic structures as Mike's renderings. An accordion-laced
theme for the "Oozma Kappa" fraternity exists in several places, some
strangely out of touch culturally. The main new identity in
Monsters
University is the stately college march for the university itself,
heard immediately in "Main Title" and often utilizing a marching band
drum section in its most vibrant performances. Between the pseudo-French
atmosphere for the fraternity setting and the upbeat marching theme for
the overall setting, don't be surprised if parts of this score strike
you as a bizarre combination of Michael Giacchino's
Ratatouille
and John Williams'
1941, especially in "Rise and Shine" for the
latter. The
1941 comparisons will continue into "The Library" and
elsewhere, yielding almost a parody environment. Newman makes no attempt
to hide his intent to overplay nearly everything in the score, the sour
version of the college theme in "Dean Hardscrabble" an example of the
score's limited darker side. There is a surprising amount of generic
action material in
Monsters University, the later scenes
involving the human world sufficient but somewhat devoid of their own
brand of unique character. The innocuous jazz that stylistically defines
these scores for Newman yields to the composer's equally refined sense
of Americana more often than not, causing short snippets of pretty
material that don't amount to enough combined running time to really
appreciate. Comedy interludes prance along at regular intervals as well,
with occasional bursts into singular sounds like the classical and rock
alternations in "Scare Pig." A couple of sung, source-like tracks also
divert attention from the score's narrative. Somewhat disappointingly,
the highlight of
Monsters University is "Field Trip," which is
the one cue to truly mix material from the two scores in the franchise.
In terms of performance, the 112-piece orchestra for this score is, like
that for the predecessor, adequate but occasionally underwhelming in its
enthusiasm. Overall, while it would have been nice to hear the
Monsters, Inc. score extended and better defined in the prequel,
it's clear that a completely new musical direction was intended for
Monsters University. Unfortunately, while the overarching
thematic continuity is improved, the general personality of the work
fails to really grab you, much like the original.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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| Bias Check: |
For Randy Newman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.15
(in 20 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.11
(in 22,943 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes a list of performers but no extra information
about the score or film.
