Soundtrack Review: Kung Fu Panda by Hans Zimmer and John Powell (2008)
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This is a review of the motion picture score for Kung Fu Panda by Hans Zimmer and John Powell.
“The score feels kung fu, and it’s Chinese influence seeps through while retaining the famous Zimmer & Powell Hollywood sound”
Hi yaaaaaaaah! Kung Fu Panda is here (sort of). Anyone seeing the trailers should be exciting about this movie. It’s an animated movie about kung fu fighting and a panda. Don’t you just love the irony here? I am so lucky to get an early copy of this score. The official release is not until Jun 3rd, but you get an exclusive sneak peak here at Soundtrack Geek. Two of the “big boys” of Hollywood scoring has collaborated for this soundtrack. Hans Zimmer and John Powell have made some very memorable animated movie scores over the years: The Lion King, The Prince of Egypt, Chicken Run and Shrek just to name a few. This is John Powell’s 4th score this year and Hans Zimmer’s 1st. This is the track list of Kung Fu Panda:
Track List
- Hero
- Let The Tournament Begin
- Dragon Warrior Is Among Us
- Tai Lung Escapes
- Peach Tree Of Wisdom
- Accu-Flashback
- Impersonating Shifu
- Sacred Pool Of Tears
- Training Po
- The Bridge
- Shifu Faces Tai Long
- The Dragon Scroll
- Po vs Tai Long
- Dragon Warrior Rises
- Panda Po
- Oogway Ascends
- Kung Fu Fighting (Feat. Cee-Lo Green And Jack Black)
Who Did What?
It has 17 tracks and a total play time of exactly 1 hour. Now before I begin, I haven’t got the information on which composer composed which tracks, so that has to be educational guesswork. I can hear some Zimmeresque sounds in there and some Powellesque sounds as well. My guess is that it is mostly Hans Zimmer stuff. I can remember that John Powell’s name didn’t appear at first, just Hans Zimmer so I guess that’s a big clue. Saying that, I have no problems with it at all as I like both of these composer’s many animated scores. There is one song here as well, the classic Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas, here in yet another version by Cee-Lo Green and Jack Black. It wasn’t a big surprise that they included this song, I still prefer the original though.
Chinese Vs. Hollywood
The score start of with a highly Chinese sounding intro and then it goes on to be more action oriented. I like the way this score is produced, it mixes well with the serious and the funny. It sounds more like The Prince of Egypt than say, Horton Hears a Who. I think this is also a good sign for the movie as it is definitely grown up material unlike Horton which was aimed for the kids. The score feels kung fu, and it’s Chinese influence seeps through while retaining the famous Zimmer & Powell Hollywood sound. As Hans Zimmer’s first effort this year and John Powell’s fourth, I am happy with what I am hearing. I think this will kick ass in the movie itself. It really isn’t a very subtle score as it kicks and punches its way into my eardrums. Overall it is a good score that certainly won’t do this movie any harm. Listen to Kung Fu Panda by Hans Zimmer and John Powell below:
Negatives:
- Not to original, as expected
Positives:
- A kick ass sounding kung fu score
- Mixes well with the serious and the funny
http://soundtrackgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/kfp.flv
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(9 votes, average: 8.56 out of 10)
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Comments
Definitely worth getting this refreshing and excellent soundtrack album. Inspiring big sound coming from the superb blending of classical Chinese instruments and Western orchestra seldom heard nowadays on the airwaves or TV. And the movie is certainly great to say the least. Can’t wait to get the special edition DVD once it’s out.
yes, it’s a very good soundtrack and gives a very good view of what the movie is like. It stands out from the generic crowd and I’m sure people who watched the movie after listening to the soundtrack wasn’t disappointed.
Co-composed scores rarely ever are. “Batman Begins” is a divided work. “Last of the Mohicans” is partial replacement score and Edelmen’s cues are vastly different from Jones’s, though not necessarily poor. And everyone knows the problems behind “Constantine”. The only examples that stand out would be Mr. Magorium and animated scores by John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams…of course, not owning the latter scores, that didn’t factor into my mind when I blew off Powell and Zimmer co-composing as just another Zimmer effort.
And yet, to me it’s very hard to tell the two influences apart. Zimmer’s action scoring and Powell’s action scoring sound almost fused, ditto for the playful parts, the themes, the choral use. In fact, if I’d just heard it off the bat, I’d probably have thought it was strictly a Powell score, but the sparser orchestration shows that Zimmer still has an influence here.
That aside, the score is probably the most surprising score of the year, with a real sense of fun and ethnic elements throughout. The two composers unleash a lot of themes, from the main theme, starting out the album on flute, which builds and weaves to fantastic heights to Po’s theme, at once playful and towards the end a powerful action device. Tai Lung’s themes are menacing and strong, and when mixed with the action material (“The Bridge”, “Shifu Faces Tai Lung) creates a thrilling brassy atmosphere. The aforementioned action material, added with the rest, is for the most part stellar and addicting, with “Po Vs Tai Lung” unleashing superb orchestral heroism. The ethnic elements are well integrated and never overbearing; the erhu really drives “The Bridge” about halfway through, and the other elements create an elegant tapestry. Special kudos goes to Sacred Pool of Tears, a 9 minute+ track that encompasses most of the themes and features fantastic choral outbursts.
Only downside is the occasional invasion of electronics…it might aid some of “The Battle”, but it still feels unnecessary, and “Tai Lung Escapes”, while good in some parts, feels out of place with the rest of the score. Still, it’s surprisingly fun, continuing Zimmer’s orchestral expansion that started in Pirates 3 and further cementing Powell as today’s animation dominator, and I expect this score to stay high on the year’s best. 4.5/5
This is a very fun score, but I was not surprised at all. John Powell always produces great animated movie scores and Zimmer usually delivers. It wasn’t as good as Horton or Surf’s Up, but Powell and Zimmer delivers.
I picked this up this summer on vacation and my kids even love it! (They generally mock my soundtrack collectionitis). I especially love track 15 (if I remember correctly). Great score! It makes me want to go out and buy Horton because of your comments! I don’t have any John Powell yet in my collection!
Soundtrack Seek
I loved the score too, I did not expect it too be as good. Great film too.
Nick Plowmans last blog post..Review: “The Happening”
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