Soundtrack Review: Horton Hears a Who by John Powell (2008)
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This is a review of the motion picture score for Horton Hears a Who by John Powell.
I had the pleasure of watching Horton Hears a Who this weekend and this is one of those rare occasions I actually see the movie before I do the review. Soundtracks to animated movies are a different breed and you never quit know what you will get. Sometimes you get a mix of songs and instrumental songs, sometimes just songs and sometimes just instrumental ones. This one contains only instrumental songs, which might come as a surprise for people who haven’t seen the movie yet. John Powell loves scoring for animated movies. His previous efforts are Happy Feet, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Robots, Shrek, Chicken Run and Antz. Here is the track list of Horton Hears a Who:
- Fall From Tree
- Cave Of Destiny
- Jungle Of Nool
- Horton Takes A Luxurious Bath !
- Enter The Kangaroo
- Banana Wars
- Saved
- Into Whoville _ Breakfast With The Mayor
- Club Nool
- The Twon Council
- Hello
- Dr. Larue
- The Quest
- The Bridge Work
- Horton Dance !
- Handle With Care
- Bedtime
- Snow Day
- Horton Tells Of The Kangaroo’s Duplicity
- Vlad Attack
- Power Grab
- Kite Flying Day
- Mountain Chase
- Clover Field Search
- Memory Game
- For The Children !!!
- Angry Mob
- Roping & Caging
- We Are Here
- Symphonophone
- Jojo Saves The Day
- Hall Of Mayors
- Horton Suite
- A Big Ending
What’s great about John Powell is the massive amount of cues he manages to put in there, at least for his most recent scores. Happy Feet had 29 tracks and with Horton’s 34 tracks, I think we have a record. It must be so much fun making a score for an animated movie, because you have all the elements, drama, action and fun. John Powell takes advantage and he plays no small part in making the movie enjoyable. Like I said, I watched the movie this weekend and the music was just great (as well as the movie). It was very present and the music made me laugh sometimes accompanied with the antics on screen.
I really enjoy John Powell’s animated scores, it always does well even without the movie. That’s the hallmark of a great animated movie soundtrack, and I’ve heard a few. I can’t think of anyone who has yet matched Powell’s vivid imagination and sheer fun on a consistent basis. This score really has it all, and I don’t think it does anyone any harm listening to it between Atonement and Vantage Point. It is different, fun and so entertaining. Great stuff from John Powell. The only thing they miss from this score is the inclusion of the cast singing REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling”. I’ve included the teaser clip from Youtube where they perform it. Listen to Horton Hears a Who below:
http://soundtrackgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/horton.flv
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Comments
Yes, he really knows how to blend in the movie in the soundtrack and vice versa. It’s a perfect match. I’m sure you’ll enjoy Horton. A great movie.
I’m excited about this movie, I think it looks fantastic from a parent’s point of view and my son loves it.
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Christy: Every kid has to love this. I hope they make movies like this when I have kids, so I can watch it with them. Loved it!
Patrick: Well… the famous “line” is there… you know what I mean ;). Unfortunately I haven’t read the book so I wouldn’t know. They probably added and removed a few things to make it more entertaining I bet.
Consistency…does it matter in a listening experience? On one hand, be too consistent and you’re too repetitive. And yet, to avoid consistency makes the music come off as scattered and chaotic. And yet all that debate sort of goes out the window with Dreamworks animated movies, which, while inferior to all Pixar works, are fun and sporadic. And so any composer has a vast array of images and ideas being bombarded at him, so the end result may be perfect for the film but not so much for a clear, consistent listening experience.
Again, all these worries go out the window when you’re dealing with John Powell, who just puts an irresistible amount of fun into these scores that they’re impossible to resist. From a jazzy sax being used for the kangaroo to kazoos for the apes, Powell utilizes a vast array of instruments to convey the wonder of the Jungle of Nool. And while it may bounce around a lot in style (hammering action of “Vlad Attack”, balletic “Horton Dance!”, big choir entrance in “cave of destiny”), the themes and enthusiasm make up for it. Horton’s Theme is quite well-used, even if it’s not apparent in the first few listens. It’s playful in the opening but can also be somber in the cloverfield, even grand when it’s used as the backdrop behind “We Are Here!” and awesomely powerful in the grand finale of the score.
Regardless of consistency concerns, the last few cues are really where this score’s power is (with Mountain Chase also included…what a thrilling piece, complete with bells, mariachi trumpet, a female soprano…oh boy!), as the score builds to fantastic heights and then sums itself up wonderfully in “Horton Suite”. While I might rave about Desplat’s orchestrations, I’ll defend Powell is just as good. A joy of a score, and with an anime spoof to boot, you’ll have fun with it. 4/5
Consistency does matter, especially if you are a fan of a composer. You want that composer to deliver every time. Sometimes John Powell doesn’t deliver, but he is usually delivers high quality scores on a regular basis. Consistency can be a bad thing as well. For example Danny Elfman and Michael Giacchino has’t changed much, but then again, most composers don’t. They stick to one style and you’ll either love it or hate it based on your listening preference.
When it comes to style, John Powell is not as consistent as most, as he does a lot of animated movies and also action and drama, luckily he does most of it very well like Horton.
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Wow - I didn’t know this guy did so many of the scores I like. Robots is not a terrific animated movie, it’s good, but not particularly eternal. However, the music throughout - the motion and cogs and springs and machinations throughout are well orchestrated into the score. I’m sure some are sound effects, but he created a constant source of sound that you’d expect from a metallic world. Very cool guy. I can’t wait to see Horton!
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