Development
In June 2011, composer Danny Elfman was chosen to score for Oz the Great and Powerful, in his fifth collaboration with Raimi on Darkman (1990), A Simple Plan (1998), Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004). [3] It also marked Elfman's re-union with Raimi, [4] as due to their creative differences on scoring Spider-Man 2 Elfman decided not to collaborate with Raimi on his forthcoming projects, this meant that Elfman did not compose for the third instalment Spider-Man 3 . [5] He noted that the film's score was accessibly quick to produce, with a majority of the music being written in six weeks. [6] Regarding the tonal quality of the score, Elfman stated, "We're going to take an approach that's old school but not self-consciously old-fashioned. Let the melodrama be melodrama, let everything be what it is. I also think there's the advantage that I'm able to write narratively, and when I'm able to write narratively I can also move quicker because that's my natural instincts, I can tell a story in the music." [7] Elfman did not adapt any of the musical influences from The Wizard of Oz (1939), despite having pop-culture references "visually and musically". Raimi insisted Elfman, that the team were working on L. Frank Baum's early 20th century Oz novels and not from the film. He decided to create a "fresh music for the setting", but also wanted to pay homage to the 1939 film. [8]
American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey recorded a promotional single called "Almost Home" written by Carey, Simone Porter, Justin Gray, Lindsey Ray, Tor Erik Hermansen, and Mikkel Eriksen (a.k.a. Stargate) for the soundtrack of the film. [9] [10] The song was recorded at February 6, 2013 at New York City at Roc The Mic Studios. [11] In a statement, Carey said that the song has "a message that works beautifully with the film. It's a feel-good record; it gives you the feeling of reaching your home and being with people that you love." [12] The single was released on February 19, 2013, by Island Records, despite being leaked a day before. [13] [14]
Reception
Gregory Heaney of AllMusic wrote "the score of Oz the Great and Powerful feels like an avenue of escape for dreamers looking for something to break up the monotony of their humdrum days, and while it might lack the catchy musical numbers of its predecessor, it's nevertheless a solid outing from Elfman." [15] Filmtracks.com wrote "Oz the Great and Powerful is one of those great ambient listening experiences in the genre that doesn't stand up to focused analysis upon a closer look. For many listeners, such details won't matter, but that is what distinguishes a solid, workmanlike score from one destined to be a classic." [16] A review from Beyond the Marquee stated "Of particularly high merit are the delicate emotional chords of Oscar’s character arc from con man to wizard hero. Luckily the emotional range missing from Franco’s performance is conveyed in the nuance of Elfman’s leitmotif. This would be even better had Franco’s acting skills matched the melodies in quality but, to quote comedian Steven Wright, 'you can’t have everything… where would you put it?'" [17] ClassicFM wrote "Danny Elfman's soundtrack gets off to a fantastically glitzy start, with orchestral and choral bombast to spare - perfect vintage Hollywood fare. Another corking soundtrack from one of the modern masters of the genre." [18]
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