The Secret Life of Pets (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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Film score by | ||||
Released | July 1, 2016 | |||
Recorded | 2016 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 51:31 | |||
Label | Back Lot Music | |||
Producer | Dominique Lemonnier | |||
Alexandre Desplat chronology | ||||
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The Secret Life of Pets (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2016 film of the same name. The film's music is scored by Alexandre Desplat and released on July 1, 2016 by Back Lot Music. The music consisted of jazz, classical and orchestral pieces, which Desplat described the musical style as "George Gershwin meets Miles Davis". [1] The score received positive critical response.
"An animation movie requires work on the sound and music which is more important than a live-action movie because it's non-existing persons…you have to create life! And music, in that sense, is very important,” he explains. “There's also a lot of music, surely, and maybe sometimes much more than a drama or a comedy. And it's a very detailed type of work. Every single entry, every single move and motion of the characters, must go with music."
— Alexandre Desplat
In December 2015, Desplat was hired to score music for The Secret Life of Pets. [2] In an interview to Entertainment Weekly , Desplat said that "[Director] Chris Renaud showed me some excerpts of the film and they were so funny and beautifully shot that I was already excited, and then we had a chat about music and very quickly we realized that we could go to a territory which I’ve not really explored in movies in America, which is jazz meeting orchestra. For taking place in New York, there was something that felt very right." [1] Despite being a jazz-music lover, he did not find the right project for using jazz music, which he admitted: "I haven't really had an opportunity to really use it in a big scope for cinema, and this was a great option for me to do that. Swing, classical references, jazz, a symphony chorus, humor, tenderness…all these things were there, offered to me." [1]
Initially, Desplat intended to use jazz music, but with the limitation of using only jazz, and wanting to explore several territories, such as melodies and adventurous themes, he decided to add an orchestral music. Desplat brought in an 85-piece orchestral and a 35-member vocal choir, for scoring the film. [3] Desplat said, "At times the score is really full blast with a hundred and more musicians. There is a great electric energy coming from the musicians." [4]
Desplat approached a light-hearted tone for the film, which was felt right, according to Renaud. The notes from the first theme were played on clarinet, by virtuoso Dan Higgins. Desplat said that "This instrument comes back quite often playing the same melody. There is a lightness to it. It's cheeky". [4] When the film transitioned from a fun into moments of danger, sadness and melancholy, Desplat said that the score was a "challenge" and attributed "That's difficult when you are in a genre film where you have been bouncing with very jaunty music all the way [...] How do you end a film without being too sad? This melancholy that you have to find that is not too melancholy. Without being sentimental, but still being moving." [4]
Entertainment Weekly released the track "Meet the Pets" exclusively from the film, on June 23, 2016. [1] The soundtrack was initially set to be released along with the film, on July 8, [5] but was instead released a week earlier, by Back Lot Music. [1] On October 14, 2016, Desplat conducted the live concert performance of the film's premiere, [6] held at the Hollywood in Vienna annual music gala, [7] in Vienna Concert Hall, Austria, where he would also receive the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award. [8] [9] [10]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | link |
Jonathan Broxton wrote "To get anything out of The Secret Life of Pets you have to have a high tolerance for jazz, a liking for certain world music rhythms, and not be put off by numerous blatant homages to other composers, irrespective of how well they filter through Desplat's own musical sensibility. You also have to be prepared to experience rapid changes in tone, style, orchestration, and pacing, sometimes all within the same cue. Switches from light comedy to romance to full on action and back again are frequent, and unapologetic, and if that sort of emotional musical schizophrenia bothers you, you might want to take a sedative before hitting the play button." [11] James Southall of Movie Wave opined "with all this great stuff, you'd think it would make a great album, but it doesn't – not really. It's too bitty, if anything there's just too much going on, not enough time to savour any of it. It's entertaining enough with some really nice highlights, technically it's beyond reproach, and it probably works wonders within the film." [12]
Marcy Donelson of Allmusic wrote "Desplat's musical agility is on full display. Though nearly all of the recording is original score (pop music from the film is not included here), the film and soundtrack close with a cover of "We Go Together" from the musical Grease, performed by workers at a sausage factory that appears earlier in the film." [13] The Denver Post critic called the score as "outstanding", [14] while Screen International -based Wendy Ide called the score as "jaunty" and "keeps up the pace". [15] Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter praised the score and attributed that "it takes notes from Breakfast at Tiffany's and other classic Manhattan-set movies, offering up a playful accompaniment to what ultimately feels like a smart but overindulgent exercise in computer-generated puppy love." [16]
All music is composed by Alexandre Desplat, except where noted
No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
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1. | "Meet the Pets" | 2:37 | |
2. | "Katie's Leaving" | 0:55 | |
3. | "Meet Duke" | 3:36 | |
4. | "Fetch Me a Stick" | 3:09 | |
5. | "Telenovela Squirrels" | 1:24 | |
6. | "Hijack!" | 2:00 | |
7. | "Gidget Meets Tiberius" | 4:56 | |
8. | "Initiation Time" | 1:01 | |
9. | "Rooftop Route" | 1:27 | |
10. | "The Viper" | 1:49 | |
11. | "You Have an Owner?" | 3:04 | |
12. | "Good Morning Max" | 1:21 | |
13. | "Sewer Chase" | 1:09 | |
14. | "Who's With Me?" | 1:21 | |
15. | "Me Like What Me See" | 0:54 | |
16. | "Traveling Bossa" | 1:56 | |
17. | "Flushed Out To Brooklyn" | 2:47 | |
18. | "Sausages!" | 1:13 | |
19. | "Duke's Old House / Captured" | 3:03 | |
20. | "Brooklyn Bridge Showdown" | 2:34 | |
21. | "Rescuing Duke" | 2:46 | |
22. | "Wet But Handsome / Blue Taxi" | 1:24 | |
23. | "Max and Gidget" | 1:36 | |
24. | "Welcome Home" | 1:57 | |
25. | "We Go Together" (originally from Grease ) | The Sausage Factory Singers | 1:24 |
Total length: | 51:31 |
Credits adapted from CD liner notes [17]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
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Annie Awards | February 4, 2017 | Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated Feature Production | Alexandre Desplat | Nominated | [18] |
Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 17, 2016 | Best Original Score – Animated Film | Won | [19] [20] | |
International Film Music Critics Association | February 21, 2017 | Best Original Score for a Comedy Film | Nominated | [21] |
Alexandre Michel Gérard Desplat is a French film composer and conductor. He has received numerous accolades throughout his career spanning over four decades, including, two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three César Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Grammy Awards. Desplat was made an Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite and a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres both in 2016.
The Secret Life of Pets is a 2016 American animated comedy film produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, and distributed by Universal. It was directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Yarrow Cheney, and produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, from a screenplay written by Brian Lynch and the writing team of Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. The film stars the voices of Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Jenny Slate, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Steve Coogan, and Albert Brooks.
The Secret Life of Pets 2 is a 2019 American animated comedy film produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is the sequel to the 2016 film The Secret Life of Pets, and the second feature film in the franchise of the same name. It was directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Jonathan del Val, produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and written by Brian Lynch. The film features the voices of Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Jenny Slate, Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Lake Bell, Nick Kroll, Dana Carvey, Ellie Kemper, Renaud, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, and Harrison Ford.
The Grand Budapest Hotel: Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack album composed by Alexandre Desplat for the 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel directed by Wes Anderson. The 32-track album was released on March 4, 2014, through ABKCO Records, produced by Anderson along with music supervisor Randall Poster. Unlike their previous ventures, the soundtrack to this film did not feature contemporary pop hits due to the classical roots of the film's music.
Black Widow (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the film score for the 2021 Marvel Studios film Black Widow. The score was composed by Lorne Balfe, with the soundtrack album being released by Hollywood Records on July 9, 2021.
Godzilla: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2014 American monster film Godzilla, which is a reboot of Toho's Godzilla franchise and also being the 30th film in that franchise. It is also the first film in Legendary's MonsterVerse and the second Godzilla film to be completely produced by a Hollywood studio. The score was composed and conducted by Alexandre Desplat, being the first film composer to work on the MonsterVerse franchise. The film score was released digitally by WaterTower Music on May 13, 2014, and a separate vinyl album was launched on June 17.
Little Women: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the score album composed by Alexandre Desplat for the 2019 American film Little Women. A seventh film adaptation of the 1868 novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott, the film is directed by Greta Gerwig, and stars an ensemble cast consisting of Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, James Norton, Louis Garrel, and Chris Cooper. The original score album was released by Sony Music on December 13, 2019.
Argo (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is a score album composed by Alexandre Desplat to the Academy Award-winning historical drama thriller film Argo. The film was directed by Ben Affleck, from a screenplay written by Chris Terrio, which was adapted from U.S. Central Intelligence Agency operative Antonio J. Mendez's eponymous novel released in 1999, his memoir The Master of Disguise, and the Wired article by Joshuah Bearman, "The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran" (2007); Affleck also starred in the lead role as Mendez. The score album was released on October 9, 2012 by WaterTower Music, three days ahead of the film's release.
Moonrise Kingdom (Original Score) is the accompanying score album for the identically named 2012 coming-of-age comedy-drama film released on June 19, 2012 through ABKCO Records. The score album featured six tracks, including five themes from the soundtrack composed by Alexandre Desplat and one theme by Mark Mothersbaugh, who scored for Anderson's early films. Irrespective of being released along with the soundtrack on May 2012, the score album was separately released, in order to be shortlisted for nominations at award ceremonies, including Academy Awards, which was rejected due to the inspiration of classical music from Benjamin Britten's compositions.
Moonrise Kingdom (Original Soundtrack) is the accompanying soundtrack album for the identically named 2012 coming-of-age comedy-drama film released on May 15, 2012 through ABKCO Records. The soundtrack album featured original compositions from Alexandre Desplat and supplemented existing music by Benjamin Britten, as well as classical songs from Hank Williams, Leonard Bernstein, Frank Schubert and Françoise Hardy. Both Anderson and Randall Poster compiled the film's soundtrack.
The Shape of Water (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the Academy Award-winning film of the same name. It featured 26 tracks — most of the tracks were from the original score composed by Alexandre Desplat and some tracks are incorporated songs, being originated from the 1940s and 1960s as the film is set during the Cold War period. The film, directed by Guillermo del Toro, who also co-wrote the script with Vanessa Taylor, stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer.
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2019 film of the same name, which is the sequel to The Secret Life of Pets (2016). The film's music is composed by Alexandre Desplat and the score album, featuring 22 tracks of the score, alongside three incorporated songs were released by Back Lot Music on May 31, 2019, a week ahead of the film's release. Like the first film, the score for the sequel, uses jazz and orchestral music.
The King's Speech (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the Academy Award-winning film The King's Speech, released by Decca Records on 22 November 2010. Alexandre Desplat composed the film's original music. The score consisted of minimalistic sounds created with piano and strings, and a limited orchestra with oboe and harp being used. It was recorded using old microphones from the EMI archives, used by the royal family, in order to create a vintage and dated sound. The minimalistic use of the music is used to describe Colin Firth's character, the future King George VI.
Rise of the Guardians: Music From The Motion Picture is the score album to the 2012 of the same name, composed by Alexandre Desplat. The film marked Desplat's maiden score for a computer-animated film as well as his DreamWorks' film, not to be scored by or have any involvement from either Hans Zimmer or his Remote Control Productions family of composers. The score was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and AIR Studios in London and features collaborations with London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices performing. In addition to Desplat's score, an original song "Still Dream" written by the film's screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire and performed by soprano singer Renée Fleming, was featured in the film's end credits. Both Desplat's score and Fleming's original song was included in the film's score album, released by Varèse Sarabande on November 13, 2012 and received positive response praising Desplat's compositions.
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack album to the 2008 film of the same name, released by Concord Music Group on December 16, 2008. It was released in physical forms as a two-disc album, with one disc containing the film's original score composed by Alexandre Desplat, and the other consists few classical songs as well as dialogues featured in the film. The David Fincher-directed film, written by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord is loosely based on the 1922 short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and stars Brad Pitt as the titular character, alongside Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Mahershala Ali, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas, and Tilda Swinton.
Unbroken (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2014 film of the same name directed by Angelina Jolie. The album featured original score composed by Alexandre Desplat, with an original song "Miracles" by the British rock band Coldplay was featured in the album as well as the film's end credits. It was released as a single on December 15, 2014, the same day as the soundtrack, distributed by Parlophone and Atlantic Records.
The Midnight Sky (Music from the Netflix Film) is the soundtrack to the 2020 film The Midnight Sky directed by George Clooney. Featuring music written by Alexandre Desplat, the album consisted 26 tracks from the score running for over 90 minutes. Much of the music was written during July and August, and was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios on September, with the London Symphony Orchestra performing the score. Desplat supervised the recording virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
Suburbicon (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2018 film Suburbicon directed by George Clooney and featured musical score composed by Alexandre Desplat. The film is Clooney's third collaboration with Desplat after The Ides of March (2011) and The Monuments Men (2014). ABKCO Records distributed the soundtrack and released day-and-date with the film on October 27, 2017.
Isle of Dogs (Original Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2018 film Isle of Dogs directed by Wes Anderson. The album features an original score composed by Alexandre Desplat and musical contributions from Japanese artists. The album was released through ABKCO Records on March 23, 2018. Desplat was nominated for an Academy Awards, British Academy Film Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Critics' Choice Movie Awards under the Best Original Score category and won the World Soundtrack Award for Soundtrack Composer of the Year.
Rust and Bone is the soundtrack to the 2012 film of the same name directed by Jacques Audiard. The album featured musical score composed by Alexandre Desplat and songs heard in the film, with contributions from Bon Iver, Colin Stetson, Azari, John Cooper Clarke, Django Django, Lykke Li and the B-52s amongst several others. The soundtrack was released on 15 May 2012.
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