The Spiderwick Chronicles (soundtrack)

Last updated

The Spiderwick Chronicles (Original Motion Picture Score)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (Original Motion Picture Score).jpg
Film score by
James Horner
ReleasedFebruary 12, 2008
Studio Todd-AO Scoring Stage, Studio City, Los Angeles
Genre Film score
Length1:11:38
Label Lakeshore Records
Producer James Horner
James Horner chronology
The Life Before Her Eyes
(2007)		The Spiderwick Chronicles
(2008)		 The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
(2008)

The Spiderwick Chronicles (Original Motion Picture Score) is the score album to the 2008 film of the same name composed and conducted by James Horner. The album featured 15 tracks from Horner's score and was released on February 12, 2008, by Lakeshore Records. The film featured an original song, a rendition of the nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down" performed by Jordy Benattar, that was not included in the soundtrack. The score received positive reviews.

Contents

Production

The score was recorded at the Todd-AO Scoring Stage, Studio City, Los Angeles. Horner conducted the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra and the orchestration is done by Carl Johnson, Eddie Karam, Gary K. Thomas, Steven R. Bernstein. [1] [2] David Edelstein of New York magazine had opined "James Horner–channeling–John Williams score with a few chromatic chords to keep the orchestra from laughing the composer off the podium." [2]

Reception

Jonathan Broxton wrote "you can’t tell many fantasy scores apart… as nice as things like Stardust (2007) and Bridge to Terabithia (2007) are, they simply don’t feel very distinct. Horner continues to have a unique, uncompromised voice, and the quality of his writing is far and away better than that of the average composer. It’s unlikely that this album will be considered one the year’s best, but it is a rewarding experience that will reveal numerous layers upon repeat listens, and is easily recommended to Horner fans out there." [3] Music critic Thomas Simpson gave 3.5 (out of 5) saying "You know Horner wrote it by the use of orchestral bells at their finest. He just seems to have a knack for writing uplifting yet at the same time dark pieces for the bells. And though the flight of the griffin is triumphant is ends on a rather sad note, no pun intended, but given the pace of the movie and the books its the perfect music for the scene. For the movie this is a great score, it fits right in with the movie." [4]

Reviewing for Empire, called Horner's "spot-on score" and production design "will put even adults right where it wants you - part E. T. , part Labyrinth , with a dash of The Goonies ". [1] Filmtracks.com wrote "there are aspects of this score that will bother detractors of Horner's work, starting with the obvious similarities between one of the two primary themes and Casper's lullaby. But the remainder of score, while not really thematically cohesive, is entertaining in most of its parts. The final two cues, aside from the disappointingly lengthy conclusion to the credits, make a beautiful and noteworthy suite." [5] Philip French of The Guardian , David Wiegand of San Francisco Chronicle 's SFGATE and CNN 's Tom Charity called the score as "thunderous", [6] "sparkling" [7] and "warm". [8]

James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "The Spiderwick Chronicles feels a little unfocused, very atypical of this composer, but once it hits its stride away half way through the lengthy album it never looks back.  “The Flight of the Griffin” and the last two cues are just over twenty minutes between them and those are of the highest quality; enough of the rest is either good or very good to make it an easy recommendation for Horner fans." [9] Soundtrack Beat wrote "James Horner has been resourceful and highly competent at using the orchestra in order to highlight the particularities of each movie. This made him one of the best composers of his generation. The soundtrack he wrote for the movie “The Spiderwick Chronicles” may not be among the best ones that he wrote for the genre of fantasy or in general, but it undoubtedly stands well among his most interesting works and is a sample of mature musical composition, which is lacking nowadays. Whether it is about mystery and suspense or loneliness and drama, James Horner is there to give the ideal musical solution to the riddles posed by the movie. At a time when the distinctive identity in film music is something questionable and never given, soundtracks like this remind us how self-evident this was in the musical scores of James Horner." [10] Katherine Fullton of Allmusic wrote "Despite its resemblance to some of Williams' more whimsical works, the score ends up feeling restrained and unable to keep up with the adventurous plot it's meant to accompany. The Spiderwick Chronicles sounds fine, but there isn't much heart in it." [11]

Following James Horner's death on June 22, 2015, RogerEbert.com 's article on Horner's under-rated scores included The Spiderwick Chronicles in the list. [12] Den of Geek included it as one of the "under-rated film scores of the 2000s". [13]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Writing The Chronicles"3:03
2."So Many New Worlds Revealed"5:12
3."Thimbletack And The Goblins"5:16
4."Hogsqueal's Warning Of A Bargain With Mulgarath"5:16
5."Discovering Spiderwick's Secret Workshop"3:25
6."Dark Armies From The Forest Attack"3:06
7."Burning The Book"2:44
8."A Desperate Run Through The Tunnels"4:47
9."Lucinda's Story"6:02
10."The Flight Of The Griffin"6:56
11."Escape From The Glade"4:45
12."The Protective Circle Is Broken....!"2:08
13."Jared And Mulgarath Fight For The Chronicles"4:17
14."Coming Home"6:18
15."Closing Credits"8:23
Total length:71:38

Accolades

AwardCategoryRecipientResult
ASCAP Awards [14] Top Box Office Films James Horner Won
International Film Music Critics Association [15] Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror Film Nominated

Personnel

Credits adapted from CD liner notes [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Horner</span> American film composer (1953–2015)

James Roy Horner was an American film composer. He worked on more than 160 film and television productions between 1978 and 2015. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements alongside traditional orchestrations, and for his use of motifs associated with Celtic music.

<i>Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl</i> (soundtrack) 2003 film score by Klaus Badelt

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is the official soundtrack album from the film of the same name. The album was released on July 22, 2003, by Walt Disney Records, and contains selections of music from the film score. The music of the film and this album are credited to composer Klaus Badelt and producer Hans Zimmer.

<i>The Hunger Games: Original Motion Picture Score</i> 2012 film score by James Newton Howard

The Hunger Games: Original Motion Picture Score is the soundtrack to the 2012 film The Hunger Games, based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins, and it is the first installment in The Hunger Games film series. The score was initially intended to be composed by Danny Elfman in his collaboration with T Bone Burnett, however, James Newton Howard replaced Elfman as the composer. It was released by Universal Republic Records on March 26, 2012.

<i>Solo: A Star Wars Story</i> (soundtrack) 2018 soundtrack album by John Powell and John Williams

Solo: A Star Wars Story is the soundtrack album to the 2018 film of the same name directed by Ron Howard, which is the second instalment in the Star Wars anthology series. The score is composed by John Powell, with the Han Solo's theme conducted and composed by John Williams, whom he had collaborated for several Star Wars films, was included in the album. Williams further composed several demos, that were not included in the soundtrack but was released in the deluxe edition. Besides composing the original themes, Powell also incorporated Williams' music from Star Wars films.

<i>The Wolverine</i> (soundtrack) 2013 film score by Marco Beltrami

The Wolverine (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2013 superhero film of the same name, directed by James Mangold. Featuring the Marvel Comics character Wolverine, the film is the sixth installment in the X-Men film series, the second installment in the trilogy of Wolverine films after X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), and a spin-off/sequel to X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). The film's musical score is composed by Marco Beltrami, who previously scored Mangold's 3:10 to Yuma (2007).

<i>Apollo 13</i> (soundtrack) 1995 soundtrack album by James Horner

Apollo 13: Music From The Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 1995 film Apollo 13 featuring an original score composed, conducted and producer by James Horner. The soundtrack was released on June 27, 1995 by MCA Records that compiled seven tracks of score, eight period songs used in the film, and seven tracks of dialogue by the actors at a running time of nearly 78 minutes.

<i>Lincoln</i> (soundtrack) 2012 film score by John Williams

Lincoln (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album to the 2012 biographical historical drama film Lincoln, based on the Doris Kearns Goodwin's 2005 biography Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, a semi-biographical novel that covers the final four months of United States President Abraham Lincoln's life. The film is directed by Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay written by Tony Kushner and featured musical score composed by John Williams, Spielberg's frequent collaborator. The orchestral score was recorded at Symphony Center, Chicago by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Chorus. It was released by Sony Classical on November 2, 2012.

<i>King Kong</i> (soundtrack) 2005 film score by James Newton Howard

King Kong (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the epic adventure monster film King Kong, directed by Peter Jackson. The film's music was initially set to be composed by Howard Shore, who recorded several cues for the film but opted out due to creative differences with the director. James Newton Howard replaced him and work on the film's score began in late October and was completed in late November, an overall duration of under six weeks. Howard stated that the film "[w]as the hardest to compose" due to the hectic scoring schedule as the film was set for release on December 14, 2005.

<i>Minority Report</i> (soundtrack) 2002 film score by John Williams

Minority Report (Original Motion Picture Score) is the score album to the 2002 film of the same name directed by Steven Spielberg. The music was released on June 18, 2002 by DreamWorks Records in CD, vinyl and cassettes. The score was composed and conducted by Spielberg's regular collaborator John Williams, with orchestration done by John Neufeld, Conrad Pope, Eddie Karam and Miriam A. Mayer, and vocal harmonies by Deborah Dietrich.

<i>The Kings Speech</i> (soundtrack) 2010 film score by Alexandre Desplat

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.

<i>Maleficent</i> (soundtrack) 2014 film score by James Newton Howard

Maleficent (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album composed by James Newton Howard for the 2014 film Maleficent, based on the Disney villain character Maleficent from the animated film Sleeping Beauty (1959). The film is a live-action spin-off of Sleeping Beauty, and is loosely inspired from Charles Perrault's original fairy tale. Directed by Robert Stromberg, the film stars Angelina Jolie in the titular character.

<i>Valkyrie</i> (soundtrack) 2008 film score by John Ottman

Valkyrie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album to the 2008 film of the same name directed by Bryan Singer and stars Tom Cruise. John Ottman composed the film's musical score in his fifth collaboration with Singer after Lion's Den (1988), Public Access (1993), The Usual Suspects, (1995) Apt Pupil (1998), X2 (2003) and Superman Returns (2006).

<i>Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol</i> (soundtrack) 2011 film score by Michael Giacchino

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the score album to the 2011 film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. The fourth installment in the Mission: Impossible film series, starring Tom Cruise, and the sequel to Mission: Impossible III (2006), the film is directed by Brad Bird and featured musical score composed by Michael Giacchino, who scored for Mission: Impossible III (2006), and also for Bird's previous animated films, The Incredibles (2004) and Ratatouille (2007). Varèse Sarabande released the soundtrack on December 13, 2011.

<i>Ready Player One</i> (soundtrack) 2018 soundtrack albums

Ready Player One is a 2018 American science fiction action film based on Ernest Cline's novel of the same name, directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Zak Penn and Cline. The film stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance.

<i>The Black Cauldron</i> (soundtrack) 1985 soundtrack album by Elmer Bernstein

The Black Cauldron: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the animated dark fantasy adventure film The Black Cauldron. The film, unlike other ventures, does not feature any songs, which was a rarity in Disney films. The film, however, featured musical score composed by Elmer Bernstein. Due to the last-minute revisions, much of Bernstein's score were cut and unused. In its minority, the score was re-recorded for the album's first release by Varèse Sarabande in 1985, with Bernstein conducting the Utah Symphony Orchestra. The album soon fell out of print and many of the film's score did not resurface until a bootleg copy entitled "Taran" was supplied to soundtrack specialty outlets in 1986. The full score was re-issued by Intrada Records on April 3, 2012 which consisted of 75-minutes long.

<i>Madagascar 3: Europes Most Wanted</i> (soundtrack) 2012 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted is the soundtrack album to the 2012 film Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, the third instalment in the Madagascar franchise. The album was released on June 5, 2012 by Interscope Records, and featured original songs and score, produced by Hans Zimmer, who worked on the franchise's previous instalments. The album featured popular dance singles, accompanying few original songs written specially for the film.

<i>Rise of the Guardians</i> (soundtrack) 2012 film score by Alexandre Desplat

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 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 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.

<i>Rise of the Planet of the Apes</i> (soundtrack) 2011 film score by Patrick Doyle

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album to the 2011 film Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a reboot of the Planet of the Apes film franchise. The film's original score was composed by Patrick Doyle, and was released by Varèse Sarabande on August 9, 2011.

<i>The Curious Case of Benjamin Button</i> (soundtrack) 2008 soundtrack album by Alexandre Desplat

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.

Glory: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 1990 film of the same name directed by Edward Zwick and featured musical score composed and orchestrated by James Horner in association with the Boys Choir of Harlem. The score met with critical acclaim, being assessed as one among Horner's best works, it received a nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and won Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television in 1991.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Spiderwick Chronicles". Empire. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Edelstein, David. "Gore '08". New York Magazine. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  3. ↑ "THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES – James Horner". MOVIE MUSIC UK. February 16, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  4. ↑ "The Spiderwick Chronicles Soundtrack (2008)". www.soundtrack.net. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Filmtracks: The Spiderwick Chronicles (James Horner)". www.filmtracks.com. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Review: The Spiderwick Chronicles". The Guardian. March 23, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  7. ↑ Wiegand, David (February 14, 2008). "Review: Magical world unfolds in 'Spiderwick'". SFGATE. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Review: 'Spiderwick' is worthwhile journey - CNN.com". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  9. ↑ "The Spiderwick Chronicles soundtrack review | James Horner | movie-wave.net". August 10, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Soundtrack Review: "The Spiderwick Chronicles" – James Horner". SOUNDTRACK BEAT. January 14, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  11. ↑ James Horner - The Spiderwick Chronicles [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic , retrieved August 14, 2022
  12. ↑ Ritchey, Jessica. "James Horner's Underrated Scores | Features | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  13. ↑ jbindeck2015 (March 7, 2016). "The 25 most underrated film scores of the 2000s". Den of Geek. Retrieved August 14, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ "2009 ASCAP and BMI Film & TV Music Awards - Article". www.soundtrack.net. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  15. ↑ IFMCA (2009). "2008 IFMCA Awards". IFMCA. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  16. ↑ James Horner - The Spiderwick Chronicles (Original Motion Picture Score) , retrieved August 14, 2022
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.