| Atlantis: The Lost Empire |
| Composed by James Newton Howard |
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Orchestrations by Jeff Atmajian, Brad Dechter, Pete Anthony, Frank Bennett, Jon Kull, and James Newton Howard Conducted by Pete Anthony Produced by James Newton Howard, Jim Weidman, and Chris Montan Release Date: 2001 |
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| James Newton Howard just continues to impress me and I have begun to look forward to his scores. From the eerily mysterious scores for The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, to the rousing ethnic sounds of Dinosaur and the sheer haunting beauty of Snow Falling on Cedars, Howard has just been consistent in delivering marvelous scores. And that trend continues now in the action-adventure territory with Atlantis: The Lost Empire. The powers-that-be were obviously impressed with Howard's score to Dinosaur, as this marks the second animated feature in a row that Howard has been assigned to score for Disney. Not that it should be a surprise to anyone seeing as how well that score turned out. With Atlantis however, Howard delivers a work that immediately signifies itself as being for an animated Disney film while at the same time remaining a James Newton Howard score. Some may disagree, but I feel the underlying feel is there, and it works wonderfully with the rest of the score. Don't take this to mean that it is a rather simplistic score. Howard employs some very advanced musical writing here, and it is definitely more complex in nature than other recent Disney animated film scores. Atlantis is primarily an adventure score that follows in the footsteps of such fine examples as Cutthroat Island and The Mummy Returns. While there are certain sections that are reminiscent of these two scores, Howard doesn't resort to stealing anything outright. The style is still unmistakable, however. It was really cool hearing this type of scoring from Howard and it makes me want to hear more of these kinds of scores from him. I've heard that Atlantis shares a lot in common with Waterworld, but having never heard that score, I can't comment on that. Still, it does make me want to check it out. As with most great adventure scores, a grand main theme is an absolute must and Howard delivers a good one. Thankfully, it appears right at the outset of the score (not counting the opening song). It's a great theme that Howard incorporates quite often, though he never over-utilizes it. Other little themes are also scattered around the score, but the main one is the most noticeable. A choir backs up his rousing orchestrations, and they are always put to good use, especially in the exotic pieces that make up the last half of the score. Some have dismissed the opening third of the score, to which I scoff. I found the opening portion of the score to be quite strong, although it is more conventional and simplistic than what the music eventually turns into at the latter half. Things do get more interesting as the action moves to Atlantis itself, but there are a lot of great sequences in the first ten tracks. Overall, this is an excellent score and if you've loved the scores that Howard has put out so far, you will definitely love this one as well. It's a terrific adventure score that fans of the genre should waste no time in obtaining. ***** |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 53:56 | |
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