Michael Giacchino's Tomorrowland (2015)

[Incanus 5,714]

Nope he was the ride attendant for It's A Small World

Is that why one of the themes seems to remind me of the chorus of the tune?

[Jay 37,337]

I don't think so.

[karelm 2,911]

I am listening to the Tomorrowland OST on Spotify and it is a very solid score. Like you, Jay, I want to hear the unreleased music. It has a huge retro future feel which is totally appropriate to the Disney tomorrow theme. Stylistically, it borrows a lot from late 1980's/early 1990's Horner and Williams especially Cocoon, Rocketeer, and Far and Away which are all excellent scores from those years. The problem is it fails to reach the levels of awe or inspiration of those giants. BUT...were those scores considered giants in their day or were they considered failures that did not live up to 1970's/1980's fantasy adventure?? When I first saw these films in theaters, I felt the music failed to live up to their past styles. But today, Cocoon, Rocketeer, Far & Away are favorites of the period. One major issue that keeps knawing at me though is that Giacciano's Tomorrowland does not have memorable B themes. This might be his Achilles heal. Having a memorable principle theme is an amazingly fantastic accomplishment but a composer must have a great contrasting theme to balance it off!! It is sort of like having a delicious steak but forgetting about the vegetables. A true masterpiece balances both! So the titans have fantastic A themes, B themes, and bridges between the two. This is a forgotten/neglected skill. I think Giacchino delivered on the A theme but forgot the B theme and bridge that I starve for. Ten years from now, I might regret saying this and long for the old days when at least there was a theme.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Does Gia use the Grail theme in this?

[karelm 2,911]

Does Gia use the Grail theme in this?

You get this but never quite to this level:

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

He wishes.

[King Mark 3,630]

I am listening to the Tomorrowland OST on Spotify and it is a very solid score. Like you, Jay, I want to hear the unreleased music. It has a huge retro future feel which is totally appropriate to the Disney tomorrow theme. Stylistically, it borrows a lot from late 1980's/early 1990's Horner and Williams especially Cocoon, Rocketeer, and Far and Away which are all excellent scores from those years. The problem is it fails to reach the levels of awe or inspiration of those giants. BUT...were those scores considered giants in their day or were they considered failures that did not live up to 1970's/1980's fantasy adventure?? When I first saw these films in theaters, I felt the music failed to live up to their past styles. But today, Cocoon, Rocketeer, Far & Away are favorites of the period. One major issue that keeps knawing at me though is that Giacciano's Tomorrowland does not have memorable B themes. This might be his Achilles heal. Having a memorable principle theme is an amazingly fantastic accomplishment but a composer must have a great contrasting theme to balance it off!! It is sort of like having a delicious steak but forgetting about the vegetables. A true masterpiece balances both! So the titans have fantastic A themes, B themes, and bridges between the two. This is a forgotten/neglected skill. I think Giacchino delivered on the A theme but forgot the B theme and bridge that I starve for. Ten years from now, I might regret saying this and long for the old days when at least there was a theme.

whaat? Cocoon was a classic from the beginning, Far and away was always a solid JW score. Tomorrowland opinion will not chan ge much over the years. It's pretty good ,but no classic

[Jay 37,337]

OK I meant to do this right after seeing the film on Friday… but I didn’t, so I’ll attempt to do it now to the best of my memory. Basically I’m just listing what scene goes with each track to know what the music represents.

It’s still a bit ambiguous to me what any of the themes besides Athena’s Theme and the End of the World theme exactly represent, so I’m hopeful that doing this will clear it up without having to see the film again. We’ll see!

SPOILERS IF YOU DON'T WANT THE PLOT OF THE FILM DETAILED, DON'T READ!

1. A Story About the Future 0:54

This one is 100% easy to figure out, its the very first music heard in the film and begins the very moment the film does. It’s for the opening logo + titles, like this:

0:00-0:18 The opening Disney logo, which is a really cool Tomorrowland-ized version of the classic castle. Set to Athena's Theme

0:18-0:32 “Walt Disney Pictures Presents” card set to Tomorrowland Theme A

0:32-0:45 The title card for the film, set to (what I currently call) Casey's Theme

2. A Prologue 1:29

Walker narrates about the dark future the world is heading towards. In the final film, only a small part of this is used, starting and stopping as Casey interrupts Frank’s telling of the story. So this version could be for an earlier cut of the prologue that didn’t do that, or was recorded just for the album to explore the musical idea to its potential.

3. You’ve Piqued My Pin-Trist 3:27

I think this starts with Frank’s conversation with Athena after Nix rejects his jet pack prototype, continuing to his arrival at DisneyLand, seeing all the people with pins getting on It’s A Small World, and then getting on that ride.

4. Boat Wait, There’s More! 1:08

This would be after the “It’s A Small World” source music, when the ride scans his pin and drops him to the room below

5. Edge of Tomorrowland 5:18

This would start with Frank in the subway car, with the ostinato for when it speeds up and he can’t reach the helmets, continuing for his arrival at Tomorrowland, his interaction with the robot that fixes his jet pack, his fall and subsequent flight when the jetpack works, and would end with him looking up at the sky as the prologue ends.

6. Casey v Zeitgeist 1:23

I think the first half is Casey’s conversation with her dad about the two wolves; The second ostinato-based half is definitely for the montage of her in school heading about The End of the World from various teachers.

7. Home Wheat Home 0:43

Much later after several unreleased cues and source music, this would be when she grabs the pin out of the nightstand and begins to walk towards Tomorrowland, with the choral ending being for her fall down the stairs.

8. Pin-Ultimate Experience 4:54

This is when Casey explores Tomorrowland via the “commercial” programmed into the pin. The way the track winds down at the end is due to the timer running out on the pin and she ends up wading through the water.

9. A Touching Tale 1:37

This is the only track I’m not positive about. Could it be for Casey’s conversation with her brother when she gets back from the commercial? Or for Athena’s interaction with her brother outside? Those are the only 2 scenes I can think of that fit chronologically here. (Of course, the track could be out of chronological order).

10. World’s Worst Shop Keepers 3:34

This would cover Casey’s initial conversation with the shop keepers (after the Star Wars bit), through their attack, and her rescue by Athena.

11. Just Get In the Car 1:42

I think this would be their conversation outside, when Athena breaks the truck window and has to convince Casey to come with her

12. Texting While Driving 0:48

I think Athena has a flashback about young Frank somewhere in here, this could be it.

13. Frank Frank 1:18

I think this is for Casey’s examination of the device that shows the hologram recording of young Frank and Athena.

14. All House Assault 4:04

The robots attack on the house and Casey and Frank’s escape in the tub

15. People Mover and Shaker 5:27

Frank, Casey, and Athena’s teleportation to France

16. What An Eiffel! 6:57

Their trek to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the reveal of the spaceship, the launch, and subsequent transport to Tomorrowland

17. Welcome Back, Walker! 2:32

Nix arrives and walks down the ramp and greets the trio

18. Sphere and Loathing 2:21

Going up the elevator to the room with Frank’s device

19. As the World Burns 4:24

Casey uses the sphere to examine the dark future around the world

20. The Battle of Bridgeway 2:52

The climactic battle

21. The Hail Athena Pass 1:00

Tossing the bomb into the portal

22. Electric Dreams 4:41

Athena replays her thoughts she had about Frank when they were younger, then him flying up into the air with her for her sacrificial bombing of Nix's device.

23. Pins of a Feather 5:19

The new recruits gather, get instructions from Frank and Casey, and go through the portal to their various destinations

24. End Credits 5:27

Begin right as the end credits do. This is the first and 3rd section of the End Credits as heard in the film, and I’m not sure if the middle section is all tracked from existing cues, or a new recording similar to existing cues. Either way, it doesn’t appear here on the OST.

If anybody remembers what the parts I can't remember are, let me know!

[Anthony 572]

I think the middle part of the end credits was Sphere And Loathing.

[Jay 37,337]

Yup I think you're right about that

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[karelm 2,911]

They re-recorded the 1964 Sherman tune "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" from the 1964 world's fair, using the original orchestration (but a much larger ensemble) which was then paired with the original 1964 vocal track - it appears in the final film as background source. Richard Sherman, who along with his late brother had written the classic tune visited the session during one of the dates. That's pretty cool!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,337]

I just found a whole youtube channel of viral videos for Tomorrowland

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9RbBY8SUJd7ofkCX5aopqg/videos

~

Also, I just watched this again:

It's clear now that Giacchino did score it! The 7-note theme (What I called Tomorrowland Theme A above) is used from 0:58-1:30 (while showing Edison, Eiffel, Verne, and Tesla coming together to form Plus Ultra) and 2:28-end (while showing the birth of Tomorrowland). I had thought this could be a Plus Ultra Theme while watching the film, actually..... but then why does it play during Frank's jetpack flight in the beginning of the film? So maybe it is a theme for Tomorrowland after all?

Anyways, I want this cue!!!

[Jay 37,337]

Pics from the scoring sessions:

http://scoringsessions.com/news/290/

[nightscape94 965]

They looked bored!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

And un-versatile.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

I would be bored playing Giacchino's Tommorowland too...

[igger6 894]

Is this wishful thinking, or is there a very subtle callout to the Rebel Fanfare just after 2:40 in "World's Worst Shop Keepers"? I didn't notice this on first listen, but in the fight scene that the cue accompanies in the movie, I swear someone attempts to subdue someone else using a toy that makes laser blast noises not unlike the TIE fighter sound effects. The shot was too quick for me to make out whether it was really a Star Wars toy, but the three chords in sequence at that point create a very similar effect (although they don't sound as complex as the Rebel chords). Think this is intentional (coming as it does in a scene full of visual Star Wars references)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUhdFDfnJiQ

[Jay 37,337]

Sorry, I don't hear it.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

A friend told me that the Grail theme from TLC is all over this score. Any truth in that?

[Jay 37,337]

None.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Weird. He's usually spot on about these things

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,337]

There is no theme in the score that sounds even remotely like it.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTYMrUxTH5g&feature=youtu.be&t=2m35s

Apparently it's the one at 2:37.

I dont really hear it though, maybe the first few notes

[Jay 37,337]

Well that theme is certainly all over the score, but it doesn't sound anything like the grail theme to me

Tomorrowland Theme A

01 A Story About The Future 0:18-0:32

03 You’ve Piqued My Pin-Trist 1:52-1:58

04 Boat Wait, There’s More! 0:11-0:26

05 Edge of Tomorrowland 2:36-2:45, 3:11-3:22, 3:33-3:45, 4:22-4:28, 4:50-5:07

09 A Touching Tale 1:15-1:30

13 Frank Frank 0:29-0:55

14 All House Assault 1:31-1:34 (expanded to 9 notes)

16 What An Eiffel! 0:15-0:24, 1:21-1:37, 2:04-2:56, 3:19-3:42, 4:08-4:16, 5:07-5:25, 5:39-5:50, 6:23-6:56

20 The Battle of Bridgeway 1:35-1:39

23 Pins of a Feather 0:42-0:50, 4:31-5:18

24 End Credits 1:37-1:50, 2:01-2:20, 2:35-2:58

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,337]

And played those notes in a religioso setting, sure.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Yeah I don't really hear it either.

[Jay 37,337]

If anything, that theme reminded me more of Harry Potter 3

Apparently Sphere and Loathing plays backwards in the film?

@nsy29 - Sphere and Loathing, but you will only hear it that way in the film.

— Michael Giacchino (@m_giacchino)

May 28, 2015

[karelm 2,911]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTYMrUxTH5g&feature=youtu.be&t=2m35s

Apparently it's the one at 2:37.

I dont really hear it though, maybe the first few notes

Perhaps it isn't the grail theme but Henry's theme? See 1:20 of this:

http://youtu.be/Y8lcjQVByzE

More nobelmente than religioso.

[igger6 894]

Aheh-hem. Welcome aboard.

I heard three major themes:

1. The SimCity variant, whose production values seem to outstrip SimCity by a fair margin, even if the melody is only about 80 percent as pleasant as Tilton's. It's really a striking similarity, though, considering that Tilton is thought of as Giacchino's protegé. Imagine Williams quoting the family theme from Jurassic Park III in Episode VII.
2. The rising noble theme that shows up in softer and louder variations. It's a sort of inside-out cousin of the Jones family theme from the last two Indy movies. (Once you hear the similarity, you can't unhear it.)
   
3. Maybe I'm mistaking a variation on one of the above for a separate theme, but I keep hearing a series of intervals that reminds me of "The Giant's Castle" from Puss in Boots (a highly underrated theme, by the way, whose concert suite is the highlight of that score and one of the best things Henry Jackman has composed.)
   

I found Tomorrowland infinitely more satisfying than Jupiter Ascending [dodges flying jewel cases]. It's nice to have Giacchino back in whimsical easy-listening mode rather than endless-peril-and-deep-meaning mode. For the past year or so, everything he's done has sounded like LOST.

I hear the connection with "Window to the Past," too, but it's more the timings than the pitches. The real similarity, though, is with the "Last Crusade" theme. Funny how a couple of note lengths can change the feel of the theme quite a bit. The Jones theme has a much more "settled" feeling to my ear, while the slightly shorter notes at the start of the "Tomorrowland" theme give it a sort of optimistic energy. But maybe that's just the power of suggestion.

[Jay 37,337]

OK, I can see what some people would compare them, but it's definitely not the same theme.

Funny that Stefan's friend thought that was a theme for the grail!

[publicist 4,643]

These are grasping at straw-connections at best.

[Jay 37,337]

OK, I just got done analyzing the music in the film. I was right - there's a ton of unreleased music! Interestingly, it's almost all in the first half of hte film

Basically, I counted about 1:36:00 of score in the film (not counting the potentially tracked middle of the end credits), and with 1:13:24 of it on the OST, that leaves about 22:36 unreleased; However, we know Giacchino also scored that Origins of Plus Ultra video, so that's really about 26:03 of unreleased music.

So this grand total number of about 1:39:27 of total score makes sense, which Giacchino saying on that radio program he recorded about 104 minutes of score (maybe there are some alternates or unused cues recorded we haven't heard yet)

But the interesting thing wasn't the length of music, but the number of cues: I count 51 total cues of music, and we have 24 of them on the OST, leaving 27 unreleased cues!

Also interesting is that the film's halfway point is basically the start of "All House Assault". Prior to that point, there are 35 cues of music in the film, and only 13 of them are on the OST! (Tracks 1-13). So that's 22 unreleased cues just from the first half! Then second half of the film has 15 cues, and we have 11 of them on the OST, with only 4 unreleased. (Then the 51st cue is the Plus Ultra thing).

And there is indeed some really GREAT music among these 26 unreleased minutes, including the introduction of Athena's Theme (other than the opening logos), a terrific action riff, some great choir work, lots of variations on Athena's theme and the End of the World theme, and all kinds of other stuff.

A session leak or 2CD expanded score would be a boon to have!


Oh, and here's my quick listing of the unreleased music and other info!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t0UuYZLqk_O3eWpS9bvobA6Okj7I4JIl6rVcQoVEcDo/pubhtml

(All unreleased cue titles are made up by me; I have no clue what any actual titles are)

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Max 141]

Thanks again for your analyses, Jay! I haven't been able to post much recently, but I've been keeping up with the thread and listening to the score daily. It has really grown on me! I think Tomorrowland might be my second favorite Giacchino-Bird collaboration (after The Incredibles).

2015 has been a great year for Giacchino so far!

[leeallen01 2,135]

After the Star Trek Concert at the Krakow Film Music Festival, they played a Tomorrowland Suite. It was very exciting live and sounded very grand and fun.

[crocodile 7,999]

Recorded it with my phone. It was really good.

Pity that the sound on the live to projection wasn't as great. This orchestra is usually great but sports arena doesn't make them sound good. But then, Gladiator didn't sound that great last year. Another venue would be better.

Karol

[leeallen01 2,135]

Recorded it with my phone. It was really good.

Pity that the sound on the live to projection wasn't as great. This orchestra is usually great but sports arena doesn't make them sound good. But then, Gladiator didn't sound that great last year. Another venue would be better.

Karol

Yeah the dialogue was sometimes inaudible. I wish they did it in the ICE auditorium. I hate arenas. Always bad for orchestra

[Luke Skywalker 1,794]

The film was ok,the score was one of the better parts.

[Jay 37,337]

Michael's sister posted the premiere of the Tomorrowland suite to vimeo

https://vimeo.com/129565256

[Jay 37,337]

OK my physical copy arrived yesterday from Amazon. Nice, traditional jewel case!

All the text in the entire booklet is in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS except for the Union players, which is odd. Michael has a nice Thank You section, and Brad Bird has a nice 8 paragraph note as well.

In that text, he talks about some of the themes:

"I seem to be gravitating towards this Arabian thing," Michael said to me about two weeks into his writing.

The "Arabian thing" turned out to be the main theme of Tomorrowland, one of the most beautiful Michael has ever written. A simple, yet wholly unexpected theme that not only captures the hopeful yearning of Casey Newton, but the feeling all of Tomorrowland's main characters have for the dream of a better future."

Often dovetailing into this is another, equally mesmerizing them for the character of Athena, Tomorrowland's lone remaining "recruiter", and the odd, wistful relationship she has with Frank.

There are other great themes here, too: The noble, soaring "Plus Ultra" theme, the darker theme Michael crafted for the character of David Nix (heard in the playfully ominous space/time wanderings of the cue "Sphere and Loathing").

So I was basically right about all the themes, win!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,337]

Yes, and its an entirely appropriate name for it if you've seen the film. Also, when I first mentioned it with that name, I ALSO called it David Nix's theme in a spoiler tag. Scroll back and see for yourself!

[ZackR 95]

I know it has gotten mixed reviews but I loved it the film. It is overtly optimistic and I think that's why people don't like it...not "real" or gritty. I loved it. It was long in spots but more than anything, the tone of optimism and hope was a refreshing change. I've always wondered what it would be like to be a child at a time when the future was exciting, jet packs and just anticipation. Loved the movie. I enjoyed the score in the film but need to listen more to really know how I would rate it.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,337]

I'd even say it's a more accurate name for the theme than "David Nix's theme", given that the theme shows up throughout the entire film, while Nix only appears during the last 20 minutes or so of the film.

Agreed. In the first half of the film, its used as an "End of the World" or "Dark Future" theme. Then it plays when Nix walks down the ramp in Tomorrowland, essentially subtlety suggesting that Nix is the villain. Which hopefully isn't a surprise to anyone older than 10 watching the film

[Miz 139]

This score was a grower for me. I thought the main themes quite simple and childish at first, but they've since deepened in scope and they are threaded well through the score. As I'm a fan of scoring my own life (using earphones), and not just judging a score by sitting in my house listening to it, I've found some perfect scenarios for enjoying the big, bright pieces of this score: sitting in a field with the sun setting behind glowing cloud, watching jetplanes approaching and soaring overhead, and birds weaving among the clouds. Also, cycling downhill through beautiful, or just open, environments!

Also, I think this one of Giacchino's most Hermann-esque scores to date. The atonality or edginess in Jurassic World (and even Lost) doesn't quite carry the same character and poise as some of the tracks here: Texting While Driving, Sphere and Loathing, and others. Enjoying this score much more, trying not to wear it out too quickly!