Bolt - John Powell

[ChuckM 1]

Just finished my first listen through Powell's latest score. It's not nearly another Horton Hears a Who, but it's pretty good.

The main disappointment is that the score is only 30:06 making it Powell's shortest (legitimate) release yet.

Still definitely worth it overall though.

Some highlight tracks include "A Fast Train," "Rescuing Penny," "A Real Live Superbark," and "Unbelievable TV."

[Koray Savas 2,254]

My brother has the score. I'll get it when he comes home for Thanksgiving. Can't wait to listen!

[ChuckM 1]

Lol. My brother's waiting for the same thing from me.

Wait...

That's not you is it, Donny?

[Koray Savas 2,254]

Maybe...

And we both live in Maryland! Gah!

[Nick Parker 3,047]

Should I contact Oprah Winfrey? I can see the introduction now... "Two Long-Lost Brothers Reunited On A John Williams Fansite"....

[Richard P 4,375]

Gave this a chance after loving Hancock, but this one just doesn't have it for me. The two themes I've identified are nothing special and it seems to focus very much on the comedic side. I actually enjoyed the song (track 2) more than the score

[ChuckM 1]

Hancock, huh? I actually would have put that on the lower end of Powell's scores.

I'll have to give it another listen I guess. One thing that really annoyed me about it though (the released music, not the score itself), is that the part I noticed most while watching the movie didn't make it to the CD. It's the part where Hancock first gets out, is wearing his suit, and is actually acting like a superhero, and Powell does this awesome homage to the Superman march.

[Koray Savas 2,254]

Hancock is a pretty good score, you should revisit it sometime.

[ChuckM 1]

I didn't say that I didn't think it was a good score. I have yet to hear a Powell score that didn't at least fit the category of "good."

Just compared to his other scores, I would have put it towards the lower end.

I will re-listen to it some time soon though.

[Koray Savas 2,254]

Ah, okay. I guess I would agree with you then.

[scallenger 581]

I actually just got back from seeing BOLT (along with QUANTUM OF SOLACE, which was just okay, score and film). The movie itself is actually pretty darn good for a non-Pixar effort. Definitely the best CGI animated film Disney alone has made. The music by Powell fit the film pretty well and there was actually a cool heroic theme that popped up here and there that I really liked. I heard from people that the CD release had only like 30 minutes? That's a shame because the film seemed to boast more score than that, I am wondering if a lot of the better moments were left off? I'll have to check out the CD and see.

[ChuckM 1]

My brother has the score. I'll get it when he comes home for Thanksgiving. Can't wait to listen!

So did you ever get a hold of that? What are your thoughts?

[JoeinAR 1,953]

never once did I notice the score in the film.

[Neimoidian 14]

never once did I notice the score in the film.

When was the last time you noticed one in the movie?

Chris, who haven't listened to Bolt, nor watched it.

[JoeinAR 1,953]

never once did I notice the score in the film.

When was the last time you noticed one in the movie?

Chris, who haven't listened to Bolt, nor watched it.

usually every time I go.

[Koray Savas 2,254]

My brother has the score. I'll get it when he comes home for Thanksgiving. Can't wait to listen!

So did you ever get a hold of that? What are your thoughts?

I did get it, but never listened to it

I'll get on that, right after E.T.

[Ollie 1,192]

never once did I notice the score in the film.

When was the last time you noticed one in the movie?

Unfortunately that seems to be happening more often when I go to films these days.

[ChuckM 1]

I don't know if this bugs anyone else or not, but it really annoys me when the score is going along just fine on it's own, and then some pop singer comes in at the end and spoils the whole thing (as with the last piece in this score).

Thankfully, I realized that the end of "House on Wheels" is essentially identical minus the singing. So, I opened up Audacity, and made my own version of "Home at Last" with no singing.

If anyone else would be interested in it, just send me a PM.

[Henry B 51]

I don't know if this bugs anyone else or not, but it really annoys me when the score is going along just fine on it's own, and then some pop singer comes in at the end and spoils the whole thing (as with the last piece in this score).

It's a proud Disney legacy.

[Jay 40,305]

I listened to Bolt the other day and enjoyed it the whole time..... thought I don't remember anything about it now

[Jacob 0]

Just like a fun night on the town, eh? :cool:

[Morlock 11]

I'm curious about 'Sing-A-Long Rhino'. Considering how early the voices were probably recorded- was this a late addition, or did Powell already write material way back when? I think it's a delicious 20 seconds.

[Richard P 4,375]

Not unreasonable to think Powell was on it early. He was reportedly on Happy Feet for 3 years for similar reasons.

[Morlock 11]

That was because took part in producing all the music in Happy Feet, which was full of songs. But it's strange to me that he would have a theme written that early.

[Richard P 4,375]

Not really. I believe a lot of composers write themes before shooting begins. JNh and M.Night definitely do that.

[ChuckM 1]

I know that for Horton Hears a who, the whole finale scene was scored before it was animated.

[Morlock 11]

Again, the animation there had to have music to animate to. Here, it's a tiny moment, hardly important to the plot.

[ChuckM 1]

I just found a promo score for Bolt on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BOLT-Promo-Only-SCORE-...93%3A1|294%3A50

[Koray Savas 2,254]

I thought they weren't allowed to include unreleased music on those anymore.

[ChuckM 1]

Hey, I won't complain.

Wonder how long before it gets leaked to somewhere I can get a hold of it...

[Koray Savas 2,254]

I want that... NOW!

I'm sure it'll get around sooner or later. In the meantime: Scooter Chase

[ChuckM 1]

Has anyone here managed to get a hold of the promo yet?

[Koray Savas 2,254]

It's got 74 minutes of pure score. Me wants!

[CT-7567 115]

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl3EOgDGz0DNjr7_l6Nnqi7PPkhPfULmZ&si=wnDJMfR8uuuYNfw6

 

The playlist above is from a channel i discovered these days, it not only has suites of scores from Powell, but also scenes from movies he worked on without any sound other than the OST. The owner made videos like this for Migration, Rio, and is currently doing videos like this for Bolt, it makes it much more easy to understand the themes, so i think that you will like it.

 

[Tallguy 4,740]

I love Bolt. It's been a while since I've listened to it and even longer since I've seen it. Not counting Chicken Run, this was the first Powell score I really paid attention to.

[CT-7567 115]

4 hours ago, Tallguy said:

I love Bolt. It's been a while since I've listened to it and even longer since I've seen it. Not counting Chicken Run, this was the first Powell score I really paid attention to.

Non ironically Bolt was the first for me, i always loved to hear the percussion before Bolt barks.

[CT-7567 115]

6 hours ago, Tallguy said:

I love Bolt. It's been a while since I've listened to it and even longer since I've seen it. Not counting Chicken Run, this was the first Powell score I really paid attention to.

Also, can you help me here with one thing?

 

These parts have the same theme or i´m simply confused here? 

 

 

 

Powell uses his themes in so many ways that it´s difficult to know if something is a variation or not.

[Knight of Ren 1,125]

Been going through many of Powell's animated scores to get more familiarized with them, and Bolt was one of the big surprises in how much I enjoyed it! Definitely recommend the sessions if you're able to get them, as the album leaves out some great cues. So many great themes in this one! And I think the theme you pointed out in those two videos is Mittens' theme! It also appears in other tracks like House on Wheels, or the lovely piano variation near the end of Las Vegas!

[CT-7567 115]

6 hours ago, Knight of Ren said:

Been going through many of Powell's animated scores to get more familiarized with them, and Bolt was one of the big surprises in how much I enjoyed it! Definitely recommend the sessions if you're able to get them, as the album leaves out some great cues. So many great themes in this one! And I think the theme you pointed out in those two videos is Mittens' theme! It also appears in other tracks like House on Wheels, or the lovely piano variation near the end of Las Vegas!

Thanks for the second opinion, and have to admit the score of the movie is really a great surprise, not only the themes are super memorable, the ost is also very diverse, the same cue can sound like one from a Italian mafia movie in the start, sound like a comedy flick from the 60s in the middle, and then end like X-Men 3, it´s really fun stuff.

 

Oh, and now that you pointed out the recording sessions, as i don´t know if you saw one thing i put in this topic before, only want to say that the playlist below has score only videos for Bolt, and the channel is releasing them in daily basis, with cues from the recording sessions that weren´t released in the official album like Bolivia and Up a tree. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl3EOgDGz0DNjr7_l6Nnqi7PPkhPfULmZ&si=wnDJMfR8uuuYNfw6

 

 

 

 

 

[Tallguy 4,740]

OK, I've forgotten how awesome this movie is. I had totally forgotten about Rhino! This movie was pretty much on a loop in my house when the kids were little.

 

I think this score has been largely forgotten and totally overshadowed by How to Train Your Dragon.

[Meredith McKay 7,071]

58 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

OK, I've forgotten how awesome this movie is. I had totally forgotten about Rhino! This movie was pretty much on a loop in my house when the kids were little.

 

I think this score has been largely forgotten and totally overshadowed by How to Train Your Dragon.

Absolutely ridonkulous.

[CT-7567 115]

3 hours ago, Tallguy said:

OK, I've forgotten how awesome this movie is. I had totally forgotten about Rhino! This movie was pretty much on a loop in my house when the kids were little.

 

I think this score has been largely forgotten and totally overshadowed by How to Train Your Dragon.

Always liked the movie, I think that it only became forgotten because the early 3D era of Disney wasn´t really getting much profit.

 

Also it´s interesting how actually Chris Sanders was going to direct the movie(and the story would be super different), and Powell two years later made the score of HTTYD, that was directed by Chris. 

 

Thinking about it, what if actually Powell got to do his job in HTTYD alone because of Bolt? Sanders said in a interview this year that in Lilo and Stitch he "realized that music was a voice. It wasn't just an assist in the background", so as the older director of Bolt, maybe he watched the movie to see what Disney did with it, liked how Powell manipulated the score, and then called him to do HTTYD later.

 

And being honest, what overshadowed the score was Kung fu Panda, it came out early in the same year of bolt.

 

 

[Tallguy 4,740]

14 minutes ago, CT-7567 said:

Always liked the movie, I think that it only became forgotten because the early 3D era of Disney wasn´t really getting much profit.

 

Also it´s interesting how actually Chris Sanders was going to direct the movie(and the story would be super different), and Powell two years later made the score of HTTYD, that was directed by Chris. 

 

Thinking about it, what if actually Powell got to do his job in HTTYD alone because of Bolt? Sanders said in a interview this year that in Lilo and Stitch he "realized that music was a voice. It wasn't just an assist in the background", so as the older director of Bolt, maybe he watched the movie to see what Disney did with it, liked how Powell manipulated the score, and then called him to do HTTYD later.

 

And being honest, what overshadowed the score was Kung fu Panda, it came out early in the same year of bolt.

 

 

 

I like KFP. I LOVE KFP2. And Bolt is better than both of them. OK it's at least as good as KFP2.

 

But interesting supposition.

[CT-7567 115]

1 minute ago, Tallguy said:

 

I like KFP. I LOVE KFP2. And Bolt is better than both of them. OK it's at least as good as KFP2.

 

But interesting supposition.

Wait, as score or as a movie?

[Tallguy 4,740]

2 minutes ago, CT-7567 said:

Wait, as score or as a movie?

 

... Both? Maybe I need to get into KPF as a score separate from my feelings of the film. But KFP2 has some AMAZING bits. 1? There's one bit that I really like that gets repeated in 2 when they go off to find the Peacock.

[Edmilson 9,443]

1 hour ago, CT-7567 said:

And being honest, what overshadowed the score was Kung fu Panda, it came out early in the same year of bolt.

 

There were 6 movies scored by Powell that were released in 2008:

 

 

Bolt was the only one that released later in the year. All the other came out until July.

 

John Powell in 2007 and 2008:

 

,

 

Bolt and Hancock are my favorites from him from that year. I never cared about the Kung Fu Panda scores, to be honest. They have decent moments, but they never reach the heights of his HTTYD trilogy, or even Bolt for that matter.

[Tallguy 4,740]

I always think that Bolt is like Ian Flemming's To Kill a Mockingbird.

[Muad'Dib 1,882]

Love this score! Hits that sweet spot of special Powell scores for me.

 

A good balance of actiony stuff with cute and emotional material.

 

That goddamn RV cue makes me so happy and makes me so emotional as well. Damn you, Powell, you freaking genius!

[CT-7567 115]

52 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

 

... Both? Maybe I need to get into KPF as a score separate from my feelings of the film. But KFP2 has some AMAZING bits. 1? There's one bit that I really like that gets repeated in 2 when they go off to find the Peacock.

Well, i will need to disagree about it then, i admit, i like KFP 1 and 2 much more than bolt as movies.

 

But it continues to be strange how i non ironically never heard the complete albums of both KFP movies. Like, i remember that i already heard the score for Bolt before, but not KFP, and for some reason it´s really easy to me to think about the music anyway. Like, simply by thinking of some scenes i can already think of the music as a whole, and i really like the themes in of it.

 

24 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

There were 6 movies scored by Powell that were released in 2008:

 

 

Bolt was the only one that released later in the year. All the other came out until July.

 

John Powell in 2007 and 2008:

 

,

 

Bolt and Hancock are my favorites from him from that year. I never cared about the Kung Fu Panda scores, to be honest. They have decent moments, but they never reach the heights of his HTTYD trilogy, or even Bolt for that matter.

Yeah, i said KFP more because it was the most sucessful score and movie of him in that year.

 

And well, i can´t really argue about the score completely because i never listened to it as a whole, but i think that some parts come close to HTTYD or Bolt, Hero and Po finds the truth for example.

 

Well, not including KFP for obvious reasons, my top 5 of his movies in that year would be:

 

Horton(I love how crazy it is).

 

Bolt/Hancock(both are tied for me in the complete sessions, but only because of that emotional theme in Hancock)

 

Stop Loss(yeah, it´s one of that scores that rely too much on the main theme, but it´s a great main theme)

 

Jumper(there are like, three real good parts, the rest is... ok)

 

 

[Edmilson 9,443]

Hollywood Blvd. from the Hancock score is one of Powell's best action cues (and that's saying something). The typically Powellian combo of samba-like percussion with frantic brass section is so good in here. I also really enjoy The Moon and the Superhero.

 

If only Jumper was on the same level...