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Danny Elfman's Alice in Wonderland


Diego

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It might be a nice album to listen to am I the only one thinking this is probably a step back? Judging from the clips it sounds exactly like you thought it would. Which is kind of worrying...

Karol

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These sound really good so far. Not nearly as wacky as I thought Elfman might go. If the whole album's like this it's a definite buy.

Does Little Alice remind anyone of "Building the Raft" from Journey to the Center of the Earth?

And Alice's Theme reminds me of the solo theme in Avatar.

But in a good way :lol:

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Am I the only one here who couldn't care less about this movie?

Haven't listened to the samples, but I should imagine they sound a bit like Beetlejuice and a bit like Edward Scissorhands.

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It does remain to be seen if making this a sequel of sorts to the original story, rather than a straight up re-telling, will be a unique spin.

I guess this means that Tweedledee, Tweedledum, and the Mad Hatter won't be villains in upcoming Batman movies, thanks to their presentation here.

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The samples sound promising.

Still, there are way too many of those chopping string flourishes. I like them, but I fear it's overdone this time.

And I'm sure I've heard Alice's theme already somewhere else ... I can't put my finger on it.

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And I'm sure I've heard Alice's theme already somewhere else ... I can't put my finger on it.

It has some reminiscences of Elfman's Black Beauty main theme, imho. But it's just a hint.

However, the clips sound absolutely gorgeous and promising. This looks like one of Elfman's major works ever.

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It might be a nice album to listen to am I the only one thinking this is probably a step back? Judging from the clips it sounds exactly like you thought it would. Which is kind of worrying...

Karol

That can pretty much be said about the entire project. For a Burton movie, it's all so... typical. But still, I like what I hear with the score. Elfman sounds like he is totally on his game.

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It might be a nice album to listen to am I the only one thinking this is probably a step back? Judging from the clips it sounds exactly like you thought it would. Which is kind of worrying...

Karol

Unfortunately, I agree. I feel bad for saying this, as they are best friends and partners, but I think Danny Elfman should stop working with Tim Burton (or perhaps Tim Burton should choose projects more challenging to him on an artistic level). It is hard to say as this is their first collaboration in five years, but -and I do say this as a Tim Burton fan- it sounds to me that his films as of late are leaving Danny Elfman in a self-derivative "rut", so to speak (I do love Corpse Bride, though).

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It's definitely up there, he hasn't really been able to recapture the manic energy from that one. SCISSORHANDS is great, but the middle doesn't work that much for me, and I'm more emotionally invested in Vincent Price than I am Johnny Depp and Winona's ridiculous blonde wig.

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Elfman's entire style has always had that 'wonderland' feel about it. Especially when it comes to him collaborating with Tim Burton. I didn't expect that it would, or even should be stylistically much different from his other wonderland scores, and in a way I'm glad that it isn't.

For me, the clips sound absolutely brilliant. I didn't have what I would probably consider 'unrealistic' expectations of what it might be stylistically, so I'm not disappointed. Why shouldn't Elfman have done what he does best for a film that is so well suited to that style. All I really expected was for it to be well crafted, with lots of magic, energy, and a memorable theme. I already have that theme stuck in my head... Elfman's clever melodic writing and memorable, unique harmonic progressions have always been one of the strong points of his writing.

So I guess it depends on what you expect as to how much enjoyment you'll get out of the score. If you're expecting Elfman to completely reinvent himself and take a contemporary approach, as opposed to a 'traditional' approach on a film that is a perfect opportunity for Elfman to demonstrate his wonderland style of scoring, mastered and nearing perfection, then you're probably going to be disappointed.

It sounds like Elfman has really mastered getting the orchestration to sound very polished and Hollywood now. It's nice to hear. That alone, coupled with his own style and themes will, I suspect, make it a very enjoyable score for me. When it all comes together it seems to have such a genuine child-like energy, an excitement and sense of massive adventure that's all very exciting. ;)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Why isn't Alice in any of the ads I'm seeing? All I see is Johnny Depp, the Queen and a bunch of CGI shit. Is Alice's role going to be the equivalent of Batman in the Tim Burton movies, where the supporting characters receive more dialogue and screen time? Surely, the movie is called Alice in Wonderland. But the ads would lead you to believe it should be called The Mad Hatter.

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Personally, I despise Alice In Wonderland in all its forms -- it's one of my least favorite Disney animated movies, the books are annoying, and this new movie looks absolutely awful. I'd be surprised if I'm able to get all the way through it.

This despite being a fan of all of Burton's movies not titled Planet of the Apes.

My fear is that it's going to bring out all the worst tendencies toward being overbearing that he's (barely) kept in check throughout his career.

And Depp looks terrible. I've got at least two friends that would cut my throat for saying that, but I'm sticking by it.

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My fear is that it's going to bring out all the worst tendencies toward being overbearing that he's (barely) kept in check throughout his career.

Ah yes, the George Lucas effect.

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Personally, I despise Alice In Wonderland in all its forms -- it's one of my least favorite Disney animated movies, the books are annoying, and this new movie looks absolutely awful. I'd be surprised if I'm able to get all the way through it.

This despite being a fan of all of Burton's movies not titled Planet of the Apes.

My fear is that it's going to bring out all the worst tendencies toward being overbearing that he's (barely) kept in check throughout his career.

And Depp looks terrible. I've got at least two friends that would cut my throat for saying that, but I'm sticking by it.

I completely agree, but I'm somehow still going to see it and I already pre-ordered the score.

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That would also explain why the Queen says "Alice has returned to Wonderland" in a trailer. Or was that also in the original story?

indy4 - who can't wait to see this film, but thinks it might fall into the Batman/Beetlejuice/Sleepy Hollow "style over substance" category

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Sorry to burst your bubble Koray, but Johnny Depp actually has a major role in the film - he acts as Alice's guide through Underland (the actual name of Wonderland). From the start to the end he's by her side, that's why they're advertising the shit out of him. Speaking of Depp, Ian McShane is in negotiations to play Blackbeard in Pirates 4: On Stranger Tides. With McShane, Depp, Penelope Cruz and Geoffrey Rush on board sans Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley this movie may not be completely unjustified.

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These sound really good so far. Not nearly as wacky as I thought Elfman might go. If the whole album's like this it's a definite buy.

Does Little Alice remind anyone of "Building the Raft" from Journey to the Center of the Earth?

And Alice's Theme reminds me of the solo theme in Avatar.

But in a good way :eek:

If it doesn't, it should, as Elfman is the top Herrmann emulator around today.

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Wait, so the new Alice In Wonderland film is based on the "Through The Looking Glass" book, and not the "Alice In Wonderland" book? Or its an original sequel to both stories?

EDIT: Just looked it up on wikipedia. It's a sequel set 10 years after the 2 books

In this extension of Lewis Carroll's original stories, Alice Kingsley, now 19, attends a party at a Victorian estate shortly after the death of her beloved father. The formal affair, unbeknownst to Alice, is an engagement party planned by her mother and sister. Just as the arrogant and boorish Lord Hamish Ascot proposes to Alice under a gazebo and before the eyes of hundreds of snooty society-types, Alice spots a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and pocket watch. In shock and confusion, she runs off into a maze and follows the White Rabbit through it. She eventually tumbles down a rabbit hole into Underland, more commonly referred to as "Wonderland" by its inhabitants. She had visited this place 10 years earlier, but had entirely forgotten about it. She then reunites with her childhood friends, including the Mad Hatter, who explains to Alice that they need her help in over-throwing the Red Queen, who has taken control of Wonderland from her benevolent sister, the White Queen. Alice is also told that she is the only one who can slay the Jabberwock, the dragon who terrorizes the inhabitants of Wonderland under the rule of the Red Queen. Alice then embarks on an adventure of self-discovery in the process of saving Wonderland and her friends there from both the Jabberwock and the Red Queen's reign of terror.
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That makes sense. L. Frank Baum himself admitted (in The Annotated Wizard of Oz, 1973) that Carroll's protagonist influenced his decision to make Dorothy Gale a young girl.

So as the original stories are similar enough, so too will be any sequels revolving around the protagonist returning to the fantasy world after some years of absence.

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It'd be nice if Alice's score is half as good as Oz's (which is in serious need of a reissue).

Who was scoring it? David Shire?

Karol

Yep. I'd be hesitant to say it's uncharacteristic of Shire, as I haven't heard much of his stuff outside his thriller scores, but it's lovely.

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