Elfman's score for Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

[Damo 0]

For those who saw the new Charlie & The Chocolate Factory movie, and listened to the music while watching it in theatre or bought the soundtrack, what do you think of the score?

For me, I like the music from "Main Titles" at the begining of the movie.

[Orson 1]

I love it. No doubt my most listened to score over the past two months.

[Composer_Fan 2]

I enjoyed it. Sure, it's not Williams, but Elfman's got good stuff.

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

I really enjoyed it in the film, and I've been meaning to pick up the CD.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

It was Elfman, but nothing particularly special from him. A nice Main Title - very industrial as opposed to whimsical and magical, and it was very fitting for what was happening on-screen. I loved the songs (mainly because they're the same songs from the book) and the "Willy Wonka" song at the factory. But other than those things, the music didn't grab me as much as I'd like (except for the all-to-obvious 2001 reference, which wasn't even him).

If I find the soundtrack, I'll buy it, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it much more than just what I noticed watching the movie. That's usually the way non-Williams scores work.

[Romão 2,274]

The main titles are great, but some passages in them are complete re'dos of Elfman's previous scores. The songs are nices and so are the tribal chants for the Oompa Loompas. It's an ok, almost great score.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Definitely a very good score....the most enjoyable for me so far this year.

Ray Barnsbury

[Trumpeteer 302]

The main titles are great, but the rest of the ORIGINAL score isn't anything to shout about.

[Morlock 11]

The main titles are fantastic. The rest of the score is solid, but nothign to write home about. But then again, a solid Elfman score is better than most scores now a days.

[SturgisPodmore 0]

Main Titles, as appears to be a popular opinion, are incredible: Elfman on steroids! The songs are good and enjoyable, as are several of the score tracks.

Magical_Me, the 2001 part was I think either a direct lift or extremely close. The audience was supposed to know what it was; it was more than a referrence. Sorry, if that's what you meant. 8O

~Sturgis

[Willy 0]

I bought this soundtrack mainly because I love the film so much. Watching the film I didn't like the main title music very much, I felt it needed more magic to it. The songs I liked immediately though.

As for the cd:I enjoy it, and the magic that's missing in the main title is very much present in the rest of the score. But I wouldn't label it the best soundtrack of the year.

[HPFAN_2 0]

I enoyed it, but yes i agree it's nothing to write home about. My favorite tracks has to be Boat Arives, The River Cruise part 1 and The River Cruise Part 2. I can't get enough of those tracks.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Magical_Me, the 2001 part was I think either a direct lift or extremely close.  The audience was supposed to know what it was; it was more than a referrence.  Sorry, if that's what you meant. 8O  

~Sturgis

Yes, what I meant was that the only music that really "grabbed" me was the piece "Also Sprach Zarathustra", because it was such a central part of the whole 2001 parody they were setting up; I was commenting that the most memorable music wasn't even Elfman's.

[King Mark 3,631]

Meh,I wasn't impressed by The Corpse Bride or the last one,Big Fish,so I'm guessing it's more of the same.I haven't found anyone willing to go see this film with me.

K.M.Who doesn't get what's so great about Edward Sissorhands either.

[SturgisPodmore 0]

Leave. 8O

~Sturgis

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Meh,I wasn't impressed by The Corpse Bride or the last one,Big Fish,so I'm guessing it's more of the same.I haven't found anyone willing to go see this film with me.

K.M.Who doesn't get what's so great about Edward Sissorhands either.

Okay, I could live with those first comments, but that last sentence goes just too far! Have you seen the movie (Scissorhands)?

Ray Barnsbury 8O

[Lurker 5]

Have you seen the movie (Scissorhands)?

I have.

Neil - Burton hater

[Jacck 23]

Meh.. Nice score, could've done without the shitty songs LOL

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Don't hate the game, hate the playa!

.....

Ray Barnsbury

[Composer_Fan 2]

^Okay....

[Romão 2,274]

Edward Scissorhands is typical Burton: such great concepts but the rest somewhat falters.

Romão, who thinks there are two great Burton Movies: Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow.

[fommes 153]

I haven't seen this CD anywhere around here yet, which is kind of strange since this movie has been out for a while now. Batman Begins didn't show up either (not that I would have bought that one, just an observation ) I hope this is not a new trend.

[Orson 1]

I haven't seen this CD anywhere around here yet, which is kind of strange since this movie has been out for a while now. Batman Begins didn't show up either (not that I would have bought that one, just an observation ) I hope this is not a new trend.

I had to go to several different stores in my area to find it as well. I got the last one off the shelf at a nearby Walmart back in July when it was first released. I was surprised at how hard this was to find. Must have been quite popular with the kiddies, but it was kind of nice to see a score sell out like that so quickly.

[HPFAN_2 0]

Edward Scissorhands is typical Burton: such great concepts but the rest somewhat falters.

Romão, who thinks there are two great Burton Movies: Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow.

Yes to Ed Wood not so sure about Sleepy Hollow. I would nominate Big Fish.

[fommes 153]

I was surprised at how hard this was to find. Must have been quite popular with the kiddies, but it was kind of nice to see a score sell out like that so quickly.

Actually, it was never in the stores here

[JWFAN4LIFE 0]

I actually had mix reviews when I first heard the cd, but once I saw the movie my mind was put at ease. I listen to it a lot now and enjoy the main themes. The songs crack me up.

[Orson 1]

Wonka's Welcome Song is just killer... I laugh everytime I hear it. Veruca Salt has a cool Beatle's Sargent Pepper thing going on that makes it a fun listen. The rest of the songs I can do without.

[Jeshopk 8]

It is one of the few Elfman soundtracks I've bought lately. I think I will see how the score part of te Corpse Bride fares. Any opinions on that?

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Corpse Bride is pretty good. It's not all that different from Charlie, but it does have a markedly more whimsical feel. The main theme is a nice, flowing, almost fairy-tale sounding little melody that gets a good amount of play throughout the score. And the addition of a harpsicord adds a rather distinct sound. The songs are pretty good, with my favorite being the delightfully dark "According to Plan" - the performances, as Morlock has noted before, really shine and bring the song and story to life.

Ray Barnsbury

[Romão 2,274]

Yeah, but I don't know why, I getting a little tire of Elfman's forced expression (I really don't know how to put it), when singing.

[TheUlyssesian 2,478]

I've been listening to the main title on loop for the last few days. I think this is a masterpiece cue. Up there with Alice's Theme as one of the absolute best in Elfman's career.

 

The piece has tremendous rambunctious kooky energy and perfectly syncs up with the picture too. (I wonder if they created the sequence to fit the music instead of the other way round.)

 

 

[Thor 7,495]

This is a great score. It was the last to feature in my extensive Danny Elfman's Buyer's Guide in the printed FSM magazine back in 2005. You can clearly hear that he's in the "Serenada Schizophrana" period, while keeping to his old style. The songs are an absolute delight. I probably prefer those to most of the score, outside maybe the "The River Cruise" tracks.

[mstrox 6,651]

We watched this with my kid last week.  Unsurprisingly, I didn't care for the movie (same as 15 years ago), although it had a bit more of Dahl's nastiness than my preferred 1970s adaptation.

 

Musically, I'll agree that it's one of Elfman's better 21st century scores.  There are plenty of good setpieces, the theme is good, the songs are fun (if not tonally off for the movie itself, IMO).

[bruce marshall 1,315]

I thought the film was excellent. Probably the last first rate effort from Burton. :(. The music wasn't memorable.

 

I thought ALICE was a fantastic score and unfairly maligned. Fun film

7 hours ago, Thor said:

This is a great score. It was the last to feature in my extensive Danny Elfman's Buyer's Guide in the printed FSM magazine back in 2005. I

Yeah, I'm still pissed about that.😡

You bumped my COLUMBO article to the online version!

Kaplan told me you deserved to get published since he had rejected all your previous submissions.

 

But, I forgive you😉

 

[gkgyver 1,645]

Elfman's choice to put the "Oh Canada" fanfare as the main titles of Oz remains one of film scoring's great mysteries. 

 

If someone forced it into the temp and the score, he has an excuse, but he prominently claimed that on Oz, nobody liked the temp and he could create on an absolutely virgin canvas. 

[Alex 2,835]

I’ve been listening to this score recently too. Elfman wrote some absolute bangers for the Oompa Loompas.

[Datameister 2,042]

Funny to see this topic come up. I just recently watched the film for the first time in a while. The soundtrack vanished from my computer some time ago and I was struck on this current by how much I like it. I can do without the cutesy Charlie music, but the rest of the writing is suitably weird. And the songs are really a lot of fun, albeit in a completely different way from the ones we got in the 70s.

[Manakin Skywalker 4,891]

Yeah I find it interestingly coincidental that this thread came back to life as well. Just like 3 days ago I watched the marathon on TV, and a few days before that I was going back through the isolated score for some reason, which I haven't done in years.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Awful

[Thor 7,495]

18 hours ago, bruce marshall said:

Kaplan told me you deserved to get published since he had rejected all your previous submissions.

 

Then Kaplan must have told you a tall tale. Except for 2-3 letters to their mailbox column during the 90s and early 2000s (all of which were published), the Elfman guide was the first thing I submitted to them. And I never dealt with Kaplan, only with Lukas directly, who was enthusiastic throughout. The only thing that irritates me a bit is that the second and third parts were published in their online version. Would have been neater to have all of them in printed form.

[Jurassic Shark 12,066]

Kaplan? George Kaplan?

[bruce marshall 1,315]

1 hour ago, Thor said:

 

Then Kaplan must have told you a tall tale. Except for 2-3 letters to their mailbox column during the 90s and early 2000s (all of which were published), the Elfman guide was the first thing I submitted to them. And I never dealt with Kaplan, only with Lukas directly, who was enthusiastic throughout. The only thing that irritates me a bit is that the second and third parts were published in their online version. Would have been neater to have all of them in printed form.

I'm not surprised he fibbed!.

I was on him for a long time about publishing my Long completed article. He kept making excuses as to why it had not appeared.

Yeah, definitely cooler to he in the mag but I was able to greatly expand my original article so it worked out.

 

Btw I sent you an email complimenting your ELFMAN piece.

That is one more than I ever got#

 

Btw When it finally appeared it was full of typos . When I called him to correct him he acted offended . like one was criticising HIM!

I m glad I'm done with that whole crowd

[Jurassic Shark 12,066]

34 minutes ago, bruce marshall said:

like one was criticising HIM!

 

Weren't you?

[bruce marshall 1,315]

15 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Weren't you?

No. Just standing up for my work.

Not like I had an agent to do it for me.

[Jurassic Shark 12,066]

But he introduced the typos?

[bruce marshall 1,315]

2 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

But he introduced the typos?

Go do your laundry.

It's been three months

[Jurassic Shark 12,066]

57 minutes ago, bruce marshall said:

Go do your laundry.

It's been three months

 

Btw, you should do a guest review on Thor's website!