Composing Greatness: #2.The Freshman Class of the 2010's - "How to Train Your Dragon" (2010)

Scene from How to Trin Your Dragon

Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Series Composer: John Powell

Entry: How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Collaborators (If Available): N/A

Nomination: Best Original Score

Did They Win: No

Other Nominees:
Best Original Score
-The Social Network (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)*winner
-127 Hours (A.R. Rahman)
-Inception (Hans Zimmer)
-The King's Speech (Alexandre Desplat)

Additional Information

This is to help provide perspective of where each composer is in their Oscar-nominated life as it related to the current entry.

Oscar Nomination: 1

Oscar Wins: 0

Track List

1. "This is Berk"
2."Dragon Battle"
3. "The Downed Dragon"
4. "Dragon Training"
5. "Wounded"
6. "The Dragon Book"
7. "Focus, Hiccup!"
8. "Forbidden Friendship"
9. "New Tail"
10. "See You Tomorrow"
11. "Test Drive"
12. "Not So Fireproof"
13. "This Time For Sure"
14. "Astrid Goes for a Spin"
15. "Romantic Flight"
16. "Dragons Den"
17. "The Cove"
18. "The Kill Ring"
19. "Ready the Ships"
20. "Battling the Green Death"
21. "Counter-Attack"
22. "Where's Hiccup"
23. "Coming Back Around"
24."The Vikings Have Their Tea"

Note: Listen to here.

Exploring the Music

The area of the column where I will explore the music in as much detail as I see fit for each entry.

Theme Exploration:

"This is Berk"

Not to rag on Dreamworks, but they have a terrible reputation for being cheap and lazy in comparison to Pixar or Disney. It's why How to Train Your Dragon (the film and trilogy) feel like such a miracle. Not only is the film a technical marvel, but the score is also arguably among the greatest in animated film history. Every motif is here, establishing a world of humans and dragons existing alongside each other in a state of peace and chaos. John Powell is frankly a composer who probably should've had more Oscar nominations in the decade since this score, but at least it starts with a fiery energy that fueled three whole movies. Those melodies get stuck in your head, creating a strong emotional bond that is hard to ignore. Things haven't been the same since this score hit the scene, and we're all the better for it.

Interesting Standout:
"Forbidden Friendship"

The score as a whole constantly is at odds between quiet drama and soaring action. At this moment, things meet in the middle with one of the most beautiful, peaceful tracks on the whole album. It's not even played on strings or booming drums. It's just a chime-like feel of tenderly walking up to the uncomfortable and realizing that it means you no harm. It's a beautiful moment and is thankfully accentuated with something just as poignant. Even if it's a more quiet track, it still manages to convey the melodic ingenuity of John Powell's score, finding peace amid the blistering action.

Best Moment:
"Test Drive"

While it's a motif that's constantly repeated throughout the score, it is never better than right here when the duo takes flight for the first time. John Powell's work is a thing of beauty, as it starts with a guitar riff and slowly builds on top of it, as if the music is soaring into the clouds. By the time that the melody kicks in, it becomes a thing of awe, as if looking from atop a cloud at the most beautiful thing in existence. This is the moment that the film has been building to, and one that the series longs to capture over and over. If nothing else, it's just a powerful track that stands on its own, serving as the best example of what this score, and this series, has to offer in the way of awe.

Did This Deserve an Oscar Nomination?:
Yes

As mentioned, it's hard to not go beyond calling this one of the best scores of the decade, but one of the best family movies scores period. It's one that doesn't rely on the familiar cutesy melodies and favors a genuinely cinematic experience in every note. John Powell went for the big picture and in the process created something that captures the imagination, playing melodies that have themselves become memorable pieces. This is the type of score that inspires one to dream big, look to the skies and wonder what else is out there. Maybe it's one that gets children into more classic composers like John Williams and Maurice Jarre. Even if that's not true, the music is more than dimestore filler. It's the heart of a powerful film.

Up Next: Best Original Score - Ludovic Bource, The Artist (2011)

Best Theme

A ranking of all themes composed by The Freshman Class of the 2010's.

1. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: "Hand Covers Bruise" - The Social Network (2010)
2. John Powell: "This is Berk" - How to Train Your Dragon (2010)