It's pretty obvious that Ratatouille set up a new standard for animation; following suit, Michael Giacchino's score was among the best of 2007. Jerry Seinfeld's animation debut, DreamWorks' Bee Movie, pales a bit in compar... more »ison, and so does Rupert Gregson-Williams's score, which is competent but also struggles to establish an identity of its own. The first track, "Graduation," oddly sounds a little like the theme for a '60s TV Western, an impression confirmed by bits of "Honex"--at times you feel as if you're listening to the imaginary score for a remake of Bonanza. It's obvious Gregson-Williams (not to be confused with his brother Harry, an animation specialist who's also scored the likes of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) has soaked up the classics: "Assault on Honey Farms" has moments of James Bond-esque grandeur, while "Honey Round Up" pulls off the funky, horn-laden vibe Bond sometimes prefers; elsewhere, "Ken" nods in the direction of Nino Rota. Dialogue cues might have helped lighten up the mood, but there are none. The CD is rounded up by two pop tracks, the Archies' "Sugar Sugar" and Sheryl Crow's faithful cover of the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun. " --Elisabeth Vincentelli« less
It's pretty obvious that Ratatouille set up a new standard for animation; following suit, Michael Giacchino's score was among the best of 2007. Jerry Seinfeld's animation debut, DreamWorks' Bee Movie, pales a bit in comparison, and so does Rupert Gregson-Williams's score, which is competent but also struggles to establish an identity of its own. The first track, "Graduation," oddly sounds a little like the theme for a '60s TV Western, an impression confirmed by bits of "Honex"--at times you feel as if you're listening to the imaginary score for a remake of Bonanza. It's obvious Gregson-Williams (not to be confused with his brother Harry, an animation specialist who's also scored the likes of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) has soaked up the classics: "Assault on Honey Farms" has moments of James Bond-esque grandeur, while "Honey Round Up" pulls off the funky, horn-laden vibe Bond sometimes prefers; elsewhere, "Ken" nods in the direction of Nino Rota. Dialogue cues might have helped lighten up the mood, but there are none. The CD is rounded up by two pop tracks, the Archies' "Sugar Sugar" and Sheryl Crow's faithful cover of the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun. " --Elisabeth Vincentelli
First Warning Sign of a Bad Album: The Best Tracks are "Albu
RP | U.S. | 05/09/2008
(1 out of 5 stars)
"This ain't a great soundtrack in general to begin with, so it's made worse when the best track, "Here Comes the Sun" by Sheryl Crow is one of the "Album Only" purchases. It's obvious that the soundtrack can't stand on its own--they know that people will only want to buy a couple of the songs so they make them "Album Only" purchases. I don't like it one bit and I *won't* be buying the album even if it means I don't get the song I want. Please change it, Amazon!"
Album Purchase only stinks...
A. Moore | Texas | 05/28/2008
(1 out of 5 stars)
"like most of the other songs on this album... I want Sheryl Crow's "Here Comes the Sun" in a BAD way, though not bad enough to buy the album... I guess I'll have to buy another version of this song elsewhere..."
Excellent score!
Chris in OC | Southern California, USA | 10/19/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Film scores (as opposed to "song soundtracks") tend to get a bad rap, and the reasons baffle me a bit. To each his or her own, I suppose, but film scoring is an art unto itself, and I really appreciate the composers who can write one that not only supports the movie, but stands on its own away from the film.
The score for "Bee Movie" does just that. As Mark and Glenn noted, it's a worthy addition to anyone's film score collection, and it's a big feather in Rupert Gregson-Williams' hat.
If you're not into film scores and just want the songs, you can find "Sugar Sugar" at Amazon's MP3 store or iTunes for a buck. And if you want "Here Comes the Sun," do yourself a favor: forget Crow's lackluster cover and get the original. You'll have to buy a CD ("Abbey Road" or "1") but not only will you get a much better performance of the song, you'll get a lot of other great music along with it."
What!?!
Glenn | Sweden | 10/04/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Just what the heck are you people talking about??? This score is phenomenal! Did you think you bought the soundtrack?
Anyway, this is a great score. I own over 150 movie score's and in the cumputer-animated-movies-genre this is one of my top two at the moment. Ice Age II and this one share 1-st place. They are both dynamic and really fun to listen to.
Actully I had never heard of Rupert Gregson-Williams before I bought this score, but he found a place in my heart for sure. I'm looking forward to his next score whatever it may be.
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1
