Onward (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2020 Disney/Pixar film of the same name. The score is composed by Mychael and Jeff Danna, in their second Pixar film, following The Good Dinosaur (2015). The scoring was held at the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. in Los Angeles which required a 30-member choir and 92-member orchestra.
| Onward (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Soundtrack album by Mychael and Jeff Danna | ||||
| Released | February 28, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2019–20 | |||
| Venue | Warner Bros. Eastwood Scoring Stage | |||
| Genre | Score | |||
| Length | 1:03:23 | |||
| Label | Walt Disney | |||
| Pixar soundtrack chronology | ||||
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| Mychael Danna chronology | ||||
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| Jeff Danna chronology | ||||
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The original soundtrack included the original song called "Carried Me With You" performed by Brandi Carlile. It was released by Walt Disney Records on February 28, 2020, seven days ahead of the film's release.
The Japanese dub uses Sukima Switch’s "Zenryoku Syounen" as the credits theme.[1]
Background
editOn April 16, 2019, Mychael and Jeff Danna, who both previously worked with the studio on The Good Dinosaur (2015), were revealed to be the film's composers.[2] When the Danna brothers were approached by director Dan Scanlon to compose the musical score, they did not know anything about the film before their meeting with the Onward team. At The Hollywood Reporter, Mychael says, "As [Dan Scanlon is] pitching this story, the hairs on the back of our necks are just going up. Because this is really familiar personal territory for us."[3] His brother Jeff says, "It's a pretty uncommon request in our business to do a '70s prog-rock-wizard combination for a masterful film — a Pixar film. We had a lot of fun starting there and put together a great band."[3]
The scoring was held at the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. in Los Angeles. 30 vocalists from Los Angeles Master Chorale and 92 musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, worked on the choral and orchestral pieces used in the score.[4]
On February 12, 2020, Brandi Carlile revealed she recorded the original song "Carried Me With You" for the film's end credits, co-written with Phil and Tim Hanseroth.[5] According to TheWrap, Carlile says, "All the way into my teenage years, having the visual to accompany certain kinds of new music was the way that I made inroads and forays into new genres of music that I wasn't being exposed to by my parents. I listened to only classic country music in my household growing up. So I would see a Disney movie or hear a Giorgio Moroder soundtrack, and I'd be like, 'Oh, my God, what is this amazing sound?' One of the most influential pieces of music in my life actually came in my preteen years when I got the 'Philadelphia' soundtrack. And I mean, on that soundtrack alone, there was Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, the Indigo Girls and opera. That soundtrack — to this day, I'm still chasing it down in my writing."[6]
Track listing
editAll music is composed by Mychael and Jeff Danna, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Carried Me with You" | Brandi Carlile, Phil and Tim Hanseroth | Brandi Carlile | 3:33 |
| 2. | "Quests of Yore" | 0:52 | ||
| 3. | "The World Was Full of Wonder" | 1:37 | ||
| 4. | "A Little Magic" | 0:43 | ||
| 5. | "Bad Dragon" | 1:03 | ||
| 6. | "New Ian" | 2:36 | ||
| 7. | "My Mighty Steed" | 0:22 | ||
| 8. | "My Birthday Is Cancelled" | 0:44 | ||
| 9. | "Wish I Could Spend the Day with You" | 1:46 | ||
| 10. | "The Visitation Spell" | 3:35 | ||
| 11. | "The Spell" | 1:06 | ||
| 12. | "The Spell Only Lasts One Day" | 0:56 | ||
| 13. | "Find Another Phoenix Gem" | 0:49 | ||
| 14. | "Going on a Quest" | 0:24 | ||
| 15. | "Laurel in Pursuit" | 0:44 | ||
| 16. | "The Manticore's Tavern" | 0:43 | ||
| 17. | "Tavern Remodeling" | 1:12 | ||
| 18. | "The Map to Raven's Point" | 1:45 | ||
| 19. | "Two Teenage Elves" | 0:38 | ||
| 20. | "Magnora Gantuan!" | 0:32 | ||
| 21. | "Baby Legs" | 0:41 | ||
| 22. | "Pixie Dusters" | 1:18 | ||
| 23. | "The Guardian Curse" | 0:42 | ||
| 24. | "Driving Test" | 3:17 | ||
| 25. | "Dance Fight" | 2:22 | ||
| 26. | "Path of Peril" | 0:41 | ||
| 27. | "Pawn Shop" | 0:28 | ||
| 28. | "Tracking Guinevere" | 1:04 | ||
| 29. | "Bottomless Pit" | 0:56 | ||
| 30. | "The Trust Bridge" | 1:20 | ||
| 31. | "Follow Your Gut" | 0:52 | ||
| 32. | "Running from the Cops" | 1:59 | ||
| 33. | "Sacrifice" | 0:59 | ||
| 34. | "Just a Beat Up Old Van" | 1:36 | ||
| 35. | "The Cave" | 0:54 | ||
| 36. | "Accelior!" | 0:26 | ||
| 37. | "Boom Bastia!" | 0:47 | ||
| 38. | "Barley's Last Memory of Dad" | 0:58 | ||
| 39. | "Led Us to Our Victory!" | 1:49 | ||
| 40. | "The Truth Comes Out" | 0:39 | ||
| 41. | "Share My Life with Him" | 3:24 | ||
| 42. | "Battling the Dragon" | 3:03 | ||
| 43. | "Voltar Thunderseer!" | 0:59 | ||
| 44. | "Dad" | 2:52 | ||
| 45. | "Magic Returns" | 2:48 | ||
| Total length: | 1:03:23 | |||
Additional music
editThe track "Magic" by the Cars was featured in the first trailer of the film,[7] the track "Hocus Pocus" by Focus was featured in the second trailer,[8] and the track "Coming Home" by Sheppard was featured in the international trailer. The tracks were used for promotional purposes, and neither were featured in the soundtrack, nor in the film. Additionally, one song featured "Let's Get It On" from Marvin Gaye in the film, but is not included from the soundtrack.[9]
Reception
editAlex Reif from Laughing Place reviewed "the first track is the end credit closer by Brandi Carlile, "You Carried Me With You." Her folk pop style is perfect for the film as the genre is all about generational storytelling, which is at the core of the film. The style may be incongruous with the rest of the score, but I love the song and the message within it. This is a perfect song to add to your family road trip playlist." Reif also reviewed "the rest of the soundtrack is forty-four tracks of score by Mychael Danna & Jeff Danna amounting to about an hour of solid music. Being a modern fantasy set in a world with creatures like elves, trolls, fairies, and mantacores, the score borrows musical elements from the fantasy genre. Expect to hear lutes, chimes, harpsichords, and high-pitched chorals. There are quite a few themes that play throughout the score, but the most memorable and frequently used melody tends to underscore Ian's character. It’s a lighthearted, bouncy melody that can be played uplifting, like on "A Little Magic," subdued like on "New Ian," sad on "Share My Life With Him," and adventurous on "Voltar Thunderseer!""[10] James Southall, a review from Movie-Wave, had stated "A lot of the ingredients are here for a really fine score – there’s action, adventure, fantasy and magic and at times really heartwarming emotional material, and all those components in isolation are done pretty well. It doesn’t really gel together that well though – the very short tracks are an issue and every time things look like they’re really getting going, they just don’t. That’s a shame because there is definitely music here worth hearing."[11]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | BMI Film & TV Awards | Film Music | Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna | Won | [12] |
| 2021 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production | Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna | Nominated | [13] |
| Grammy Awards | Best Song Written for Visual Media | "Carried Me with You" – Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth | Nominated | [14] | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Best Original Score in an Animated Film | Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna | Nominated | [15] | |
| Best Original Song in an Animated Film | "Carried Me with You" – Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth | Nominated | |||
| Best Soundtrack Album | Onward | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "『2分の1の魔法』スキマスイッチの「全力少年」がEdソングに決定！ | アニメイトタイムズ".
- ^ "Mychael & Jeff Danna to Score Pixar's 'Onward'". Film Music Reporter. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ a b Tribbitt, Maya (February 5, 2021). "How Onward Composer-Brothers Mychael and Jeff Danna Channeled the Prog-Rock Tunes of Their Youth". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ Burlingame, Jon (February 27, 2020). "Composer Mychael Danna Is the Man Behind the Music of Onward and a Billion-Dollar Composer". Variety. Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ Willman, Chris (February 12, 2020). "Brandi Carlile Records Theme Song for Pixar Pic 'Onward'". Variety. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
- ^ Pond, Steve (January 13, 2021). "Why Brandi Carlile Needed a Band of Brothers to Write a Song for Pixar's Onward". TheWrap. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ Scott, Ryan (May 2, 2023). "Pixar's Onward Trailer Teams Chris Pratt & Tom Holland as Elf Brothers on a Quest". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ Pedersen, Erik (May 2, 2023). "Onward Trailer: Tom Holland & Chris Pratt Are Teenage Brothers On A Quest To Meet Dad In Disney/Pixar Toon". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ "Onward Soundtrack". SoundtrackMania.net. June 12, 2020. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ Reif, Alex (March 6, 2020). "Soundtrack Review: "Onward" by Dan Romer". LaughingPlace.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ Southall, James (March 1, 2020). "'Onward' Soundtrack". Movie-Wave. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ "BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards 2020". BMI.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ "2021 Annie Award Nominations: 'Soul,' 'Wolfwalkers' and Netflix Lead". Variety. March 3, 2021. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ "Grammys: Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion, Kanye West Among Early Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. March 14, 2021. Archived from the original on March 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- ^ Grein, Paul (January 27, 2021). "Diane Warren & James Newton Howard Among Top Winners at 2021 Hollywood Music in Media Awards". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.