Scores
Listen To John Powell’s Score From HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2
Dragons, dragons and more dragons!
Director Dean DeBlois’ magnificent HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 is the thrilling second chapter of the epic trilogy.
Thanks to Hiccup’s efforts in the first film, in HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, the residents of Berk, who once viewed dragons as a scourge to be eliminated, now live alongside (and ride!) them in friendship. This time around, they face a different kind of dragon problem, albeit a good one: There’s so many of them! With everyone owning his or her own personal dragon and dragons permeating their way of life, the isle of Berk is a vastly different place.
But when grown-up responsibilities loom on the horizon, Hiccup and his faithful dragon Toothless take to the skies in search of answers. It’s much more than he bargained for, though, when Hiccup discovers that a mysterious dragon rider is really his long-lost mother Valka (Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett) and that the peace between dragons and Vikings is threatened by the power-hungry Drago (Academy Award-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou) with help from the dragon trapper Eret, son of Eret (“Game of Thrones” actor Kit Harington).
As Astrid (America Ferrera), Gobber (Craig Ferguson) and Viking friends Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and twins Ruffnut (Kristen Wiig) and Tuffnut (T.J. Miller), lend their support, Hiccup, his mother and tribal chief father Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), must work together to protect the dragons they have grown to love. In the process, Hiccup finds the answers he has been looking for in ways he could never have imagined.
Adding to the emotion of the sequel is John Powell’s sweeping score.
Nominated for a Best Score Academy Award in 2010 for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, the composer’s brilliant soundtrack on HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 is filled with triumphant orchestral pieces, backed up by a resounding chorus.
This new score is something akin to a Wagnerian opera. It’s that good and that grand.
Track 11 is a song Powell and Icelandic folk singer Jónsi wrote for Stoick and Valka, one of three pieces on which the musicians collaborated.
Watch this latest featurette. (via Time.com)
“Dean DeBlois wanted something that sounded like an old folk song that they could sing together,” Powell says, “a melody that in the story had been their courting song long ago. So Jónsi and I sat down and started writing melodies and the arrangement. The tune became the theme music that represents Stoick and Valka’s relationship in the film.”
Adds Jónsi: “John and I both worked on DRAGON but this was the first time we collaborated on music together. Even though our styles are so different, I learned a lot from him and I’m really happy with this song and the result of all our work.”
Producer Bonnie Arnold says audiences will appreciate the many types of dragons that show up in HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2.
“They won’t be let down when they see what we’ve got, both old and new. We were able to make the dragons that audiences knew from the first movie even more interesting by giving them proper names, more features and more defined personalities. There’s closeness between the characters and their dragons as they work together. It’s fun but it’s also heroic and poignant at times.”
What is it about the DRAGON story that has touched the hearts of so many people? Arnold suggests that it’s the universal appeal of Hiccup and Toothless’ relationship.
“This is the first time I’ve been a part of a film that continues to grow and become more beloved as time goes by,” she says. “We still get little love letters from adults that say, ‘Should I be embarrassed that I love HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and I’m 40 years old?’ It’s exciting to know that people of all ages have been touched by the story and adventures of Hiccup and Toothless.”
(Photos by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Twentieth Century Fox/AP Images)
Filled again with the right blend of high-flying action, witty humor and dramatic depth, see HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (IMAX 3D is a must) when it arrives in theaters this Friday, June 13th.
Get your copy of the soundtrack here:
– Amazon: http://amzn.to/1hFJeSG
– iTunes: http://bit.ly/
https://www.howtotrainyourdragon.com/
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