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| The Anti-Animation Score from Goldsmith - NIMH |
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| By: | AdamR |
| Date: | 26 Jun 2011 |
| Rating: |
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Jerry Goldsmith changed composing for animated films when he agreed to work on Disney defector, Don Bluth and his first animated film, the Secret of NIMH. Goldsmith, working on his first animated film score, decided to do something radical - he scored the film as if it was real-life action film. As such, this is one of relatively few animated films that has a serious score, devoid of cartoony percussion and whimsy woodwind moments.
The main theme of NIMH is repeated and built on throughout the entire score, often played by the strings of the orchestra. It is heard in the main titles, after the intro by an all male choir, again as song lyrics in Flying Dreams (by Sally Stevens in the film, and by lyricist, Paul Williams during the credits), during the flight sequence in No Thanks, and at the final crescendo of House Raising to demonstrate Mrs. Brisby's courage to save her children. This theme holds the score together thematically and allows some sort of familiarity to always pop back in. Goldsmith's cues in action pieces such as Allergic Reaction/Athletic Type and the Tractor make strong use of percussion and brass instruments rotating around a sense of danger nearby. The low strings of Step Inside My House bring an air of spookiness to an owl's hallow, from the view of a mouse.
All in all, its an impressive score by Goldsmith, who would not score another animated film until Disney's Mulan, fifteen years later. Goldsmith showed that animated films don't automatically need to have the silly scores of the 1940s cartoons, and that a good solid score, can really drive the film medium.
--Adam R.
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