(Below is my somehwat subjective "review" of Disney's latest motion picture soundtrack)
Disney's 'Tangled' Soundtrack a Little Short Haired
By Marc 0rbito
The weeks leading up to the release of another Alan Menken Disney movie soundtrack always fill me with great anticipation. Perhaps it's the nostalgia kicking in, but I remember loving the soundtrack to The Little Mermaid so much, that I'd spend all of my time in distant hallways, before school and during recess with my headphones on. I didn't want to be bothered. I wanted to stay under the sea forever. Captivated, I wondered at the time: how the heck are these guys gonna follow this up? There's no way in hell it could come anywhere near this. When the soundtrack to Beauty and The Beast was released, I bought it immediately, hoping for the best. Hearing Paige O'Hara as Belle in the opening number of the same name blew my mind.
Sold. These guys were brilliant.
Year after year, it became a surprise when Alan Menken DIDN'T win the Oscar for Best Original Score - apparently, I was not the only one who that that his music was THAT good. The streak was broken when The Hunchback of Notre Dame lost to Emma, in 1996. (I still think Emma's score sounds too much like The Cider House Rules which was nominated later but didn't win) This isn't a good estimation of when I feel he started slipping. It started much earlier. Don't get me wrong. Musically, I really enjoyed parts of Pocahontas, Hercules and Enchanted. The quality of the movie projects themselves, seemed to have taken a hit when his partner, Howard Ashman passed away after the duo had completed three songs on Aladdin. Since then, Ashman collaborated with a slew of other lyricists and the results have been either hit or miss. Home on the Range, anyone?
Tangled's soundtrack is mostly miss. It's not Menken's fault though, rather, it is the other participants that don't seem as though they are up at his level. Menken's score is poignant as always - soft, sensitive, tender, radiant, exciting, and adventuresome when I'm thinking the movie will need it to be. But there's something about Mandy Moore's voice that doesn't quite fit what I envision Rapunzel will be. "When Will My life Begin" feels like something better suited for Camp Rock or Radio Disney. (I read somewhere that Rapunzel actually plays the guitar in the movie, so maybe this will provide an explanation as to why the arrangement for this song is off-kilter in relation to everything else. Maybe my opinion will change when I see the movie next week)
Moore's shortcomings are mostly apparent after hearing Donna Murphy, a seasoned Broadway veteran, brilliantly singing her part in "Mother Knows Best," a treacherous piece played with snide counterpoint. From what I hear, she could give Ursula a run for her money.
If I was underwhelmed by Mandy Moore, I was somewhat impressed by Zach Levi singing as Flynn. A quick Wiki query reveals that Levi (known for playing the role of Chuck in the television show of the same name) began his acting career "in regional productions such as Grease, The Outsiders, Oliver, The Wizard of Oz and Big River at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center." Nice.
Perhaps it's the mishmash of talents that make this uneven, I'm not sure.
"I See The Light," a duet featuring Moore and Levi hits all the right mushy chords. I...liked it, but there's nothing memorable about it. I probably won't remember its existence a couple of months down the line.
Missing are the big-band showcase musical numbers. (Think "Be Our Guest," and "Prince Ali"). There's nothing like that here. Well, take that back. There's "I've Got a Dream," which includes the ensemble of characters. It's a grandstand of hopes and wishes, but it's not fun. I miss the hyper-observance required in classic songs like "Friend Like Me" or ""Under the Sea." Those songs were stuffed to the gills, rich and grand, pun intended.
Oh, and we also get Grace Potter singing bubble-gum pop in "Something That I Want," which we'll probably hear in passing as we exit the theater.
The whole effort feels incomplete. I really want to like Tangled and I hope the movie itself changes my perception of what I've experienced so far. But...it's going to have to be really good to make up for the difference.
With that, I'll be putting my headphones back on again. I need to go back under the sea.
P.S. Alan Menken was finally given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last week. It's about time!
