Peter Pan

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

There have been countless variations on the flying wonderman, but don't misguide you to think that Superman is Peter Pan. Peter Pan has been invented in animation first, and then saw a motion picture blockbuster by Steven Spielberg, only to be criticized for being fake, too fantasy drawn away from the reality of the animation. I guess P.J. Hogan's version doesn't seem to stray away from the animation and actually tell it the way it was told, only now in live action. The movie seems the kind to be enjoyed by both young and old, and so it may do wonders for its young innocent youth of actors. The man who needed to pour magic into the innocence was composer James Newton Howard, quite at home with the Disney fantasy approach and a new breed of composer for the 21 Century. Newton Howard has been gathering fans each year due do the consistency of his family scores for Disney (Dinosaur and Atlantis especially) while also fans embraced the darker edge in Shymalyan's pictures, and thus liked Howard more as the chameleon on the job. Don't see Peter Pan as the dark group of nr. 2 but as said, seek more the efforts like Treasure Planet to find the fun in Peter Pan of James Newton Howard. A lot of people have been looking forward to this score, and frankly so did I. But we all made one common but also stupid mistake. We expected the brilliance of Hook to be appearing in Newton Howard's music. Wrong, Williams is the best and Newton Howard has his own voice and his other Pan movie. Now, Peter Pan needed to fight up against the anticipation of a new wonderful fantasy score and the same time having Hook's brilliance. I guess it wasn't a fair match.

Don't get me wrong, there are wonderful moments in Peter Pan but just not on the scope that we wanted it, or expected it. Hook is definitely not Peter Pan revisited and the power of both scores is sizeable in its orchestral presence. So, Newton Howard fans needed to see Peter Pan as the good fantasy listen, but smaller on brilliance then they wanted. Of themes we have plenty actually, its strange since people will only remember the one obvious theme but there are more, even I haven't found them all. Highlights are especially the two flying moments with the big flying main theme, 'Flying' were the theme burst and receives even an encore that as Howard always does is stunning and 'I Do Believe in Fairies' has the main theme in variations with stunning choir all over it. 'Learning to Fly' has first some Mickey Mouse music but it moves quick into an orchestral adventure rage that has (I think) the adventure theme, but its quite splendid in its power even though it has the racing quickness that Mickey mouse music at times has. 'Fetch Long Tom' has further some adventure music with an appearance of the main theme with choir, 'Set them Free' explodes after 2 minutes into a choral Carmina Burana like explosion that lasts too briefly to be fully considered a highlight and 'Please Don't Die' is covering female choir over an emotional and wonderful moment. But again it lasts too short and it lacks the encore that for instance the main flying theme could achieve in bringing. Many of the tracks miss indeed that special encore, that can decide a track from being good to great to even more then that. 'Peter Returns' returns with a reprise of the main flying theme, yet without the wonderful building playfulness of the previous highlights.

Of course Newton Howard is no stranger in bringing just Mickey mouse music since he does the fantasy level quite well too, 'Mermaids' has some mystery in its tone, with the female soft vocals bringing that before a brief explosion with choir brings the wonder of it all. 'Tinkerbell' has soft music, Mickey Mouse music and then even a neat idea where Newton Howard around the 3rd minute reprises a bell sound used in Hook, the exact same one I might add. 'Come Meet Father' uses what I only can assume as the Pirate theme appearing in the second part and 'Fairy Dance', being the longest one of the bunch is covering soft but sweet music, using the lovely female vocals but too soft to be truly impressive. And 'Peter's Shadow' has the other adventure theme appearing soft with especially cool sounding female vocals creating a mystical mood. Together, Peter Pan actually creates a lot for a score, but it lacks the timeliness that John Williams could insert in Hook, the unbridled fantasy dose and naturally the brilliance of Williams' best. This is no complaint to Newton Howard because it is an unfair comparison. Nonetheless, Peter Pan matches the fantasy and the ideas, but to me they are presented in a soft (and non exploding grand orchestral) sound and in a at times too childish tone. The quality of Hook was that the music was charming and serious at the same time. Peter Pan has too less the grand serious tone and when it appears, its too briefly. For its entertainment and fantasy level, its more then a great score. But it misses the decisive touch and just like Treasure Planet, it leans too close to the less serious nature of its fantasy stature. Sadly, since Peter Pan could have been a mark in Newton Howard's career. I guess Hidalgo will have to become that instead.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Main Title (2.08)

2. Flying (3.32) Excellent Track

3. Learning To Fly (3.10)

4. Tinkerbell (4.45)

5. Is That A Kiss? (1.41)

6. Peter's Shadow (1.23)

7. A Note From The Teacher (2.49)

8. Build A House Around Her (1.23)

9. Come Meet Father (2.33)

10. Fetch Long Tom (1.31)

11. Mermaids (1.42)

12. Fairy Dance (5.24)

13. Set Them Free (3.05)

14. I Do Believe In Fairies (2.44) Excellent Track

15. Poison (1.43)

16. Please Don't Die (1.52)

17. Flying Jolly Roger (1.15)

18. Peter Returns (1.41)

Total Length: 44.29

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=== Link to Composer Site: James Newton Howard ===