False alarm… The DVD I downloaded is still a cam, but the image and audio are of exceptionally high quality. Slightly low framerate though…
Anyway, it’s still an improvement compared to the version released back in March.
Here’s a short article I wrote about the score by John Powell: onemoviefiveviews.wordpress.com/ … ur-dragon/
- E
One Movie, Five Views: That is seriously exactly the way I feel about the score by John Powell. Never before has a movie score hit me in the same way as that one does. I normally don’t walk out of a theater saying, “Oh, I can’t wait to buy that soundtrack!” but this one was an exception for me.
Thanks for posting that! It makes me glad to know that I’m not the only one who appreciates that kind of stuff. 
But seriously - that soundtrack has almost made me start crying before, and I never cry while listening to music. It’s that good.
I want the DVD too. I LOOOOVE making-ofs, promotional artwork and bonus features~
I wish I knew people like you in real life. NOBODY I know understands me when I say things like what you said. I have listened to Romantic Flight and cried before because of how because of how beautiful it is. When Counter Attack is almost over and it gets to the part right after Green Death plunges towards the ground chasing Hiccup and Toothless, where in the movie Green Death crashes into the ground, the way the music sounds (it starts at 2:19 and ends at 2:22), ALWAYS get’s to me. It honestly feels like somebody has knocked the wind out of me sometimes. Sometimes, it also puts this HUGE grin on my face that I can’t stop. It’s also given me goosebumps. I have had conversations with people while the track plays, and I’ll just stop mid sentence and listen to that part.
I’ll never forget when I walked out of the movie theater the first (of eight times) I saw it. Not only could I not get over the fact that a Dreamworks movie touched me the way it did, I couldn’t get over the score. I also walked out of the theater and thought about how I couldn’t wait to get home and buy the soundtrack off iTunes. I couldn’t stop thinking about the movie or the soundtrack for the rest of the day. When I went to work later that day, I would talk to anybody I knew about it, who would listen. But it was dissapointing that nobody shared my enthusiasm with. When I say things like how the music has made me cry, I get called a weirdo. I wish I had friends like you guys. I get lonely because I have nobody to share my interest with or understands my feelings about certain things.
Edit: I just got the Art of book in the mail recently. I was blow away by the art in it. I would sometimes gasp out loud while looking at some of it. And I would stare at some of it and get lost in the art. I hope the reception of this movie means that this will start to become the norm, and not the exception for Dreamworks. Hopefully it’s made them change up some stuff for their upcoming films.
So um, theoutsider1983, I officially want to meet you in person. You could not have expressed how my sister and I feel about the epicness of this score any better. <3 For real. 8’D
There’s just something about this music that moves me in a way unlike anything else I’ve listened to before. Narnia, Ratatouille and WALL-E’s soundtracks both moved me emotionally at times, but nothing like this. Nothing. Like this. Just… since you said all the right words, I’m not even going to try and explain. asplodes
little chef
WALL-E is the movie that made me realize how awesome film score is. At the time, I was starting to dislike current music on the radio more and more and I was starting to get into old music (I LOVE CLASSICAL MUSIC 
!). There was a time when the only knds of soundtrack I would buy had music inspired by the movie on them. But when Eve kissed WALL-E in space and they started dancing, that’s when I realized how awesome film score was! Now I watch movies that I’ve seen for years and I pay attention to the score and I’ve bought the soundtracks. As far a current music goes, it’s pretty much only film score that I love. I’m gonna start watching more movies that John Powell has done the score for because I love the two soundtracks I’ve heard him do. I’m also a big fan of the Chicken Run soundtrack. Oh, and as of this post, according to iTunes, I’ve listened to Romantic Flight 441 times! I’ve listened to most of the soundtrack, over 120 times. I was dissapointed to read that Powell wasn’t doing the score for Brave anymore. I wonder if Pixar felt like they would have been copying Dreamworks, since Brave will be set in Scottland.
This was a great movie! I loved it. 
Really terrific reading your reviews, OMFV and the outsider1983. For me, HTTYD’s soundtrack remains the most memorable this year after all the movies I’ve seen. Even TS3 was largely forgettable (to me), and it goes to show that Pixar doesn’t have a monopoly on spellbinding entertainment and heartfelt music.
I don’t know… HTTYD’s score is so… distinctive, and although it’s largely Celtic themes, some parts sounded ‘Chinese’ and reminded me of KFP (which also boasts an equally amazing score). XD But yes, listening to it makes you feel like you’re reliving the movie, and your heart just soars; the hallmark of any great soundtrack, really. I can’t say I was moved to tears, but I was grinning like a buffoon throughout both occasions I watched it.
I haven’t seen Inception or The Ghost Writer, and we’re three-quarters through a largely lacklustre year of movies. I don’t see any strong contenders on the horizon except for Legend of the Guardians and Tangled… so Mr Powell has a very strong chance of a nom, and who knows, maybe a win at next year’s Oscars.
Well, TDIT, Hans Zimmer did a marvelous job on Inception. The soundtrack was even part of the story, depending on how you look at it. Everything about it just worked. But it wasn’t as memorable and moving as Powell’s score for HTTYD. It focussed more on ‘thrilling’ you than anything. 
So yeah, I’m really looking forward to the next Acadamy Awards. Might get tight between Zimmer and Powell. I don’t expect TS3’s score to win either. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know who did the score! 
Normally, if I hear an amazing soundtrack, I look it up, but like you said: TS3’s was rather forgettable. Nothing wrong with it though; everything fit, but I can’t remember a single tune or vibe from the original score… 
A nearby theater is showing HTTYD again this week!
I’m so glad I get to see it again before the BD/DVD release, and best of all, on the really big screen.
Actually, I don’t know if you saw the link to my article on the music of HTTYD on the previous page, but if you scroll to the bottom of the article, I also profiled the score for Inception two weeks ago. I agree that Inception had a great score, but not as beautiful as HTTYD - it’s really cool but in it’s own way.
Oh, and TS3’s score was done by Randy Newman. To me, it didn’t really stand out from his other work for Pixar…
I really do hope John Powell’s HTTYD score is nominated for an Oscar.
- E
Obviously Randy Newman, I could have guessed. Considering his relationship with Pixar and the fact he did the first too. ^^
Overall when it comes to TS3, while I have more good things to say than bad and it didn’t completely ruin the franchise or characters at all, I do think it might be my least favourite of the Toy Story Trilogy. It had some great bits though. Though disregarding the score, I thought the opening with the blown up bridge/desert scene was subpar and didn’t do anything for me, Spanish Buzz got old real fast and I think Lotso was a missed opportunity in some respects. I mean Lotso is EXCELLENT as a character, almost like a Waternoose with a bit of Randall in him and I personally think that’s a big compliment to pay an antagonist to say he practically reaches their level in various ways. He was an effective antagonist and you felt both sorry for him and yet appalled by his actions, which is the mark of a good antagonist in some ways. Still despite loving the scene where [spoil]they were about to be incinerated[/spoil] in terms of impact, I would have given it up to see the guy redeemed.
Plus I kind of wish there was more Buzz/Woody friendship. It’s one of my favourite parts of TS. But even if there was less than I would have liked, I did more or less like what was there. But still… more of that friendship please!
Ah well.
Yes the score of HTTYD getting back to it was excellent and really fit the mood of this movie. I think my favourite part is ‘Forbidden friendship’ though I have to look into it in more detail.
I also have to get the DVD, that’s the purchase I’m looking forward to in those terms. (I tend to spend most of my money on books and CDs, DVDs comes in a close third in terms of what I waste my money on… XD. But HTTYD is hardly a waste. Other than that I kind of want to get TS2 on DVD too* but I’m not going out of my way to get TS3, I’ll probably GET it but you know…)
*No I don’t own all of them. I want to get A Bugs Life and Ratatouille too eventually though…but even then that won’t be all of them.
Spoiler-tag added- TDIT
MG, TS3 was my least favorite, too. The second was Lightyears better. Anyway, I think I’ll get HTTYD for my sister’s Christmas present, though the thought of giving Jeff Katz money kills me.
I thought that I would love the film score to Inception after seeing the trailers. I thought it would be another one of those moments where, I would rush home to buy it after seeing it. But I spent so much time trying to figure out what I was watching, that I did’t pay much attention to the score. I have to see the movie again.
I just found out that Powell is also behind the KFP soundtrack. I need to watch the movie again, then buy the soundtrack.
I wasn’t really into the score for TS3. While watching the movie, during the beginning, I started thinking about PatF and A Bug’s Life, because of certain parts of the score. But I was totally digging the spanish version of You Got a Friend in Me. I also like the score towards the end when they thought the were gonna die. It made that scene even more intense. I’ve never been a huge fan of Randy Newman’s work. My favorite thing that he’s done is PatF. I also liked that song used in the TS3 trailer that starts with Andy playing with his toys while his mom records him throughout the years.
sigh I guess I’m part of the minority now. The Toy Story 3 soundtrack is one of my favorites, every track was memorable and emotional.
Aw, don’t feel too bad, Chuckles. This is after all the HTTYD thread, so naturally there’d be more fans of the soundtrack here. I bet there are some Toy Story 3 fans here who would argue otherwise. I remember martini833 was gushing about TS3’s soundtrack during one of the Chat-O-Rama sessions, although when I asked him whether he had seen HTTYD, he said he hadn’t.
I agree with your sentiments on the TS3 score, theoutsider1983. The only tracks that are indelible to me are ‘The Claw’ and ‘Para El Buzz Espanol’. The rest kind of melted into one whole for me, while tracks for Wall-E for example, had a theme for each character, or Ratatouille, which had distinct music for each scene/sequence.
Randy Newman has a ‘comforting familiarity’ to his soundtracks. I enjoyed his work on Cars and PATF, but he’s the ‘James Horner’ of family films, he tends to rehash his work instead of exploring new themes like Zimmer or Powell.
Can we resume discussing How To Train Your Dragon now, please? 
Just came in to say I think this movie is completely beautiful and I’m dying for the DVD release!