The Sweet Tune of Animation

Main Melody (Main Idea)

With the (then current) success of Frozen's soundtrack, it was about the successful nature of many new animated films, such as the Happy album from Despicable Me 2, or Immortals from Big Hero 6. It was about how the soundtrack can make or break a film, how the soundtrack can give the animated feature a new life, and how it can make a movie more popular than anticipated.
The author was arguing mainly for how the music within Disney movies, (as well as some from other companies) can make a film rise to Stardom, the prime example being that of how the new film Frozen's soundtrack outselling the record holder Lion King. He also uses prime examples that are both support that the music can make more money for a movie, like Snow White for it's revolutionary music that set the precedent for all future Disney musicals, to the time where test audiences wished for a completely new track in Pocahontas. He has backed up his sources using other interviews from both Disney employees and DreamWorks as well. However, the main weak point for this argument is that they don't discuss any of the repercussions for bad soundtracks. But another, smaller weak point is that it doesn't focus on any movies abroad, like say Wallace and Gromit, whose soundtrack is phenomenal with the movie. Yet there are several strong points in her claim, by using well known examples and success stories, as this will resonate with a broader audience. There is also the fact that she explained some of the success by using quotes from the directors of some of these films. Her conclusions being that the movie industry is booming with the new advancements and brilliant compositions of music within the film.
I do believe that the argument is important, as the movie industry with all of its advancement from the first animated feature or cartoon with sound, have come to expect pieces that match the story's feel and emotions perfectly. If a film is not up to par with the score, the entire piece, no matter how moving or emotional, will feel off and leave audiences dissatisfied. The evidence seems to be convincing, and I do not see any wide range of ramifications to be made to the argument.
The applications of an animator is that we have to be sure that if we do choose to have music, that it must fit the animation, and it can make or break a movie. But yet what I don't understand is what the author meant by it was odd to hear about how "...it was still considered unusual to make a song-heavy animated film.[in 2006]", as I had thought that other animated features were influenced heavily by its music before that, such as Lion King or Beauty and the Beast.
But now using this knowledge, it helps me realize the importance sound can give a viewer, about how music can help make or break the success of an animated feature. If I were to make a great animation, it is only fitting to have correct score in it as well.


Keegan, Rebecca. "Animated Movies Sing a Happy Tune." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.