Moonrise Kingdom (score)
Score album for Wes Anderson's 2012 film.
Moonrise Kingdom (Original Score) is the score album for the 2012 coming-of-age comedy-drama film, released on June 19, 2012 through ABKCO Records. It contains six tracks, with five themes composed by Alexandre Desplat and one by Mark Mothersbaugh. The album was issued separately from the soundtrack to be eligible for award nominations, though it was rejected by the Academy Awards due to its use of classical music inspired by Benjamin Britten.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Alexandre Desplat and Mark Mothersbaugh
- Released
- June 19, 2012
- Genre
- Film score, classical
- Length
- 18:40
- Label
- ABKCO
- Producer
- Dominique Lemonnier
- Alexandre Desplat
- Mark Mothersbaugh
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Part 1: A Veiled Mist | 03:16 |
| 2 | The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Part 2: Smoke/Fire | 02:53 |
| 3 | The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Part 3: The Salt Air | 01:38 |
| 4 | Camp Ivanhoe Cadence Medley (written by Mark Mothersbaugh; performed by Peter Jarvis and His Drum Corps) | 01:36 |
| 5 | The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Part 4-6: Thunder, Lightning and Rain | 05:00 |
| 6 | The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Part 7: After The Storm | 03:55 |
| Total length | 18:40 | |
Track listing from the source article.
Development
The film was Alexandre Desplat's second collaboration with Wes Anderson, following Fantastic Mr. Fox. Mark Mothersbaugh, who had scored Anderson's earlier films, contributed one theme and worked on percussion instruments for the score. Desplat stated that comic scores require melancholy in the background, but for Moonrise Kingdom he aimed to embrace the fantasy world of the two adolescents and capture their sense of adventure and purity. He wrote a seven-minute suite titled "The Heroic Weather Conditions of the Universe"; Anderson remarked that the title might have gone too far, but thought it could make the music sound more epic.
In a 2015 interview, Desplat recalled that the instrumentation of orchestra and choir gave the sensation of following the children's path, connecting with their childhood while heading toward freedom, evoking the excitement of summer camp and new love. The score was recorded by January 2012. After most of the recording, the orchestra was disassembled because Desplat did not supervise it; Anderson explained they could not oversee a whole orchestra, so they worked one part at a time.
The seven-minute suite was split into five pieces to fit different moods of the picture. At the film's Cannes premiere, Desplat was surprised by how the score was edited and assembled with Britten's music, and felt moved by the use of the "Cuckoo Chorus" in the climax.
Reception
Faded Glamour described Desplat's compositions as magical, whimsical pieces that are exciting, joyous, and dramatic, completing Anderson's world beautifully. Jonathan Broxton found the music creative and reflective of the film's off-kilter nature, but felt unable to engage with it emotionally, calling it pretty and light yet detached. Mint's Sanjukta Sharma called the music scintillating, while The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy and Collider's Adam Chitwood deemed the score excellent and wonderfully bright. IndieWire named it one of the best film scores of 2012, stating it fits perfectly despite being brief, and both IndieWire and Collider also called it one of the decade's best film scores.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who produced Moonrise Kingdom (score)?
Moonrise Kingdom was produced by Dominique Lemonnier, Alexandre Desplat and Mark Mothersbaugh.
How long is Moonrise Kingdom (score)?
Moonrise Kingdom runs 18:40.
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