How to Train Your Dragon: Music from the Motion Picture facts for kids

Quick facts for kids How to Train Your Dragon: Music from the Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by John Powell
Released	March 23, 2010
Recorded	2010
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	72:12
Label	Varèse Sarabande
Producer	John Powell
John Powell chronology
Green Zone (2010) How to Train Your Dragon: Music from the Motion Picture (2010) Knight and Day (2010)
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The album How to Train Your Dragon: Music from the Motion Picture is the official soundtrack for the popular movie How to Train Your Dragon. A talented composer named John Powell created all the music for it. The album was released on March 23, 2010, by Varèse Sarabande.

John Powell's music for the film was highly praised. It earned him his first nomination for an Academy Award. He also received his third nomination for a BAFTA Award. The soundtrack won two awards from the International Film Music Critics Association in 2011. These were for Best Original Score for an Animated Feature and Film Score of the Year. Two songs, "Forbidden Friendship" and "Test Drive", were also nominated for Film Music Composition of the Year.

Creating the Music

The movie How to Train Your Dragon was the sixth time composer John Powell worked with DreamWorks Animation. He had scored many DreamWorks films before. However, this was the first time he created the music all by himself. In his past projects with DreamWorks, he worked with other composers. These included Harry Gregson-Williams and Hans Zimmer.

Musical Influences

John Powell wanted the music to sound grand and epic. He felt the movie's amazing visuals allowed for a very broad musical style. He remembered watching the movie The Vikings as a kid. He always liked the music from that film.

The directors of How to Train Your Dragon wanted the music to feel big, deep, and emotional. They also wanted it to have a Nordic sound, like old music from northern Europe. Powell studied the music of Jean Sibelius, a famous Finnish composer. Sibelius's music was a key influence.

The Icelandic singer Jónsi was asked to write and sing the song "Sticks & Stones". This song plays during the end credits of the film. Director Dean DeBlois had worked with Jónsi before. He had directed a concert film for Jónsi's band Sigur Rós.

Powell also liked the band Sigur Rós, which influenced some parts of the score. He also looked at folk music from Nordic areas. Since he is partly Scottish, Scottish folk music and Celtic music were also big influences. The movie's producer, Jeffrey Katzenberg, thought Celtic music had a sweet quality that would be perfect for the film.

Music Style and Instruments

The soundtrack for How to Train Your Dragon has many traditional Scottish influences. It uses instruments often found in Scottish music.

Instruments Used

The score features instruments like the fiddle, bagpipes, uilleann pipes, Great Irish warpipes, and pennywhistle. The entire soundtrack is about 79 minutes long.

The orchestra included many different instruments. There were flutes, oboes, clarinets, and many French horns. It also had trumpets, trombones, and a tuba. Other instruments included timpani, harps, a celesta, and a piano. A SATB choir also sang in the music.

Many other unique instruments were used to create the film's sound. These included the sopilka, hammered dulcimers, gadulka, esraj, and yaylı tambur. A hurdy-gurdy, accordion, and harmonium were also part of the score. The Hardanger fiddle, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar added to the sound.

Over 30 different percussion instruments were used. These included various types of snare drums and bass drums. There were also goblet drums, surdos, and a dhol. Pitched percussion instruments like the glockenspiel, vibraphone, and marimba were also used. Other percussion sounds came from cymbals, gongs, an anvil, sleigh bells, and tambourines. Even garbage cans and a pot were used for unique sounds!

Awards and Nominations

The music for How to Train Your Dragon received many awards and nominations.

Track Listing

Here is a list of all the songs on the soundtrack album: