Why does Danny Elfman's 2010 Alice in Wonderland theme use a children's choir instead of an orchestra solo? A beginner's guide to 'Alice's Theme' and the eerie, beautiful sound of falling into a dream.
A beginner's guide to the haunting main theme from Zhang Yimou's 2004 wuxia film. Discover how a Japanese composer used one Chinese string instrument to score heartbreak you can feel before you understand it.
Hans Zimmer's 2013 main theme for Ron Howard's Formula 1 film Rush turns roaring engines into something close to prayer. A beginner's guide to the score that finds beauty inside speed, fear, and rivalry.
Hans Zimmer's 2005 Madagascar theme turns a zoo escape into an orchestral adventure. A beginner's guide to the score that makes you want to move it, move it.
Discover the music behind Disney's 2016 Moana. Composer Mark Mancina blends Polynesian voices, ancient log drums, and a sweeping orchestra into a theme about the pull of the sea and the courage to answer it.
Trent Reznor's hauntingly intimate score for Pixar's Soul (2020) asks what it means to truly live. A listening guide for first-timers and lifelong fans alike.
Discover how James Horner crafted the Avatar main theme using lush orchestration and ethereal vocals to bring Pandora to life. A beginner-friendly guide to one of cinema's most immersive scores.
Discover how Mina Kubota's tender piano theme from the 2020 Netflix anime film A Whisker Away captures the ache of adolescent loneliness, unrequited love, and the courage to show your true face.
Jon Brion's main theme from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) captures the ache of erased love through fragile piano lines. A guide to hearing what memory sounds like.
How Michael Kamen and the Czech Philharmonic turned a 1999 animated film flop into one of the most emotionally devastating orchestral scores in cinema history.