It’s Episode 31, and we’re swooping into the new year with one of the most widely loved family films – as well as the film score buff’s film score – in How To Train Your Dragon. John Powell’s soundtrack has been one of Art of the Score’s most-requested episodes over the years, so join us as we get under the hood of this contemporary classic and pick apart its many main melodies and old-fashioned sound.

Episode notes:

5:56 – How To Train Your Dreamworks

8:41 – The John Powell Up

12:31 – Nick leaves his wife for John Powell

14:43 – The Friendship theme

16:38 – Toothless’s theme

19:56 – Bagging Bagpipes

25:27 – Hammering Dulcimer

32:43 – Tin whistle and bodhran

35:26 – Let’s b (theme) friends

39:42 – Powell-chords

45:16 – Toothless in three

49:10 – Toothless Face/Off

51:05 – The Band with a Dragon Tattoo

54:17 – The Berk theme

59:47 – A point of pronunciation

1:02:56 – Father and Son

1:09:08 – The cavalry arrives

1:12:33 – The Viking theme

1:18:31 – How To Write A Dragon Melody

1:24:21 – Dragon scales

1:26:39 – Astrid’s theme

1:35:56 – The Evolution of Powell’s style

1:38:38 – Battle theme

1:44:10 – Telling the Tail

1:49:53 – John Powell’s best score?

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