All Things Disney Music Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Jason_V]

I know this is the music thread, but since the question was asked...

We went to Moana last night. I was left...uh...underwhelmed. It had all the pieces I should have loved but I just couldn't get into the story. The film looks gorgeous, no question there. It didn't grab me, though. The songs didn't catch me (though there is a wanna be "Let It Go" moment near the end which isn't as spectacular as Frozen, but it tries).

Really, Moana feels like Atlantis to me. Should have loved it but I'm just not there. Maybe on a second viewing...or when I'm not fighting falling asleep in the theater?

 

[Mike Frezon]

Uh oh. See? This is what I'm afeared of!

Maybe on a second viewing...or when I'm not fighting falling asleep in the theater?

I find this sort of thing can really impact my perspective on a movie. Sad, but true.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Back to my Disney-adjacent Alan Menken tangent for a second: Playbill has debuted a track from his new score, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, which I mentioned on the other page is coming out tomorrow. For those interested: http://www.playbill.com/article/hea...rthcoming-duddy-kravitz-cast-album-com-353087. Without the whole album here, I can't really be sure where this song fits in the story, but it sounds great and I can't wait to get the whole CD. The man can still write a tune!

 

[Jake Lipson]

More Alan Menken Disney-adjacent, and this one is big news:

http://www.theatermania.com/off-bro...r-cast-recording_79271.html?cid=homepage_news

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater is the first show written together by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman -- and it has never received a recording until now. The cast of a limited-run production in New York this spring is in the studio today laying down tracks for the first album this score has ever had. So essentially it is a new (to most of the world) Menken/Ashman score, albeit written before all of their Disney work.

Another Disney connection: the cast of this production is headed by Santano Fontana, who voiced Hans in Frozen.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Neat! Maybe Howard Ashman will become the Jimi Hendrix of the film/stage musical world.

 

[Jake Lipson]

An interesting question occurred to me while I was listening to the Moana soundtrack the other day.

Disney has submitted the songs "We Know the Way" (performed in the film by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a chorus), "You're Welcome" (performed by Dwayne Johnson) and "How Far I'll Go" (performed by Auli'i Cravalho) for Oscar Best Song consideration.

If any of them are nominated, they will likely be performed on the telecast.

Auli'i Cravalho is a previously-unknown teenager who was a non-actor prior to landing the role of Moana via an open call for audition tapes when she was 14. She is 16 now I think she has a great voice and did a sensational job in the film -- but it's quite different to sing a song in a recording booth versus singing it live on the Oscars, which is usually the second-highest-rated show of any given year after the Super Bowl. Performing on the Oscars would open a lot of doors for her -- but could also possibly go to a 16 year old's head.

So if "How Far I'll Go" is nominated, does she sing it? If no, who sings it in her place? (Lin-Manuel Miranda, who composed it, would be a possibility, as would Alessia Cara, the presumably-pop singer who covers it on the credits who I've never heard of before.) And, has there ever been a young performer on the Oscar telecast before? (I know that there have been the occasional child actor being nominated for a breakthrough performance, but I don't remember an incidence of any of them actually performing a song on the telecast.)

If it is nominated, I hope Auli'i gets to do it -- but only if she feels comfortable with that and wants to do so.

It seems like a unique, or rare, situation though.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Both Disney Music Emporium and Amazon have opened pre-orders for a 2-disc deluxe edition soundtrack for the Beauty and the Beast remake film. When I ordered it, Amazon said it would be released March 17 (the same day as the film), but Disney Music Emporium says March 10, which is a week earlier. I'm sure I will want this, so if the release date is the 10th, I'll do the same as I did for Moana and get it as a pre-order and shelve it, listening after I return from the movie

Now it would be great if Disney would also release a 2-disc set of the complete soundtrack for the 1991 original at the same time, but I doubt they'll be that smart.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Thanks, Jake!

I'll be pre-ordering for sure!

 

[Jake Lipson]

Worth noting, too, that despite what the trailer may cause some people to think, the remake *is* a musical and will retain the songs from 1991, plus a few new ones.

 

[Jason_V]

Thanks Jake! I've been seeing the ad on Facebook over the weekend and I'm pulling the trigger. A Legacy Series edition of the animated movie would be VERY welcome too when the live action movie comes out...

 

[Jake Lipson]

One of the things that has always bothered me about the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack, as far back as the original 1991 pressing, is that the songs are presented out of order. I don't even mean that the songs are first and then the score is there, although that is an annoyance too, but that's standard. I mean that in the order of the songs on the disc, "The Mob Song" appears before the Angela Lansbury version of the title song, so that they are not presented in chronological order. I keep hoping a re-release will correct this, but all of the subsequent reissues have not, suggesting that it must be deliberate for some reason. We'll see what the remake soundtrack does.

Jason: are you pre-ordering from Amazon or from Disney Music Emporium? The ads on Facebook direct to DME, with a free lithograph offer, but they are usually so overpriced compared to Amazon that I can't justify ordering from them, especially considering that they charge shipping and my Amazon orders go Prime. Would love to know what you think of the litho if you are going with DME though.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I went with Amazon for their price guarantee.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Same. I can't imagine it will end up being $19.98 as currently listed. I think I paid about $13 for the deluxe version of Moana's soundtrack after a couple price drops of it. My expectation would be that Beauty and the Beast will end up being similarly priced to that one.

 

[Jake Lipson]

For those into the Disney Broadway musicals we have previously discussed here, I thought it would be worth bumping this thread to mention some Aladdin news.

Adam Jacobs is the original actor to play Aladdin on Broadway. He is heard on the cast album, as well as the solo disc of Alan Menken songs that Mike mentioned a while back). He has never left the Broadway production since opening it in 2014, but will be leaving for the first time after February 12. He is departing New York in order to lead the national tour. That production, which is a new company but will be replica of the New York physical production, starts in Chicago in May and will announce dates around the country soon.

For anyone else in the New York area with access to the original production, it is also worth noting that James Monroe Iglehart (who won a Tony for Genie) is also departing on February 19 to move four blocks and go do Hamilton as the new Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson.

Courtney Reed (Jasmine), Jonathan Freeman (Jafar on both film and Broadway), Brian Gonzales (Babkak), Clifton Davis (Sultan) and Don Darryl Rivera (Iago) are original cast members, too, and they have extended their deals to stay in New York for another year through at least February 2018.

 

[Jason_V]

Amazon updated the release date for me. It's now slated to be delivered on March 10.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Amazon updated the release date for me. It's now slated to be delivered on March 10.

Yeah. I got that notice.

But it hasn't budged, yet, off that $19.98 price...

 

[Jake Lipson]

They also have the single-disc version available. I wonder if they will be discounting it and leaving the 2-disc one at retail? And yet both the single and double Moana sets ended up being discounted...so who knows? There's no way I wouldn't get the double version, even if it does stay at that pice, although I hope for a discount to come, of course.

It's interesting that they are releasing it ahead of the film because, so far, the vast majority of the marketing has attempted to hide the cast's vocals, as if people would have a problem with it being a musical, which, in this case, I think is extremely foolish. The Golden Globes TV spot with a snippet of Belle (Reprise) is the only official cast singing that has been released to date, and even the new trailer used the single version, rather than the in-film version, of the title song.

On the one hand, this provides us an opportunity to experience the cast's vocals fresh in the context of the film (if you don't listen to the album in advance, which I won't), but it's also curious that Disney is attempting to hide the fact that their remake of one of their mot famous musicals of all time does, in fact, retain the musical elements of which people have been so fond. Just a very odd way to market it...

On another note, IMAX announced yesterday that 100% of the film will appear in a full IMAX ratio in their theaters, which is very exciting.

 

[Mike Frezon]

it's also curious that Disney is attempting to hide the fact that their remake of one of their mot famous musicals of all time does, in fact, retain the musical elements of which people have been so fond. Just a very odd way to market it...

Jake:

I wouldn't say it's curious or odd. It's a huge freaking mistake...unless they are down-playing the songs in the film.

I just posted in the film thread on the forum that I already have my tickets for opening weekend (I'll be seeing it on an RPX screen) but I'll be going in with a chip on my shoulder as I already think the original animated film is a near-perfect piece of entertainment--worthy of its Best Picture nomination (only time THAT'S ever happened). At least it will be nice (as you note) to hear fresh recordings of the songs (I hope).

 

[Jake Lipson]

The track listing is up for the soundtrack, and it confirms the presence of the major songs from the original film: https://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Origi...=8-1&keywords=beauty+and+the+beast+soundtrack.

 

[Jason_V]

How did I not realize Ian McKellan was in this? The next month can't go by quick enough...