All eyes are on Wreck-it Ralph as Disney just recently released the first full length trailer for the zany, colorful, and interesting set of characters. Directed by Rich Moore, the animated feature will aim for originality and truth. And along side composer Henry Jackman, the two will take this film to the next level. Comprised of both electro and orchestral sounds, Jackman plans to give the soundtrack just what it needs. And who better to get the job done than Skrillex, Owl City, and AKB48.
The previous trailer opened with a very familiar “Funky Town” and transitioned into Fun.’s “Some Nights”. It was a bold and interesting move from both Disney and Jackman, and the team is looking to expand on that sound. In a recent interview with Billboard Jackman explained how he plans to incorporate the electro:
“What’s unusually ambitious and successful about ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ is you have the opportunity to do really pop electronic things and then later there’s really profound, emotional moments. Basically you need to bring all of your paints because the story has so many requirements. It’s a field day for a composer.”
If you think about it, there are more sounds that has to be recorded than just the tracks. The world of Wreck-it Ralph includes characters that speak and produce their own gadget like ticks. Also take into consideration that as Wreck-it Ralph game hops, each world comes with its own theme. Jackman will have to provide music spanning from the ’70s to current times.
Skrillex Lays It All On the Table
The man riding high on the current wave of dub-step and electro house music is Sonny John Moore, better known as Skrillex. This talented artist wrote the track titled “Bug Hunt” and had Netherlands producer Noisia remix the track for the album.
Not only will Skrillex’s music find a spot on the soundtrack, but he’ll also have a cameo. Film producer Clark Spencer sat down with Total film and talked about how it all came about:
“We asked him if we could do it,” Spencer said. “We went to him first and said, ‘Hey, we have this party scene in the world of Fix It Felix Jr, and we have a DJ and we think it would make a nice cameo if we put you into it.’ And he was ecstatic.
There was just one thing Skrillex wasn’t down with: he needed to wear black sneakers despite standing behind the DJ booth.
We built his model, we put on his look, and we sent it to him to have him give us comments. And he said he would never wear non-black tennis shoes. He said “My tennis shoes will always be black.” So we changed the tennis shoes to black.
You don’t see them in the film, as he’s behind the DJ booth, but they were in the model. He has seen the animation, and he’s very, very excited about it.”
Owl City & AKB48
One-man band Owl City has been hard at work creating catchy, dream-like tracks since 2007. Responsible for the hit song “Fireflies,” singer-songwriter Adam Young released the latest album The Midsummer Station a month ago. What better way to keep the steam rolling than working with Jackman on the Wreck-it Ralph score? Owl City entered the studio to record the film’s end title song, “When Can I See You Again.”
And then there’s the Japanese pop act AKB48. These talented women are in touch with the world of entertainment, and are considered one of the highest earning musical acts in the world. Believe it or not, there are 64 members in this group. Talk about girl power! The dynamic group provided the theme song “Sugar Rush” for world of the bubbly-eyed Vanellope von Schweetz.
Combining Electro with A Full Orchestra Sound
Jackman knows what works and what doesn’t. He has a sick intuition for composing songs just right for a film’s time period, all while adding a fresh electronic feel. His work in X-men: First Class comes to mind, in particular the track “X-training.” It’s a whole lot of ’60s with a dash of electro, mixed together for just the right sound.
“We can have all sorts of fun, but critically it’s an emotional story – which is why I was so hung up on the ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ theme. It doesn’t matter whether you play it on a computer or an oboe, you’ve got all your eggs to make an omelet. Hear it played on a synth, on clarinet, you hear it with warmth.”