Why and How Music Scores Hook Viewers

“The term “fantasy” can mean different things to different people. It can range from knights in shining armor rescuing damsels in distress to children learning magic at a school to heroes gallivanting across space. (Finnegan

Unlike other fantasy films like Harry Potter, How to Train Your Dragon focuses on realism. Harry Potter focuses on world-building and the struggle of good versus evil. 

In contrast, How to Train Your Dragon focuses on a family conflict between Hiccup and his father over their view on dragons.

Different Worlds 

In addition, both are presented in both books and movies. In translating fantasy novels to films, filmmakers must use music, cinematography, and animation tricks to get the audience to feel what Hiccup and Harry feel in their fantasy worlds. 

Music is often overlooked when talking about films. However, music is constantly helping audiences follow along with the story emotionally. Each character has their own theme music; 

in How to Train Your Dragon, Hiccup and Toothless themes are meant to be heard and felt together. The friends’ themes complete each other. 

 

Photo by Weston M. from Unsplash

The unified theme is played triumphantly as Hiccup flies with Toothless untethered for the first time. 

Hiccup and Toothless’ themes are played on top of one another as Hiccup releases Toothless from his trap and also in the track called Forbidden Friendship. 

Which plays as Hiccup learns more about Toothless in the woods. 

The song titled Test drive plays as Hiccup and Toothless solo for the first time. 

“When flying, they must almost become one. In a do or die exercise that forces both of them to let go and trust each other completely, no cheat cheats, and the music also has to do this” (Phoebe-Kate). 

The themes can be played in major or minor to induce different emotions. Hiccup and Toothless’ themes embody friendship as Toothless’ theme is not completed until the test drive.  

Emotional Movie Scores

“As Phoebe-Kate says, Hiccup’s theme is played 31 times in the movie. 

This is a great demonstration of the brilliance of theme writing in movie scores.

 And we’ve seen it in so many scores in the past. 

For  decades this is how composers have created themes that make you

subconsciously remember parts of movies.” (Charles Cornell) 

Memorable films are well directed and well scored. Those moments of tension in the final battle and the reveal of Hiccup’s prosthetic leg are supported by music. That’s why they are emotional and memorable.  

The co-directors Sanders and DeBlois strived to make the film as “live-action” as possible. 

This included having actors record together. This captured real connections and grounded the fantasy film 

In reality. when Hiccup became an amputee, The directors knew it wasn’t realistic for there to be no long-lasting consequences such as pity in Hiccup’s life. 

Their disabilities are not presented simply as challenges. Instead, both adapt and grow closer from their experience. 

Maturing involves loss and change. It forces people to let go of innocent naivete. Hiccup grapples with being the chief of Berk and letting go of Toothless, and the innocence of forbidden friendship. 

After his father dies, he has to find his place among his people again. Hiccup’s fantasy world has genuine moments of loss and change. 

This realism allows these animated “children’s movies” to resonate with their audiences. Childhood doesn’t last forever.

Source List

Charles Cornell. (2022, May 19). How to Train Your Dragon is a MASTERCLASS in theme writing [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k87EZ5hm_BM

Finnegan, Denise E., “THEMATIC DEVELOPMENT IN JOHN POWELL’S SCORE FOR HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010)” (2020). Student Research, Creative Activity, and Performance – School of Music. 138. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/musicstudent/138

Phebe-Kate. (2018, April 15). Analyzing the score of How to Train Your Dragon (part 1) Hiccup and Toothless [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMa75wsBZ_g&list=LL&index=5