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Danny Elfman: Oz The Great And Powerful - an album guide
Danny Elfman is the perfect choice for soundtrack of Oz The Great And Powerful, Sam Raimi's movie prequel to The Wizard Of Oz. Find out more about the magical film music with our album guide.
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1. Main Titles
Danny Elfman's soundtrack gets off to a fantastically glitzy start, with orchestral and choral bombast to spare - perfect vintage Hollywood fare.
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2. A Serious Talk
Delicate woodwinds form the main part of this conversation. This new prequel contains many clues as to the events in the original movie - here's a poster to remind you.
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3. Oz Revealed
Oz The Great and Powerful is directed by fantasy veteran Sam Raimi, who previously helmed movies like The Evil Dead and the Spiderman trilogy.
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4. A Strange World
While the visuals in this film are predictably stunning and other-worldly, the music has to match it - Danny Elfman's score is full of wonder here, with ethereal effects designed to evoke the mysterious and sumptuous world of Oz.
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5. Where Am I? / Schmooze-a-Witch
Things take an emotional turn as The Wizard Of Oz encounters a witch, one of which (Glinda) is played by Michelle Williams.
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6. Fireside Dance
Another sumptuous number from Elfman, this time with added dulcimer and a glorious (dare we say Rieu-esque?) waltz.
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7. Meeting Finley
Zach Braff voices one of the most intriguing characters in the film, a winged monkey named Finley.
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8. The Emerald Palace
The location that so many people recognise from the original brings out the most lush orchestration you could imagine from Danny Elfman's score - it's foreboding and triumphant at the same time.
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9. Treasure Room / Monkey Business
We're pretty confident in suggesting that this particular portion of the movie will feature Finley, the flying monkey voiced by Zach Braff. As you'd expect, it's a suitably cheeky piece of scoring from Elfman.1
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10. China Town
Similarly, we're happy to bet that this intriguing little section Elfman's score will accompany China Girl (pictured in the middle), who is voiced by young actress Joey King.
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11. A Con Job
Tackling the iconic role of The Wizard of Oz himself is James Franco, who is something of a Hollywood renaissance man - he's not only starred in various blockbusters, he's also an exhibiting modern artist.
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12. Glinda Revealed
This ethereal theme announces the arrival of Glinda, played by Michelle Williams.
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13. The Munchkin Welcome Song
A classic slice of Elfman whimsy and a return for some of the most notable characters from the first time round - The Munchkins!
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14. Bad Witch
Mila Kunis plays Theodora, though viewers may be more familiar with her role as the voice of Meg in Family Guy.
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15. The Bubble Voyage
Mystical and exciting sounds from the orchestra give a fantastical sense of the visuals here - Elfman is the go-to guy for visually stunning stuff like this.
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16. Great Expectations / The Apple
Michelle Williams, formerly of Dawson's Creek fame and now a multi Oscar-nominated star of the big screen, tackles one of her biggest roles to date in Sam Raimi's film - here she is at the premiere.
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17. Meeting The Troops
A lumbering theme for the titular troops from Elfman, and another highlight in the soundtrack. Listen out for the gentle celesta in the background as well, something that Elfman has often used in his scores.
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18. What Army?
More bombastic excitement from Elfman's score here. James Franco stars alongside British actress Rachel Weisz, who plays Evanora.
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19. Theodora's Entrance
Mila Kunis made quite an entrance at the Oscars, but we bet her arrival in Oz The Great And Powerful is even better, if the score is anything to go by.
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20. A Threat
You can imagine how this slice of Elfman sounds just from the title alone - expect nervous strings and a sense of dread in the brass...
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21. Bedtime / The Preparation Montage
This is the soundtrack's longest section and is quick to assert Elfman's rather deft way with quieter passages.
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22. Call To Arms
Rachel Weisz arrives at the London premiere for Oz The Great And Powerful - but meanwhile in Danny Elfman's score things have gotten decidedly more dramatic...
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23. Destruction
Another dramatic bit of scoring, this time with lower-register brass dominating.
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24. Oz The Great And Powerful
The title track from the film, this is about as anthemic as Danny Elfman gets. Lovely stuff, and a great iconic way to cement James Franco's on-screen performance.
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25. Fireworks / Witch Fight
Inevitably there has to be a little bit of conflict before everything gets wrapped up, doesn't there?
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26. Time For Gifts
A sweetly emotional finale to the film, which has by this point taken in some seriously breathtaking scenery, some lush orchestration from Danny Elfman and some surprising performances.
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27. End Credits From Oz
Danny Elfman's epic score finishes with a bang, and a little tour of some of the best themes in the film. Another corking soundtrack from one of the modern masters of the genre.
