Fantastic Mr. Fox (Original Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2009 film Fantastic Mr. Fox directed by Wes Anderson. The film's soundtrack featured a selection of songs from The Beach Boys, The Bobby Fuller Four, Burl Ives, Georges Delerue, The Rolling Stones, and other artists. An original score composed by Alexandre Desplat accompanied the remainder of the album. ABKCO Records released the soundtrack on November 10, 2009, three days ahead of the film. Desplat was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score and BAFTA Award for Best Original Music for his work in the film.
| Fantastic Mr. Fox (Original Soundtrack) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Alexandre Desplat and various artists | ||||
| Released | November 10, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008–2009 | |||
| Venue |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:00 | |||
| Label | ABKCO | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Alexandre Desplat chronology | ||||
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| Wes Anderson film soundtracks chronology | ||||
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Development
editIn 2006, Anderson's frequent collaborator Mark Mothersbaugh was announced that he was working on the soundtrack.[1] However, during the production, Mothersbaugh was replaced by Alexandre Desplat who would later collaborate on all of Anderson's films.[2][3] Desplat and Anderson met at Stephen Gaghan's weeding and thereafter, Anderson contacted the former on his involvement which he agreed. Later, Desplat was invited to the editing room in Paris and eventually started working on the film's music, which he described it as "an easy way of bonding together".[2]
During their initial discussions, Desplat recalled that he read the original source material—the novel by Roald Dahl—instead of watching the film, hence, he was familiar with the characters. Wes demanded melodies, that would provide a childlike and had a simplicity which was an integral part of the score.[4] Unlike, other American films which had a large orchestra, Anderson refrained from using that as it would overpower the puppet characters.[5] He then suggested for writing a mini-symphonic orchestra having multiple baby instruments—a string quartet, brass section with only one instrument per section, and a combination of glockenspiels, triangles, little pieces forming percussion instruments—that provide an intimate sound different from the symphonic orchestra, adding that "the melodies' simplicity, the tiny instruments, all that created a very different sound that was very exciting for us".[5]
The piece "Boggis, Bunce and Bean" featured a boys choir under the age of 8–11. Anderson eventually brought all the puppets from the film to the recording studio "to the boys so they would not be nervous and they could be relaxed and enjoy the moment", says Desplat.[5] Besides composing Desplat further performed whistles for the score, for a mean rat and eventually insisted on composing a piece with a whistle. He described it as a part of the fun and childlike nature of the film.[5]
The film also featured a compilation of original and pre-existing songs. Jarvis Cocker revealed that he had written nearly 3–4 songs which would be integrated into the score. However, the only song he written for the film was "Fantastic Mr. Fox AKA Petey's Song".[6] Contributions from The Beach Boys, The Bobby Fuller Four, Burl Ives, Georges Delerue, The Rolling Stones, Nancy Adams, Art Tatum and The Wellingtons were included in the film as well as the album.[7]
Reception
editChristian Clemmensen of Filmtracks.com wrote "[Desplat's] approach to this concept could drive a person insane, and since that was probably the intent, it's easy to get the feeling that his one is aimed exclusively at enthusiasts of the film."[8] Rob Mitchum of Pitchfork rated 7.1 out of 10 and wrote "With Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes Anderson, ever the obsessive soundtracker, creates another value-added souvenir in the spirit of a literally wonderful film."[9] Gissane Sophia of Marvelous Geeks Media wrote "The entire soundtrack ultimately feels like it should be playing at a theme park, but that’s neither here nor there."[10] A critic from Unsung Sundays wrote "The Fantastic Mr. Fox Soundtrack is a great place to start."[11] Matt Bochenski of Little White Lies wrote "Alexandre Desplat’s score is skilfully integrated into the action".[12]
Michael Leader of Den of Geek described it as "masterful".[13] Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "Boomer faves by the Beach Boys and the Stones punctuate the soundtrack, with Alexandre Desplat delivering an elegant gallop of a score."[14] John Young of Entertainment Weekly wrote "composer Alexandre Desplat wrote one of the most delectable scores in quite some time".[15] Fionnuala Halligan of Screen International wrote that Desplat's "French-influenced score is a delight".[16] Robert Levin of Film School Rejects described it as a "jaunty soundtrack".[17]
Track listing
editAll music is composed by Alexandre Desplat, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "American Empirical Pictures" | 0:14 | ||
| 2. | "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" | The Wellingtons | 1:40 | |
| 3. | "Mr. Fox in the Fields" | 1:02 | ||
| 4. | "Heroes and Villains" | The Beach Boys | 3:37 | |
| 5. | "Fooba Wooba John" | Traditional | Burl Ives | 1:07 |
| 6. | "Boggis, Bunce and Bean" | 0:51 | ||
| 7. | "Jimmy Squirrel and Co." | 0:46 | ||
| 8. | "Love" |
| Nancy Adams | 1:49 |
| 9. | "Buckeye Jim" | Burl Ives | Burl Ives | 1:19 |
| 10. | "High-Speed French Train" | 1:26 | ||
| 11. | "Whack-Bat Majorette" | 2:56 | ||
| 12. | "The Grey Goose" | Burl Ives | Burl Ives | 2:48 |
| 13. | "Bean's Secret Cider Cellar" | 2:06 | ||
| 14. | "Une Petite Ile" | Georges Delerue | Georges Delerue | 1:35 |
| 15. | "Street Fighting Man" | The Rolling Stones | 3:14 | |
| 16. | "Fantastic Mr. Fox AKA Petey's Song" | Jarvis Cocker | 1:20 | |
| 17. | "Night and Day" | Cole Porter | Art Tatum | 1:27 |
| 18. | "Kristofferson's Theme" | 1:35 | ||
| 19. | "Just Another Dead Rat in a Garbage Pail (Behind a Chinese Restaurant)" | 2:33 | ||
| 20. | "Le Grand Choral" | Georges Delerue | Georges Delerue | 2:23 |
| 21. | "Great Harrowsford Square" | 3:20 | ||
| 22. | "Stunt Expo 2004" | 2:27 | ||
| 23. | "Canis Lupus" | 1:15 | ||
| 24. | "Ol' Man River" | The Beach Boys | 1:18 | |
| 25. | "Let Her Dance" | Bobby Fuller | The Bobby Fuller Four | 2:32 |
| 26. | "I Get Around" |
| The Beach Boys | 2:13 |
| 27. | "Fantastic Mr. Fox AKA Petey's Song" (Reprise) |
| Jarvis Cocker | 1:43 |
| Total length: | 50:00 | |||
Complete score
editA complete score album was released by 20th Century Fox as a part of the For Your Consideration (FYC) campaign for the 2009–10 film awards season. The album contains 47 cues from Desplat's score featured in the film in its entirety.[18]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Opening" | |
| 2. | "Mr. Fox In The Fields" | |
| 3. | "Tree House" | |
| 4. | "I Used To Steal Birds" | |
| 5. | "The Farmers" | |
| 6. | "Moving In" | |
| 7. | "Who Am I" | |
| 8. | "Trains" | |
| 9. | "Planning Boggis Raid Part 1" | |
| 10. | "Planning Boggis Raid Part 2" | |
| 11. | "Planning Boggis Raid Part 3" | |
| 12. | "Master Plan Part 1" | |
| 13. | "Master Plan Part 2" | |
| 14. | "Master Plan Part 3" | |
| 15. | "Stealing Chickens Part 1" | |
| 16. | "Stealing Chickens Part 2" | |
| 17. | "Stealing Chickens Part 3" | |
| 18. | "Stealing Chickens Part 4" | |
| 19. | "Whack Bat" | |
| 20. | "Kristofferson Joins" | |
| 21. | "Rat And Cider Part 1" | |
| 22. | "Rat And Cider Part 2" | |
| 23. | "Rat And Cider Part 3" | |
| 24. | "Any Fox Problems" | |
| 25. | "The Shooting Part 1" | |
| 26. | "The Shooting Part 2" | |
| 27. | "Digging Us Out/Dig!" | |
| 28. | "The Siege Begins" | |
| 29. | "What's That" | |
| 30. | "Underground Wit Badger" | |
| 31. | "Fox Thinks" | |
| 32. | "Begin (Stealing Chickens) Part 1" | |
| 33. | "Begin (Stealing Chickens) Part 2" | |
| 34. | "The Bean Kitchen" | |
| 35. | "Father And Son" | |
| 36. | "Ransom Note" | |
| 37. | "Rat Rumble" | |
| 38. | "Rat's Demise" | |
| 39. | "Surrender Note/Shoot Out" | |
| 40. | "Ash To The Rescue" | |
| 41. | "Ash The Hero" | |
| 42. | "The Great Escape" | |
| 43. | "Canis Lupus" | |
| 44. | "Trains Reprise" | |
| 45. | "Supermarket Toast" | |
| 46. | "Trains (End Credits)" | |
| 47. | "Side Car (End Credits)" |
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Additional Music from the Original Score – The Abbey Road Mixes)
edit| Fantastic Mr. Fox (Additional Music from the Original Score – The Abbey Road Mixes) | |
|---|---|
| Film score by Alexandre Desplat | |
| Released | March 2, 2010 |
| Recorded | 2008–2009 |
| Venue | Abbey Road Studios, London |
| Genre | Film score |
| Length | 47:19 |
| Label | ABKCO |
| Producer | Alexandre Desplat |
A second soundtrack album Fantastic Mr. Fox (Additional Music from the Original Score – The Abbey Road Mixes) was released on March 2, 2010. The album features the remainder of the film score composed by Desplat. It was released in anticipation of the 82nd Academy Awards where Desplat was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score.[19]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Moving In" | 1:07 |
| 2. | "Mr. Fox In The Fields Medley" | 3:02 |
| 3. | "Trains" | 1:54 |
| 4. | "Side Car Escape" | 1:10 |
| 5. | "Shoot Out" | 2:25 |
| 6. | "Kristofferson" | 1:36 |
| 7. | "Plan B" | 1:42 |
| 8. | "Trains 2" | 1:55 |
| 9. | "Looking For Cider" | 2:34 |
| 10. | "Death Of Rat" | 1:12 |
| 11. | "Whack-Bat Majorette Ensemble" | 3:36 |
| 12. | "Canis Lupus" | 1:17 |
| 13. | "Trains 3" | 1:55 |
| 14. | "Rat Fight" | 3:54 |
| 15. | "Dig!" | 1:25 |
| 16. | "Mr. Fox's Promenade" | 1:22 |
| 17. | "Three Farmers" | 2:24 |
| 18. | "Kristofferson 2" | 1:40 |
| 19. | "Boggis Bunce And Bean (Reprise)" | 1:19 |
| 20. | "Trains 4" | 1:55 |
| 21. | "Mr. and Mrs. Fox" | 1:07 |
| 22. | "Canis Lupus 2" | 1:16 |
| 23. | "Finale" | 1:09 |
| 24. | "Choir Boys Farewell (To The Puppets)" | 4:36 |
| Total length: | 47:19 | |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from liner notes[20]
- Music composed and produced by – Alexandre Desplat
- Soundtrack producer – Randall Poster, Wes Anderson
- Recording – Andrew Dudman, Peter Cobbin, Sam Ockell
- Mixing – Andrew Dudman
- Mastering – Greg Calbi
- Score editor – Peter Clarke
- Supervising score editor – Gerard McCann
- Music co-ordinator – Jim Dunbar, Xavier Forcioli
- Orchestra
- Orchestration – Alexandre Desplat, Jean-Pascal Beintus, Marie-Christine Desplat
- Conductor – Alexandre Desplat
- Orchestra contractor – Isobel Griffiths
- Assistant orchestra contractor – Lucy Whalley
- Copyist – Claude Romano, Norbert Vergonjanne
- Pro-tools operator – Andy Kitchen, John Barrett, Tristan Montrocq
- Musicians
- Banjo – John Parricelli, Nigel Woodhouse
- Celesta – Dave Arch
- Double bass – Chris Laurence
- Drum kit – Ralph Salmins
- Guitar – John Parricelli, Mitch Dalton, Nigel Woodhouse
- Jew's Harp, spoons, toy percussion – Paul Clarvis
- Keyboard percussions – Frank Ricotti
- Mandolin – John Parricelli, Alison Stephens
- Recorder – Helen Keen
- Piccolo trumpet – Maurice Murphy
- Recorder – Annabel Knight, Jill Kemp, Piers Adams, Helen Keen
- Timpani – Tristan Fry
- Ukulele – John Parricelli
- Vocals – Felix Wareing
- Management
- Music production co-ordinator – Teri Landi
- Music business and legal affairs – Peter Howard
- Music licensing and clearance – Jessica Dolinger, Sara Matarazzo
- Executive in charge of marketing and promotion – Iris Keitel
- Executive in charge of sales – Joe Parker
- Executive in charge of soundtracks – Alisa Coleman
- Marketing and promotion – Michael Kirk, Tracey Jordan
- Cover artwork
- Packaging and design – Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Heinzer
- Liner notes – Wes Anderson
Accolades
editNotes
edit- ^ also for The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Julie & Julia (both 2009) and The Ghost Writer (2010)
References
edit- ^ "Devo Is Dead. Long Live Devo". Wired. May 2006. Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
- ^ a b Banks, Grace (September 21, 2023). "Wes Anderson's Composer Alexandre Desplat On Making Their Films Sound Like 'A World Of Their Own'". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Perez, Rodrigo (February 20, 2009). "Alexandre Desplat Scoring Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'?". The Playlist. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Weintraub, Steven (November 27, 2009). "Wes Anderson Interview Fantastic Mr. Fox". Collider. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Huff, Lauren (October 20, 2021). "Fantastic Mr. Fox composer Alexandre Desplat on joys of working with 'mischievous' Wes Anderson". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Brent DiCrescenzo (July 17, 2008). "From the UK to the Magic Kingdom". Time Out. Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2008.
- ^ "Fantastic Mr. Fox Soundtrack Listing". Slashfilm.com. September 21, 2009. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ^ Clemmensen, Christian. "Fantastic Mr. Fox (Alexandre Desplat)". Filmtracks.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Mitchum, Rob (December 10, 2009). "Various Artists: Fantastic Mr. Fox OST". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Sophia, Gissane (September 19, 2022). "Music Monday: 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' (Original Score) by Alexandre Desplat". Marvelous Geeks Media. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ "Various Artists: Fantastic Mr. Fox Soundtrack Review". Unsung Sundays. May 11, 2014. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Bochenski, Matt (October 22, 2014). "Fantastic Mr Fox review – The real Wes Anderson just stood up". Little White Lies. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Leader, Michael (October 20, 2009). "Fantastic Mr Fox review". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Linden, Sheri (October 14, 2009). "'Fantastic Mr. Fox': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Young, John (November 15, 2009). "Fantastic Mr. Fox: A toast to stop-motion animation". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Halligan, Fionnuala (October 29, 2009). "Fantastic Mr Fox". Screen International. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Levin, Robert (November 12, 2009). "Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on January 7, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Desplat, Alexandre (2009). "Fantastic Mr. Fox (Best Original Score)". Fox Music. Fox Film Corporation. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ "Fantastic Mr. Fox's Oscar Nominated Score". ABKCO. March 23, 2010. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Alexandre Desplat. Fantastic Mr. Fox (Original Soundtrack) (Media notes). ABKCO.
- ^ "Nominees & Winners for the 82nd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 11, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ "BAFTA Winners 2010". British Academy Film Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. January 21, 2010. Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
- ^ Knegt, Peter (December 16, 2009). ""Wild Things" and "Air" Lead Chicago Critics' Nominations". IndieWire. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
- ^ Maxwell, Erin (December 16, 2009). "Chicago critics high on 'Air,' 'Wild Things': Pic each nab six noms from CFCA". Variety. Reed Business Information. Archived from the original on February 14, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- ^ Leydon, Joe (December 19, 2009). "Houston critics salute 'Locker'". Variety. Reed Business Information. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ^ Dansby, Andrew (December 18, 2009). "Houston film critics announcing awards Saturday". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
- ^ IFMCA (2010). "2008 IFMCA Awards". IFMCA. IFMCA. Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Pond, Steve (January 29, 2010). "Michael Giacchino Leads Film Score Nominations". TheWrap. The Wrap News Inc. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Hernandez, Eugene (December 13, 2009). ""Hurt Locker" Tops LA Critics Awards". IndieWire. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ "35th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on July 6, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
- ^ OFCS Governing Committee (January 6, 2010). "Online Film Critics Awards 2009". Online Film Critics Society. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
- ^ "San Diego Film Critics Society 2009 Awards". San Diego Film Critics Society. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ^ "World Soundtrack Academy 2010". World Soundtrack Awards. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
- ^ "Alexandre Desplat wins Award for Film Composer and Best Film Score of the Year". World Soundtrack Academy. October 23, 2013. Archived from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2013.