Culminating
 experience:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Sound
 guide
 and
 analysis
 of
 the
 movie
 
How
 to
 Train
 your
 Dragon
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Carlos
 Alberto
 González
 Herrera
 
Scoring
 for
 Films,
 Television
 and
 Videogames
 
Berklee
 Valencia
 2014
 

 

 

 


 
Introduction:
 

 
How
  to
  Train
  Your
  Dragon
  is
  an
  American
  3D
  computer-­‐animated
  action-­‐fantasy
 
film
 released
 in
 2010
 by
 DreamWorks
 Animation.
 The
 film
 was
 directed
 by
 Chris
 
Sanders
  and
  Dean
  DeBlois,
  produced
  by
  Bonnie
  Arnold
  and
  Scored
  by
  John
 
Powell.
 The
 script
 and
 context
 of
 the
 movie
 are
 loosely
 based
 on
 the
 British
 book
 
series
 of
 the
 same
 name
 by
 Cressida
 Cowell.
 
 

 
The
  story
  of
  How
  to
  Train
  Your
  Dragon
  takes
  place
  in
  Berk,
  a
  fictional
  island
 
where
 a
 tribe
 of
 Vikings
 is
 settled
 down.
 These
 Vikings
 have
 been
 in
 fighting
 the
 
constant
 raids
 of
 the
 dragons
 for
 generations.
 
Hiccup,
 a
 young
 Viking
 and
 son
 of
 the
 tribe’s
 chief,
 dreams
 with
 killing
 his
 first
 
dragon,
  to
  earn
  the
  respect
  of
  his
  fellow
  villagers;
  but,
  when
  he
  manages
  to
 
capture
 his
 first
 dragon
 and
 has
 the
 chance
 to
 do
 kill
 it,
 he
 finds
 that
 he
 no
 longer
 
wants
 to
 do
 it
 and
 instead,
 befriends
 with
 the
 dragon,
 which
 leads
 him
 towards
 
learning
  more
  about
  these
  creatures
  and
  discover
  how
  his
  tribe
  have
  been
 
misjudging
 the
 dragons.
 

 
The
  movie
  was
  a
  commercial
  and
  critical
  success,
  earning
  nearly
  500$
  million
 
worldwide
 and
 being
 awarded
 with
 multiple
 prizes,
 including
 10
 Annie
 Awards
 
and
 two
 nominations
 to
 the
 Academy
 Awards.
 

 
The
 score
 of
 the
 movie
 is
 a
 wonderful
 example
 of
 how
 to
 create,
 work
 with
 and
 
develop
 different
 musical
 motifs.1
 It
 is
 also
 a
 great
 example
 of
 orchestration
 and
 
integration
  of
  non-­‐traditionally
  orchestral
  instruments
  (electronics,
  electric
 
guitar,
  as
  well
  as
  many
  instruments
  associated
  with
  the
  Celtic2
 culture,
  such
  as
 
fiddle,
 bagpipes,
 dulcimer
 and
 whistles)
 in
 an
 orchestral
 context;
 all
 this
 making
 
it
 a
 perfect
 educational
 material,
 apart
 from
 a
 wonderful
 piece
 of
 art
 on
 its
 own.
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
 Or
 themes.
 
2
 The
 Vikings
 aren’t
 technically
 considered
 as
 a
 part
 of
 the
 Celtic
 culture,
 they
 
2
were
 

 The
 pVart
 
ikings
 
of
 the
 
aren’t
 
Scandinavian
 
technically
 ocr
 onsidered
 
Nordic
 culture
 
as
 a
 piart
 
nstead.
 
of
 the
 
That
 
Celtic
 
said,
 
culture,
 
it
 s
 true
 
they
 
that
 
were
 part
 of
 the
 Scandinavian
 or
 Nordic
 culture
 instead.
 That
 said,
 it
 s
 true
 that
 
Vikings
 attacked
 many
 times
 the
 coasts
 of
 England
 and
 Scotland,
 so
 they
 could
 
have
 been
 in
 direct
 contact
 with
 Celtic
 instruments.
 
 
As
 a
 side
 note,
 maybe
 the
 use
 of
 traditional
 Finnish
 instruments
 would
 have
 been
 
a
 more
 accurate
 choice,
 as
 Christian
 Clemmensen
 (founder
 of
 Filmtracks.com)
 
commented.
 

 

Composer’s
 Bio:
 John
 Powell
 

 
Born
  in
  East
  Sussex
  (England)
  in
  1963,
  John
  Powell
  is
  on
  of
  the
  most
  renown
 
composers
 of
 our
 time.
 He
 is
 known
 for
 his
 work
 in
 action
 thrillers
 (The
 Bourne
 
Identity,
 The
 Bourne
 Supremacy,
 The
 Bourne
 Ultimatum…)
 and
 animated
 movies
 
(Shrek,
 Bolt,
 Rio…),
 being
 this
 last
 genre
 his
 most
 prolific
 to
 date.
 
 

 

 
Powell
 started
 his
 musical
 career
 as
 a
 violin
 player
 when
 he
 was
 7,
 but
 his
 father,
 
who
 was
 a
 tuba-­‐player
 with
 the
 Royal
 Philharmonic,
 always
 encouraged
 him
 to
 
not
  to
  be
  a
  player:
  to
  be
  a
  composer.
  In
  an
  interview,
  Powell
  confessed
  that
  he
 
was
 a
 “classical
 musical
 posh”
 his
 early
 ages,
 and
 didn’t
 become
 interested
 in
 pop
 
until
 his
 teens.
 

 
After
  graduating
  at
  the
  London
  Trinity
  College
  of
  Music,
  he
  worked
  as
  a
  tape
 
operator,
  at
  Sir
  George’s
  Studio,
  in
  London.
  He
  tried
  a
  career
  as
  a
  classical
 
concert
 music
 composer,
  but soon saw that this way he could not make a living.
His first paid work as a composer came from ad jingles.
Since his very beginnings as a professional composer, he embraced computer
composition, and was in part thanks to this that he was recommended to Hans
Zimmer in the mid-1990s. Under Zimmer’s mentorship, he earned his first two
feature film gigs: Face/Off (1997) and Antz (1998).
From that point, his career skyrocketed and, since then, he has
 been
 nominated
 

and
 awarded
 on
 multiple
 occasions,
 including
 more
 than
 20
 ASCAP
 awards
 and
 
one
  Academy
  Awards’
  nomination
  for
  his
  work
  in
  the
  Dreamwork’s
  animated
 
movie
 “How
 to
 Train
 Your
 Dragon”.
 

 

 
After
  almost
  20
  years
  working
  in
  Hollywood,
  Powell
  has
  taken
  a
  sabbatical
  to
 
work
 on
 a
 45-­‐minute
 Oratorio
 commemorating
 the
 centenary
 of
 the
 outbreak
 of
 
the
 First
 World
 War.
 

Synopsis
 of
 the
 film:
 

 
How
 To
 Train
 Your
 Dragon
 is
 the
 story
 of
 Hiccup
 Horrendous
 Haddock
 III,
 a
 14-­‐
year
  old
  Viking
  from
  the
  Tribe
  of
  the
  Hairy
  Hooligans,
  and
  how
  he
  met
  and
 
became
  friends
  with
  Toothless,
  a
  Night
  Fury,
  one
  of
  the
  strangest
  and
  most
 
intelligent
 Dragon
 species.
 

 
The
  story
  takes
  place
  in
  the
  village
  of
  Berk,
  a
  small
  village
  that,
  following
 
Hiccup’s
  directions,
  is
  located
  twelve
  days
  North
  of
  “Hopeless
  and
  few
  degrees
 
South
  of
  “Freezing
  to
  Death”,
  located
  solidly
  on
  the
  Meridian
  of
  Misery.
  There,
 
Hiccup,
 a
 skinny,
 small
 but
 inventive
 guy,
 tries
 to
 join
 his
 town’s
 fight
 against
 the
 
dragons
 that
 constantly
 raid
 it,
 but
 his
 father,
 the
 village’s
 chief
 Stoick
 the
 Vast,
 
will
  not
  allow
  Hiccup
  to
  do
  so.
  Despite
  that
  fact,
  Hiccup
  manages
  to
  sneak
  into
 
the
  battle
  and
  down
  a
  “Night
  Fury”
  (one
  of
  the
  most
  mysterious
  species
  of
 
dragons)
  with
  an
  artifact
  of
  his
  invention
  but,
  when
  the
  moment
  comes,
  he
 
cannot
 bring
 himself
 to
 kill
 it.
 Instead,
 Hiccup
 and
 the
 dragon,
 whom
 he
 names
 
Toothless,
 become
 friends
 allowing
 Hiccup
 to
 learn
 about
 the
 dragons
 and
 how
 
him
 and
 his
 fellow
 villagers
 have
 misjudged
 them.
 

 

ALL
  THE
  TIMMNG
  ARE
  DONE
  CONSIDERING
  THAT
  THE
  MOON
  OF
  THE
 
DREAMWORKS
 LOGO
 APEARS
 AT
 00:00:02
 

 
Themes:
 

 

 
Theme
 1:
 BERK
 


 

 

 
Theme
 2:
 DRAGONS!
 
 


 

 

 
Theme
 3:
 WARRIORS
 
 


 

 
Theme
 4:
 STOICK
 THE
 VAST
 


 

 
Theme
 5:
 LOVE
 THEME
 
 


 

 

 
Theme
 6:
 EVIL
 DRAGONS
 
 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Theme
 7:
 HICCUP
 


 

 
Theme
 8:
 FIGHTING
 DRAGONS
 


 

 
Theme
 9:
 DISCOVERY
 


 

 
Theme
 10:
 TOOTHLESS
 


 

 
Theme
 11:
 TRAINING
 WITH
 DRAGONS
 

 


 


 


 


 


 

 
More
 than
 an
 actual
 theme,
 it
 is
 a
 recurrent
 accompaniment
 motif
 that
 appears
 
several
 times
 throughout
 the
 soundtrack
 

 
Theme
 12:
 FORBIDDEN
 FRIENDSHIP
 

 


 

Cue
 1:
 This
 is
 Berk
 
00:00:02
 -­‐
 00:04:02
 

 
This
  cue
  serves
  as
  an
  introduction
  to
  both:
  the
  movie
  and
  some
  of
  the
  main
 
themes/characters
 that
 are
 appearing
 in
 the
 movie.It
 can
 be
 roughly
 divided
 in
 
two
 big
 sections,
 “Intro-­‐section”
 and
 “Fight-­‐section”
 (listed
 as
 “Introduction”
 and
 
“This
 is
 Berk”
 respectively
 in
 the
 expanded
 score
 album),
 being
 the
 second
 one
 
the
 largest
 (starting
 with
 the
 transition
 that
 can
 be
 hear
 from
 00:01:00).
 

 
The
  whole
  cue
  is
  done
  in
  such
  a
  way
  that
  describes
  what
  is
  going
  on
  in
  the
 
picture,
 while
 still
 having
 a
 very
 strong
 musical
 direction/drive.
 The
 sync
 points
 
are
  done
  in
  such
  a
  way
  that
  they
  sound
  as
  a
  part
  of
  the
  natural
  develop
  of
  the
 
musical
 phrase,
 in
 a
 very
 elegant
 way.
 

 
The
 main
 sync
 points
 that
 we
 find
 are
 the
 following:
 
-­‐00:01:10
 
 Introducing
 
 the
 theme
 DRAGONS!
 Just
 with
 the
 cut.
 
-­‐00:01:46
 
 Introducing
 the
 theme
 STOICK
  THE
  VAST,
 synced
 with
 the
 move
 of
 
Stoick’s
 head.
 
-­‐00:02:07,
 after
 they
 yell
 “Hoist
 the
 torches”,
 the
 music
 modulates
 up,
 following
 
the
 movement
 of
 the
 torches
 in
 the
 picture.
 
-­‐00:02:44
 
 as
 in
 00:02:07,
 the
 music
 gets
 higher,
 increasing
 the
 tension.
 
-­‐00:02:55
  Introducing
  the
  LOVE
  THEME
  as
  Astrid
  turns
  around.
  The
  strongest
 
option
 for
 this
 sync
 point
 would
 have
 been
 the
 fireball
 at
 00:02:53,
 but
 the
 sound
 
effects
 would
 have
 clashed
 with
 the
 music.
 
-­‐00:03:23
 
 when
 Gobber
 says
 “you
 can’t
 swing
 an
 axe”,
 the
 music
 gets
 a
 “cowboy-­‐
music”
 flavor.
 
-­‐00:03:30
 
 the
 music
 stops
 as
 the
 catapult
 projectile
 is
 accidentally
 fired.
 

 
The
  choice
  of
  instrumentation
  for
  this
  first
  cue
  is
  Grand
  Orchestra,
  with
  choir
 
and
  tin
  whistle.
  The
  cue
  starts
  with
  a
  brass
  chorale,
  followed
  immediately
  by
  a
 
melodic
  section
  in
  which
  the
  woodwinds
  take
  the
  lead
  and,
  after
  that,
  a
  full-­‐
orchestra
 section
 that
 keeps
 going
 pretty
 much
 until
 the
 end
 of
 the
 cue.
 
 
This
 choice
 of
 Brass-­‐>Woodwinds-­‐>Strings/Full
 orchestra,
 is
 somehow
 peculiar,
 
especially
 if
 we
 keep
 in
 mind
 that
 we
 are
 speaking
 about
 the
 intro
 of
 the
 movie.
 
Maybe,
 a
 more
 logical
 approach
 would
 have
 been
 choosing
 exactly
 the
 opposite
 
order
 for
 introducing
 the
 instruments
 (going
 from
 those
 capable
 of
 playing
 with
 
the
 least
 intensity
 to
 those
 able
 to
 be
 the
 loudest
 in
 the
 whole
 ensemble).
 
 
That
  say,
  it
  is
  true
  that
  the
  cue
  works
  very
  well
  and,
  its
  peculiar
  way
  of
 
introducing
 the
 colors
 of
 the
 orchestra,
 gives
 it
 an
 extra
 flavor
 that
 maybe
 could
 
have
 not
 been
 achieved
 with
 a
 different
 approach.
 

 

 
We
 can
 find
 the
 following
 themes
 in
 the
 first
 Cue:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
Berk
 
00:00:02
  Slow
 chorale
 with
 brass.
 Works
 as
 an
 intro.
 
Dragons!
 
00:00:25
  Slow
  with
  woodwinds,
  choir
  and
  strings.
  Has
  a
 
magical
 and
 Celtic
 flavor
 that
 helps
 to
 locate
 the
 
story.
 

Dragons!
 

00:01:10
 

Warriors
 

00:01:24
 

Dragons!
 

00:01:32
 

Stoick
 The
 Vast
 

00:01:47
 

Dragons!
 

00:02:07
 

Fighting
 Dragons
 

00:02:22
 

Warriors
 

00:02:37
 

Normal
 tempo.
 Much
 faster
 than
 previously
 and
 
with
  an
  action-­‐oriented
  approach.
  The
  use
  of
 
big
  unisonos
  an
  low
  choir,
  gives
  a
  “primitive
 
feeling”
  to
  it
  that
  emphasizes
  the
  feeling
  of
 
being
 in
 the
 middle
 of
 a
 battle.
 
The
  melody
  is
  spread
  all
  around
  the
  orchestra,
 
with
  a
  mix
  of
  strings,
  woodwinds,
  brass
  and
 
choir.
 
As
  a
  opposition
  to
  DRAGONS!,
  this
  theme
 
makes
  a
  bigger
  use
  of
  an
  accompanied
  texture,
 
giving
  the
  melody
  to
  the
  lower
  section
  of
  the
 
orchestra,
  predominantly
  brass,
  while
  the
 
higher
  instruments
  play
  an
  accompaniment.
 
There
 is
 not
 a
 significant
 change
 in
 the
 mood.
 
This
  is
  just
  a
  continuation
  of
  the
  previous
 
segment
 that
 works
 mostly
 as
 a
 transition
 until
 
the
  next
  significant
  change.
  One
  thing
  that
  is
 
worth
  highlighting
  is
  how
  the
  instrumentation
 
gets
 smaller
 by
 the
 end
 of
 this
 transition
 (going
 
from
  full
  orchestra
  to
  woodwinds
  with
  some
 
light
  accompaniment),
  which
  helps
  to
 
emphasize
 the
 character
 of
 the
 next
 theme.
 
Mainly
 characterized
 by
 the
 use
 of
 the
 choir
 as
 
the
  leading
  instrument,
  this
  is
  by
  far
  the
  most
 
Epic
  of
  the
  themes
  presented,
  emphasizing
  the
 
fact
  that
  Stoick
  a
  great
  warrior
  and
  a
  hero
  for
 
his
 village.
 
At
  this
  point
  the
  score
  modulates
  one
  step
 
higher.
 This
 happens
 at
 the
 same
 time
 in
 which
 
the
  torches
  are
  elevated
  in
  the
  picture,
  making
 
this
  modulation
  a
  sort
  of
  sync
  point.
  Besides
 
that,
  the
  orchestration
  is
  quite
  similar
  to
  one
 
used
 in
 the
 previous
 presentations
 of
 the
 theme,
 
until
  00:02:14,
  where
  it
  becomes
  much
  lighter,
 
giving
  the
  leading
  melody
  to
  the
  whistles
  and
 
flutes,
  while
  the
  brass
  almost
  disappear
  and
  the
 
rest
  of
  the
  orchestra
  work
  as
  a
  light
 
accompaniment.
 
The
 leading
 melody
 appears
 in
 the
 horns
 while
 
the
  rest
  of
  the
  orchestra
  play
  a
  light
  “wavy”
 
accompaniment.
  At
  this
  point,
  this
  theme
  is
 
used
  almost
  as
  a
  joke
  (since
  appears
  when
 
Hiccup
 mentions
 that
 he
 is
 “way
 too
 muscular”
 
for
 the
 dragons)
 and
 works
 as
 a
 bridge
 until
 the
 
next
 tutti.
 
At
  this
  point
  the
  orchestra
  plays
  a
  powerful
 
tutti,
  giving
  the
  main
  melody
  to
  the
  low
  brass
 
and
  the
  male
  voices
  of
  the
  choir,
  while
  the
 
strings
 and
 woodwinds
 have
 a
 more-­‐secondary
 

Love
 Theme
 

00:02:55
 

HICCUP
 

00:03:11
 

Fighting
 Dragons
 

00:03:54
 

role,
  while
  playing
  a
  “wavy”
  accompaniment,
 
quite
  similar
  to
  the
  utilized
  in
  previous
  sections
 
of
 the
 piece.
 
 
The
  two
  most
  noticeable
  changes
  that
  occur
  at
 
this
  point
  are
  the
  orchestration
  changes
  (the
 
violins,
  woodwinds
  and
  horn
  play
  the
  leading
 
melody)
 and
 the
 meter
 change,
 from
 a
 binary
 to
 
a
 ternary
 feeling.
 
The
 theme
 can
 be
 heard
 starting
 from
 the
 point
 
in
 which
 Hiccup
 says
 “I
 need
 to
 make
 my
 mark”,
 
and
  it’s
  light
  orchestration
  resembles
  the
  sound
 
of
  those
  old
  cartoons,
  where
  one
  character
  is
 
trying
 to
 sneak
 around
 a
 forest.
 
The
  character
  of
  the
  music
  changes
  drastically
 
at
 00:03:22,
 where
 it
 becomes
 a
 clear
 tribute
 to
 
the
 music
 utilized
 in
 Westerns.
 
At
  this
  point,
  the
  theme
  is
  presented
  in
  such
  a
 
way
  that
  it
  sounds
  epic
  and
  dreamy
  at
  the
  same
 
time,
  pointing
  out
  the
  fact
  that
  Hiccup
  yearns
  to
 
fight
  a
  dragon,
  but
  it
  is
  impossible
  at
  the
  same
 
time.
 


 

 

 
Cue
 2:
 Dragon
 Battle
 
 
00:04:04
 –
 00:05:50
 

 
This
 second
 cue
 can
 be
 divided
 in
 two
 main
 sections:
 from
 00:04:04
 to
 00:05:07
 
and
  from
  00:05:08
  until
  the
  end
  of
  the
  cue.
  The
  first
  of
  these
  sections,
  widely
 
characterized
 by
 the
 use
 of
 the
 theme
 EVIL
  DRAGONS,
 work
 as
 a
 description
 of
 
what
  is
  going
  on
  in
  the
  picture,
  accompanying
  and
  putting
  the
  mood
  to
  the
 
moment,
  without
  being
  too
  intrusive.
  It
  basically
  works
  as
  a
  description
  of
  the
 
environment
 at
 that
 point
 of
 the
 movie.
 
On
  the
  other
  hand,
  the
  second
  section
  has
  a
  more
  psychological
  approach,
 
serving
 to
 represent
 the
 mood
 of
 Hiccup.
 
The
 beginning
 of
 the
 cue
 is
 synced
 with
 the
 moment
 in
 which
 Hiccup
 leaves
 the
 
sword
  mid-­‐air
  to
  fall
  over
  the
  whetsone.
  The
  music
  is
  based
  mostly
  in
  two
 
themes:
 EVIL
 DRAGONS
 and
 FIGHTING
 DRAGONS.
 

 
This
 cue
 is
 full
 of
 soft
 sync
 points,
 where
 some
 actions
 take
 place
 in
 time
 with
 the
 
musical
 tempo
 being
 the
 following
 the
 most
 noticeable:
 
 

 
-­‐00:04:14
 
 the
 bite
 of
 the
 dragon.
 
-­‐00:04:20
 
 the
 door
 breaking.
 
-­‐00:04:31
 
 the
 dragon
 being
 hit
 but
 the
 boulder.
 
-­‐00:04:34
 
 the
 off-­‐screen
 explosion.
 
-­‐00:04:40
 
 the
 appearance
 of
 the
 head
 of
 the
 dragon
 through
 the
 flames.
 
-­‐00:04:44
 
 the
 hit
 on
 the
 head
 of
 the
 dragon.
 
-­‐00:04:47
 
 the
 movement
 of
 the
 eyes
 of
 the
 dragon.
 

-­‐00:04:48
 
 the
 movement
 of
 the
 dragon
 (jumping
 off
 the
 screen).
 
-­‐00:05:39
 the
 opening
 of
 the
 catapult-­‐box.
 
-­‐00:05:22
 
 the
 movement
 of
 Hiccup
 through
 the
 crowd
 is
 on
 sync
 the
 music.
 This
 
fact
 is
 enhanced
 with
 the
 cymbal.
 Another
 interpretation
 for
 this
 would
 be
 that
 
the
  instrument
  is
  used
  to
  cover
  a
  tempo
  change
  of
  an
  edit
  at
  that
  point
  (even
 
when
 none
 of
 them
 are
 really
 noticeable),
 or
 maybe
 it
 is
 just
 used
 to
 emphasize
 
the
 change
 of
 musical
 material
 (introducing
 the
 FIGHTING
 DRAGONS
 theme).
 

 
The
 list
 of
 themes
 utilized
 in
 this
 cue
 is
 the
 following:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
Evil
 Dragons
 
00:04:12
  The
  theme
  starts
  sounding
  after
  a
  brief
 
introduction
  by
  the
  low
  brass
  and
  percussion.
  It
 
is
  characterized
  by
  having
  the
  melody
  in
  the
 
brass
  and
  being
  constantly
  accelerating.
  All
  this
 
is
  done
  over
  an
  almost
  unalterable
  continuous,
 
characterized
 by
 the
 use
 of
 brass
 and
 percussion,
 
specially
 the
 Anvils.
 
Evil
 Dragons
 
00:04:40
  This
  is
  pretty
  much
  a
  repetition
  of
  the
  previous
 
section
  of
  the
  cue,
  with
  some
  variations:
  on
  this
 
occasion,
  the
  melody
  sounds
  slightly
  lighter
  and
 
appears
  accompanied
  by
  some
  basic
 
counterpoint
 in
 the
 strings.
 
Fighting
 Dragons
  00:05:07
  The
 theme,
 which
 has
 an
 inherent
 heroic
 feeling,
 
starts
  sounding
  just
  after
  Hiccup
  mentions
  that
 
he
  will
  be
  the
  first
  person
  to
  hunt
  a
  Night
  Fury.
 
This
 makes
 us
 believe
 that
 the
 music
 at
 this
 point
 
stops
 describing
 what
 is
 happening
 in
 the
 village
 
and
 focuses
 on
 what
 happens
 inside
 the
 mind
 of
 
Hiccup,
  thus
  the
  heroic
  mood
  despite
  the
  fact
 
that
  the
  whole
  village
  is
  being
  destroyed
  by
  the
 
attack
 of
 the
 dragons.
 
Instrumentation-­‐wise,
  probably
  the
  most
 
noticeable
  aspects
  are
  the
  fact
  that
  the
  Anvils
 
stop
  sounding
  and
  the
  cease
  of
  the
  use
  of
 
counterpoint
 in
 the
 melody.
 
Evil
 Dragons
 
00:05:22
  At
  this
  point,
  the
  music
  is
  still
  focusing
  on
 
Hiccup’s
  mood
  but,
  at
  the
  same
  time,
  starts
 
describing
  once
  more
  what
  is
  going
  on
  in
  the
 
village.
  That’s
  why,
  despite
  using
  the
  EVIL
 
DRAGONS
  theme,
  it
  sounds
  triumphal,
  instead
  of
 
menacing.
  This
  done
  by
  changing
  the
  harmony
 
and
 putting
 the
 melody
 in
 a
 higher
 register
 than
 
previously.
 

 

 

 

 
Cue
 3:
 Did
 Anybody
 See
 That?
 
 

00:06:07
 –
 00:07:06
 

 
This
  cue
  works
  as
  a
  closure
  of
  the
  whole
  introduction
  and
  dragons’-­‐attack
 
episode.
 
  It
  keeps
  the
  tension
  going
  until
  the
  end
  and
  finishes
  quite
  abruptly
 
when
 the
 torch
 falls
 at
 00:06:57.
 
Musically-­‐wise,
 probably
 the
 most
 remarkable
 thing
 is
 the
 fact
 that,
 for
 the
 first
 
time
  in
  the
  whole
  soundtrack,
  we
  can
  clearly
  hear
  electronic
  sounds
  (at
  the
  very
 
beginning
  of
  the
  cue,
  mixed
  with
  acoustic
  instruments).
  Apart
  from
  that
 
peculiarity,
  the
  instrumentation
  of
  the
  Cue
  is
  not
  far
  from
  the
  used
  in
  the
 
previous
 2
 Cues.
 

 
This
 cue
 has
 several
 sync
 points,
 despite
 some
 of
 them
 being
 hard
 to
 notice:
 

 
-­‐00:06:07
  the
  harp
  creates
  a
  soft
  sync
  point
  with
  the
  movement
  of
  the
  eyes
  of
 
Hiccup
 while,
 at
 the
 same
 time,
 makes
 the
 camera
 cut
 feel
 less
 abrupt.
 
-­‐00:06:30
  the
  Bass
  Drum
  is
  synced
  with
  the
  movement
  of
  Hiccup,
  when
  he
  hides
 
behind
 the
 torch.
 
-­‐00:06:33
  the
  movement
  of
  Hiccup’s
  head
  is
  in
  sync
  with
  the
  music
  and
 
emphasized
 with
 the
 cymbals.
 
-­‐00:06:39
  there
  is
  a
  strong
  sync
  point
  when
  Stoick’s
  feet
  land
  on
  the
  earth
  and
 
the
 theme
 DRAGONS!
 start
 sounding.
 This
 is
 further
 accented
 by
 the
 cymbal
 that
 
can
 be
 heard
 at
 this
 same
 point.
 
-­‐00:06:56
 the
 percussion
 at
 the
 end
 follows
 the
 movement
 of
 the
 falling
 torch.
 

 

 
This
 cue
 utilizes
 several
 themes,
 even
 when
 all
 of
 them
 appear
 slightly
 of
 heavily
 
modified.
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
HICCUP
 
00:06:11
  This
 theme
 appears
 briefly
 (around
 4
 seconds)
 
at
  the
  beginning
  of
  the
  cue.
  It
  sounds
  as
  a
 
fanfare,
  with
  the
  melody
  in
  the
  trumpets,
  the
 
snare
 drum
 and
 all
 of
 that
 layered
 over
 runs
 in
 
the
 accompanying
 piccolo
 flute.
 At
 this
 point
 ,
 
this
  theme
  is
  used
  to
  emphasize
  the
  triumph
 
and
  happiness
  of
  Hiccup,
  after
  successfully
 
downing
  the
  Night
  Fury
  (even
  when
  this
 
happy
  moment
  is
  soon
  interrupted
  by
  the
 
appearance
 of
 the
 Monstrous
 Nightmare).
 
WARRIORS
 
00:06:20
  Despite
  the
  shouts
  from
  Hiccup
  and
  all
  the
 
sound
  effects
  that
  are
  being
  used,
  if
  we
  listen
 
carefully
  we
  notice
  that
  the
  theme
 
WARRIORS,
  with
  its
  characteristic
  low
  brass
 
and
  choir,
  is
  sounding
  underneath
  the
  whole
 
action
  that
  is
  happening.
  This
  might
  be
 
considered
  as
  some
  sort
  of
  joke,
  since
  Hiccup
 
is
  running
  for
  his
  life,
  instead
  of
  fighting
  the
 
dragon.
 
STOICK
 THE
 VAST
  00:06:33
  This
  theme
  is
  briefly
  presented
  (quite
 

DRAGONS!
 

00:06:39
 

modified)
  seconds
  before
  the
  appearance
  of
 
Stoick
  to
  face
  the
  dragon.
  At
  this
  point,
  the
 
music
  is
  anticipating
  what
  is
  going
  to
  happen
 
in
 the
 picture
 but
 is
 not
 really
 a
 great
 spoiler,
 
since
  the
  theme
  is
  modified
  to
  make
  it
  sound
 
menacing,
  which
  could
  perfectly
  fool
  the
 
audience,
 making
 them
 think
 that
 the
 music
 is
 
representing
  the
  intentions
  on
  the
  Monstrous
 
Nightmare,
  instead
  of
  the
  movement
  off-­‐
screen
 of
 Stoick
 to
 defend
 his
 son.
 
Despite
  the
  fact
  that
  the
  theme
  DRAGONS!
  is
 
the
  one
  that
  is
  being
  played
  at
  this
  point,
  the
 
orchestration
  utilized
  is
  closer
  to
  the
  one
 
originally
  used
  in
  WARRIORS.
  This
  might
  be
 
considered
  as
  some
  sort
  of
  fusion
  between
 
both
 themes.
 Another
 remarkable
 aspect
 is
 the
 
fact
  that
  the
  theme
  is
  played
  slightly
  faster
 
than
 on
 its
 previous
 appearances.
 


 

 
Cue
 4:
 War
 Room
 
 
00:08:55
 –
 00:09:31
 

 
The
  whole
  cue
  is
  basically
  a
  modified
  (softer
  and
  slowed
  down)
  version
  of
  the
 
theme
  WARRIORS.
 
  That
  said,
  the
  cue
  works
  mainly
  as
  a
  background
  sound,
 
setting
 an
 after-­‐the-­‐battle
 mood,
 but
 without
 any
 major
 role.
 Even
 so,
 there
 are
 
some
 elements
 that
 are
 synced:
 

 
-­‐00:09:00
 the
 change
 of
 the
 music
 from
 a
 minor,
 almost
 nostalgic,
 horn
 line
 to
 a
 
happier
  woodwind
  melody
  is
  following
  the
  movement
  of
  Hiccus
  through
  the
 
house
 and
 his
 immediate
 escapade.
 
-­‐00:09:04
 the
 percussion
 enhances
 the
 cut
 of
 the
 camera
 while
 helping
 to
 cover
 
the
 change
 of
 mood
 of
 the
 music.
 
 
-­‐00:09:31
  the
  tension
  that
  has
  been
  created
  by
  the
  underscore
  below
  the
  speech
 
of
 Stoick,
 drives
 to
 the
 point
 in
 which
 all
 the
 Vikings
 rise
 their
 hands.
 

 

 

 
Cue
 5:
 The
 Downed
 Dragon
 (in
 the
 movie,
 the
 cue
 starts
 around
 its
 50th
 second)
 
00:10:48
 –
 00:14:09
 

 
This
 cue
 appears
 as
 “The
 Downed
 Dragon”
 in
 the
 soundtrack
 and
 as
 “Out
 there”
 
in
  the
  expanded
  score
  Album,
  but,
  in
  both
  cases,
  there
  is
  around
  50
  seconds
  at
 
the
 beginning
 that
 are
 missing
 in
 the
 movie.3
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3
 This
 makes
 us
 think
 that
 we
 are
 facing
 a
 last-­‐minute
 change,
 where
 the
 
producer
 or
 the
 director
 decided
 that
 the
 fragment
 of
 the
 movie
 from
 00:09:31
 
to
 00:10:48
 didn’t
 need
 music.
 

 

The
 cue
 is
 full
 of
 elements
 that
 could
 be
 considered
 as
 almost
 a
 tribute
 to
 Hans
 
Zimmer
 and
 the
 time
 that
 John
 Powell
 spent
 working
 with
 him.
 The
 low
 brass
 +
 
percussion
 +
 electronics
 (00:11:36),
 the
 string
 ostinato
 (00:12:43)
 and
 the
 use
 of
 
an
  electric
  guitar
  mixed
  with
  orchestral
  instruments
  (00:13:54)
  are
  some
 
techniques
 often
 associated
 with
 Zimmer’s
 style.
 
In
 any
 case,
 this
 cue
 (especially
 it’s
 ending)
 has
 a
 very
 distinctive
 tone
 that
 makes
 
it
 stand
 out
 over
 the
 rest
 of
 the
 soundtrack.4
 

 
Sync
 Points:
 
-­‐00:11:36
 when
 the
 trail
 of
 the
 downed
 Nigh
 Fury
 appears
 on
 camera.
 
-­‐00:11:51
  the
  music
  emphasizes
  the
  moment
  when
  Hiccup
  hides
  after
  seeing
  the
 
dragon
 instead
 of
 remarking
 the
 moment
 in
 which
 he
 actually
 see
 it.
 This
 might
 
have
 been
 done
 to
 not
 to
 anticipate
 Hiccup’s
 reaction
 to
 the
 audience.
 
-­‐00:11:55
 the
 music
 follows
 the
 movement
 of
 Hiccups
 head,
 making
 it
 a
 soft
 sync.
 
-­‐00:11:58
 the
 bass
 pad/drone
 appears
 following
 the
 movement
 of
 the
 camera,
 as
 
soon
 as
 the
 dragon
 is
 visible.
 Once
 again,
 this
 could
 be
 considered
 as
 some
 sort
 of
 
soft
 sync.
 
-­‐00:12:08
  the
  bass
  drum
  and
  the
  harp
  are
  synced
  with
  the
  moment
  in
  which
 
Hiccup
 lands.
 The
 descending
 arpeggio
 in
 the
 harp
 might
 be
 understood
 as
 a
 way
 
to
 emphasize
 the
 movement
 of
 Hiccup.
 
-­‐00:12:14
 the
 sync
 here
 appears
 when
 the
 whole
 dragon
 is
 on
 camera,
 the
 rock
 
(lower
  right
  corner)
  disappears
  and
  the
  camera
  movement
  starts
  lowering
 
down.
 
-­‐00:12:24
 this
 sync
 point
 is,
 at
 least,
 strange.
 The
 most
 logic
 point
 to
 put
 it
 would
 
have
  been
  at
  00:12:23
  (when
  the
  dragon
  moves
  its
  paw),
  and,
  since
  the
  music
 
“stinger”
  is
  predominantly
  high-­‐pitched,
  it
  shouldn’t
  clash
  with
  the
  low-­‐
frequency
 sound
 effects
 that
 are
 being
 used
 at
 that
 point.
 Even
 so,
 the
 composer
 
decided
 to
 emphasize
 the
 moment
 in
 which
 Hiccup
 hit
 the
 rock
 instead.5
 
-­‐00:12:36
  the
  cymbal
  follows
  the
  movement
  of
  the
  camera
  and
  enhances
  the
 
vision
 of
 the
 open
 eye
 of
 the
 dragon.
 
-­‐00:13:10
 the
 cut
 and
 the
 presentation
 of
 the
 theme
 TOOTHLESS
 are
 synced.
 
-­‐00:13:45
  the
  movement
  of
  the
  dragon’s
  pupil,
  highlighted
  by
  the
  Bartok
 
pizzicatti
 in
 the
 strings,
 restarts
 the
 flow
 of
 the
 music
 which
 had
 briefly
 stopped
 
at
 00:13:44.
 
-­‐00:13:51
  the
  jump
  of
  the
  Night
  Fury
  is
  emphasized
  by
  the
  fast
  run
  in
  the
 
woodwinds,
  leaving
  room
  for
  the
  sound
  effects
  to
  enhance
  the
  collision
  of
 
Hiccup’s
 head
 against
 the
 rock
 at
 00:13:52.6
 
-­‐00:13:54
  the
  cut
  of
  the
  camera
  and
  the
  beginning
  of
  the
  theme
  TOOTHLESS
  are
 
synced,
 once
 more.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4
 Even
 if
 not
 as
 the
 “best”
 cue,
 yes
 as
 one
 of
 the
 most
 unique.
 
5
 It
 Works
 perfectly
 fine,
 but,
 from
 an
 analytic
 point
 of
 view,
 it
 doesn’t
 make
 too
 
much
 sense.
 
6
 This
 is
 a
 procedure
 that
 we
 can
 find
 many
 times
 throughout
 the
 whole
 
soundtrack.
 

The
 list
 of
 themes
 used
 in
 this
 cue
 is
 the
 following:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
HICCUP
 
00:10:48
  The
  melody
  in
  the
  bassoon
  and
  the
 
sustained
  noted
  in
  the
  strings
  give
  to
  this
 
slowed-­‐down
 version
 of
 HICCUP’s
 theme
 a
 
warm
  and
  affective
  color,
  helping
  the
 
audience
  to
  understand
  that
  Stoick
  is
  not
 
just
  a
  fearsome
  warrior,
  but
  also
  a
  father
 
that
 worries
 about
 his
 son.
 
DISCOVERY
 
00:11:03
  This
  theme
  appears
  in
  the
  woodwinds
  and
 
strings,
 
with
 
some
 
light
 
string
 
accompaniment
  in
  the
  form
  of
  sustain
  and
 
pizzicatti
 notes,
 which
 confers
 to
 it
 a
 casual
 
and
 easygoing
 mood.
 
TOOTHLESS
 
00:13:01
  Even
 when
 the
 panting
 and
 growling
 of
 the
 
dragon
  cover
  the
  entry
  point
  of
  the
  theme,
 
we
 can
 still
 perceive
 it.
 The
 said,
 the
 fact
 is
 
that,
  at
  this
  point,
  the
  theme
  is
  used
  as
  a
 
bridge
 y
 the
 strings,
 more
 than
 as
 an
 actual
 
theme.
 
TOOTHLESS
 
00:13:10
  This
  is
  the
  first
  “real”
  appearance
  of
  this
 
theme,
  dramatically
  played
  in
  the
  strings
 
over
  a
  timpani
  roll.
  At
  the
  same
  time,
  the
 
tempo
  accelerates,
  which
  increases
  the
 
tension
 even
 more.
 
BERK
 
00:13:27
  The
 theme
 is
 utilized
 slowed
 down
 a
 lot
 and
 
“minorized”,
  conferring
  an
  almost
  funeral
 
mood
 to
 it
 (as
 if
 all
 Hiccup’s
 dreams
 of
 glory
 
died
 at
 that
 point)
 
TOOTHLESS
 
00:13:54
  As
  a
  contradistinction
 
  to
  the
  previous
 
times,
  this
  time
  around
  the
  theme
  has
 
menacing
  mood
  emphasized
  by
  the
  use
  of
 
an
  electric
  guitar
  combined
  with
  a
  fiddle,
 
both
 of
 them
 layered
 over
 the
 orchestra.
 

 

 
Cue
 6:
 Bread-­‐making
 Vikings
 
00:14:34
 –
 00:14:52
 

 
This
  is
  an
  extremely
  short
  cue
  based
  entirely
  on
  the
  materials
  from
  the
  theme
 
EVIL
  DRAGONS.
  Consists
  on
  a
  single
  musical
  phrase
  (the
  beginning
  of
  the
 
theme)
 orchestrated
 mainly
 with
 strings
 and
 horns,
 with
 some
 sustained
 noted
 
in
  the
  low
  woodwinds
  and
  brass,
  which
  gives
  to
  it
  a
  mood
  that
  could
  be
 
associated
 as
 a
 “memory
 of
 the
 recent
 battle”.7
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7
 Or
 at
 least
 that
 is
 one
 possible
 interpretation
 after
 seeing
 the
 music
 in
 it’s
 
context.
 In
 any
 case,
 the
 music
 is
 most
 likely
 there
 to
 fill
 an
 empty
 space,
 despite
 
all
 the
 possible
 interpretations
 that
 could
 be
 made
 about
 it.
 


 

 
Cue
 7:
 Dragon
 Training
 
 
 
 
 
00:16:12
  –
  00:19:09
 
  (the
  music
  stops
  briefly
  between
  00:18:49
  and
  00:18:57,
 
but
 in
 the
 soundtrack
 everything
 is
 listed
 as
 a
 single
 cue,
 and
 so
 he
 have
 done
 the
 
same
 in
 this
 analysis).
 

 
The
 cue
 is
 divided
 in
 5
 sections,
 each
 one
 representing
 a
 different
 moment
 of
 the
 
training:
 
Entering
  to
  the
  Arena:
  00:16:12
  -­‐
  00:16:41
  this
  section
  is
  characterized
  by
  the
 
slow
  pulse
  of
  the
  music
  and
  glorious
  and
  Celtic
  flavor
  obtained
  by
  using
  choir
 
and
 bagpipes.
 
Hiccup’s
  unhappiness:
  00:16:41
  -­‐
  00:17:08
  this
  section
  works
  as
  background
 
music
  or
  as
  a
  transition.
  The
  instruments
  used
  are
  mainly
  a
  combination
  of
 
strings
 and
 horns.
 
Preparing
  to
  the
  Battle:
  00:17:08
  –
  00:17:36
  this
  section
  is
  a
  basically
  a
 
continuous
  increment
  of
  tension
  obtained
  by
  the
  repetition
  of
  an
  ostinato
  and
 
the
 transposition
 of
 it
 (from
 low
 to
 high
 strings).
 
Surviving!:
 00:17:36
 –
 00:18:49
 this
 section
 is
 orchestrated
 in
 such
 a
 way
 that
 it
 
reminds
 the
 music
 used
 in
 adventure
 movies.8
 
End
 of
 the
 Lesson:
 00:18:57
  –
 00:19:09
 this
 section
 is
 mainly
 compound
 of
 a
 low
 
sustained
 note
 and
 serves
 to
 close
 this
 “episode”
 of
 the
 movie.
 

 

 
-­‐00:16:12
  the
  beginning
  of
  the
  cue
  is
  synced
  with
  the
  movement
  of
  the
  Arena
 
door.
 
-­‐00:16:30
 the
 aerial
 view
 of
 the
 full
 Arena
 is
 emphasized
 with
 the
 cymbals
 and
 
the
 crescendo
 in
 that
 starts
 at
 around
 00:16:17.
 The
 choir
 enhances
 the
 idea
 of
 
“glory”
 that
 represents
 fighting
 in
 the
 Arena
 for
 the
 young
 Vikings.
 
-­‐00:17:40
 the
 dragon
 hitting
 the
 wall
 is
 in
 time
 with
 the
 music.
 
-­‐00:17:47
 the
 music
 is
 synced
 with
 the
 cut.
 There
 is
 also
 a
 change
 in
 the
 music
 at
 
this
 point.
 
-­‐00:18:12
 the
 change
 in
 the
 music
 is
 synced
 with
 the
 cut.
 
-­‐00:18:45
  at
  this
  point
  (where
  Hiccup
  is
  trapped
  between
  the
  dragon
  and
  the
 
rock
 wall)
 we
 can
 listen
 a
 tremolo
 in
 the
 brass.
 This
 might
 be
 there
 to
 represent
 
Hiccup’s
 fear.
 

 
About
 the
 thematic
 materials
 that
 can
 be
 found
 in
 this
 cue:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
FIGHTING
 DRAGONS
  00:16:12
  The
 tempo
 is
 slowed
 down
 in
 comparison
 with
 
previous
  appearances
  of
  the
  theme.
  The
 
orchestration
  is
  also
  quite
  different,
  using
 
mainly
  horns
  and
  choir
  for
  the
  melody
  and
 
adding
 a
 bagpipe
 pedal
 and
 whistles
 a
 little
 bit
 
later.
 All
 these
 elements
 confer
 a
 epic
 (almost
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8
 More
 specifically
 like
 those
 moments
 in
 which
 the
 Hero
 is
 successfully
 escaping
 
from
 a
 trap.
 

glorious)
 yet
 Celtic
 flavor
 to
 it.
 
FIGHTING
 DRAGONS
  00:17:47
  After
  the
  cymbal
  roll,
  the
  music
  starts
  utilizing
 
elements
 from
 the
 theme,
 but
 the
 theme
 itself
 
doesn’t
  appear
  clearly
  until
  00:18:07
  in
  the
 
trumpet.
 
EVIL
 DRAGONS
 
00:17:57
  Here
  happens
  something
  similar
  to
  what
 
happened
  in
  the
  previous
  case:
  the
  musical
 
material
  is
  based
  in
  elements
  from
  EVIL
 
DRAGONS,
 but
 the
 whole
 theme
 itself
 doesn’t
 
appear.
 Compared
 with
 the
 first
 time
 in
 which
 
this
 theme
 was
 presented
 (in
 the
 2nd
 Cue),
 this
 
time
  it
  sounds
  more
  “casual”
  and,
  definitely,
 
less
 wicked.
 
The
  rest
  of
  the
  Cue
  (until
  00:18:49)
  is
  a
  mix
  of
 
elements
 from
 FIGHTING
  DRAGONS
 and
 EVIL
 
DRAGONS.
 
 
EVIL
 DRAGONS
 
00:18:28
  At
  this
  point
  the
  theme
  recovers
  its
  original
 
“evil”
  sound
  but
  the
  tempo
  and
  orchestration
 
remains
 similar
 to
 the
 one
 that
 have
 been
 used
 
until
 this
 point.
 

 

 

 
Cue
 8:
 Wounded
 
 
 (Based
 almost
 entirely
 on
 a
 “faery”
 version
 of
 “Berk”)
 
(00:19:51
 –
 00:21:10)
 

 
The
 most
 interesting
 aspect
 of
 this
 cue
 is
 the
 instrumentation
 and
 how
 it
 changes
 
when
 we
 compare
 it
 with
 previous
 appearances
 of
 the
 materials
 that
 are
 being
 
used
 in
 the
 Cue.
 
The
  female
  voices
  and
  choice
  of
  harmonies,
  combined
  with
  the
  long
  notes
  in
 
strings
  and
  horns
  and
  the
  little
  “sparkles”
  in
  the
  woodwinds
  and
  percussion,
 
confer
 to
 this
 cue
 an
 ancient/exotic,
 almost
 magical,
 taste.
 
Also,
 the
 staticity
 of
 the
 music
 enhances
 the
 idea
 of
 a
 pause
 in
 the
 course
 of
 time,
 
as
 is
 everything
 else
 had
 stopped
 and
 we
 were
 looking
 at
 a
 frozen
 scene.
 

 
This
 cue
 has
 several
 sync
 points,
 although
 some
 of
 them
 are
 quite
 subtle:
 
-­‐00:19:51
 As
 it
 happened
 several
 times
 before,
 the
 music
 is
 nor
 synced
 with
 the
 
strongest
 point
 (the
 dragon),
 but
 with
 a
 softer
 one
 (Hiccup’s
 fall),
 avoid
 a
 clash
 
between
 music
 and
 SFX.
 
-­‐00:20:11
 we
 can
 feel
 a
 soft
 sync
 point
 but
 it
 is
 hard
 to
 tell
 if
 the
 music
 is
 pointing
 
out
 the
 fall
 of
 the
 dragon
 or
 the
 rise
 of
 Hiccup’s
 head.
 
-­‐00:20:33
  when
  Hiccup
  removes
  his
  hand
  from
  the
  notebook
  and
  we
  can
  see
  the
 
sketch
 of
 the
 dragon
 without
 half
 of
 it’s
 tail.
 
-­‐00:02:53
  the
  modulation
  in
  the
  music
  when
  both,
  the
  dragon
  and
  Hiccup,
 
become
  aware
  of
  the
  presence
  of
  the
  other
  one.
  This
  modulation
  appears
 
together
  with
  a
  change
  in
  the
  instrumentation
  which
  serves
  to
  take
  the
  audience
 
away
  from
  the
  “dreamy”
  atmosphere
  that
  was
  established
  by
  the
  first
  part
  of
  the
 
cue.
 

 


 

 
This
 is
 the
 list
 of
 themes
 used
 in
 this
 cue.
 

 
Theme
  Time
 
Description
 
BERK
 
00:20:03
  We
  can
  listen
  to
  it
  in
  the
  choir.
  This
  choice
  of
 
instrumentation
 makes
 it
 sound
 exotic
 and
 magical.
 
BERK
 
00:20:53
  The
  thematic
  materials
  used
  are
  the
  same,
  but
 
reorchestrated
  and
  in
  a
  lower
  tonality,
  making
  it
  sound
 
more
  serious
  and
  solemn,
  in
  comparison
  with
  the
  “faery”
 
taste
 of
 the
 rest
 of
 the
 cue.
 

 

 

 
Cue
 9:
 The
 Dragon
 Book
 
 
 
 
(00:22:18
 –
 00:24:29)
 

 
This
  cue
  feels
  as
  a
  direct
  continuation
  to
  the
  previous
  one,
  musically-­‐wise
 
speaking,
  since
  it
  starts
  with
  the
  same
  thematic
  materials
  and
  with
  a
  (somehow)
 
slightly
 similar
 orchestration.9
 One
 of
 the
 main
 differences
 while
 comparing
 with
 
the
  previous
  cue
  is
  that
  this
  time
  around
  the
  music
  is
  constantly
  evolving
  and
 
increasing
 it’s
 tension,
 while
 in
 the
 previous
 cue
 the
 music
 was
 more
 static.
 

 
This
 cue
 has
 one
 main
 sync
 point
 at
 00:23:22,
 with
 the
 appearance
 of
 the
 Night
 
Fury
 in
 the
 Dragon
 Book:
 
-­‐00:22:57
  after
  the
  thunder,
  the
  musical
  materials
  change
  from
  BERK
  to
  EVIL
 
DRAGONS.
 
-­‐00:23:22
 we
 can
 listen
 to
 a
 wicked
 version
 of
 the
 theme
 TOOTHLESS.
 
-­‐00:23:42
  there
  is
  a
  soft
  sync
  between
  the
  music
  and
  the
  moment
  in
  which
 
Hiccup
 drops
 his
 notebook,
 although
 this
 could
 be
 understood
 as
 a
 preparation
 
for
 the
 cut
 and
 the
 ships’
 scene.
 
-­‐00:24:08
  the
  music
  changes
  from
  the
  more
  “introspective”
  and
  “landscapy”
 
feeling
 to
 an
 almost
 military-­‐march
 sounding
 music.
 
-­‐00:24:28
 here
 we
 found
 one
 case
 in
 which
 the
 music
 and
 the
 sound
 effects
 are
 
hitting
 the
 same
 point
 simultaneously.10
 

 

 
The
 list
 of
 themes
 that
 we
 can
 find
 in
 this
 cue
 is
 the
 following:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
BERK
 
00:22:18
  The
  choice
  of
  instrumentation
  in
  this
  case
 
(harmonics
 in
 the
 violins
 and
 voices
 for
 the
 melody
 
and
  electronics
  +
  orchestra
  as
  accompaniment)
 
make
  this
  cue
  sound
  mysterious
  and
  menacing,
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9
 Understanding
 by
 that,
 that
 the
 music
 is
 orchestrated
 as
 a
 thin
 and
 mysterious
 
melody
 over
 a
 mattress
 of
 sustain
 notes.
 
10
 As
 we
 have
 previously
 seen,
 in
 many
 occasions
 the
 composer
 decides
 to
 avoid
 
a
 clash
 between
 sound
 effects
 and
 music.
 

while
 sounding
 fascinating
 at
 the
 same
 time.
 
EVIL
 DRAGONS
  00:22:57
  The
 theme
 is
 used
 mainly
 as
 a
 continuation
 for
 the
 
cue,
 as
 it
 keeps
 increasing
 the
 tension.
 
TOOTHLESS
 
00:23:22
  This
  time
  around,
  the
  theme
  is
  orchestrated11
 to
 
sound
  wicked
  and
  menacing,
  in
  contrast
  with
  the
 
voice
  if
  Hiccup,
  who
  cannot
  believe
  what
  he
  is
 
reading
 in
 the
 book.
 
WARRIORS
 
00:23:51
  The
  theme
  sounds
  as
  a
  sailors’
  melody,
  while
 
sounding
 sad,
 nostalgic
 and
 Celtic
 at
 the
 same
 time.
 
This
  feeling
  happens
  because
  of
  the
  main
  melodic
 
line
 being
 assigned
 to
 the
 fiddle.
 
 
 

 

 
Cue
 10:
 Focus,
 Hiccup!
 
 
 
 00:24:40
 –
 00:26:35
 

 
We
 can
 find
 the
 following
 sync
 points:
 
-­‐00:24:40
 the
 beginning
 of
 the
 Cue
 is
 not
 exactly
 synced
 with
 the
 picture
 (once
 
more,
  the
  beginning
  of
  the
  music
  is
  slightly
  late
  to
  leave
  room
  for
  the
  sound
 
effects).
 
-­‐00:25:02
 at
 the
 point
 in
 which
 they
 find
 the
 “blind
 spot”
 of
 the
 dragon,
 the
 music
 
suddenly
 stops.
 
-­‐00:25:12
 the
 music
 keeps
 going
 with
 the
 dragonfire.
 
-­‐00:25:17
  at
  the
  point
  in
  which
  Hiccup
  asks
  more
  information
  about
  the
  Night
 
Fury,
  the
  music
  follows
  this
  isolation
  from
  the
  battle,
  pointing
  out
  the
  fact
  that
 
Hiccup
 is
 not
 really
 focused
 (as
 the
 Cue
 name
 mentions).
 
-­‐00:25:26
 the
 movement
 of
 Hiccup
 is
 synced
 with
 the
 cymbal.
 
-­‐00:25:30
  the
  music
  changes
  when
  the
  cut
  shows
  Astrid’s
  face,
  following
  the
 
psychology
 of
 this
 character
 instead
 of
 narrating
 the
 context
 (something
 similar
 
to
 what
 happened
 earlier,
 at
 00:25:17).
 
-­‐00:25:35
  the
  music
  changes
  in
  the
  moment
  in
  which
  the
  dragon
  notices
  Hiccup,
 
going
 back
 to
 use
 the
 music
 to
 describe
 the
 environment.
 
-­‐00:25:56
 once
 more,
 at
 this
 point
 the
 music
 stops
 as
 it
 follows
 Hiccup,
 instead
 of
 
the
 actual
 battle
 with
 the
 dragon.
 
-­‐00:26:16
 the
 music
 movement
 stops
 as
 Astrid
 hits
 the
 dragon.
 

 
List
 of
 themes
 used
 in
 this
 cue
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
EVIL
 DRAGONS
 
00:24:40
  This
  is
  the
  first
  point
  in
  the
  movie
  in
 
+
 
which
  we
  can
  find
  an
  overlap
  of
  two
 
TRAINING
 WITH
 DRAGONS
 
different
 
themes,
 
even
 
when
 
TRAINING
  WITH
  DRAGONS
  could
  be
 
considered
  more
  as
  a
  recurrent
  motif
 
than
 as
 an
 actual
 theme.
 
The
  combination
  of
  percussion
  and
 
short
  notes
  in
  the
  strings
  recreate
  an
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11
 This
 is
 the
 first
 time
 in
 the
 movie
 that
 we
 can
 clearly
 listen
 to
 the
 harpsichord,
 
which
 appear
 combined
 with
 harp,
 brass,
 stings
 and
 percussion.
 

“action
  context”,
  while
  the
  melody
  in
 
the
  brass
  makes
  the
  overall
  result
 
sound
 epic.
 
TRAINING
 WITH
 DRAGONS
  00:25:12
  Here
  the
  theme
  sound
  lighter
  as
  the
 
instrumentation
  changes
  and
  the
  music
 
modulates
 up.
 
WARRIORS
 
00:25:30
  We
  can
  hear
  a
  light
  and
  faster
  version
 
of
  the
  theme
  WARRIORS,
  as
  if
  the
 
music
  was
  sneaking
  around
  (following
 
the
 movement
 of
 the
 characters).
 
FIGHTING
 DRAGONS
 
00:25:47
  We
  can
  briefly
  listen
  this
  theme
  in
  the
 
horns,
  on
  top
  of
  all
  the
  orchestral
 
movement
 that
 is
 taking
 place.
 

 

 
Cue
 11:
 Offering
 
 
(00:26:36
 –
 00:27:21)
 

 
The
 beginning
 of
 this
 Cue
 is
 overlapped
 with
 the
 ending
 of
 the
 previous
 one.
 The
 
whole
 Cue
 is
 done
 as
 an
 “indefinite”
 background,
 as
 the
 audience
 doesn’t
 know
 
exactly
 what
 is
 going
 to
 happen.
 

 
-­‐00:26:55
 we
 find
 a
 soft
 sync
 when
 Hiccup
 takes
 the
 fish.
 
-­‐00:27:03
 there
 is
 another
 soft
 hit,
 as
 the
 Night
 Fury
 appears
 in
 the
 screen.
 
-­‐00:27:10
 the
 music
 changes,
 following
 the
 story
 more
 than
 hitting
 one
 specific
 
point.
 Even
 so
 there
 is
 a
 noticeable
 change.
 

 
The
 themes
 that
 we
 can
 find
 in
 this
 Cue
 are
 the
 following:
 

 
Theme
  Time
 
Description
 
BERK
 
00:26:36
  The
  theme
  appears
  very
  distorted,
  recreating
  an
  (almost)
 
“scary-­‐moviesque”
 context.
 

 

 
Cue
 12:
 
 Forbidden
 Friendship
 
 
 
 
(00:27:52
 –
 00:31:48)
 

 
The
 beginning
 of
 this
 Cue
 is
 quite
 peculiar
 since
 the
 music
 suggests
 a
 hard
 Sync
 
Point
 (which
 in
 this
 case
 would
 be
 the
 bite),
 and
 it
 starts
 instead
 on
 a
 softer
 Sync
 
Point
  (the
  moment
  when
  Toothless
  pulls
  his
  head
  back).
  This
  was
  done
  to
  let
 
room
 for
 the
 sound
 effects
 and
 avoid
 a
 clash
 between
 these
 and
 the
 music.
 

 
This
 cue
 could
 be
 roughly
 explained
 as
 a
 huge
 crescendo
 (build
 over
 an
 ostinato)
 
from
 the
 bite
 at
 00:27:52
 until
 the
 point
 in
 which
 Hiccup
 realizes
 that
 the
 Dragon
 
is
 behind
 him
 (at
 00:31:12).
 From
 there,
 and
 until
 the
 end
 of
 the
 Cue,
 the
 music
 
changes
  drastically
  to
  a
  more
  “faery”
  style,
  which
  serves
  to
  emphasize
  the
 
magical
 moment
 that
 is
 happening
 in
 the
 picture
 while,
 at
 the
 same
 time,
 helps
 
releasing
 all
 the
 tension
 accumulated
 by
 the
 previously
 mentioned
 crescendo.
 

 

The
 sync
 points
 that
 we
 can
 find
 are
 the
 following:
 
-­‐00:27:52
  the
  beginning
  of
  the
  Cue.
  It
  has
  some
  peculiarities,
  as
  mentioned
 
earlier.
 
-­‐00:29:07
  when
  Hiccup
  tries
  to
  touch
  the
  Dragon
  and
  the
  music
  changes
  as
  it
 
does
 the
 dragon’s
 mood.
 
-­‐00:29:25
 the
 harp,
 representing
 the
 idea
 of
 flying
 (and
 traditionally
 associated
 
with
  thinking
  and
  memories
  in
  the
  movies),
  can
  be
  heard
  as
  the
  dragon
  watch
 
the
 bird
 flying,
 sounding
 somehow
 magical
 and
 bittersweet
 at
 the
 same
 time.
 
-­‐00:31:12
 the
 music
 changes
 following
 the
 movement
 of
 Hiccup’s
 shoulders
 as
 he
 
notices
 that
 the
 dragon
 is
 behind
 him.
 

 
Themes
 used:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
TOOTHLESS
 
00:29:01
  We
  can
  hear
  the
  theme
  in
  the
 
vibraphone,
  as
  another
  element
  of
  the
 
huge
 build
 up
 that
 is
 in
 fact
 this
 Cue.
 
FORBIDDEN
 FRIENDSHIP
  00:29:52
  This
  is
  the
  first
  time
  in
  the
  whole
 
(only
 the
 second
 half)
 
soundtrack
  in
  which
  we
  can
  hear
  this
 
theme,
  more
  specifically,
  it
  appears
  in
 
the
 whistle
 at
 this
 point.
 
 
TOOTHLESS
 
00:30:06
  The
  vibes
  play
  the
  theme
  TOOTHLESS,
 
+
 
while
  strings
  and
  female
  voices
  are
 
BERK
 
playing
  the
  theme
  BERK,
  layering
  both
 
themes.
 

 

 
Cue
 13:
 New
 Tail
 
(00:32:53
 –
 00:35:29)
 

 
This
 Cue
 is
 divided
 in
 three
 main
 parts:
 
-­‐The
  first
  part,
  while
  Hiccup
  is
  creating
  the
  new
  tail
  for
  Toothless,
  vastly
 
dominated
 by
 the
 theme
 DISCOVERY.
 
-­‐The
 second
 part,
 less
 defined
 thematically-­‐wise,
 from
 00:33:43.
 
-­‐The
 third
 part
 starts
 at
 00:34:47,
 when
 Toothless
 notices
 the
 new
 tail.
 

 
There
 sync
 points
 that
 we
 find
 in
 this
 Cue
 are
 the
 following:
 
-­‐00:33:07
 the
 end
 of
 the
 pickup
 bar
 of
 the
 theme
 DISCOVERY
 and
 the
 movement
 
of
 the
 book
 in
 the
 picture
 are
 synced.
 
-­‐00:33:55
 the
 music
 is
 following
 the
 movements
 of
 Toothless,
 as
 he
 notices
 the
 
smell
 of
 the
 eel.
 
-­‐00:35:29
 the
 Cue
 ends
 as
 Hiccup
 falls
 into
 the
 water,
 syncing
 the
 splash
 with
 the
 
cymbals.
 

 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
DISCOVERY
 
00:33:06
 
We
  can
  listen
  to
  the
 
theme,
 first
 as
 a
 solo
 line
 
in
  the
  whistle,
  and
 

BERK
 

00:33:47
 


 DRAGONS
 

00:34:49
 

immediately
  after
  that,
 
orchestrated
  with
  a
  full
 
orchestra.
 
The
  theme
  is
  not
 
presented
  literally,
  but
 
the
  entire
  segment
  from
 
00:33:47
  to
  00:34:47
  is
 
based
  on
  materials
  from
 
BERK.
 
We
 can
 heard
 the
 theme,
 
first
  in
  the
  whistle
  and,
 
immediately
  after
  that,
 
fully
 
orchestrated
 
(something
  similar
  to
 
what
  we
  found
  at
  the
 
beginning
  of
  this
  cue
 
with
 
the
 
theme
 
DISCOVERY).
 


 

 
Cue
 14:
 Teamwork
 
(00:35:39
 –
 00:36:14)
 

 
Probably
  the
  most
  interesting
  aspect
  of
  this
  Cue,
  mechanically-­‐wise,
  is
  the
  fact
 
that
 the
 music
 starts
 before
 the
 actual
 scene,
 but
 unlike
 other
 examples,
 this
 time
 
around,
 the
 music
 starts
 with
 energy
 from
 the
 very
 beginning
 (making
 its
 entry
 
point
 feel
 much
 more
 noticeable,
 at
 least
 when
 compared
 with
 other
 cases).
 

 
This
  Cue
  has
  only
  one
  clear
  sync
  point,
  at
  00:36:14,
  when
  they
  throw
  the
  bucket
 
of
 water.
 

 
The
 only
 theme
 that
 can
 be
 heard
 in
 this
 Cue
 is
 the
 following:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
TRAINING
 WITH
 DRAGONS
  00:35:41
 
The
 
theme
 
starts
 
sounding
  at
  this
  point
  in
 
the
 piano
 and
 strings,
 but
 
is
  barely
  audible
  due
  to
 
the
 sound
 effects.
 

 
The
  rest
  of
  the
  Cue
  is
  mostly
  ambience
  music,
  recreating
  the
  sound
  of
  an
 
Amazonian
  jungle, 12
 which
  is
  quite
  far
  from
  the
  sound
  of
  the
  rest
  of
  the
 
Soundtrack,
 making
 it
 a
 risky
 choice.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12
 Or
 at
 least,
 the
 sound
 that
 usually
 is
 associated
 with
 them
 in
 films.
 

Cue
 15:
 Charming
 the
 Zippleback
 
(00:36:57
 –
 00:37:18)
 

 
This
  cue
  is
  very
  similar
  to
  the
  Cue
  Nº9:
  Wounded,
  to
  the
  point
  that
  it
  almost
 
feels
 as
 a
 music
 edit
 of
 the
 same
 materials.
 
There
  aren’t
  many
  thematic
  elements
  used
  in
  this
  brief
  cue,
  which
  (as
 
Wounded)
 is
 made
 over
 a
 variation
 of
 the
 theme
 BERK.
 

 
There
 is
 some
 sort
 of
 soft
 sync
 at
 00:37:01,
 where
 the
 music
 changes,
 following
 
the
 picture
 and
 at
 00:37:14,
 where
 the
 trumpet
 point
 out
 the
 fear
 that
 produces
 
the
 eel
 in
 the
 dragon.
 

 

 
Cue
 16:
 
 See
 you
 Tomorrow
 
(00:37:28
 –
 00:41:11)
 
 

 
The
  cue
  begins
  as
  a
  traditional
  pennywhistle
  Irish
  song
  and
  slowly
  evolves,
 
adding
 materials
 of
 different
 themes
 as
 the
 story
 is
 narrated
 by
 the
 picture.
 

 
The
 sync
 points
 that
 can
 be
 found
 in
 this
 Cue
 are
 the
 following:
 

 
-­‐00:37:48
 the
 music
 follows
 the
 movement
 as
 Hiccup
 raises
 his
 arm,
 provoking
 
his
 fall.
 
-­‐00:38:28
 the
 cut
 and
 the
 cymbals
 are
 synced.
 
-­‐00:38:48
 the
 music
 enhances
 the
 moment
 in
 which
 Hiccup
 finds
 the
 correct
 spot
 
to
 scratch
 and
 the
 dragon
 falls
 asleep.
 
-­‐00:39:05
 the
 music
 stops
 expectantly,
 waiting
 for
 the
 picture
 to
 keep
 narrating
 
the
 story.
 
-­‐00:39:10
  there
  is
  a
  hit
  (done
  by
  sound
  effects)
  immediately
  followed
  by
  the
 
music.
 
-­‐00:39:29
 the
 music
 anticipates
 the
 static
 pose
 of
 Astrid.13
 
-­‐00:40:44
  the
  en
  of
  the
  Cue
  “jumps”
  to
  the
  next
  scene
  of
  the
  story,
  helping
  to
 
understand
 the
 connection
 between
 two
 completely
 different
 scenes.
 

 
This
 cue
 is
 based
 almost
 entirely
 in
 three
 themes:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
TOOTHLESS
 
00:37:39
 
The
 music
 doesn’t
 show
 the
 theme,
 but
 it
 
is
 clearly
 inspired
 by
 it.
 
DISCOVERY
 
00:38:01
 
The
  theme
  starts
  sounding
  as
  Hiccup
 
discover
  the
  fact
  that
  the
  grass
  tame
  the
 
dragons
 and
 make
 them
 playfull.
 
TOOTHLESS
 
00:38:35
 
The
  theme
  appears
  in
  mayor
  mode,
  fast
 
and
 orchestrated
 in
 a
 way
 that
 resembles
 
the
 sound
 of
 marching
 music
 (mainly
 due
 
to
  the
  combination
  of
  high
  woodwinds
 
and
 snare
 drum)
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13
 Or,
 in
 other
 words,
 is
 hitting
 a
 little
 bit
 early.
 

DISCOVERY
 

00:38:53
 

TOOTHLESS
 

00:39:43
 

BERK
 

00:39:47
 

DISCOVERY
 

00:39:57
 

WARRIORS
 

00:40:44
 

The
  theme
  isn’t
  pointing
  out
  anything
 
specifically.
  It
  is
  just
  a
  coherent
 
continuation
  of
  the
  musical
  structure
  of
 
the
 cue.
 
The
 theme
 is
 slowly
 presented,
 first
 shyly
 
in
  the
  harpsichord,
  and
  progressively
  in
 
the
 rest
 of
 the
 strings.
 It
 is
 interesting
 the
 
fact
  that
  it
  is
  presented
  initially
  as
 
melody,
 but
 shortly
 after
 that,
 it
 becomes
 
an
 accompaniment.
 
The
  theme
  appears
  in
  the
  horns,
  layered
 
over
  the
  theme
  TOOTHLES
  (in
  the
 
strings)
 
As
  it
  happened
  earlier
  (at
  00:38:53),
  the
 
theme
  is
  used
  as
  a
  natural
  continuation
  of
 
the
  cue.
  This
  time
  around,
  the
  melody
  is
 
assigned
  to
  the
  string
  section,
  and
 
becomes
  progressively
  thinner,
  to
  the
 
point
 in
 which
 it
 stops
 at
 00:40:26.
 
The
  theme
  appears
  slowed
  down,
  in
  the
 
bassoon,
 over
 a
 mattress
 of
 sustain
 notes
 
in
  the
  strings.
  The
  overall
  combination
 
creates
 a
 feeling
 of
 defeat.
 


 

 

 
Cue
 17:
 Test
 Drive
 
(00:41:41
 –
 00:44:03)
 

 
In
  this
  cue
  we
  can
  hear
  for
  the
  first
  time
  a
  complete
  version
  of
  the
  theme
 
FORBIDDEN
  FRIENDSHIP.
 
  This
  might
  done
  be
  to
  point
  out
  the
  fact
  that
  the
 
relation
  between
  Hiccup
  and
  Toothless
  is
  growing
  as
  they
  are
  becoming
  close
 
friends.
 
The
 overall
 structure
 of
 the
 Cue
 is
 A-­‐B-­‐A’,
 being
 the
 middle
 section
 the
 point
 in
 
which
  Hiccup
  and
  Toothless
  are
  separated
  mid-­‐air
  (and
  the
  music
  changes
 
drastically).
 

 
The
 main
 sync
 points
 that
 we
 find
 in
 this
 cue
 are
 the
 following:
 

 
-­‐00:42:38
 there
 is
 a
 hit
 (slightly
 anticipated
 by
 the
 woodwinds)
 as
 Toothless
 hits
 
the
 rock.
 
-­‐00:42:59
 the
 music
 changes
 as
 Hiccup
 loses
 the
 paper.
 
-­‐00:43:38
  the
  theme
  FORBIDDEN
  FRIENDSHIP
  starts
  sounding
  following
  the
 
movement
 of
 Hiccup’s
 foot.
 

 

 

 

 

 

The
 themes
 used
 in
 this
 cue
 are:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
TOOTHLESS
 
00:41:45
 

BERK
 

00:42:03
 

FORBIDDEN
 FRIENDSHIP
 

00:42:19
 

BERK
 

00:42:42
 

TOOTHLESS
 

00:43:30
 

FORBIDDEN
 FRIENDSHIP
 

00:43:38
 

Description
 
The
 theme
 is
 presented
 in
 the
 bagpipes,
 
which
 combines
 with
 the
 landscape
 and
 
the
  fact
  that
  they
  are
  flying.
  All
  this
  is
 
strong
  enough
  to
  take
  our
  attention
 
away
  from
  the
  cliché
  of
  thinking
  about
 
“Scotland”
 when
 we
 hear
 bagpipes.14
 
The
 theme
 shows
 up
 in
 the
 horns,
 over
 
the
  theme
  TOOTHLESS
  (which
  at
  this
 
point
 is
 being
 used
 as
 a
 continuum).
 
The
  theme
  appears
  complete
  for
  the
 
first
  time
  (as
  the
  friendship
  and
 
connection
  between
  Hiccup
  and
 
Toothless
  is
  consolidated),
  over
  an
 
accompaniment
 that
 is
 made
 as
 a
 result
 
of
 a
 variation
 of
 the
 theme
 TOOTHLESS
 
This
  time,
  the
  theme
  evolves
  slightly
 
(becomes
  slightly
  more
  developed
  by
 
adding
 more
 notes
 to
 it).
 
Once
  more,
  the
  theme
  is
  used
  as
  an
 
accompaniment
 in
 the
 strings
 
This
  time
  the
  orchestration
  is
  more
 
developed
  (there
  is
  much
  more
 
movement,
  turning
  the
  music
  into
  a
 
more
 action-­‐oriented
 Cue).
 


 

 
Cue
 18:
 Not
 So
 Fireproof
 
(00:44:46
 –
 00:45:14)
 

 
This
 short
 cue
 is
 the
 result
 of
 a
 combination
 of
 elements
 from
 two
 different
 cues:
 
-­‐The
  beginning
  is
  a
  strongly
  variated
  version
  of
  EVIL
  DRAGONS
  (sounding
 
definitely
 more
 casual
 and
 playful
 than
 evil)
 
-­‐At
 00:45:00
 we
 listen
 the
 second
 half
 of
 the
 theme
 FORBIDDEN
 FRIENDSHIP.
 

 

 
Cue
 19:
 This
 time
 for
 sure
 
(00:47:37
 –
 00:48:14)
 

 
This
 short
 cue
 is
 almost
 a
 condensed
 version
 of
 the
 second
 half
 of
 the
 first
 cue
 of
 
the
  soundtrack,
  as
  we
  find
  almost
  the
  same
  themes
  and
  the
  orchestration
  is
 
identical
  at
  many
  points.
  In
  fact,
  from
  00:48:03
  until
  the
  end
  of
  the
  cue,
  the
 
instrumentation
 used
 is
 the
 same
 that
 we
 could
 listen
 in
 the
 first
 cue.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14
 The
 reiterate
 repetition
 of
 the
 theme
 with
 slight
 changes
 in
 the
 
instrumentation
 vaguely
 reminds
 the
 orchestration
 of
 the
 main
 theme
 of
 
Chariots
 of
 fire.
 

We
 find
 sync
 at
 three
 points
 in
 this
 Cue:
 

 
-­‐00:47:37
 the
 beginning
 of
 the
 Cue
 is
 synced
 moment
 in
 which
 Stoick
 closes
 the
 
door.
 
-­‐00:47:50
  as
  Astrid
  pulls
  down
  Hiccup’s
  shield,
  the
  music
  also
  “goes
  down”
 
(becomes
 lighter
 both
 in
 dynamics
 and
 orchestration).
 
-­‐00:48:03
  the
  appearance
  of
  the
  theme
  WARRIORS
  is
  synced
  with
  the
 
movement
 of
 Astrid.
 

 
Even
 when
 the
 Cue
 is
 short,
 many
 themes
 are
 being
 used:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
DRAGONS!
 
00:47:45
  The
  orchestration
  is
  quite
  similar
  to
  the
 
one
  utilized
  for
  this
  same
  theme
  in
  the
 
first
 Cue
 of
 the
 soundtrack.
 
FORBIDDEN
 FRIENDSHIP
  00:47:50
  We
  can
  only
  hear
  a
  variated
  version
  of
 
the
 tail
 of
 the
 theme,
 but
 is
 clear
 enough
 
to
 point
 it
 out.
 
DRAGONS!
 
00:47:53
  The
  theme
  appears
  in
  the
  stacatti
  of
  the
 
oboe,
 and
 then,
 progressively,
 in
 the
 rest
 
of
 the
 woodwinds
 and
 orchestra.
 
WARRIORS
 
00:48:03
  -­‐
 
DRAGONS!
 
00:48:10
  -­‐
 

 

 

 
Cue
 20:
 Astrid
 finds
 Toothless
 
(00:49:50
 –
 00:50:21)
 

 
This
  Cue
  is
  a
  combination
  of
  the
  themes
  TOOTHLESS
  (which
  has
  the
  leading
 
role)
  and
  the
  second
  half
  of
  FORBIDDEN
  FRIENDSHIP
  (as
  accompaniment
  at
 
some
  points).
  The
  orchestration
  resembles
  the
  one
  used
  in
  The
  Downed
 
Dragon,
 and
 the
 theme
 TOOTHLESS
 sounds
 menacing
 once
 more
 (at
 least
 at
 the
 
beginning).
  From
  that
  point,
  the
  rest
  of
  the
  Cue
  is
  a
  series
  of
  variations
  of
  the
 
same
 theme.
 

 

 
Cue
 21:
 Astrid
 goes
 for
 a
 Spin
 
(00:51:22
 –
 00:52:00)
 

 
At
 00:51:37
 we
 can
 listen
 one
 of
 the
 melodies
 that
 were
 used
 in
 the
 Cue
 See
 you
 
Tomorrow. 15
 Apart
  from
  that,
  the
  Cue
  is
  mainly
  built
  using
  the
  theme
 
DRAGONS!,
 which
 we
 can
 listen
 at
 00:50:22
 and
 00:51:50.
 

 
The
 only
 sync
 point
 that
 is
 being
 used
 is
 found
 at
 00:51:37,
 when
 the
 previously
 
mentioned
 melody
 “emerges”
 as
 they
 emerge
 from
 the
 water.
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15
 It
 hasn`t
 been
 classified
 as
 a
 theme
 because
 it
 only
 appears
 in
 these
 two
 points.
 

Cue
 22:
 Romantic
 Flight
 
(00:52:02
 –
 00:53:48)
 

 
This
 Cue
 is
 made
 with
 a
 lot
 of
 musicality,
 without
 following
 frame-­‐by-­‐frame
 what
 
is
 going
 on
 in
 the
 picture
 (which
 means
 that
 there
 are
 not
 too
 many
 sync
 points),
 
but,
 even
 so,
 it
 works
 beautifully.
 
The
 structure
 of
 the
 Cue
 could
 be
 roughly
 explained
 as
 a
 continuous
 build
 up
 and
 
then
 a
 tail
 to
 release
 the
 tension.
 

 
We
 find
 two
 sync
 points:
 
-­‐00:50:50
 there
 is
 a
 soft
 sync
 ad
 the
 theme
 TOOTHLESS
 appears,
 following
 the
 
movement
 of
 the
 camera.
 
-­‐00:52:57
 the
 cut
 is
 synced
 with
 the
 cymbals.
 

 
About
 the
 themes
 used,
 they
 are
 the
 following:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
LOVE
 THEME
 
00:52:02
  The
 theme
 is
 presented
 isolated,
 as
 a
 solo
 
line
  on
  the
  violin,
  and
  is
  progressively
 
coated
 by
 the
 harmony
 
LOVE
 THEME
 
00:52:23
  This
  time,
  the
  theme
  appears
  in
  the
 
Horns,
  but
  it
  is
  played
  soft
  and
  carefully,
 
over
 a
 light
 accompaniment.
 
TOOTHLESS
 
00:52:50
  The
  theme
  appears
  adapted
  to
  the
 
romantic
  context,
  with
  variated
  rhythms
 
and
  with
  a
  lovely-­‐major
  melody
  that
 
hardly
 reminds
 the
 first
 appearance
 of
 the
 
theme.
 
LOVE
 THEME
 
00:53:10
  At
  this
  point
  the
  Cue
  reaches
  it’s
  thickest
 
orchestration,
 it’s
 climax,
 so
 to
 call
 it.
 The
 
whole
  orchestra
  is
  playing,
  making
  it
 
sound
 thick
 and
 glorious.
 

 

 
Cue
 23:
 Dragon’s
 Den
 
(00:55:4716
 –
 00:56:19)
 

 
This
  Cue
  is
  quite
  different
  from
  previous
  Cues.
  Here
  the
  composer
  opted
  for
  a
 
textural
  approach,
  but
  using
  primarily
  orchestral
  instruments
  and
  little-­‐to-­‐no
 
electronic
 sounds.
 

 
 
Even
  when
  this
  is
  primarily
  a
  textural
  Cue,
  the
  number
  of
  sync
  points
  that
  we
 
find
 is
 smaller
 than
 what
 we
 could
 think.
 
-­‐00:55:27
 the
 cymbals
 and
 the
 movement
 of
 the
 wings
 of
 Toothless
 are
 synced.
 
-­‐00:56:10
 the
 appearance
 of
 theme
 EVIL
 DRAGONS
 is
 synced
 with
 the
 bite.
 
-­‐00:56:19
 the
 ending
 of
 the
 Cue
 is
 synced
 with
 the
 cut.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16
 The
 beginning
 of
 this
 Cue
 is
 really
 hard
 to
 perceive,
 because
 of
 all
 the
 sound
 
effects
 that
 are
 being
 played
 at
 the
 same
 time
 

We
 find
 the
 following
 themes
 as
 well:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
EVIL
 DRAGONS
  00:55:09
  The
  theme
  appears
  slowed
  down
  and
  with
  it’s
 
rhythm
  and
  harmony
  changed,
  but
  is
  still
 
recognizable.
  It
  sounds
  imposing
  and
  astounding
 
thanks
 to
 the
 slow
 tempo
 and
 the
 instrumentation.
 
BERK
 
00:55:35
  The
  theme
  appears
  shyly
  with
  some
  variations
  in
 
the
 melody.
 
EVIL
 DRAGONS
  00:56:10
  The
 theme
 is
 used
 primarily
 as
 a
 Coda,
 the
 close
 this
 
chapter
 of
 the
 story.
 

 

 

 
Cue
 24:
 The
 Cove
 
(00:56:30
 –
 00:57:27)
 

 

 
This
 short
 as
 smooth
 Cue
 is
 based
 entirely
 on
 materials
 from
 two
 themes.
 There
 
aren’t
  noticeable
  sync
  points,
  even
  when
  there
  is
  a
  change
  in
  the
  music
  as
  the
 
context
  changes
  (at
  00:56:58).
  Apart
  from
  that,
  the
  Cue
  is
  just
  a
  simple
  and
 
beautiful
 peace
 that
 works
 as
 a
 “calm
 in
 the
 middle
 of
 the
 storm”
 kind
 of
 Cue.
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
BERK
 
00:56:30
  The
  theme
  is
  used
  with
  truncated
  rhythm
  and
  light
 
orchestration.
  The
  overall
  context
  creates
  an
 
atmosphere
 that
 suggests
 “plotting”
 or
 
 “sneaking”,
 as
 
if
 something
 not
 fully
 legal
 was
 being
 done.
 
LOVE
 THEME
  00:56:58
  The
  theme
  starts
  sounding
  as
  Astrid
  notices
  that
 
Hiccup
  is
  speaking
  seriously
  and
  she
  discovers
  her
 
feelings
  for
  him.
  The
  theme
  sounds
  intimate
  an
  also
 
has
  some
  nostalgia
  feeling,
  as
  if
  the
  music
  was
 
reviving
 stories
 from
 the
 past.
 

 

 
Cue
 25:
 The
 Kill
 Ring
 
(00:58:03
 –
 01:02:18)
 

 
This
 Cue
 is
 heavily
 inspired
 in
 the
 music
 from
 action/war
 movies
 as
 it
 combines
 
epic
  elements
  with
  textural/rhythmic
  elements.
  That
  said,
  it
  doesn’t
  have
  too
 
many
 sync
 points
 for
 a
 Cue
 of
 its
 nature:
 

 
-­‐00:58:43
 there
 is
 some
 sort
 of
 soft
 syncing
 at
 this
 point,
 as
 Hiccup
 enters
 in
 the
 
Arena.
 
-­‐00:59:14
 the
 point
 in
 which
 the
 doors
 are
 broken
 are
 enhanced
 by
 the
 cymbals.
 
-­‐00:59:54
 the
 music
 stops
 as
 Hiccup
 throws
 his
 helmet.
 

-­‐01:00:27
 the
 theme
 EVIL
  DRAGONS
 start
 sounding.
 It
 is
 worth
 saying
 that
 the
 
theme
  is
  following
  the
  actions
  that
  are
  taking
  place
  off-­‐screen
  at
  this
  point,
 
making
 it
 an
 interesting
 choice.17
 
-­‐01:01:49
 the
 music
 stops
 as
 Toothless
 stops
 when
 Hiccup
 shouts.
 

 
The
 theme
 that
 can
 be
 found
 through
 this
 Cue
 are
 the
 following:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
HICCUP
 
00:58:09
  The
 slow
 “path-­‐ed”
 melody
 in
 the
 horns,
 
the
  light
  accompaniment
  and
  the
 
reharmonization
  of
  the
  theme
  make
  it
 
sound
  Epic,
  resembling
  the
  sound
  of
 
some
  Cues
  traditionally
  found
  in
  the
 
American
 war-­‐movies.
 
BERK
 
00:58:43
  The
  theme
  doesn’t
  appear
  in
  its
  full
 
“natural”
 form,
 but
 this
 passage
 is
 clearly
 
based
 on
 materials
 from
 BERK,
 although
 
heavily
 distorted
 at
 some
 points.
 
-­‐
 

 
We
  cannot
  find
  any
  recognizable
  theme
 
in
 this
 passage.
 That
 said,
 there
 are
 some
 
elements
 with
 theme-­‐like
 characteristics
 
(for
  example
  at
  01:00:04
  the
  melody
  in
 
the
 trumpet
 or
 at
 01:00:17
 the
 melody
 in
 
the
 strings).
 
The
  whole
  passage
  has
  primarily
  a
 
textural
  function
  and
  is
  steadily
 
modulating
 the
 level
 of
 tension.
 
EVIL
 DRAGONS
 
01:00:27
  The
  theme
  appears
  briefly,
  as
  Toothless
 
is
  trying
  to
  scape
  from
  the
  hole
  to
  help
 
Hiccup.
 
TOOTHLESS
 
01:00:38
  The
  theme
  appears
  heavily
  distorted
  in
 
the
  strings,
  modulating
  every
  4
  notes,
 
oozing
 anxiety,
 as
 Toothless
 runs
 to
 save
 
his
 friend.
 
FORBIDDEN
 FRIENDSHIP
  01:01:14
  The
  theme
  can
  be
  hard
  split
  between
  the
 
instruments
  of
  the
  orchestra
  (first
  in
 
woodwinds
 and
 strings,
 and
 after
 that
 in
 
the
 horns
 and
 glockenspiel).
 
TOOTHLESS
 
01:01:51
  The
  theme
  sounds
  dramatic
  and
  sad,
 
with
  an
  orchestration
  that
  somehow
 
reminds
  the
  first
  appearance
  of
  the
 
theme
 in
 the
 5th
 Cue.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17
 An
 alternative
 could
 have
 been
 using
 an
 anxious
 version
 of
 the
 theme
 
TOOTHLESS,
 but
 the
 composer
 saved
 that
 for
 later.
 

Cue
 26:
 You’re
 Not
 a
 Viking
 
(01:02:54
 –
 01:03:45)
 

 
This
  Cue,
  as
  the
  5th
  one
  “The
 Downed
 Dragon”,
  has
  it’s
  beginning
  cut.
  When
  we
 
compare
  the
  soundtrack
  and
  the
  movie
  we
  find
  that
  the
  Cue
  starts
  from
  the
 
second
 35,
 with
 all
 the
 beginning
 (based
 on
 the
 theme
 EVIL
 DRAGONS)
 removed
 
from
 the
 final
 cut.
 

 
The
 cue
 has
 the
 following
 sync
 points:
 

 
-­‐01:02:54
 as
 Stoick
 turns,
 the
 music
 starts.
 
-­‐01:03:21
 the
 music
 changes
 from
 the
 continuum
 to
 a
 more
 dramatic
 section,
 as
 
Stoick
 pushes
 Hiccup
 back.
 
-­‐01:03:41
  the
  melody
  here
  is
  felt
  synced
  with
  the
  moment
  where
  Stoick
  raises
 
his
 head
 and
 shows
 how
 affected
 he
 really
 is.
 

 
Apart
  from
  the
  previously
  mentioned
  EVIL
  DRAGONS,
  there
  are
  some
  other
 
themes
 used
 in
 this
 Cue:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
TOOTHLESS
 
01:02:54
  The
  theme
  starts
  sounding
  in
  the
  harp
 
and
  harpsichord,
  and
  it
  is
  used
  as
  a
 
continuum
  as
  the
  harmony
  modulates
 
several
  steps
  lower,
  which
  helps
  to
 
increase
 the
 tension
 
WARRIORS
 
01:03:31
  The
  choices
  of
  orchestration,
  harmony
 
and
  rhythm
  here
  are
  very
  similar
  to
  the
 
ones
  that
  we
  found
  at
  the
  end
  of
  the
  9th
 
Cue
 “The
 Dragon
 Book”
 and
 at
 the
 end
 of
 
the
  16th
  “See
  you
  Tomorrow”,
  as
  if
  this
 
moment
 were
 a
 combination
 of
 both;
 with
 
a
 mix
 of
 feelings
 of
 defeat
 and
 fear.
 

 

 

 
Cue
 27:
 Ready
 the
 Ships
 
(01:03:45
 –
 01:05:05)
 &
 (01:05:57
 –
 01:08:11)
 
In
  the
  movie
  this
  Cue
  appears
  split
  in
  two
  halves
  as
  the
  part
  from
  01:05:05
  to
 
01:05:57
 has
 been
 removed
 from
 the
 final
 cut.
 There
 is
 also
 a
 section
 removed
 
from
 the
 end
 of
 the
 cue.18
 

 
Probably
  the
  most
  interesting
  aspect
  of
  this
  Cue,
  apart
  from
  how
  beautiful
  the
 
music
 is
 at
 this
 point,
 is
 the
 orchestration.
 Is
 especially
 interesting
 to
 see
 how
 the
 
composer
  managed
  to
  blend
  the
  sound
  of
  the
  bagpipes
  and
  voices
  into
  the
 
orchestra,
 obtaining
 an
 epic,
 yet
 dramatic
 and
 cohesive
 sound.
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18
 Although
 it
 is
 hard
 to
 tell,
 since
 the
 sound
 effects
 cover
 completely
 the
 music
 at
 
this
 point.
 

Besides
  it’s
  beginning,
  there
  aren’t
  noticeable
  sync
  points
  in
  this
  Cue
  until
  the
 
second
 half:
 

 
-­‐01:07:10
  as
  Stoick
  asks
  for
  silence,
  the
  music
  stops,
  being
  coherent
  with
  the
 
context.
 
-­‐01:07:21
 the
 movement
 of
 Toothless’
 head
 and
 the
 beginning
 of
 the
 theme
 EVIL
 
DRAGONS
 are
 synced.
 
-­‐01:07:28
 the
 cymbal
 anticipates
 and
 follows
 the
 movement
 of
 Toothless’
 head.
 
-­‐01:07:58
 the
 music
 (the
 muted
 trumpet
 to
 be
 more
 precise)
 is
 synced
 with
 the
 
cut,
 as
 the
 context
 changes.
 

 
About
 thematic
 material,
 this
 is
 what
 we
 can
 find
 in
 this
 Cue:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
 
Description
 
WARRIORS
 
01:03:50
  The
  theme
  is
  used
  with
  a
  slow
  tempo,
 
making
 it
 sound
 glorious
 and
 menacing
 
at
 the
 same
 time.
 Somehow,
 it
 reminds
 
the
  orchestration
  from
  the
  beginning
  of
 
the
 2nd
 Cue,
 as
 if
 the
 “Evil”
 ones
 are
 now
 
the
 “Warriors”19
 instead
 of
 the
 dragons.
 
FORBIDDEN
 FRIENDSHIP
  01:04:18
  The
  theme
  is
  reharmonized,
  making
  it
 
sound
  beautifully
  sad
  and
  epic,
 
reflecting
 the
 suffering
 of
 Toothless
 and
 
Hiccup,
  who
  is
  watching
  helplessly.
  The
 
choice
  of
  a
  combination
  of
  strings
  and
 
voices
  for
  the
  melody
  confers
  to
  it
  a
 
more
 human
 and
 distressing
 mood.
 
FIGHTING
 DRAGONS
 
01:04:47
  The
  theme
  is
  used
  as
  a
  closing
  section,
 
as
 it
 dissolves
 the
 tension
 little
 by
 little
 
until
 only
 one
 note
 remains.
 
HICCUP
 
01:06:00
  At
  this
  point,
  the
  theme,
  orchestrated
 
with
  horns,
  strings
  and
  voices,
  sounds
 
melancholic,
 slightly
 bittersweet.
 
EVIL
 DRAGONS
 
01:06:34
  The
  theme
  in
  the
  voices
  fuses
  with
  the
 
textural
  sound
  of
  the
  mist20,
  resulting
 
in
  a
  textural-­‐yet-­‐thematic
  section.
  The
 
rhythm
  of
  the
  melody
  progressively
 
gets
 dissolved
 until
 it
 becomes
 another
 
element
 of
 the
 texture.
 
EVIL
 DRAGONS
 
01:07:21
  The
 theme
 appears
 twice
 in
 a
 row
 with
 
differentiated
 
orchestrations
 
at
 
01:07:21
  and
  at
  01:07:30,
  being
  the
 
second
 one
 one-­‐step
 higher:
 
-­‐The
 first
 time
 the
 melody
 is
 in
 the
 low
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19
 Using
 this
 terminology
 just
 to
 follow
 the
 names
 that
 have
 been
 given
 to
 the
 
different
 themes.
 
20
 Meaning
 by
 mist
 the
 fact
 that,
 whenever
 there
 is
 mist
 in
 the
 movie,
 the
 choice
 
of
 music
 is
 textural
 (almost
 Amazonian,
 as
 mentioned
 earlier).
 

-­‐
 

01:07:38
 

brass
 and
 choir.
 
-­‐The
  second
  time,
  the
  melody
  can
  be
 
found
  in
  the
  trumpets
  with
  some
 
support
 of
 the
 strings.
 
In
  this
  fragment
  he
  find
  thematic-­‐alike
 
elements,
  but
  none
  of
  them
  is
  directly
 
related
 with
 any
 of
 the
 stated
 themes.
 

 

EVIL
 DRAGONS
 

 

 

 
Cue
 28:
 It
 Ends
 Today
 
(01:08:52
 –
 01:09:55)
 The
 Cue
 ends
 early,
 when
 we
 comparing
 the
 movie
 with
 
the
 soundtrack.
 

 
When
  comparing
  the
  soundtrack
  and
  the
  movie,
  we
  find
  that
  there
  is
  some
 
editing
 done
 at
 01:09:40
 (in
 the
 soundtrack
 there
 is
 not
 a
 pause
 at
 this
 point).21
 
 
The
 pause
 is
 there
 (once
 more)
 to
 leave
 room
 for
 the
 sound
 effects.
 

 
-­‐01:09:25
 at
 the
 point
 in
 which
 Snotlout
 smiles,
 the
 music
 becomes
 “friendlier”.
 
-­‐01:09:40
 the
 music
 starts
 after
 the
 sound
 effects,
 following
 the
 cut.
 
-­‐01:09:55
 the
 music
 ends,
 following
 the
 movement
 of
 Stoick’s
 hand.
 

 
The
 only
 theme
 that
 we
 find
 in
 the
 Cue
 is
 WARRIORS
 at
 01:09:40.
 The
 beginning
 
of
 the
 cue
 has
 many
 elements
 that
 loosely
 resemble
 some
 themes,
 but
 they
 aren’t
 
defined
 enough
 to
 be
 considered
 as
 part
 of
 any
 theme.
 

 

 
Cue
 29:
 Battling
 the
 Green
 Death
 
(01:11:15
 –
 01:17:10)
 

 
-­‐01:11:26
 the
 beginning
 of
 the
 theme
 EVIL
 DRAGONS
 is
 synced
 with
 the
 cut
 that
 
shows
 the
 Green
 Death.
 
-­‐01:11:53
 as
 Stoick
 shouts,
 the
 music
 changes
 abruptly
 its
 path
 (modulates).
 
-­‐01:12:44
 the
 music
 stops
 as
 the
 picture
 shows
 the
 dumbfounded
 face
 of
 Stoick.
 
-­‐01:13:30
 the
 cymbals
 and
 the
 beginning
 of
 the
 theme
 HICCUP
 are
 synced
 with
 
the
 cut.
 
-­‐01:15:12
  the
  moment
  in
  which
  Stoick
  pulls
  Hiccup
  back
  is
  enhanced
  by
  the
 
cymbal.
 
-­‐01:15:33
  the
  beginning
  of
  the
  theme
  BERK
  is
  synced
  with
  the
  movement
  of
 
Toothless.
 
-­‐01:16:49
  the
  moment
  where
  the
  came
  shows
  Astrid
  is
  synced
  with
  the
 
beginning
 of
 the
 theme
 TOOTHLESS.
 
-­‐01:17:10
  the
  ending
  of
  the
  Cue
  is
  synced
  with
  the
  moment
  when
  the
  Green
 
Death
 is
 hit
 by
 Toothless’
 flame.
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
21
 Since
 the
 track
 was
 probably
 recorded
 in
 slices,
 we
 are
 going
 to
 assume
 that
 
both
 are
 edited,
 but
 we
 will
 take
 as
 “original”
 the
 movie
 version.
 

 

Theme
 
EVIL
 DRAGONS
 

Time
 
01:11:26
 

EVIL
 DRAGONS
 

01:11:53
 

FIGHTING
 DRAGONS
 

01:12:22
 

HICCUP
 

01:12:47
 

STOICK
 THE
 VAST
 

01:13:01
 

HICCUP
 

01:13:30
 

TRAINING
 WITH
 DRAGONS
  01:13:46
 
TOOTHLESS
 
01:13:53
 
+
 
FIGHTING
 DRAGONS
 
FIGHTING
 DRAGONS
 
+
 
TRAINING
 WITH
 DRAGONS
 
FIGHTING
 DRAGONS
 
EVIL
 DRAGONS
 
TOOTHLESS
 

01:14:03
 

TOOTHLESS
 

01:15:18
 

01:14:14
 
01:14:32
 
01:15:00
 

Description
 
The
  theme
  appears
  in
  with
  full
 
orchestra
  with
  an
  extremely
  busy
 
orchestration.
 
The
  theme
  here
  sounds
  one
  step
 
higher
 and
 the
 male
 choir
 sums
 to
 the
 
sound
 of
 the
 orchestra.
 
The
  melody
  in
  the
  brass,
  with
  the
 
rhythmic
  accompaniment,
  turns
  the
 
“sacrifice”
 of
 Stoick
 and
 Gobber
 into
 a
 
Epic,
  almost-­‐heroic,
  rescue
  of
  their
 
fellow
 Vikings.
 
The
  theme
  appears
  orchestrated
  and
 
with
 it’s
 rhythm
 changed
 in
 a
 way
 that
 
resembles
  the
  music
  of
  the
  action
 
movies
 of
 the
 80’s.
 
The
  theme
  is
  used
  at
  this
  point
  almost
 
as
 a
 joke,
 as
 Gobber
 points
 out
 the
 fact
 
that
 Hiccup
 is
 as
 stubborn
 as
 Stoick.22
 
The
 orchestration
 is
 similar
 to
 the
 one
 
used
  the
  first
  time
  the
  theme
  was
 
presented
  (in
  the
  1st
  Cue),
  but
  it
  is
 
extended
 to
 follow
 the
 story.
 
The
  melody
  and
  the
  harmony
  is
 
distorted
  at
  this
  point,
  but
  the
  mood
 
of
  the
  music
  still
  sounds
  as
  in
  the
 
previous
 appearance
 of
 the
 theme
 
 
-­‐
 
The
  theme
  TOOTHLESS
  is
  used
  as
  a
 
secondary
  melody
  in
  the
  high
 
woodwinds
  while
  the
  theme
 
FIGHTING
  DRAGONS
  sound
  in
  the
 
horns.
 
The
 melody
 of
 both
 themes
 is
 heavily
 
distorted
  (specially
  the
  melody
  from
 
FIGHTING
 DRAGONS,
 in
 the
 strings).
 
-­‐
 
-­‐
 
The
  melody
  in
  the
  strings
  create
  the
 
dramatic
  feeling.
  The
  orchestration
  is
 
similar
  to
  the
  one
  used
  in
  the
  first
 
appearance
 of
 the
 theme,
 but
 without
 
the
 timpani
 roll.
 
The
  theme
  in
  the
  voices
  and
  the
 
changes
  in
  the
  harmony
  make
  it
  feel
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22
 Another
 possible
 interpretation
 for
 this
 would
 be
 that
 the
 theme
 STOICK
 THE
 
VAST
 is
 considered
 as
 an
 “adulthood”
 theme,
 and
 at
 this
 point
 Stoick
 finds
 that
 
his
 son
 is
 a
 worthy
 son
 and
 not
 just
 a
 crazy,
 dreamy
 guy.
 

BERK
 
+
 
Toothless
 

01:15:33
 

FORBIDDEN
 FRIENDSHIP
 

01:15:48
 

BERK
 
TOOTHLESS
 
FORBIDDEN
 FRIENDSHIP
 

01:16:08
 
01:16:49
 
01:16:53
 

as
  if
  at
  this
  point
  the
  music
  is
  inside
 
the
  mind
  of
  Stoick:
  he
  notices
  that
  he
 
was
 wrong
 about
 Toothless
 and,
 even
 
when
  he
  is
  still
  not
  sure
  about
  it,
  he
 
helps
 him.
 
The
  theme
  TOOTHLESS
  is
  used
  as
  an
 
accompaniment
 
in
 
the
 
high
 
woodwinds
  while
  the
  rest
  of
  the
 
orchestra
 focuses
 on
 the
 other
 melody
 
(which
  appears
  predominantly
  in
  the
 
brass
 section).
 
The
  theme
  follows
  BERK
  seamlessly,
 
creating
  a
  whole
  new
  entity
  with
  the
 
fusion
 of
 both
 themes
 
The
  end
  of
  the
  cue
  uses
  all
  three
 
themes
  in
  such
  a
  way
  that
  they
  all
 
seem
  to
  be
  part
  of
  the
  same
  melodic
 
idea,
 creating
 a
 “new”
 longer
 theme
 as
 
a
 result.
 


 

 
Cue
 30:
 That
 Thing
 Has
 Wings
 
(01:17:11
 –
 01:18:18)
 
Even
  when
  this
  Cue
  is
  completely
  action-­‐oriented,
  there
  is
  not
  any
  noticeable
 
syncing
 between
 the
 picture
 and
 the
 music.
 The
 mc
 follows
 the
 path
 of
 the
 scene,
 
but
 there
 is
 nothing
 openly
 synced.
 

 
The
  orchestration,
  as
  mentioned,
  is
  action-­‐oriented,
  with
  a
  lot
  of
  textural
 
elements,
  but
  even
  so,
  there
  are
  some
  easily-­‐noticeable
  themes
  that
  are
  being
 
used:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
EVIL
 DRAGONS
 
01:17:15
  The
  theme
  appears
  in
  the
  low
  section
  of
  the
 
orchestra,
  accompanied
  with
  “stabs”
  made
  by
 
runs
 in
 the
 woodwinds
 and
 violins.
 
FIGHTING
 DRAGONS
  01:17:34
  The
  orchestration
  makes
  it
  sound
  epic
  a
 
triumphal,
  while
  not
  lowering
  the
  tension
 
level.
 
WARRIORS
 
01:17:47
  The
  theme
  appears
  slightly
  distorted,
  with
  a
 
lot
  of
  movement
  in
  the
  different
  layers
  of
 
instruments.
 There
 is
 also
 a
 new
 element,
 the
 
echo
  of
  fragments
  between
  different
 
instruments,
  which
  helps
  to
  increase
  the
 
tension
 even
 more.
 
FIGHTING
 DRAGONS
  01:18:00
  The
  theme
  uses
  even
  more
  repetitions
  than
 
the
  previous
  one
  and
  the
  actual
  melody
  is
 
compressed
  (as
  almost
  runs)
  between
  these
 
repetitions.
 

 

Cue
 31:
 Counter
 Attack
 
(01:18:23
 –
 01:20:05)
 

 
This
  extremely
  messy
  Cue
  is
  made
  by
  combining
  elements
  from
  the
  themes
 
TOOTHLESS,
 EVIL
 DRAGONS
 and
 HICCUP.
 
 The
 majority
 of
 the
 cue
 is
 based
 on
 
materials
  from
  EVIL
  DRAGONS,
  although
  they
  are
  treated
  freely
  to
  create
  an
 
“alive”
 orchestra.23
 

 
The
 Cue
 starts
 with
 a
 sync
 at
 01:18:23,
 following
 the
 movement
 of
 Toothless:
 

 
-­‐01:18:25
 the
 theme
 TOOTHLESS
 start
 sounding
 at
 the
 same
 time
 that
 the
 Green
 
Death
 receives
 the
 impact.
 
-­‐01:18:27
  the
  movement
  of
  Toothless
  is
  followed
  by
  the
  music.
  This
  happens
 
again
 at
 01:18:31.
 
-­‐01:18:32
 the
 movement
 of
 the
 head
 of
 the
 Green
 Death
 is
 in
 sync
 with
 the
 music,
 
although
 since
 it
 is
 a
 relatively
 slow
 movement,
 is
 hard
 to
 tell.
 
-­‐01:19:25
 the
 theme
 HICCUP
 starts
 sounding
 just
 as
 Toothless
 turns
 around.
 
-­‐01:19:51
 the
 music
 stops
 as
 Hiccup
 gets
 hit
 by
 the
 tail
 of
 the
 Green
 Death.
 

 
The
 themes
 that
 appear
 in
 this
 Cue
 are
 the
 following:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
TOOTHLESS
 
01:18:25
  The
 theme
 appears
 in
 the
 high-­‐pitched
 instruments
 
of
  the
  orchestra,
  accompanied
  with
  a
  counter-­‐
motive
 that
 is
 the
 equivalent
 of
 the
 “stabs”
 heard
 in
 
the
  woodwinds
  in
  the
  previous
  Cue;
  but
  this
  time
 
around
  they
  appear
  in
  the
  low-­‐pitched
  instruments,
 
feeling
 more
 like
 impacts
 from
 a
 huge
 hammer.
 
EVIL
 DRAGONS
  01:19:03
  The
 melody,
 with
 truncated
 rhythms
 and
 harmony,
 
is
  suggested
  split
  among
  different
  instruments
 
(some
  of
  them
  completely
  covered
  by
  the
  sound
 
effects).
 
HICCUP
 
01:19:25
  The
 theme
 appears
 briefly,
 as
 a
 fanfare.
 

 

 
Cue
 32:
 Where’s
 Hiccup
 
(01:20:43
 –
 01:23:32)
 

 
This
  Cue
  starts
  as
  a
  slow
  and
  sad
  choral
  and
  is
  gets
  progressively
  happier
  as
 
Stoick
 notices
 that
 his
 son
 is
 alive.
 Then
 the
 mood
 keeps
 evolving
 following
 the
 
story:
 

 
-­‐01:21:20
  when
  Toothless
  opens
  his
  wings,
  the
  music
  also
  “opens”
  changing
 
from
 a
 sad
 sustained
 mattress
 to
 a
 more
 vivid
 and
 happy
 accompaniment.
 
-­‐01:21:32
  the
  beginning
  of
  the
  theme
  TOOTHLESS
  is
  synced
  with
  a
  subtle
  nod
  of
 
the
 dragon’s
 head.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
23
 It
 feels
 almost
 like
 a
 hive
 or
 a
 swarm
 of
 instruments.
 

-­‐01:21:59
  the
  theme
  BERK
  starts
  sounding
  at
  the
  point
  in
  which
  Toothless’
 
nostrils
 dilate
 as
 he
 breath
 in
 Hiccup’s
 face.
 
There
 are
 two
 themes24
 that
 can
 be
 heard
 in
 this
 Cue:
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
TOOTHLESS
  01:21:32
  The
  orchestration
  is
  similar
  to
  the
  one
 
used
 in
 Romantic
  Flight,
 but
 the
 rhythm
 
is
 slightly
 different.
 
BERK
 
01:21:59
  This
  is
  the
  only
  time
  in
  the
  whole
 

 
soundtrack
 where
 we
 can
 clearly
 listen
 to
 
an
  isolated
  piano.
  The
  composer
  was
 
probably
  saving
  it
  for
  this
  sad-­‐intimate
 
moment
  where
  both
  friends
  are
 
peacefully
 together
 again.
 
The
  theme
  is
  followed
  seamlessly
  by
 
FORBIDDEN
  FRIENDSHIP
  (both
  being
 
already
 fused
 as
 a
 single
 theme).
 

 

 
Cue
 33:
 Coming
 Back
 Around
 
(01:23:25
 –01:25:22)
 

 
-­‐01:24:31
  the
  theme
  TOOTHLESS
  starts
  as
  Hiccup
  adjusts
  his
  peg
  leg
  to
  the
 
saddle.
 
-­‐01:25:07
 the
 moment
 when
 Fishlegs’
 hit
 the
 wall
 with
 his
 dragon
 in
 synced
 with
 
the
 music.
 This
 happens
 again
 at
 01:25:08.
 
-­‐01:25:16
 the
 credits
 hit
 by
 the
 music
 (of
 course).
 

 
Theme
 
Time
 
Description
 
LOVE
 THEME
  01:23:30
  The
  instrumentation
  is
  almost
  the
  same
  that
  was
 
TOOTHLESS
  01:23:50
  used
  in
  the
  Cue
  Romantic
  Flight,
  but
  the
  rhythm
  is
 
slightly
 different.
 The
 main
 difference
 is
 
LOVE
 THEME
  01:24:03
  The
  orchestration
  gets
  progressively
  smaller
  until
 
reaching
  a
  solo
  violin
  at
  01:24:12.
  It
  is
  interesting
 
how,
  to
  follow
  the
  path
  of
  the
  picture,
  two
  sections
  of
 
the
 theme
 are
 overlapped
 at
 01:24:10.
 
TOOTHLESS
  01:24:31
  All
 these
 three
 themes
 are
 used
 as
 a
 steady
 melody
 at
 
BERK
 
01:24:39
  this
  point
  of
  the
  movie.
  The
  orchestration
  recreates
 
FORBIDDEN
  01:24:55
  perfectly
 a
 feeling
 of
 happy,
 “almost-­‐perfect”,
 ending.
 
FRIENDSHIP
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
24
 Although
 FORBIDDEN
 FRIENDSHIP
 would
 make
 the
 third,
 it
 is
 already
 fussed
 
with
 BERK,
 making
 them
 both
 the
 same
 theme
 at
 this
 point.