HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS

JAMES HORNER

Rating:

Original Review: James Horner bootlegs are all the rage at the moment, and the latest addition to this ever-growing list is Honey, I Shrunk The Kids - one of the most quirky, lively and controversial compositions in his filmography. Controversial? Well, the reason for the latter statement is all to do with the rather unfortunate fact that Horner's main theme from this film is nothing more than a speeded up and jazzier version of Nino Rota's theme from Fellini's Amarcord. Any film music fan worth their salt is able to spot the similarity almost instantaneously, and it seems as though the executors of the late Rota's estate noticed as well because they filed a petition against the Walt Disney Corporation to have Rota's name added to Honey, I Shrunk The Kids' end credits. Rota's estate won, the name was added, and this is probably the reason why Honey, I Shrunk The Kids was never given a legitimate release. Politics and plagiarism aside, this album is nevertheless a very enjoyable and amusing little piece - completely inconsequential in the bigger scheme of things, but good fun to listen to all the same. The majority of the score is based around two frenetic swing themes, both of which get full airings in the first two tracks, but which are repeated frequently throughout the score: 'Main Title' features a charleston-esque rhythm, prominent trumpets, lively trombones and a bouncy xylophone; and 'Breakfast' has a clarinet melody backed by an eclectic array of instruments, including harmonicas, organs and rattles. As for the rest: 'Destroying The Machine' and 'Stuck in the Garden' are very reminiscent of Horner's work on Willow, especially with the use of those echoing shakuhachi blasts which signify fear and the unknown, some of the orchestrations used in the excellent action cues (such as 'Bees!' and 'Scorpion Attack') are also familiar, although Horner does alter their impact somewhat by using organs and saxophones, and the soft romantic theme for Russ and Amy that was so recognisable in the film is finally introduced right at the end of the score during 'A New Pet', and is given a fuller rendition in 'A Place To Sleep'. Oh, and just one further thing I noticed: the ending of 'Quark to the Rescue' is another one Horner's little homages to other composers - this time the melody comes straight from Dave Grusin's main title from The Goonies, written three years previously. Tsk, tsk, James. Will you ever learn? Tacked on to the end of this CD are two additional Horner scores: a lengthy chunk of music from the 1989 Bruce Willis movie In Country, and a 9-minute cue from the 1983 atomic-bomb movie Testament, both of which are reviewed here in their Romanian import CD format. Considering the album is a bootleg, the sound quality throughout is more than acceptable, and the liner is are surprisingly good (it even has a reversible CD cover - there's a novelty!), although I would say that a number of the Honey I Shrunk The Kids cues are so short that they serve no purpose other than as filler music (I mean - 14 seconds?) I would recommend cautiously recommend this CD to those who have a liking for all things Hornerish, but I would urge those not so into his lesser works to think carefully before purchasing this CD - it is rather expensive and, although it is a limited edition and every copy is individually numbered (I have #053 of 500), is not for all tastes.

Track Listing: Running Time: 38 minutes 13 seconds

Natty Gann Records NGCD-76243 (1988/1998)

Music composed and conducted by James Horner. Orchestrations by Greig McRitchie. Contains 'Theme from Amarcord' written by Nino Rota. Recorded and mixed by Shawn Murphy. Edited by Jim Henrikson. Score produced by James Horner.


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These web pages were designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton copyright 1998. All opinions and views expressed on these pages are my own and are in no way intended to reflect those of my employer, the Trent Institute for Health Services Research, or those of the University of Sheffield.