John Powell - Test Drive

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I first watched How to Train Your Dragon in theatres in 2010. I didn't know too much about the movie beforehand, but I was invited to see it so I was willing to give it a try. My first impression of the film was that it was entertaining, funny, and interesting; however, I didn't walk out of the theatres extremely eager to see it again. It was a nice movie, but it wasn't the best movie I had ever seen.

A few months later, I found the soundtrack in my local library and decided to rent it and see what it was like. I played it while doing some work around the house and was completely surprised by what I heard. The music was... beautiful. As each track played, I fell more and more in love with the album. The compositions had so much depth and meaning to them. It was not too soon after I heard the album that I got it for myself and was listening to it all the time. By doing so, I slowly got my family to like the soundtrack as well and they became hooked on John Powell's incredible movie score.

I have heard many movie score soundtracks in the past and have always enjoyed doing so. Yet I only ever end up keeping the main themes and a few extra tracks because everything else is simply background music that doesn't have much substance to it (because it's meant to be subtle in the movie I assume). When I got into the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack, what surprised me the most was that I liked every single track. No part of the music felt unnecessary or boring. Even in the quietest, simplest tracks, the main theme was somehow implemented in a creative way and it still sounded interesting! John Powell managed to do something not too many other movie composers can do, and he deserves much credit for that.

Once I had memorized every track in the soundtrack by both title and sound, it was time for me to watch the movie again. I watched it the second time with a more open mind, paying close attention to the songs I knew so well. As a music lover, I am aware that music is extremely powerful and can change the way you see something. Despite knowing that, I was still baffled at how different I perceived the movie now that I had learned how wonderful the movie score was. The tempo of each track matched the emotion of the scenes perfectly with anything from suspense to serenity. The instrument choice accurately reflected the Scottish culture of the movie setting. And of course, the main movie theme created that epic feel that movies of grand scale always have. Powell's writing for this movie truly made it a masterpiece. That's not to say that the movie itself (without the music) isn't good. Instead, I'm saying that the score compliments it in a way that takes the movie from a great movie to one of the best animated films of all time! I would love to say thank you to the talented animators of DreamWorks for choosing to work with the wonderful composer John Powell. They understood the power of music and used it to its full potential.

That being said, I am sure you can guess that How to Train Your Dragon has become my favorite animated movie since then. I can't count how many times I've watched it or heard the soundtrack. The movie and music are both equally amazing and they have inspired me to follow the series all the way, from the television episodes to the film sequel. And now I am very excited to see the third installment of the series. I have high hopes that with John Powell and DreamWorks teaming up for the third time, this is going to be a great conclusion to the series! I look forward to seeing it in theatres in February of 2019.

"Test Drive" is the track I chose to share with you because it contains the main theme of the movie. It has the epic quality of a hero's theme and is quite memorable. The opening notes played by brass and followed by strings immediately gives a powerful feeling to the melody. As I listen to it, I can imagine the feeling of being in the sky, moving at high speeds over the beautiful Nordic landscape that is Berk. I hope your experience listening to this song (and hopefully the whole soundtrack) is just as magical and that it convinces you to become a fan of the series if you aren't already.

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