WaterTower Music will release the official soundtrack album for the fantasy adventure Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The album features the film’s original music composed by James Newton Howard (The Hunger Games, King Kong, The Sixth Sense, Maleficent, Signs, The Fugitive). UPDATE (October 3): The soundtrack will be released on November 18, 2016 in various formats. A vinyl version featuring two early recordings by the composer for the movie will be released on November 4 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Check back on this page for the full album details. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is directed by David Yates and stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Colin Farrell, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Dan Fogler, Carmen Ejogo and Alison Sudol. The movie based on the book of the same title by J.K. Rowling follows the adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York’s secret community of witches and wizards seven decades before Harry Potter reads his book in school. The film will be released nationwide on November 18 by Warner Bros. Pictures. Visit the official movie website for updates.
WaterTower Music to Release ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ Soundtrack
Posted: September 22, 2016 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music AlbumsTags: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, James Newton Howard, score, Soundtrack
Finally, a composer who could match up with the strengths of John Williams. I prefer to call him the Jon Williams of our modern times. Thank goodness it’s James, because you know you’re gonna get something absolutely wonderful.
Howard never disappoints in this genre. I hope things worked out well on this one and we get to hear a great score by the composer, not just for this film, but for all its upcoming sequels as well.
This is the most anticipated score of the end of the year for me, especially after Desplat was kicked out of Rogue One. I’m pretty sure JNH will deliver something wonderful.
The score will be great (James went for the King Kong approach on represent the movie’s setting and not just the fantasy tones of the story) and I’m glad JNH is getting more solo franchises, but I’m more worried about the mix. Shawn Murphy’s recording and mixing for the latest JNH scores has been subpar. The choir buried under the orchestra (and Desplat went through the same in the last Potter score), the sound is too loud and compressed making the orchestra to sound artificial compared to James’s scores 10 years ago.