I really hope Powell returns to collaborate with his former mentor. I think both of their voices come through on the first two scores, and the results are wonderful. Alas, it seems that Powell is mostly out of the film scoring game for now, it seems.
Well, the headline doesn't alter the fact that the piece clearly refers to Zimmer as "co-composer" on the first 2 movies, and clearly identifies his collaborator as Mr. Powell. Further, it states there's "no word yet" about whether Powell will participate on #3. Is there any reason yet to expect that he won't? I hope not, though I know nothing about the trajectory of Powell's career. I only know I enjoyed the first two scores and hope the new one will be at least as good.
1. Oogway's Legacy - Hans Zimmer & Lang Lang 2. Hungry For Lunch 3. The Power Of Chi 4. The Arrival Of Kai 5. A New Father 6. The Hall Of Heroes 7. The Legend Of Kai 8. The Panda Village 9. Mei Mei's Ribbon Dance 10. Jaded 11. How To Be A Panda 12. Portrait Of Mom - Hans Zimmer & Lang Lang 13. Po Belongs - Hans Zimmer & Lang Lang 14. Kai Is Closer 15. Two Fathers 16. The Battle Of Legends 17. The Spirit Realm 18. The Dragon Warrior 19. Passing The Torch 20. Father And Son 21. Kung Fu Fighting (Celebration Time) - Shanghai Roxi Musical Studio Choirs & Metro Voices London 22. Try - Patrick Brasca feat. Jay Chou 23. Kung Fu Fighting - The Vamps
Surprised no one's talking about this. It's a solid score. Doesn't quite reach the heights of the second half of its predecessor, I think, which had some really exquisite moments, but it's a lot of fun. Gets off to a very good start, with a lovely rendition of Oogway's theme (perhaps the best yet in the series), an energetic statement of Po's theme, and a very catchy (though not terribly versatile) theme or motif for the villain. Po's theme gets put through the works pretty well in this score, and overall it's a fun listen and a worthy entry to this surprisingly good series of scores, maintaining a level of energy that surprised me given Powell's absence this time around. Definitely recommended if you enjoyed the first two.
i was similarly concerned that this franchise may have been more powell than zimmer, but zimmer does a good job here. i like the madagascar scores a lot too so he can do a great job with these things. still need to get more into this one, but so far it seems like a pretty strong listen. though 2 will still likely be the high point.
