My brain is just wired to be suspicious like this. I don't know why I was suspicious to begin with, but it didn't seem.right somehow. I did a general search on Google for "James Lipton + Thundercats" and other than lots of of links to the original meme (and other pages repeating it), I could find no other proof of James Lipton having written the Thundercats theme. But looking closer I noticed something odd namely that the Wikipedia page merely links to the IMDB page as proof. I went to his Wikipedia page and he's also credited there. I did some research on the internet on (the all knowing internet) and Lipton is indeed listed as a theme composer. So is it hard to think that somewhere in his career he might have written the theme song for one of the most popular and beloved cartoons of the '80's? Voiced a central character on radio's "Lone Ranger" Produced Carter's presidential inauguration for TVĬ.
Thundercats theme song composer tv#
In addition to his enormously popular TV interview show, Lipton has:ī. It has the air of plausibility to it as Lipton has had a long and very varied career. But back in the dawn of animated film, there was no better way to add weight and heft to a character's personality than a bass drum and Oom-pah brass brand.There's a meme going around that James Lipton, the host of The Actor's Studio, wrote the theme song to The Thundercats. As we're exposed to more musical styles, cinema-goers’ palettes have become a little more refined. This Mickey Mousing technique was in use for decades until recording techniques were improved and it’s largely out of favour now (it’s seen as juvenile and simplistic). Animation studios either made complex sound effect machines or hired orchestras to simulate the sounds occurring onscreen. As we're exposed to more musical styles, cinema-goers’ palettes have become a little more refined.ĭue to the recording limitations of the time, reproducing real-world sound was not feasible. Mickey seeks to calm her down by performing progressively weirder forms of animal cruelty, all to the tune of Turkey in the Straw. For the uninitiated, Steamboat Willie tells the story of Minnie Mouse getting her guitar and sheet music eaten by a goat. Disney is considered to have made the first fully synced sound animation with Steamboat Willie. You can’t talk about music and animation without mentioning the mouse in the room. One which must seamlessly work, whilst not overpowering the important message at the core of the project.Ībove: Joe Hisaishi’s score for Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away is an integral part of the film. The pace, the cinematography, the voiceover, the cast, the SFX, the music – everything has to mesh for the piece to work together and it’s a total collaboration. The scene is set, the intrigue is there, picture and music reach the crescendo of the piece in perfect harmony. This is accompanied by a dirty bass synth score, which continues – without dialogue – for the next 16 seconds. In the opening four seconds, the viewer is shown a brutal fact. This was the challenge I faced when writing the music for the anti-knife crime campaign, No More Knives LDN. It must grab the viewer by the ears and draw them in. Often, shot footage relies more heavily on the music to set the tone, particularly when dealing with sensitive material. Animated campaigns trust in the marriage of eye-catching graphics and music to do so, but how does this translate when composing for live-action? What’s the difference? Animated campaigns trust in the marriage of eye-catching graphics and music.
In advertising, the first few seconds are imperative in grabbing the viewer’s attention. All of this plays out with no score, just a faint ‘tik tock’ as a metaphor for borrowed time, and Tommy Lee Jones looking out of the window with existential acceptance. In the final scene of the former, the audience watches as Ed Tom comes to terms with his place in the world while his subconscious tells him that death is the next milestone. Take the endings of two very different films that really shouldn’t be compared - the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men and Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. These slight nuances are far harder to express through animation. Every micro-expression, breath and small movement can completely change the meaning of a scene. In shot footage you can, hopefully, rely on the actors to convey subtle emotions. Slight nuances are far harder to express through animation. I now write music for both live-action and animation and, whilst there are definitely some huge similarities to each format, there are also some key differences. Over 25 years later and my childhood musical diet of Disney, Warner Brothers and Nickelodeon has developed into a full-time career.