Bee Movie (soundtrack)
| Bee Movie (Music from the Motion Picture) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Film score by | ||||
| Released | October 30, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Studios | ||||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 44:22 | |||
| Label | Sony Classical | |||
| Producer | Hans Zimmer | |||
| Rupert Gregson-Williams chronology | ||||
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Bee Movie (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack album to the 2007 DreamWorks Animation film Bee Movie directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner and featured the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger. The album features the film score composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams and two licensed songs heard in the film, and was released through Sony Classical Records on October 30, 2007.
Background
Rupert Gregson-Williams, who previously composed for DreamWorks' Over the Hedge (2006), scored Bee Movie. The score utilized strings and brass themes that would provide a racy and fun-filled atmosphere while also working on a full orchestra for grandeur and dramatic intensity. While the overall sound design was lighthearted, he also focuses on large orchestral themes as well as appropriate instrumentation being utilized for the satire tone of the film.[1][2] The album also featured the Archies' "Sugar, Sugar" and a cover version of "Here Comes the Sun" by Sheryl Crow.[3]
Release
Sony Classical Records released the 15-song soundtrack on October 30, 2007.[4] An exclusive bonus track was released via iTunes.[5]
Reception
Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks wrote "As for the contribution by Gregson-Williams and the six other Remote Control composers, Bee Movie is as purely a fun listening experience on album as the aforementioned [John] Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams scores, along with Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit by Julian Nott and other [Hans] Zimmer assistants more recently. The theme in "The Pollen Jocks" is among the most satisfying of the year, and with the four fantastic cues that open this album, Bee Movie is an easy recommendation. The album does slow down in its latter half, and the flow is interrupted briefly by "Sugar Sugar" by The Archies, but you can't help but admire the optimistic energy this score conveys."[6] AllMusic wrote "This bright, upbeat, and brass-heavy score makes no bones about being the musical undergirding of an animated comedy, so listeners seeking a serious and somber symphonic outing will need to look elsewhere."[7]
James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "The two songs do nothing to detract from the overall satisfaction the album brings and, while I know it's all pretty insignificant and certainly not as impressive in a technical sense as the year's standout animations core, Michael Giacchino's Ratatouille, this album ticks all the right boxes in terms of the enjoyment it can bring to the listener - particularly one who is a fan of Powell's music for animations, but more generally it should appeal to anyone who enjoys large-scale orchestral adventure scores. Perhaps it's true that this score earns four stars not as a direct result of its quality, but because it seems like some kind of shining oasis amongst the spartan offerings of the year as a whole, but while you might find many which are more intellectually stimulating, at a basic level you won't find too many more entertaining film score albums released this year."[8] Thomas Glorieux of Maintitles.net wrote "Bee Movie is no small pick either. It is in fact one of the most fun scores of the year and at least several tracks keep returning in my CD player for timeless spins. If Rupert Gregson-Williams can grow the same way his brother Harry did, then I'm sure we haven't heard the last of his bag of tricks yet. Bee Movie is a hoot from start to finish."[9] Brent Simon of Screen International wrote that "Rupert Gregson-Williams' score and some vibrant musical selections" helps in aiding the film.[10]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Graduation" | 3:15 |
| 2. | "Honex" | 2:50 |
| 3. | "The Pollen Jocks" | 1:32 |
| 4. | "Barry Flies Out" | 5:35 |
| 5. | "Vanessa Intervenes" | 2:03 |
| 6. | "Sugar Sugar" (The Archies) | 2:47 |
| 7. | "Assault on Honey Farms" | 2:35 |
| 8. | "Ken" | 2:29 |
| 9. | "Barry Turns the Screws" | 3:13 |
| 10. | "Monty Slanders and Adam Stings" | 2:14 |
| 11. | "Hearts, Flowers and Hive Closures" | 2:36 |
| 12. | "Honey Round Up" | 1:40 |
| 13. | "Rooftop Consequences" | 1:52 |
| 14. | "Land That Plane" | 6:41 |
| 15. | "Here Comes the Sun" (Sheryl Crow) | 3:00 |
| Total length: | 44:22 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Thinkin Bee" (Matthew Broderick and Jerry Seinfeld) | 0:57 |
| Total length: | 45:19 | |
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes:[11]
- Music composer – Rupert Gregson-Williams
- Music producer – Hans Zimmer
- Additional music – Halli Cauthery, Heitor Pereira, Lorne Balfe, Mark Russell, Michael Levine, Ryeland Allison
- Additional arrangements – Graham Preskett
- Music specialist – Laurence Cottle, Tony Clarke
- Technical engineer– Abhay Manusmare, Noah Sorota, Peter 'Oso' Snell, Thomas Broderick
- Assistant engineer – Alex Nutton, Chris Barrett, Jake Jackson, Mat Bartram, Paul Pritchard, Sam Okell
- Recording – Geoff Foster
- Additional recording – Nick Wollage, Rupert Coulson
- Mixing – Alan Meyerson
- Assistant mixing – Greg Vines
- Mastering – Dave Donnelly
- Music editor – J.J. George
- Additional music editor – Kevin Crehan
- Musical assistance – Michael Teoli, Nima Fakhrara, Ryan Leach
- Technical assistance – Jochen Schild
- Music production services – Steven Kofsky
- Music coordinator – Charlene Ann Huang, Jennifer Schiller
- Score preparation – Dakota Music
- Package design – Roxanne Slimak
- Orchestra
- Orchestrator – Alastair King, Rupert Gregson-Williams
- Additional orchestration – Bradley Miles, Bruce Fowler, Geoff Alexander, Penka Kouneva, Rick Giovinazzo, Roger May
- Orchestra conductor – Alastair King, Gavin Greenaway, Rupert Gregson-Williams
- Orchestra leader – Thomas Bowes
- Orchestra contractor – Isobel Griffiths Ltd.
- Assistant orchestra contractor – Charlotte Matthews
- Orchestra coordinator – Becky Bentham
- Assistant orchestra coordinator – Nyree Pinder
- Instruments
- Baritone saxophone – Jamie Talbot
- Cello – Jonathan Williams
- Choir – Metro Voices
- Clarinet – Nicholas Bucknall
- Double bass – Steve Mair
- Flute – Jonathan Snowden, Nina Robertson
- French horn – Richard Bissill
- Marimba – Frank Ricotti
- Percussion – Gary Kettel, Paul Clarvis, Stephen Henderson
- Piano – Christopher Willis
- Trumpet – Andy Crowley, Daniel Newell, Paul Archibald
- Viola – Bruce White, Rachel Bolt
- Violin – Everton Nelson, Mark Berrow
- Choir
- Choir coordinator – Jenny O'Grady
- Bass vocals – Andrew Playfoot, Lawrence Wallington, Michael Dore
- Soprano vocals – Ann De Renais, Anne Marie Cullum, Grace Davidson, Joanna Forbes, Samantha Shaw, Sarah Eyden, Sarah Ryan
- Tenor vocals – Steve Trowell
- Management
- Executive in charge of music – Sunny Park
- Marketing director – Rebecca Farrell
- Music business affairs – Dan Butler
- Music clearance – Julie Butchko
- A&R executive – David Lai
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Awards | February 8, 2008 | Music in an Animated Feature Production | Rupert Gregson-Williams | Nominated | [12] [13] |
| International Film Music Critics Association | February 19, 2008 | Best Original Score for an Animated Film | Rupert Gregson-Williams | Nominated | [14] [15] [16] |
References
- ↑ Admin, Benenden (May 10, 2021). "Pupils Interview Composer Rupert Gregson-Williams". Benenden. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ 24. Trial Begins (Bee Movie Recording Sessions). December 28, 2020. Archived from the original on April 22, 2026. Retrieved April 22, 2026 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Foster, Tom (2017). "The Top Five Uses of the Song 'Here Comes the Sun' by the Beatles". TVOvermind. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- ↑ "Bee Movie (Music from the Motion Picture)". Apple Music. October 29, 2007. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Bee Movie (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version]". Apple Music. October 29, 2007. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ Clemmensen, Christian (November 1, 2007). "Bee Movie (Rupert Gregson-Williams)". Filmtracks. Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Review: Bee Movie [Music from the Motion Picture]". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ Southall, James. "Gregson-Williams: Bee Movie". Movie Wave. Archived from the original on November 18, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ Glorieux, Thomas. "Rupert Gregson-Williams: Bee Movie". Maintitles. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ Simon, Brent (November 2, 2007). "Bee Movie". Screen International. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ Rupert Gregson-Williams. Bee Movie (Music from the Motion Picture) (Media notes). Sony Classical Records.
- ↑ "Nominees for the 35th Annual Annie Awards". Variety. December 3, 2007. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (February 9, 2008). "Ratatouille wins big at Annie Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ↑ IFMCA (2008). "2007 IFMCA Awards". IFMCA. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ↑ IFMCA (February 20, 2008). "2007 Award Winners Announced By International Film Music Critics Association". Soundtrack.Net. Autotelics, LLC. Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ↑ Carlsson, Mikael (February 19, 2008). "2007 Award Winners Announced by Intl Film Music Critics Association" (PDF). Film Music Weekly. Mark Northam. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
