1. This is Berk
3. The Downed Dragon
4. Dragon Training
5. Wounded
6. The Dragon Book
7. Focus, Hiccup!
8. Forbidden Friendship
9. New Tail
10. See You Tomorrow
11. Test Drive
12. Not So Fireproof
13. This Time for Sure
14. Astrid Goes for a Spin
15. Romantic Flight
16. Dragon's Den
17. The Cove
18. The Kill Ring
19. Ready the Ships
20. Battling the Green Death
21. Counter Attack
22. Where's Hiccup?
23. Coming Back Around
24. Sticks and Stones - Jonsi
25. The Vikings Have Their Tea
How to Train Your Dragon is, in a word, stunning. John Powell really outdid himself with his rich themes and great variations. There are so many themes and motifs that it's hard to identify all of them, but I did my best.
The "Flight" theme is introduced right at the beginning of "This is Berk". It represents both the feeling of flight and dragons in general. The next reference is in "The Downed Dragon" when Hiccup is standing above Toothless with the knife. It is mentioned in "Wounded" when Toothless is trying to fly but can't. The use at the beginning of "The Dragon Book" is unique due to its mysterious use when he's looking at the book. It's first full, majestic appearance is in "Test Drive", when Hiccup is learning how to fly with Toothless. In the beginning of "The Cove", this theme represents the horrible truth they just learned about the dragons when they visited their den and their resolve to help. We hear the theme as the captors chain Toothless and put him on a ship in "Ready the Ships". It then plays heroically as Toothless is freed and joins the fray with Hiccup in "Battling the Green Death". It then becomes a beautiful piano solo in "Where's Hiccup?". Then, this theme is their companion when Toothless and Hiccup have their victory flight around the island in "Coming Back Around", which returns to the style of "Test Drive" but is twice as grand.
Often used in conjunction with the flight theme is the "Friendship" theme, which represents the bond between Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless. It is introduced ominously near the end of "The Downed Dragon" when Hiccup is about to kill Toothless. It then fades when he realizes he can't but reappears when Hiccup cuts Toothless loose and he pins Hiccup to the ground and roars. It has a frightful entry when Hiccup is reading about the Nightfury in "Dragon Book", who would later become his first friend. "Forbidden Friendship" is built around this theme, relating when Hiccup and Toothless start their friendship. When Hiccup is performing well in dragon training and becoming friends with Toothless in "See You Tomorrow", this theme makes an appearance to accompany him. Then, this theme and the flight theme team up as he and Toothless are learning to fly together in "Test Drive". In "The Kill Ring", this theme appears as Toothless rushes in to help his beloved companion, but is captured by the vikings. As Toothless sinks to the bottom of the ocean in "Battling the Green Death", we hear a return of the style used in "The Downed Dragon", and again as Stoick frees Toothless from his watery trap. Then in "Counter Attack", the theme is used briefly while Hiccup and Toothless are harassing the Green Death in the sky. It then becomes a joyous celebration as Hiccup is discovered to be alive and well in "Where's Hiccup?", as well as symbolizing the friendship that has been developed as Toothless helps Hiccup walk to the door. It then heroically plays in conjunction with the flight theme as Toothless and Hiccup take their victory lap in "Coming Back Around".
The Main Theme is a fantastic theme as well, but is not used quite as much. It is introduced at 0:25 in "This is Berk", but doesn't really explode until the end of "New Tail". "This Time for Sure" and "Astrid Goes for a Spin" showcase the theme best. It is also used extensively in "Battling the Green Death", and "Counter Attack".
A romantic theme is introduced at 2:58 in "This is Berk". It is not heard again until Hiccup and Astrid have their moment in "Romantic Flight". That is a truly magical track as the two lovebirds soar through the skies. Once they return from the dragon's den, Hiccup presents his plan to Astrid in "The Cove", and she listens. Before he enters"The Kill Ring", they also share a moment when she tells him to be careful. After that, romance is put on hold until the end. When he finally wakes up after losing his leg, he opens the door to see a wonderful world of dragons. In "Coming Back Around" the theme is presented while he and Astrid behold this marvelous change and share a kiss.
The theme for the dragons is introduced in "Dragon Battle". It is an ominous theme that has a variety of applications in the score. It appears in "Dragon Training" and "Focus, Hiccup!" as part of the training sequences. It's ominous presence in "The Dragon Book" is not to be overlooked as well. It returns in "Not So Fireproof" in a less threatening way, indicating that dragons aren't as fearsome as they were believed to be. It also makes a slight appearance in "The Kill Ring" as Hiccup is fighting the monstrous nightmare, and in "Ready the Ships" it plays as the vikings are navigating their way to the nest using Toothless. The Green Death is given its fearsome rendition of this theme in "Dragon's Den", "Battling the Green Death", and "Counter Attack" as the vikings are battling it.
There is also a theme for Hiccup introduced near the end of "This is Berk". It reappears in "The Downed Dragon". At the beginning of "New Tail", it is used when he is designing the new tail for Toothless and "See You Tomorrow" is a montage of him going to see Toothless. It is also apparent in "Ready the Ships" when Hiccup is left standing on the cliffside after they sail away with his best friend. Also, it helps represent his heroics in "Battling the Green Death", and the final victory in "Counter Attack". The best representation of this theme is "The Vikings Have Their Tea".
There is a motif for the vikings, most prevalent at the beginning of "Ready the Ships". It also appears near the end of "The Dragon Book", when the vikings sail into the mists and get attacked by dragons, and when their damaged ship sails into port at the end of "See You Tomorrow". It is more prevalent in the film. Right after Stoick walks out and says "Ready the Ships", there's a moment when he gains his composure. This theme plays then too.
There's also a motif for Stoick the Vast. Introduced at 1:46 in "This is Berk" and also contained in "Battling the Green Death" when Gobber mentions Hiccup is as stubborn as he is. It's final appearance is in "The Vikings Have Their Tea" in a major key.
My favorite track from this album was a difficult one to pick. "See You Tomorrow", "Romantic Flight", "Where's Hiccup", and "Coming Back Around" were all in deep contention for the win, but in the end "Forbidden Friendship" was the only one I could choose. The percussion in this track is truly magical and sets the mood perfectly from the beginning. The Friendship theme dominates this song, but starts off with only fragments and hints. The harp and the percussion trade the theme around for the first little while. Eventually bells come in, and the orchestra emerges for a brief interlude. The lower strings come in brilliantly as the theme continues to develop, and the counterpoint of the flute to the higher strings is breathtaking. The full theme finally breaks through with the choral voices and continues to develop with a tambourine added. Then the strings take over in a stacatto fashion and build toward the ethereal choral ending which takes place during the scene featured on the cover of the CD.
All in all, How to Train Your Dragon is one of the best scores out there, especially for an animated movie. Some critique the score because of it's Scottish feel, but even though it is a movie about vikings, it fits. There are Scottish voices in the movie as well. You must judge the music strictly on the movie, and in this case the Scottish sound probably fits better than a viking sound would have.
Score:
Written for Movie: Enhancing
On Album: 10/10 "Phenomenal"
Words to Describe It: Magical, Heroic, and Breathtaking
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