Hans Zimmer Lion King and Interstellar
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Jun 24, 2024
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Landon Davis Hans Zimmer Lion King
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Interstellar
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Film Comparison Paper Have you ever watched a movie and deeply analyzed the film’s music? For me, before this class I never really did but now I realize how deeply it affects the film's plot and even theme.
The composers of these films are what really gets these films moving. For example, I chose the Lion King and Interstellar films that are composed by Hans Zimmer. Hans Zimmer has a very impactful background composing in these films. Lastly, these films are top-notch films that can be broken down and explain the aesthetic types and contribution to the plots of the films. Hans Zimmer is one of the most well-known worldwide film composers of all time. Zimmer was born in Germany in 1957 (Classic FM). Hans was a man who grew up in the composing industry around the infamous Stanley Myers (IMBd). Hans Zimmer started his composing when he began scoring for Barry Levinson in the film Rain Man. In addition, the film
Rain Man
later got him an Oscar for the “Best Original Scorer.” Later, in 1994 he composed the film, Lion King, which began his career. Sources state that to this day 15 million copies have been sold of this soundtrack and earned him another Academy Award nomination for best scorer once again (IMBd). Lastly, Zimmer has composed over 150 films to this day. The style of
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Zimmer displays the sentimental and background of the scenes that are happening in such a deep way. The two films are similar due to the buildup of action and tension not heard by the characters. However, some differences can be seen as well. In the Lion King
natural instruments are being used. In Interstellar electrical modified sounds are being used. To tie it all together, his
storytelling through the music in the scenes really conveys how connected his styles were in these two films. The plot in the Lion King in this scene displays a turning point in the film. In the scene Simba, the main character, is running away from his heir to the throne. He runs into Rafiki, the spiritual leader, who asks him, “Who are you?” Later, he then shows Simba a body of water and tells him to look at the water. Then, Simba sees his dad in the water and Rafiki tells him, “Look harder. You see... He lives in you.” In the “Remember Who You Are” scene the composer tends to display an emotional connection between the audience and the characters. In addition, Hans Zimmer’s use of dynamics led to the type of composer that he really is within the film. In the Lion King, there is underscoring, but there are certain parts throughout the film that are source music.
However, the scene that I chose strictly underscoring that is music not heard by the characters. In this particular scene that I chose, Hans Zimmer used percussion instruments such as the xylophone and djembe drums to add an upbeat effect to the scene (1:17-1:47 watch
). In addition, Hans added the African feel with the djembe drums that originated from the Africans. Zimmer also added a bit of Swahili vocalist to show the emotionally charged moment that it had in the scene (1:19-1:46 watch
). The Lion King
scene had a bit more of an emotional appeal while
utilizing its music compared to Interstellar. To dig deeper, both scenes had a strong appeal in utilizing the music. The Lion King scene went back to dialogue after the first scene then began back with utilizing its music. Based on the two films that I chose; Zimmer has a wide array of
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scoring these movies. In the Lion King he is using a characteristic with traditional instruments such as instruments based in the African region for this example. In the scene I picked in Interstellar
the plot starts off as amusing. The “Endurance” is the spacecraft on a mission during the movie. However, in the scene, the Endurance is heading into a
black hole that makes time move slower for the humans back on Earth. The crew tries to make an emergency docking maneuver to receive information that could help them carry out the mission. Meanwhile, the crew is trying to dock the spacecraft objects in motion hitting the damaged spacecraft. Lastly, while the objects are whipping the spacecraft in diverse ways, the Endurance crew finally docks the spacecraft. The general style of the composer in this scene was
the build-up of intensity during the team's actions. Zimmer led this scene to have a bit of a dramatic experience to have the audience on the edge of their seats. Hans used more of an underscoring appeal to Interstellar
than the scene I chose in Lion King. A general characteristic displayed in Interstellar was the aesthetic given off. Zimmer led the aesthetic to treat as a background filler but also have a sense of pressure built up for the crew. Hans used instruments such as the organ, electronic synthesizers, a tad bit of snare, and woodwinds. Like I stated before, the Lion King
had more utility of music than Interstellar. However, Interstellar did have more of a dramatic effect on the scene, but the Lion King gave more of an emotional appeal. One
characteristic I can acquire from Hans in this scene is the use of orchestral instruments and electric synthesizers in his films. Zimmer is a composer morally all over the place with his scoring in a positive way. In the Lion King
scene, aesthetic number one comes from Copeland and Wagners aesthetics of film music. This scene displays this aesthetic due to the music creating and convincing the time and setting of the place. I chose this aesthetic because the film was based
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thousands of years ago. Moreover, the Swahili sounds really gave it this aesthetic because once again they originated in the time that the film was set in. In addition, the use of the djembe drums
displayed the effects of prehistoric times that enhanced the scoring. Next, the scene I chose from Interstellar is aesthetic number five from Copeland and Wagners aesthetics of film music. I chose this aesthetic because the theatrical build-up of this scene was heavily used in the scoring. The intensity rose when the Endurance crew were getting closer to docking the spacecraft. Then, the silence concluded at the resolution of the falling action ended when the spacecraft started back into orbit after docking. In the Lion King scene, the dynamic given is mezzo forte, due to the medium loud sound it gives off. The dynamic remains the same volume within the scene with
no dramatic upbeat or silence. However, in Interstellar the dynamic starts off with pianissimo at a soft sound (0:22-1:02 watch
). Then, the buildup of the mezzo forte starts when the docking is in action and ends (1:03-4:12 watch
). The instruments remain the same within both scenes from Lion King and Interstellar.
In the Lion King scene, the build-up of the djembe drums increases the closer he gets to the halt of Rafiki. During the Interstellar scene, the organs start to increase the closer the crew gets to docking the spacecraft. The tempo seen in the Lion King
film is a mixture of vivace and allegro. I chose the mixture because it is right in between the two. The mixture is felt due to how fast vivace is but not as slow as allegro tempo. In Interstellar, the opening music starts off with a slow adagio tempo with great expression but not too much expression (0:22-1:02 watch
). Then, it slightly picks up when the docking is in action again rising to an andante tempo (1:03-4:12). The Lion King scene had a widespread melody that went all over the place, but Interstellar had a beautiful orchestral melody synchronized and worked together.
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I chose these scenes morally based on their impact on the entire film and not just this scene. The Lion King scene shows who Simba is and the role he needs to take after his father. I also chose this scene because I recently watched Lion King
and fell in love with the emotional effect it had on me after a passing I recently dealt with. Growing up, watching this film, I never really remembered this scene as being so impactful until I took this class. Lastly, learning how deeply the music in the film relates to the dramatic feel of this scene is what really made me choose this scene. The Interstellar scene I chose has stuck with me since I first watched it in 2020 during COVID. The reason I chose this scene deals with truly how I was on the edge of my
seat, biting my nails during the docking. The dramatic feel of the music in the background made me almost feel like I was in the scene. These two scenes have and always will stick with me due to the music behind them and how greatly they affected the scene itself. Primarily based on these two scenes, I prefer the Lion King scoring more. The Lion King scoring is better due to the emotional appeal and connection it gives the audience. Morally, I am a guy who likes romantic and heart-felt movies compared to action-packed films. The background of the music in the scene relates to what I really love in a movie. In addition, the djembe drums used in the scene are an instrument that I can play myself. Specifically, the Lion King scene made this choice for me because of the steady tempo used in the scene. The Interstellar film uses music to a greater effect than the Lion King film. Interstellar
uses the music to get their audience once again on the edge of their seat. The Lion King scene felt like they used their music to connect the jungle feel with the exploring for who he was and that was it. Personally, I felt as if the music in Interstellar had a greater effect on the scene due to my personal experience watching the scene. Hans Zimmer is an overall top-notch composer surrounding the world. However, the general characteristic I like about him is the blending of
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real and synthesized electric instruments used throughout his films. This attracts me because usually most composers will stick to one type of scoring and that is primarily it.
Works Cited “Hans Zimmer: Film Composer: Biography, Music and Facts.” Classic FM
, www.classicfm.com/composers/zimmer/
. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024. IMDb. “Hans Zimmer - Biography.” IMDb
, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/name/nm0001877/bio/
. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024. “Interstellar - Docking Scene 1080p IMAX HD.” YouTube
, YouTube, 22 Mar. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3lcGnMhvsA
.
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“The Lion King 1994 Remember Who You Are Full Scene 4K KOK1.” YouTube
, YouTube, 14 June 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmWKvvXzlyg
.