Treasure Planet (soundtrack)
| Company type | Soundtrack album |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | November 19, 2002 |
| Founder | James Newton Howard |
| Products | Film score, pop singles |
| Owner | Walt Disney Records |
Treasure Planet (An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack) serves as the official soundtrack album accompanying the 2002 animated science fiction adventure film Treasure Planet. This collection comprises seventeen tracks, including fifteen original compositions by James Newton Howard alongside two pop singles: "I'm Still Here" and "Always Know Where You Are". Issued by Walt Disney Records on November 19, 2002, the album was well-received by critics, who particularly praised Howard’s musical contributions.
Background
This project represented Howard’s third score for Walt Disney Animation Studios, following his work on Dinosaur (2000) and Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). The predominantly orchestral soundtrack draws heavily from the styles of composers such as Korngold, Tiomkin, and Steiner. It fuses a contemporary "classical style" reminiscent of Star Wars with elements of Celtic music. Notably, Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser contributed as a co-composer on the track "Silver Leaves" and performed as a featured soloist.
The album also includes two pop singles that achieved moderate success: "I'm Still Here" and "Always Know Where You Are." Both tracks were performed by The Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik within the film itself, while "Always Know Where You Are" was additionally recorded by British pop-rock band BBMak for the soundtrack release.
Originally, composer Alan Silvestri was slated to create the score but departed to focus on Lilo & Stitch (2002). Additionally, Jerry Goldsmith, recognized for his work on Mulan (1998), was considered for the role.
Reception
Jack Smith from BBC characterized James Newton Howard’s score as a classic adventure style—more traditional swashbuckling than groundbreaking—and observed that its familiarity aligns with established Disney musical traditions. He described the album as competent and unobtrusive but noted it lacked significant surprises. Jason Ankeny of Allmusic emphasized the fusion of conventional Disney motifs with Gaelic whistles, fiddles, and electric guitar elements that introduced a rock influence into Howard’s symphonic approach. Despite this, he critiqued the score for following a predictable emotional progression typical of modern Disney scores. According to Filmtracks.com, the soundtrack is enjoyable though somewhat foreseeable, lauding its boldness which evokes Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s style in The Sea Hawk. Meanwhile, A. O. Scott from The New York Times described the score as an intensified version of a sentimental sea chanty.
Personnel
Credits adapted from Allmusic
- Songs
- David Campbell – string arrangements (track 1)
- Chris Chaney – bass guitar (track 1)
- Paul Bushnell – bass (track 2)
- Gary Novak – drums (track 1)
- Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums (track 2)
- Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards (tracks 1–2)
- Luis Conte – percussion instruments (track 1)
- John Rzeznik – vocals and guitar (tracks 1–2)
- Greg Suran – guitar (track 2)
- Tim Pierce – guitar (track 2)
- Andrew Scheps – programming
- Carmen Rizzo – programming
- Jon Lind – associate producer
- Cheryl Jenets – production coordination
- Ken Allardyce – recording engineer
- Allen Sides – recording engineer
- Tom Lord-Alge – mixing engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering engineer
- Brett Allen – guitar technician
- Doug McKean – Pro Tools engineer
- Eric Ferguson – Pro Tools engineer
- Score
- James Newton Howard – composer, producer, orchestrator
- Alasdair Fraser – additional composition (track 7), fiddle soloist
- Jim Weidman – score producer
- Rob Cavallo – music producer
- James T. Hill – electronic score producer
- Shawn Murphy – recording and mixing engineer
- Dave Collins – mastering engineer
- Phil Ayling – solo whistle performer
- Eric Rigler – solo whistles and bagpipes performer
- Nick Ingman – choir conductor
- Pete Anthony – orchestra conductor and orchestrator
- Brad Dechter – orchestrator
- Jeff Atmajian – orchestrator
- Jon Kull – orchestrator
- Jenny O'Grady – concertmaster
- Kira Lewis – additional engineering support
- David Marquette – assistant recording engineer, scoring crew member
- Chris Barrett – scoring crew member
- Jake Jackson – scoring crew member
- Jay Selvester – scoring crew member
- Koji Egawa – scoring crew member
- Marc Gebauer – scoring crew member
- Chris Montan – executive producer
- Richard Grant – Auricle Control Systems technician
- Luis M. Fernandez – art direction
- Federico F. Tio – creative art direction
- John Blas – artwork designer
- Eric Tan – album design artist
- Marcella Wong – album design artist
Distribution timeline
| Market | Release Date | Available Formats | Record Label | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States / Canada | 19 November 2002 | CD / Cassette (Canada only) | Walt Disney Records | 60799-7 / D15607997 |
| United Kingdom | 25 November 2002 | CD | Walt Disney Records | 5050466-1797-2-2 |
| France / Italy / Spain | 27 November 2002 | CD | Walt Disney Records | 5050466-1381-2-5 |
| Netherlands | 30 November 2002 | CD | Walt Disney Records | 5050466-1381-2-5 |
| Brazil | 2002 | CD | (various) Walt Disney Records | 05008607997 / 5050466363121 |
| Scandinavia | 3 December 2002 | CD | Walt Disney Records | 5050466-1379-2-0 |
Charts
| Chart (2002) | Highest rank achieved |
|---|---|
| 39 | |
| 11 |