My love for Alan Sylvestri’s children’s classics
Alan Sylvestri is a film composer with a large catalog of work spanning five decades. He rose to prominence due to his collaboration with Robert Zemeckis in a film titled, “Romancing the Stone”. This in turn led Mr. Sylvestri to work on several works with the famous director, like the “Back to the Future” trilogy. This was a turning point in his work, which brought him to many science fiction-based stories like the Predator series, “Volcano”, “The Mummy”, “Contact,” and the Avengers series.
Now, one of his lesser-known works, is Disney’s “Flight of the Navigator”. This story follows a kid named David, who after being abducted by aliens was dropped back eight years after his disappearance. This mistake by the alien ship, Max, leads to an epic adventure with many laughs and thrills. The film was produced in 1986 and directed by Randal Kleiser.
Another children’s story about an epic adventure is “The Polar Express”, directed by Robert Zemeckis. This 2004 movie focuses on a Santa denier that after getting on a train, which goes directly to the North Pole realizes the true meaning of Christmas. It is interesting to see these two familiar storylines about an epic adventure have different types of music based on the generation they were created in. Alan Sylvestri’s two nostalgic stories have not only captured the hearts of many individuals but have also shown that each is a product of the time they were made.
The music of Alan Sylvestri can only be described as dream-like. This lends itself to many legato notes that meld well with bombastic runs emphasizing the overall themes of his films. Beyond a shadow of a doubt this can’t be truer for The Polar Express. The film shows the train leaving and starting on its journey, which utilizes a tremendous amount of crescendo and legato. Similarly, the first time the audience sees the Navigator flying the ship, from the viewers can hear the exact same thing. His style is very apparent in both. This however only shows Mr. Sylvestri’s style and less about the intrinsic decisions made based on the time.
Firstly, the advent of the needle drop used predominately in the 90’s and early 2000s creates something unique in “The Polar Express”, which is very different from “Flight of the Navigator”. There are numerous examples of this within the film. Moreover, the audience can better relate to the scene in this way. This makes sense because of the audience’s familiarity with the material. For example, once the train enters the North Pole common Christmas carols can be heard throughout the next subsequent scenes.
In contrast, there is also another trend that is part of this era and that is the original soundtrack trend, in which studios would create songs to go along with the individual film itself. This is furthermore encapsulated by an original song being sung midway through about their experiences with Christmas. The audience can see two main characters singing to move along the story. This was and still is very common in children’s films, but it has gained prominence in adult media as of late.
On another note, the 80s brought with it a move towards dance and new wave music, which reflects “Flight of the Navigator”. The opening credits is a great example of this. It shows groups of individuals throwing frisbees and emphasizes the upbeat mood of the film. The use of synths in the movie also creates something otherworldly and very 80’s. This can be seen whenever the audience sees the ship or shows any emphasis on technology. This would make sense with the culture in the 80’s moving towards more computerized environments, which correlates directly to the movie itself. Even though this may be the case, Mr. Sylvestri’s signature energetic scores still made the film score interesting to listen to and not just a case study on the 1980’s.
Now, because of this both movies still hold up to this day. Alan Sylvestri is one such composer, whose work can be recognized pretty much anywhere. He has always been consistent with his energetic dramatic scores, but just like any artist he changes with the times. He utilized many techniques that were staples in the industry, but the merging of the two created unique scores that are otherworldly to the individual experiencing them. In addition, evolution of art is in its purest essence, is always moving into newer avenues. This is mirrored with artists. Who knows what will come next with score and music trends? For all the world knows it could be a resurgence of classical melding with dance music that the 80s were known for. Whatever it be the case, composers , like Alan Sylvestri, will be able to adapt so as to keep their styles new and exciting for years to come.
