Like all good Disney soundtracks, there's a requisite end title song/surefire pop hit sung by a young singer ("Where the Dream Takes You," by
Mya) and a lot of great, whimsical score music. Atlantis is not a musical animated feature, so this is the only actual music/lyrics song, and it's fairly generic
Diane Warren-written fare.
James Newton Howard's score that follows brims with excitement, with the opening track "The Submarine" tackling a slight Western film motif before marching in with dramatic brass swells. The score follows the film's story, from the danger filled "Milo's Turned Down" through the booming, choir-enhanced adventure explosion "The Leviathan" and on to the mystical "City of Atlantis" and beyond. The main title piece that closes the disc is fairly standard, weepy, swelling stuff that certainly works better attached to images. The packaging features some very cool animation from the movie, including a pinup poster (unfolding the CD booklet) of three of the characters. That and of course the obligatory advertising for more Atlantis-related products. ~ Jonathan Widran