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It's the culmination of all the small happy moments you heard in Black Beauty, Sommersby, Edward Scissorhands, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, though owing the most to the first two. The elegance of the string textures in Black Beauty is merged with the instrumentation of Sommersby, as well as the trademark light choir in the high ranks, to create Elfman's most undoubtedly upbeat score. So upbeat, in fact, that it resembles the kind of sugary music that John Debney would write for the story, if not for the little Elfmanisms that prevail throughout the instrumentation and constructs. In some of the more parody-oriented comedy cues, Elfman does indeed present a sound strangely equivalent to Debney's, including the frenetic "The Dump." But unlike Debney, Elfman substitutes the normal Americana sound for the setting with his own quirky vision of the barnyard. His jumpy, nervous rhythms, with wildness in the percussion section, serve as the backdrop for the opening titles. Country-swaying strings, a bass-heavy acoustic guitar, fluttering woodwinds, and an occasionally rambling piano are all lightly rendered throughout the score, with each element mixed at the front for easy identification. The small-town feel is updated from Sommersby with the more contemporary guitar, though the occasional soaring woodwind solos place the score back in the Rachel Portman hillsides of yesteryear. The sum of all the instruments is an almost timeless setting, a wise move for Elfman, though if Charlotte's Web has a weakness, it resides in its rather anonymous personality outside of its inherent rhythmic characteristics.

The themes won't be easy for casual listeners to grasp, as they are often performed by only fragments of the ensemble and move at a brisk pace. Thus, you don't leave Charlotte's Web with a tune in mind, but rather an instant improvement of mood caused by Elfman's rare saturation of hopeless optimism in the work. That optimism, headlined understandably by "The Word Spreads," is such a refreshing sound to come from Elfman that you can finally enjoy his bouncy countryside writing without any strings attached. For you die-hard Elfman fans, you'll even hear a few moments of that enchanting high choir in full glory. As Charlotte gets things rolling in "The Plan Begins," Elfman places the choir at the forefront with a magical performance marking the first such uninhibited use since The Family Man. A brief reprise of the choral role would resurface in "Radiant" and "Wilbur's Homecoming," providing just enough magic spark from the wave of Elfman's wand to supply the story's equally imaginative aspects. Structurally, the score is short and sweet, with the lengthy "Wilbur's Homecoming" serving as somewhat of a concert piece covering all the major thematic ideas and opening with some of that choral majesty. The Sarah McLachlan song at the end contains no inspiration from Elfman's score and is the kind of sappy, simplistic light rock piece that will appeal to teenage girls and may perhaps gain some Oscar votes for McLachlan's usual, soothing sound. Overall, Charlotte's Web is delightfully pretty and the most enjoyable Elfman score in a while. But don't expect too much from it, for its personality comes from more humble and playful roots. It's a score that's good to hear from Elfman, regardless of its relative lack of flair.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Danny Elfman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.12 (in 95 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.26 (in 154,830 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

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