Soundtrack Saturdays: Meet the Robinsons Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Disney animated films are renowned for their music, from classics like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast to modern
3D-animated motion pictures like Frozen or Moana. However, what’s often overshadowed by these more musical flicks are the soundtracks of the other animated movies. There are great hits from these films, such as Fall Out Boy’s Immortals from Big Hero 6, John Travolta and Miley Cyrus singing together on the soundtrack to Bolt, and who can forget the Cars films and their fantastic soundtracks: Real Gone by Sheryl Crow, Our Town by James Taylor, and there’s even a Weezer cover of a song by The Cars.
But we aren’t talking about Life on the Highway today, instead we are going to the future with one of the most underrated soundtracks from one of the most underrated Disney flicks out there: Meet the Robinsons. In Meet the Robinsons, an orphan travels to the future where he meets a zany family and tries to reclaim a time machine from a man in a bowler hat. The film’s soundtrack matches the fun and whimsy of the movie to the tea.
The film’s two highlight tracks are Another Believer by Rufus Wainwright and Little Wonders by Rob Thomas. The former is played during a montage towards the beginning of the film and is filled with the chimes that is persistent throughout the film and are an iconic attribute to the film’s design. It’s a great track that highlights the main character Lewis’ desire to meet his birth mother. Little Wonders bookends the movie and once again brings the chimes and the charms that the movie is filled with. It captures the imagination and inventiveness of the characters and story of Meet the Robinsons really well. Both tracks have made my monthly playlists many times in the past year and I am always happy to play them.
Also included in the soundtrack are two songs by Jamie Cullum, which are used diegetically within the movie via a singing frog, which about sums up the wackiness of the movie. The songs are jazz-pop as the frog is a part of a jazz ensemble. Both songs are good, chill listens that any could enjoy.
Other tracks included on the soundtrack include The Future Has Arrived by the All-American Rejects, which plays during the credits, which is a fun, albeit simple song that definitely isn’t one of the band’s strongest outings. There is also There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, originally from Disney’s Carousel of Progress, performed by They Might Be Giants, and Kids of the Future by the Jonas Brothers, which definitely sounds like a 2000’s Jonas Brothers song, and is another fun listen. The rest of the soundtrack comprises of Danny Elfman’s score, which is filled with chimes and fun-filled futuristic wonders.
Meet the Robinsons has a great soundtrack and its disappointing how I never hear anyone talk about it. Go give a listen, and if you’ve never seen the movie, experience the music through the film, it’s an underrated gem.
