Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the film score composed and conducted by Alan Silvestri to the 2009 fantasy comedy film Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian directed by Shawn Levy. The second instalment in the franchise, it is the sequel to Night at the Museum (2006) starring Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria, Christopher Guest, Alain Chabat and Robin Williams. The film score was released through Varèse Sarabande on May 19, 2009.
Contents
Background
Alan Silvestri, who previously composed Night at the Museum returned to score the sequel. Silvestri had initially prioritized working on Robert Zemeckis' directorial A Christmas Carol (2009) before this film, but as the film's date was scheduled for May 2009, Silvestri halted working on the score to prioritize this film by late-January 2009. Silvestri reused the themes for the first film and modified it with a new orchestration and amplified scales, so that the thematic material remained intact, it can be used in broader sequences. He also composed fresh themes for the sequel as well.
Recording commenced at the Newman Scoring Stage in 20th Century Fox Studios, Los Angeles; Silvestri conducted the 103-piece orchestra and 18-member choir from the Hollywood Studio Symphony, which was orchestrated by Abe Libbos and John Ashton Thomas. Varèse Sarabande issued the score on May 19, 2009.
Critical reception
Mark Morton of AllMusic wrote "Silvestri employs the Hollywood Studio Symphony, a massive 103-piece orchestra and 18-person choir to bring the sequel to mirthful life." Jonathan Broxton of Movie Music UK wrote "Quite unexpectedly, this is a significant improvement on the rather tiresome original, and makes for a fun romp of score." Thomas Glorieux of Maintitles called it a "standard Silvestri material" using the same style of the first film score, "but in moments and thankfully in longer tracks as well, it does deliver you moments of Silvestri happiness that sooth our mind for just a while."
Michael Quinn of BBC wrote "There's much to like here in the sheer energy and obvious artistry of the scoring, but there isn't much that grabs the imagination or stays with you afterwards." James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is no doubt a perfectly fine film score, but it's one which just doesn't work as an album – there are simply too many ideas, too much going into the mix, and nothing gets enough attention." Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks wrote "How you value straight redundancy will determine your interest level in this most predictable sequel work." Lael Lowenstein of Variety wrote "Alan Silvestri's score is overblown." Nick Venable of Cinemablend wrote "The score by Alan Silvestri is masterful, but almost distractingly so, because it takes over anytime there isn't a line-off between the more comedic actors in the cast."
Additional music
The following songs are included in the film, but not in the soundtrack:
"More Than a Woman" – performed by the Jonas Brothers cherubs while Larry and Amelia hide from Napoleon's army.
"My Heart Will Go On" – performed by the Jonas Brothers cherubs after Larry and Amelia kiss.
"Lovebug" – performed by the Jonas Brothers cherubs after Larry and Amelia kiss.
"Let's Groove" – performed by Earth, Wind & Fire; used during the final scene.
"Fly with Me" – performed by the Jonas Brothers in the end credits.
Album credits
Credits adapted from liner notes:
Notes
^[P] Principal
^[P2] Principal 2nd
^[C] Concertmaster