Danny Elfman is a prolific composer, record producer, singer, and songwriter. He is best-known for writing the musical scores for films and has often collaborated on projects with Tim Burton. Elfman was born in Los Angeles on May 29, 1953. The first film for which he wrote the score was ‘Forbidden Zone’. This 1980 film was directed by his brother, Richard Elfman. He has since gone on to build an impressive list of credits for writing musical scores for films and television series. Here are five of the top movie scores written by Danny Elfman.
1. Batman
Danny Elfman wrote the musical score for ‘Batman’ and it won a BMI Film Music Award and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Album or Original Instrumental Background. This 1989 superhero film was written by Sam Hamm and Warren Skaaren and directed by Tim Burton. It stars Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, and Robert Wuhl. This movie was a massive commercial success as it grossed $411.3 million from a budget of $35 million.
2. Sleepy Hollow
For his work on this movie, Danny Elfman won a Satellite Award for Best Original Score and a Saturn Award for Best Music. ‘Sleepy Hollow’ was also nominated for a Sierra Award for Best Score. This 1999 Gothic supernatural horror film was based loosely on ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’. It was written by Andrew Kevin Walker and directed by Tim Burton. It starred Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, and Casper Van Dien. This film also won the Academy Award for the Best Art Direction.
3. Men in Black
The musical score for ‘Men in Black’ Won Saturn Award for Best Music and a BMI Film Music Award. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score and a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or TV. ‘Men in Black’ is a 1997 science fiction action comedy film that was written by Ed Solomon and directed Barry Sonnerfield. It starred Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Florentino, and Vincent D’Onofrio. It was the highest grossing film of the year as it took $589.3 million at the worldwide box office.
4. Spider-Man
For this film, Danny Elfman won a BMI Film Music Award and a Saturn Award for Best Music. It was nominated for a World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Soundtrack of the Year and a Grammy for the Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture or a TV. ‘Spider-Man’ is a 2002 superhero film based on the DC Marvel Comics character of the same name. It was written by David Koepp and directed by Sam Raimi. It starred Tobey Maguire in the lead role with other cast members including William Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, and Cliff Robertson.
5. The Nightmare Before Christmas
The musical score for ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ won a Saturn Award for Best Music. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Score and a Grammy for Best Music. This stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy was based on a poem by Tim Burton who co-produced the film. The screenplay was written by Caroline Thompson and it was directed by Henry Selick. Although he is best-known for writing film scores, Danny Elfman also provided voices for this movie. He was the singing voice of Jack Skellington and the voice of a trick-or-treater called Barrel. The movie was made on a budget of $18 million and grossed $76.2 million at the worldwide box office.
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