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Here are the nine primary themes of Animal Crackers. 

1. Cookie Theme

This playful theme pays homage to Raymond Scott’s “Powerhouse,” as well as the Rota / Fellini
collaborations and early Danny Elfman scores. I thought of this tune as the general “main theme” for the
film, one that captures its whimsy, mischief and mayhem. In practical terms, it came to represent the
mechanized gears of Binkley’s dog biscuit machine. (0:00 – 1:12 in “Overture,” also check out “The Dog
Food Factory” and “Monkeying Around.”)

2. Huntington Brothers Theme

Drawing inspiration again from Nino Rota, this bouncy calliope theme needed to serve double duty, both
as the joyous fanfare for the circus, and underscoring the Huntington Brothers at the core of the
narrative tension. (1:13 – 1:46 in “Overture,” with joyous fanfare variations in “Life at the Circus,”
“Showtime,” and a surprisingly sad rendition in “Circus Memorial.”
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3. Family Theme

The family trio of Owen, Zoe and Mackenzie at the heart of the film needed their own theme. Intimate
and warm, their theme is frequently presented on gentle strings, with solo flute, harp and celeste
providing an innocent music-box-like color. (1:48 – 2:33 in “Overture,” with memorable statements in
“The Magic is Gone,” “Showtime,” and especially “Papa Bear.”)

4. Horatio Theme

I wanted to capture the spirit of Sir Ian McKellan’s conniving Horatio Huntington, as he relentlessly
pursues the secret of the magical animal crackers. A tricky, high bassoon solo twists over a plodding
bass harmonica march. (2:33 – 2:58 in “Overture,” with notable appearances in “Circus Memorial” and
“An Offer From Horatio.” The theme is given the full “Night on Bald Mountain” treatment in “Chimera.”)

5. Zucchini Theme

Horatio has a crew of dastardly henchmen, but none of them get as much as screen time as the pint-
sized Zucchini. Inspired by his self-congratulatory narration provided by Gilbert Gottfried, I wanted to
write a theme that would tell the audience what Zucchini thinks of himself. (He never fully understands
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that he’s not the one in charge.) This is where the kazoos and accordion came in! This theme was from
my original demo pitch, and it remains arguably the most memorable of the score. (2:58 – 3:24 in
“Overture,” with notable appearances in “Circus Memorial,” “Freak Fight,” “Monkeying Around” and, of
course, “Zucchini Chase.)

6. Gypsy Theme

This theme supports Talia and her gypsy mother Esmerelda, whose magic powers the animal crackers.
The audience must intuitively understand that her magic is real. For that task, I turned to one of my
favorite collaborators, violinist Sandy Cameron, who infused my catchy tune with jaw-dropping energy.
Set above accordions, dulcimer, upright bass and tambourine, her performance soars. (3:24 – 3:54 in
“Overture,” with brief appearances in “The Huntington Brothers,” “Zucchini Chase,” and “Chimera.”

7. Woodley Theme

Played to lovable perfection by Wallace Shawn, Woodley is Zoe’s well-meaning father, owner of a dog
food factory. He disapproves of the circus lifestyle and hopes his daughter will follow in his footsteps.
Woodley is equal parts awkward, overbearing, and endearing. To capture this character, I wrote an
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expressive tuba solo that bounces playfully above a hesitant ostinato in pizzicato strings and marimba.
(3:54 – 4:24 in “Overture,” with significant moments in “The Dog Food Factory,” “Brock and Woodley”
and a surprise heartwarming variation in “Showtime.”)

8. Brock Theme

Patrick Warburton brings out the relentless ego of Woodley’s sycophantic employee, Brock. As with
Zucchini, Brock is a character who I imagine sings his own theme song to himself, every day, all day. I
wanted to bring that inner musical monolog to the forefront. I composed for him an overconfident
1970’s-inspired macho theme built around playful wah-wah guitars, bongos and sexy saxophones,
performed with incredible swagger by saxophonist Sam Phipps from Oingo Boingo. (4:01 – 4:20 in
“Overture,” and fun appearances in “Brock and Woodley” and “Monkeying Around.”)

9. Chase Theme

Less a theme, and more a recurring musical idea, this theme underscores the “chase” elements in the
plot. (4:24 – 4:40 in “Overture,” with most notable appearances in “Circus Memorial” and “Zucchini
Chase.”)

These nine themes were essential building blocks for the Animal Crackers score. I doubt a minute of
this score goes by without at least one of them appearing, commenting on the characters and conflicts. I
have written thematically complex music before but writing in this totally zany style was an enormous
challenge. The sheer number of themes, instruments, notes, styles, and musical shifts to hit narrative
points was nearly overwhelming.

As I wrote, I returned to the musical sounds I grew up in the 1980’s and 1990’s to find the right
emotions. Reaching back to my own childhood  I channeled Jerry Goldsmith, in particular his
collaborations with director Joe Dante, as well as the musical personalities of Dave Grusin, James
Horner, Nino Rota, Danny Elfman, and many others. I also strove to infuse the music with the manic
energy of classic animated shorts scored by Tom Bradley ( Tom & Jerry) and Carl Stalling (Looney
Tunes). These were a lot of musical ideas to jam together, and there were days when I felt like my brain
was going to explode.

RECORDING THE SCORE

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After demoing for and talking about the film for years, I actually blasted through the entire writing
process in a single month in early 2017. Then at last, it was time to record the live musicians.

As I got to know the Sava family better, I learned that Scott’s now high school aged son Logan was a
huge soundtrack fan. I knew the recording sessions for Animal Crackers would be an incredible
opportunity for Logan to witness the film scoring process first hand. Sadly, Scott told me it was not be
feasible for him to miss at least a week of school to fly to Los Angeles or London for our recording
sessions. As an alternative, I offered to record the score in Nashville, up the highway from their home in
Franklin, working with the world-class musicians there. That way, the Sava boys could attend school
during the days, and come up to the recording sessions after class each day, which is exactly what
happened.

Conducting these sessions was a joyous experience. The talented Nashville players immediately locked
into the extreme emotional and dynamic range in the music, hopping nimbly from gentle emotional
vibrato, to soaring anthemic fanfares, to comedic plunger-mute wah-wahs.

Scott Sava attended every session. During the first few hours, I peeked back through the glass between
takes, trying to gauge my director’s reaction. I always saw him writing intently on his notepad. Oh no, I
thought. Scott has so many comments on my music that he can’t stop writing them down. He must hate
everything I’m doing!

Actually, Scott was quickly sketching and painting images of everything he saw, capturing his unique
perspective of the recording sessions on the page. I was thrilled when I saw the artwork he was creating
in the control room while I conducted.

After an intense, physically exhausting yet emotionally fulfilling week of music and delicious BBQ, I
returned to Los Angeles. The score was mixed and delivered. I worked closely with music supervisor
Andy Ross to create the score soundtrack album, and contribute score tracks to his incredible song
soundtrack album. My final step was to write and record a custom logo for Scott’s own Blue Dream
Studios, a fanfare that would open the film.

By the middle of 2017, my work on Animal Crackers was complete. And then… the waiting game began.

As the film struggled to find distribution, each heartbreak was followed by another. Despite a successful
premiere at Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2017, and a theatrical run in China, it began
to feel like the film would never reach a wider audience for reasons I could barely understand, let alone
affect. In these couple of years, I gradually came to peaceful terms with the idea that all my work on this
score was never going to be heard. Then, at last, the film landed at Netflix, where it has trended in the
Top 5 films in its first week!
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LOOKING BACK

Scoring a feature film tends to be a burst of work that ends suddenly, with the fanfare of a premiere. My
journey with Animal Crackers was different, spanning years and touching upon personal milestones,
some of them melancholy.