Sunday, 11 December 2022

Spirited OST (Apple Movie Musical)


2 WEEKS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Stream the Spirited soundtrack here (Apple Music)

A new adaptation of Charles Dickens classic novel, A Christmas Carol, is as inevitable at Christmas as Starbucks redesigning the red cups and upping the price of their festive drinks menu. Over the years there have been some indelible classic interpretations (The Muppet Christmas Carol, Scrooged and Disney's Jim Carrey starring A Christmas Carol). This year, there are two musical versions - very different in their interpretation of the source material. Netflix's Scrooge - A Christmas Carol reimagines the story as an animated stage musical whilst Apple's Spirited takes a very different approach. What happened after Ebeneezer Scrooge decided to keep Christmas well?

I won't spoil the answer here but essentially the premise is that after Ebeneezer passed on, he reunited with an also redeemed Marley to set up A Christmas Carol Inc in the afterlife. Each year they choose a dreadful person on earth (just one? But there are so many!) to send the legendary three ghosts to and help them see the error of their ways. It is all about the ripples of goodness this creates - and one last score before Ebeneezer gets to retire. But in picking Clint Briggs (an always delightful and delightfully devilish Ryan Reynolds), he may have bitten off more than he can chew - and have to confront some of his own ghosts. The whole film is an alternative take delight but it is these songs that really charm...
  • All the songs are penned by the powerhouse team of Benji Pasak and Justin Paul; much like the Netflix animated feature, the opening number feels like a brilliant West End Musical first song just waiting to happen. That Christmas Mornin' Feeling is pure joy (with just the right amount of wry humour added in) - the type of song that used to top the UK charts in our uniquely British race for the festive number one. It is complete with jingling bells, vibrant horns, a hook as addictive as Grandma's secret Egg Nog recipe and brilliant lyrics like "everything's super holly jolly/you'd think we're all on molly/but it's a natural high". It's a Yuletide dream.
  • That opening number shows off Will Ferrell's vocal chops (as does Presents Lament) so next Ryan Reynolds gets his time to shine and on the Music Man-esque Bringin' Back Christmas he is just dazzling. Persuasive, conniving, manipulative and utterly compelling in his quest to make sure he succeeds with his marketing campaign. The lyrics are so adroight that you can't help but recognise the power of some of the melodic arguments he makes, particularly when he sings with such sweetness and spice. Add in the choral ensemble and whether you agree or not, you'll be raising your hands to the heavens in emphatic agreement. 
  • I didn't think I could love Octavia Spencer more but then I heard her sing The View From Here. Every festive movie needs a wistful ballad full of self doubt and wonder at how your life has turned out. Ms Spencer admitted she found this part of the movie the hardest, but does a wondrous job imbuing each word with just the right amount of pathos and longing. It feels like a personal peek into her inner most thoughts - melodic monologues that she makes utterly enchanting. 
  • Good Afternoon! From Mistletoe and Wine (in the little known musical Scraps) to Oom Pah Pah (Oliver Twist) via Flash Bang Wallop (Half A Sixpence), every musical movie or stage show should have a good old fashioned bawdy sing-along. Us Brits love a good knees up and Good Afternoon (ably lead by Ryan and Will) is exactly the type of favourite swear we love to caterwaul along to. It's terribly pip pip, a good old fashioned ribbing of how the world sees us Brits through films like A Christmas Carol and jolly good fun at that. Good afternoon to you if you don't fall in love with this one!
  • Do A Little Good feels like a fine finale (although, as you would hope, we have a reprise of the opening number), a sprightly duet between Ryan and Will's characters that brings our tale of A Christmas Carol 2: Ghosts Inc to a conclusion. It is full of hope and good cheer, designed to put a little love in your heart (which is also the end song for Scrooged: The Movie - the one with Bill Murry and Bobcat Goldthwaite). God bless us, everyone!
**Ghosts of Christmas past**
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