BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Where might you hear music composed for orchestra alongside a kazoo, conch shell, and choir?
Probably in an adventure movie — specifically, one as wild as Dora and the Lost City of Gold.
Composers Germaine Franco (Coco, Little, Tag) and John Debney (The Jungle Book, Ice Age Collision Course) teamed up to score the soundtrack to this Paramount film, depicting the infamous Dora the Explorer in a lost and ancient Incan city. Here’s how they did it.
When did you first discover Dora the Explorer?
GERMAINE: I used to watch Dora with my son and also family friends. I always enjoyed it because she taught Spanish and English to millions of people.
JOHN: I discovered Dora years ago when my nieces wanted to watch their favorite TV show called Dora the Explorer. I was struck by Dora’s adventurous spirit and positivity. I thought ‘what a great role model Dora is’.
The movie Dora and the Lost City of Gold is a live-action version of the animated series, and I suspect kids around the world are going to go nuts for it. What do you feel is your responsibility as a composer when writing some of the earliest film music these children will hear in their lives?
G: I enjoy creating music that is representative of the characters and culture of the story. Children around the world love Dora and Diego. I wanted to make sure the kids who hear the score for the live-action film can relate to the themes, yet are challenged with new sounds and instrumentation.
Dora is a teenager in the film. She has more developed themes, and even more epic adventure music.
J: Well, it’s quite an honour to write music that people around the world can relate to. Dora needed a great big adventure score that also had a lot of heart.
It’s always great to get feedback from those music fans that love and support film music.
What makes a great, catchy, and entertaining score for a children’s flick?
G: A great score generally has themes that you can sing. For example, everyone remembers the themes from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. John Williams is the master of utilising themes that are transformed throughout an entire film.
Also, instrumentation plays a big role in a catchy sound. Sometimes, just one instrument will play a big part in a theme. For example, in Chicken Run, a score by John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams, the composers utilised whistling and the use of kazoos. When you heard the themes played with those instruments, it created a memorable sound.
J: To me, great family movies always have a memorable theme or two. Home Alone, for instance, has that great John Williams theme.
I think it’s a mistake to think that a kids’ movie needs a ‘kids’-type score. Instead, I think that what we tried to do for Dora’s music was give the film a big Hollywood adventure score sound. Hopefully, that classic sound will stand the test of time and sound fresh 20 years from now.
Talk us through the amazing instrumentation, and the mix of cultures you bring to the score.
G: From the very beginning, John and I wanted to evoke an ancient Incan sound of a lost kingdom of Indigenous people. We did this by combining Western music with Indigenous vocals, flutes, and percussion.
We worked in London with solo vocalists and flute players from Peru (Dante Concha) and Bolivia (Phaxsi Coca). Collaborating with these two musicians and singers allowed us to incorporate their voices into the score, on top of the score that we had already written.
Also, the score includes full orchestra, choir, Latin percussion, pop brass, conch shells, quenas, sikus, tarkas, toyos, cajón, and charangos. I decided to write some poems in Spanish after reading about Peruvian history. We were lucky to have the poems translated to Quechua by scholar Américo Mendoza-Mori, who was also the Quechua language coach for the lead character of Dora, played by Isabela Moner. The choir and Andean soloists, Phaxsi Coca and Dante Concha, are heard singing in Quechua and playing Andean flutes in key moments of the film.
We wove the pop Latin music elements into the score, which represented Dora’s tenacity and courage, by collaborating with several Latin players living in London from Peru, Bolivia, Cuba, and Columbia. We had separate sessions with a rhythm section and a pop brass and wind section. That was super fun!
Having composed some incredible kids’ movies in the past, what is it you enjoy most about making this sort of music? And why do you think you’re well fitted to this style?
G: I enjoy writing music and songs for young children and families. It’s generally light-hearted and an exciting process. It’s great to collaborate on projects like this with wonderfully creative artists. Director James Bobin, who has an incredible track record of making family movies, has a very keen ear for music. He had a clear vision for the music in the film. John and I enjoyed working with him very much.
J: I’m lucky to have a number of kid and family-friendly movies under my belt. I don’t know the ‘why’ of it, but I am grateful for the opportunity to score these types of films!
How does your Dora score respect, or differ from, the animated series
G: The animated TV show has wonderful music as well. We wanted to expand Dora’s sound, per James Bobin’s vision, to make it an epic adventure score with Latin and Indigenous elements. We did that with a big orchestra, lots of percussion, South American drums and flutes, vocals and, of course, a conch shell!
J: The Dora film is a big and fun expansion of the Dora TV show. It’s truly a big Hollywood film with great performances and special effects that the whole family can enjoy!
How would an emerging composer today get into scoring a huge movie made for kids?
G: Every person has a different path into film composing. It’s helpful to learn a variety of musical styles.
Learn how to orchestrate and arrange your own work. Work on as many short films as possible, so that when you get your first film, you are ready!
Also, find a mentor who is doing the things that you want to do, whether it is writing or performing. That is essential!
J: The answer is for musicians to study, study, study, and try to learn at every opportunity. There’s never a set or easy answer. It involves a lot of hard work and years of putting in the work to become a good composer. Everyone’s road is different, but with maximum effort, you can realise your dreams.
Any parting words?
G: I started out as a classical musician in the El Paso Youth Orchestra, playing in marching band, jazz band, and orchestra at a public school. I graduated from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. At the time I was in the conservatory, I had no idea I would wind up as a film composer. I thought I was going to be a classical percussionist. You never know where the path of music will take you. It’s an exciting adventure. Keep practising and writing!
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to see the film. It’s a fun family adventure. Paramount has done a wonderful job in developing Dora’s story for a wider audience.
Images supplied. Dora and the Lost City of Gold stills ©2019 Paramount Pictures. All Right Reserved.
