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Reviews - Soundtrack
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER
ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK
TO BE RELEASED BY LA-LA LAND RECORDS ON MARCH 18
Renowned Television And Game Composer Kevin Manthei
Scores
Justice League: The New Frontier
(March
11, 2008- Burbank, CA) – La-La Land Records will release
the soundtrack for JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER on
March 18. The animated feature will be released on Blu-Ray,
Hi Def DVD, and on Demand on February 26 and on HD DVD
on March 18th. Kevin Manthei (Batman: Gotham Knight,
Xiaolin Showdown, Invader Zim) composed the original
music.
Kevin Manthei has been working in the film, television
and game arena for over 15 years. He has worked as the
series composer on five animated TV shows – representing
over 130 half hour episodes, composed over 50 game
soundtracks, has made a mark composing music for
animated features, independent films, as well as
contributing additional music on many well-known feature
films.
Manthei began his game writing career working on some of
the biggest titles of the time: Panzer General 2,
Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption, Sacrifice, Twisted
Metal:Black and other classic games. Jhonen Vasquez, the
creator of Nickelodeon’s cult hit Invader Zim, was a
huge fan of games and game music, hiring Manthei to
score what was to become 26 television episodes of
Invader Zim. This garnered Manthei his first Annie Award
nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Music for an
animated series. Invader Zim also led to Xiaolin
Showdown for Warner Brothers Animation as well as Brandy
and Mr. Whiskers for Disney. He continued to score both
of these shows along with Warner Brothers' Johnny Test,
for which he wrote the emo punk inspired main title and
score to the first season.
While continuing his work on games and film, working on
such game titles as Ultimate Spiderman, City of
Villains, The Sims 2, Starcraft: Ghost, Shrek 2, and
recently Marvel Universe Online & Kung Fu Panda, Manthei
has also been active working on several film scores
including Batman: Gotham Knight and The 24th Day
starring James Marsden and Scott Speedman. Batman:
Gotham Knight, which Manthei co-composed, is an anime
inspired straight-to-DVD release whose storyline bridges
the gap between the live action films Batman Begins and
The Dark Knight.
Based on the graphic novel by Darwyn Cook and produced
by Michael Goguen and executive produced by animation
legend, Bruce Timm, JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER is
the epic tale of the founding of the Justice League. DC
Comics legends
Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are all featured in
the film as are Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and
The Flash – as they band together to form the legendary
super team.
Strangers at first, these very different heroes must
overcome fear and suspicion to forge an alliance against
a monster so formidable, even the mighty Superman cannot
stop it alone. If they fail the entire planet will be
‘cleansed’ of humanity.
The setting of the film allowed Manthei to draw on
inspirations from the past. “I felt very fortunate,
because of the fresh take Darwyn Cooke took in his
graphic novel,” Manthei described. “The setting, in the
late 50’s and early 60’s, set up a nice backdrop and
tone for the score. Gone was the current standard of a
‘hybrid’ score consisting of electronics and orchestra.
Rather, a new approach was suggested, which was to
compliment the time period with a score that was rooted
in that time.” He was inspired by the works of Bernard
Herrmann and Aaron Copeland, along with elements of film
noir.
“The biggest challenge of the score,” said Manthei, “was
keeping a cohesive feel while still addressing all the
different characters and thematic elements. I chose to
write major themes for the Centre, Flash, Hal, Green
Lantern & J’onn J’onzz while letting the other super
hero characters be supported by scene specific
underscore.”
Michael Goguen described, “The surprising touch of a
soft, soulful, film noir-ish saxophone as J’onn J’onnz,
the Martian Manhunter, first stands up into the light to
reveal himself to the audience in the film’s first act;
the thrilling, propulsive strings and soaring horns of
the Flash’s first action sequence as he runs to and
around Las Vegas; the dream-come-true excitement of the
secret Mars space flight, followed by the draining
suspense of the tragic crisis-in-space sequence; and the
wonderful moment when a choir of angels welcomes
Superman as he arrives to save Hal Jordan from certain
death; these are all inspired moments of pure musical
bliss for me, those things that can only come from a
place of true depth of feeling and sensitivity. This
score is full of such things, and I invite you to listen
for them and savor them.”
Warner Bros. Video presents JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW
FRONTIER, out on Blu-Ray, Hi Def DVD, and On Demand on
February 26, 2008 and on HD DVD on March 18th. The
JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER Original Motion Picture
Soundtrack will be available in stores or from
www.lalalandrecords.com on March 18, 2008.
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www.kevinmanthei.com |
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