All Episodes

November 8, 2024 44 mins

Dive into the magic behind "How to Train Your Dragon!" This episode features Erik Heine, author of "The Music of How to Train Your Dragon Trilogy." He shares insights on composer John Powell's dynamic themes and how they shape unforgettable moments across the films. Learn about the craft of film scoring, the unique instruments used, and how musical motifs connect scenes and emotions. If you’re a fan of film music or want to experience these movies in a whole new way, tune in and let Erik guide you through the dragon-filled skies of cinematic sound!

LISTENER DISCOUNT CODE: BESTPART

Receive a 25% discount on Erik's book from McFarland's website by using the code BESTPART at checkout: mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-music-of-the-how-to-train-your-dragon-trilogy

BOOK & DESCRIPTION

The Music of the "How to Train Your Dragon" Trilogy: A Guide to the Scores of John Powell. ISBN 9781476693675 (2024). McFarland, softcover. mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-music-of-the-how-to-train-your-dragon-trilogy

One of the many reasons why children and adults love the "How to Train Your Dragon" films is the music. John Powell composed the music for all three films, maintaining thematic consistency while writing new themes for each film. This book serves as a score guide for the "How to Train Your Dragon" trilogy. Every note has been examined to thoroughly discuss the music for Hiccup, Toothless and the other dragons, Vikings, and the enemies and friends that they encounter. It features interviews with the composer and nearly 100 musical excerpts.

ABOUT ERIK

Erik Heine is a professor of music theory at Oklahoma City University. He is the author of one book and several articles and book chapters concerning film music analysis.

ABOUT MCFARLAND

McFarland, a leading independent publisher of academic and general-interest nonfiction books, is perhaps best known for the serious treatment of popular culture. Founded in 1979, McFarland is recognized among authors and readers as adventurous in range and a reliable source of worthy books that other publishers overlook. They have about 8000 unique works for sale and each year publish about 350 new titles. Meeting high library standards has been a major focus since the company began, and many McFarland books have received awards from the academic-oriented (e.g., Choice Outstanding Academic Title, ALA Outstanding Reference Work) to the mainstream (Hugo, Edgar, Stoker, and Eisner, among others). www.McFarlandBooks.com

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

http://eepurl.com/iPkvx2

Mark as Played
Transcript

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.

The Joe Rogan Experience

The Joe Rogan Experience

The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.