MOVIE MUSIC UK

Original Review by Jonathan Broxton

Miraculous – Lady Bug & Cat Noir: The Movie is a French animated action adventure film, a big-screen adaptation of the popular animated television series Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, which was created by Thomas Astruc and Jeremy Zag and debuted in 2015. It follows two Parisian teenagers, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste, who transform into the superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir, respectively, to protect the city from supervillains. In this story the supervillain is Hawk Moth, who is searching for a magical jewel which could help him bring his dead wife back to life; the twist in this is the fact that Hawk Moth is in reality Adrien’s father.

The score for Miraculous: Lady Bug & Cat Noir is by the creator of the TV show, 38-year old Frenchman Jeremy Zag, and it’s significantly better than it has any right to be, or it would seem to be based on the CD cover art and the childish overtones of the project as a whole. I don’t know what Zag’s musical background is, but what he has written here is tremendous, an exciting, fully orchestral super hero action score in the classic mold. It’s filled with beautiful themes, moments of choral grandeur, and stirring adventure, as well as some moments more comedic mickey-mousing, but it’s all done with great taste and style, and it never loses focus or forgets its roots. Tonally it reminds of the great music people like David Newman, Marc Shaiman, Alan Silvestri, and others were writing in the 1980s and 90s; it’s not as musically sophisticated as a John Williams or a Jerry Goldsmith in this mode, but there is plenty to enjoy.

One thing to note is that Miraculous – Lady Bug & Cat Noir: The Movie is also a musical, and the film features nine original songs written by Zag in collaboration with Michael Gracey, Chris Read, and Britt Burton. The songs are all based around melodies heard in the score (or vice versa), but have utterly appalling lyrics that actually make the entire experience worse for me, so after that first horrified listen I have chosen to ignore them and concentrate only on the score, so I’m not able to pick out the various references to them in the score. I know they are important in context, drive the story, and inform the thematic content of the entire project but… dear lord.

With that said, as I said before, score for Miraculous – Lady Bug & Cat Noir: The Movie is a triumph. Cues like “La Vie à Paris,” “Friends and Frenemies,” “Tikki a Magical Encounter,” and the quirky “Two Halves Are Stronger As a Whole” are dainty and elegant and playful, and feature the central theme for the two protagonists strongly; this memorable main melody comes and goes throughout the score, and is always welcome when it reappears. On the other hand, cues like “Regrets and Secrets,” the lovely “Secrets Between Friends,” and “Since I’ve Met You” offer a more nuanced emotional side that is appealing, while an epic villain’s theme for the character Hawk Moth starts to emerge in cues like “Let Darkness Rise,” through the chanted chorus of “Stoneheart,” the unexpectedly brutal and intense “The Heist,” and the domineering “The Akumas Attack”.

I also really like the pretty waltz in “Le Jardin des Tuileries,” which sounds like an exile from an Alexandre Desplat score, and the offbeat chattering vocals and huge orchestral forces in “Rollercoasters” which, this time, feel like a lost Danny Elfman score.

Personally, however, my favorite moments of the score are the ones where Zag really lets loose with his orchestra and fully embraces the heroic, adventurous side of the story. Cues like “Running Away,” and the soaring and magical “The Ladybug Destiny,” the aforementioned “Stoneheart,” “The True Hero Is Behind the Mask,” the triumphant “Courage In Me,” and “Moment of Truth” are filled with scampering energy, spirited performances, and notable contributions from striking strings and heavy, intense brass, while statements of one of more of the main themes weave through the music. That latter cue is especially notable for its breathless exhilaration, and is one of the standout cues of the entire year for me to date.

I can see how some might find its upbeat tone a little saccharine, and I can see how others might find the quick-change turnaround between emotions and styles in certain cues jarring, but I personally don’t find that to be the case. Jeremy Zag handles the tonal shifts well, captures the emotional content of the story, and allows his music to build to some superbly satisfying heights, especially in the action sequences and in the stirringly emotional finale. I strongly recommend it, but please give the songs a wide berth.

Buy the Miraculous – Lady Bug & Cat Noir: The Movie soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• If I Believed In Me (written by Jeremy Zag, Michael Gracey, Chris Read, and Britt Burton, performed by Lou) (3:14)
• Alone Again (written by Jeremy Zag, Michael Gracey, Chris Read, and Britt Burton, performed by Drew Ryan Scott aka SQVARE) (1:38)
• You Are Ladybug (written by Jeremy Zag, Michael Gracey, Chris Read, and Britt Burton, performed by Lou and Mela Lee) (2:43)
• My Lady (written by Jeremy Zag, Michael Gracey, Chris Read, and Britt Burton, performed by Drew Ryan Scott aka SQVARE) (2:12)
• Chaos Will Reign Today (written by Jeremy Zag, Michael Gracey, Chris Read, and Britt Burton, performed by Keith Silverstein) (2:36)
• Courage In Me (written by Jeremy Zag, Michael Gracey, Chris Read, and Britt Burton, performed by Lou) (3:21)
• Stronger Together (written by Jeremy Zag, Michael Gracey, Chris Read, and Britt Burton, performed by Lou feat SQVARE) (4:28)
• Reaching Out (written by Jeremy Zag, Michael Gracey, Chris Read, and Britt Burton, performed by Lou) (2:50)
• Now I See (written by Jeremy Zag, Michael Gracey, Chris Read, and Britt Burton, performed by Lou feat SQVARE) (3:25)
• Opening Credits of the Series [Miraculous Ladybug V/A Remix] (written by Jeremy Zag, Michael Gracey, Chris Read, and Britt Burton, performed by Lou feat SQVARE) (2:45)
• The Legend of the Miraculous (1:17)
• La Vie à Paris! (1:49)
• Friends and Frenemies (1:52)
• The Love of a Lifetime (0:52)
• Regrets and Secrets (2:05)
• Let Darkness Rise (1:53)
• Running Away (2:00)
• The Ring and the Cat (0:40)
• Who Saves a Life Saves the World (1:13)
• Tikki a Magical Encounter (1:13)
• The Ladybug Destiny (1:37)
• Stoneheart (3:20)
• Two Halves Are Stronger As a Whole (2:18)
• Secrets Between Friends (1:12)
• The Heist (0:51)
• Le Jardin des Tuileries (1:32)
• Rollercoasters! (5:11)
• Alone in the World (1:20)
• Since I’ve Met You (1:18)
• The Empty Heart Behind the Mask (1:10)
• The Akumas Attack (2:32)
• All Is Lost (1:19)
• The True Hero Is Behind the Mask (1:55)
• Courage in Me (Alternative Version) (3:06)
• Moment of Truth (3:53)
• The Power of Love (1:54)
• Le Bal de l’Opéra (1:22)
• Drop the Masks (2:11)

Running Time: 82 minutes 28 seconds

Muzeek One/TF1 Musique (2023)

Music composed by Jeremy Zag. Conducted by James Shearman. Orchestrations by Jehan Stefan, Villi Robert Ollila, Simon Nathan, Tom Kelly, Gwenael Mario Griso, Sam Jones, Paul Campbell and Pessi Levanto. Recorded and mixed by Jonathan Allen. Edited by Guillaume Le Hennaf. Album produced by Jeremy Zag.