Maleficent – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
James Newton Howard · 2014
71 min · 23 tracks · free jazz
A lush orchestral tapestry intertwining dark motifs with whimsical melodies, evoking the enchanting and treacherous world of fairy tales.
Top tracks — play these first
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Maleficent Suite Start here — Opening the album with sweeping strings and haunting themes, this track encapsulates the essence of Maleficent's character and sets the tone for the entire score.
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Once Upon a Dream — This reimagined classic from Sleeping Beauty serves as a pivotal moment, infusing nostalgia while framing the film's narrative through its ethereal arrangement.
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Maleficent Flies — With soaring strings and dynamic crescendos, this track captures the exhilarating feeling of flight, embodying Maleficent's power and freedom.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
InstrumentalThe soundtrack's orchestral depth and thematic development showcase Howard's skill in film scoring.
What we noticed
- The album features a continuous orchestral flow, with motifs that recur and evolve across multiple tracks, creating a cohesive narrative.
- Several tracks utilize contrasting dynamics, shifting from quiet, delicate passages to powerful crescendos that evoke tension and drama.
- Composition 25% of the score
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8/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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9/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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7/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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7/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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8/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- dynamic emotional journeys
- long immersive listening sessions
- wave-like pacing experience
- atmospheric background focus
- story-driven narrative progression
Where this album fits
- In the catalog
- Breakthrough — Elevated Howard's profile and showcased his growing recognition in film scoring.
- Themes
- fairy tale darkness· whimsical orchestration· enchanted landscapes
- Career context
- When James Newton Howard released the Maleficent soundtrack in 2014, he was already an established composer known for his work on films like The Dark Knight and Snow White and the Huntsman. This album further solidified his reputation in Hollywood as a go-to composer for blending traditional orchestration with modern cinematic storytelling techniques.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Hans Zimmer· John Williams· Ennio Morricone
Tracklist
- 1 Maleficent Suite Start here 6:38
- 2 Welcome to the Moors 1:05
- 3 Maleficent Flies 4:39
- 4 Battle of the Moors 4:58
- 5 Three Peasant Women 1:04
- 6 Go Away 2:26
- 7 Aurora and the Fawn 2:28
- 8 The Christening 5:30
- 9 Prince Phillip 2:29
- 10 The Spindle’s Power 4:35
- 11 You Could Live Here Now 2:26
- 12 Path of Destruction 1:47
- 13 Aurora in Faerieland 4:41
- 14 The Wall Defends Itself 1:06
- 15 The Curse Won’t Reverse 1:21
- 16 Are You Maleficent? 2:10
- 17 The Army Dances 1:28
- 18 Phillip’s Kiss 2:20
- 19 The Iron Gauntlet 1:35
- 20 True Love’s Kiss 2:33
- 21 Maleficent Is Captured 7:42
- 22 The Queen of Faerieland 3:25
- 23 Once Upon a Dream 3:20
What to play next
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 –Original Motion Picture Score
2014
Continues the orchestral storytelling with darker, intense themes similar to Maleficent.
Snow White and the Huntsman – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
2012
Shares a whimsical yet dark orchestral style that sets up for Maleficent's world.
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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