James Newton Howard's third Disney animated score is a solid if predictable effort in the composer's signature larger-than-life orchestral vein. Like the previous
Atlantis: The Lost Empire,
Treasure Planet is pure Disney formula, balancing rousing action, cornball comedy, and bittersweet romance in bold, broad strokes. What sets it apart from its predecessor is the presence of Gaelic whistles and fiddles, as well as a fiery electric guitar that adds a dash of rock & roll to
Howard's otherwise conventional symphonic sensibilities. The problem with
Treasure Planet is the problem that plagues all contemporary Disney scores, and that's the mind-numbing predictability of the music's emotional arc: if you've heard one of these, you've heard 'em all. Banal pop tunes from
Goo Goo Dolls frontman
Johnny Rzeznik and
BBMak merely compound the facelessness. ~ Jason Ankeny