Shrek Forever After (Original Motion Picture Score) is the film score to the 2010 DreamWorks Animation film Shrek Forever After, which is the fourth instalment in the Shrek franchise and a sequel to Shrek the Third (2007). The film score is composed by recurring franchise collaborator Harry Gregson-Williams and featured 16 tracks. It was released through Varèse Sarabande on May 25, 2010.
Contents
Background
Frequent franchise collaborator Harry Gregson-Williams returned to score Shrek Forever After. Like all the previous films, he began writing the score after watching the film and felt emotionally connected with the characters. Besides deriving the themes for previous newly debuted characters, he also wrote a theme for Rumpelstiltskin.
Reception
Gregory Heaney of AllMusic wrote "even though it might not be as toe-tappingly catchy as many Disney soundtracks, Gregson-Williams' work on the series helps to create the kind of depth that has made the franchise a hit with kids and adults alike". Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks wrote "In conjunction with the concurrent release of the impressive music for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Shrek Forever After confirms that Gregson-Williams is contributing substantially to the remarkable year for film music that 2010 has become through its first half. Don't be surprised if some fans of the composer find themselves revisiting Shrek Forever After far more frequently than Prince of Persia, because it's always pleasing to hear an old friend sent off on a high note."
James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "much of the material is rather familiar – but this is probably the most satisfying of all the Shrek albums and should appeal to fans of good-natured orchestral adventure scores in general (and of course Gregson-Williams fans in particular)". Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter and John Anderson of Variety called the score "exciting" and "perfect".
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes: