If not for the danger, the sight would have been comical. John Powell, the musician responsible for Universal’s new live-action adaptations of both How to Train Your Dragon and Wicked, was seen in a poorly fitted gas mask, perched precariously on his spectacles, offering little protection against the smoke. He was frantically moving about his property, attempting every possible measure to shield it from the approaching fire.
Even though many thoughts filled his mind, the one that stood out was adjusting a specific musical note for the Dragon soundtrack he had been crafting just a few hours ago.
It was early January, and the Palisades fires in Los Angeles had recently broken out. At that time, Powell, a prominent composer, was engrossed in his work on Dragon. He initially ignored the warnings about the fire, having lived in the Palisades for more than two decades and being accustomed to fires starting and being extinguished, as well as warnings being issued and withdrawn. However, this fire was unlike any he had encountered before; it was rapidly worsening, from hour to hour, then minute by minute. He took steps to protect his home, sealing vents and holes, creating clear paths around the house, and attempted to use pool pumps to spray water on the house, but they refused to function.
As I found myself drained and on edge, the score lingered persistently in my mind. “Composing is an arduous task to detach me from that focused state,” I shared with The Hollywood Reporter. I suspect I might lean towards neurodivergence. After all, I believe most composers do. What other way could one spend countless hours refining a single musical bar?
It wasn’t until his son kept sending urgent and growing concerned messages that he finally came back to reality. “I can’t make my son go through this,” he pondered, “I can’t leave him up here alone.”
His son’s persistent and increasingly worried texts and calls eventually broke through his trance. He realized, “I don’t want to put my son through this pain,” and decided, “I can’t leave him behind in this place.
Leaving behind his hilltop residence, powered by two faithful poodles and a massive 12 terabyte hard drive filled with all his composed music, Powell made a hasty escape towards Sunset Boulevard, passing buildings threatened by fierce flames along the way.
Approximately half of the houses on his street were destroyed by fire. Fortunately, his house survived, but it remains uninhabited since it’s currently undergoing repairs due to smoke damage, burned fences, and other property losses.
Following those days, Powell found himself constantly humming tunes in his mind. By the weekend, he had sought out Hans Zimmer’s Santa Monica studio, where they collaborated on the score. Given that an orchestra was slated to record the music just a month later, he couldn’t simply ask Universal Studios to reschedule the recording, mixing, and release dates. As the composer, he felt a strong sense of duty to ensure the project was completed on time, as he said, “I couldn’t just call Universal and request a change in the deadlines – I have a commitment to deliver the music on schedule.
Besides this, during the ensuing weeks, focusing on the composition proved to be a soothing remedy for the dreadful aftermath of the fire and his temporary housing predicament, as he shifted from one Airbnb to another. “At such times,” the composer remarks, “the work in front of you becomes the foremost concern, which might seem somewhat tragic to mention, but it provides a helpful distraction under such trying circumstances.
Born in London to a demanding father who was a professional session musician, Powell began his composing career in 1997 after moving to Los Angeles. Initially, he often collaborated with other composers, working with Harry Gregson-Williams on the first Shrek film and Hans Zimmer on the initial two Kung Fu Panda movies. Moreover, directors like Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass frequently sought his services as a film score composer.
However, it was the score he composed for the 2010 DreamWorks Animation movie, “Dragon,” that left an indelible mark on cinema enthusiasts. The music, a blend of intimacy and grandiosity, earthbound and ethereal, stirred goosebumps and transcended the ordinary, imbuing scenes of dragon friendship or flight with emotional depth and exhilaration. During the recent Los Angeles premiere of the live-action remake, audience members burst into applause upon hearing the themes “Test Drive” and “Astrid Goes for Spin,” especially during iconic sequences. Hollywood also took notice, awarding him his first of two Oscar nominations for his music in the original film.
Given how pivotal he is in the realm of dragons, it was only natural for filmmaker Dean DeBlois to reach out to Powell first when considering the challenge of converting his animated films into live-action cinema.
DeBlois remembered saying to him, “Convince me otherwise if you think the remake is a misstep.” However, John shared my enthusiasm; he felt that by creating a live-action adaptation with genuine affection for our fans, it could become a heartfelt tribute for longtime followers and an innovative experience for a fresh audience. So, he declared, “If you’re on board, I’m all in.
Tasked with revisiting his earlier work on the new “Dragon” movie, produced 15 years ago, Powell found himself in an unusual position. Rather than simply copying and pasting, he faced a challenging assignment. This was due to the fact that the live-action film being made by director and writer Dean DeBlois had a different storytelling style and cinematic techniques compared to the original movie.
He explains that every aspect, such as tempo, key, and orchestration, varies slightly. Different speeds, methods, and accents are used in different places. He describes the process as requiring a significant amount of shaping, adjusting, and refining. In his words, it was like spending around three months sanding.
Powell had a head start in the field of animation compared to live-action scoring. He was involved in some of DreamWorks’ earliest animated films, such as the original Shrek, and remembers Katzenberg, who was then in charge, suggesting they approach animation like it was live-action.
Powell remembers that he didn’t desire the typical animation tropes prevalent at the time. The stereotypical music in animation evolves over the years, but he expressed he wanted us to avoid being overly similar to what was then referred to as ‘Disney’. I may find this comment disrespectful towards some of my favorite music ever, but I understood his intention. It required a slightly more straightforward approach.
Nevertheless, it presented difficulties. Each instance of a camera’s movement could potentially introduce a fresh clue or a new element to consider.
The music for the orchestra was recorded at Air Studios Lyndhurst, London, with Gavin Greenaway leading the way. Usually, composers don’t conduct their own recording sessions, but Powell exceptionally took over the podium to direct the choir. For three days in March, on the soundstages of Fox lot in Century City, a 60-strong choir contributed choral harmonies as scenes played out on a large screen behind them.
The original text has been rephrased to make it more natural and easy to read while maintaining the same meaning.)
Due to economic factors such as restrictive agreements with the American Federation of Musicians and tense studio relationships, a significant portion of movie scoring jobs has migrated not only from Los Angeles to London, but also to Vienna, Bratislava, and Sydney. Powell expresses his hope that the AFM will propose fresh solutions, allowing musicians and studios more flexibility in terms of payment structures, which could involve buyouts instead of residuals. He points out that, much like workers in other regions of America, musicians in this city can have their work done at a lower cost in other countries.
He managed to handle the choir tasks during the scoring phase because he led the session personally, which not only spared the studio the expense of hiring a conductor but also placed the performers under Screen Actors Guild jurisdiction.
However, he admits that orchestras are distinct entities; you can’t simply walk into any town and join the local philharmonic. Skills like sight reading, which involves playing a piece at first or second glance from sheet music, are essential. Additionally, the ability to listen to your headphones with one ear while using the other to hear the entire ensemble is crucial.
He acknowledges that the unique abilities we have here in LA are difficult and risky to replace if they’re lost, which makes him anxious. He’s eagerly anticipating when he can return with another success.

In the past, at the Fox studio, Powell experienced one of his greatest career triumphs and most mortifying incidents, which were linked to the legendary composer John Williams.
In 2018, Powell collaborated with the creator of ‘Star Wars’, ‘Jaws’ and ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, on ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’. Although Powell handled the majority of the film’s music, Williams was recruited specifically to develop a theme for the main character, who stood out among the original films’ leading characters as one of the few without a unique musical theme of his own.
He was excited to “preview” the film featuring Williams and the filmmakers, during which one watches the movie, pausing it scene by scene to determine whether music should be included, its function, when it would begin and end. Powell refers to this process as “questioning the director,” as he aims to understand why a director made specific choices in the film, so that he can better align himself, both symbolically and musically, with what the director is trying to achieve.
Powell mentions that he had completed the task 63 times prior to ‘Solo’, but observing John do it was truly enlightening for him. John’s approach is more refined and nuanced. He doesn’t come across as confrontational like I do, but he managed to highlight all the crucial details we required.
After taking a moment to consider his words, he continued, “In essence, he was guiding me through it, much like a student learns from a master. It felt similar to watching a movie with Yoda.
He mentioned that collaborating with Williams made him doubt his skills as a composer, yet it also provided him insights into the person beyond the legendary figure.
Powell notes that initially he was quite distant from what he was doing, but later got the chance to collaborate with him, converse with him and witness his compassion and kindness. Ultimately, he concluded that he is a composer, much like the rest of us, only superior.”
Or more informally:
“At first, I didn’t really get what he was doing, but then I got to work alongside him, chat with him, and see his kind heart. Eventually, I realized he’s just a better composer than most of us.
Even though it didn’t diminish his embarrassment, when a couple of years had passed and they both found themselves working on separate films at Fox Studios – him for Call of the Wild, Williams for The Rise of Skywalker – an unexpected encounter occurred. Williams seemed to have impulsively dropped by to greet Powell and a sound engineer. Earlier, Powell had been working extensively with a large orchestra to create grand orchestral tones. On that particular day, however, he was supervising the recording of 12 banjo players.
In his own words, Powell shares, “He asked me, ‘What on earth are you up to out there?’ To which I replied, ‘I’m recording 12 banjos.’ His reaction, though unspoken, was almost as if he wondered, ‘Why on earth would anyone do such a thing?'” However, Powell wishes that the man could have witnessed the orchestra playing a grand and enchanting piece while he was working, so that he would understand that he wasn’t merely the person who records 12 banjos.
From the overwhelming success of Dragons at the box office and the massive fan base it’s amassed, it seems like the melodious strumming of a banjo is hardly resonating with the audiences these days. I must emphasize that this statement carries no disrespect towards the humble banjo.
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2025-06-19 19:26