If you loved the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory score, this is its angrier, more frantic cousin. Of course, a Disney fantasy sequel needs a mainstream pop anchor. For this film, the powers that be recruited P!nk .
If you listen to the official soundtrack album (the score by Elfman), you get a masterclass in leitmotif and temporal tension. If you listen to the songs inspired by the film (various artists compilations), you get a mixed bag.
Because the plot revolves around the "Chronosphere" and the tyranny of Time himself (played by a brilliant Sacha Baron Cohen), Elfman introduces a relentless, rhythmic ticking to the orchestra. Tracks like “Looking Glass” and “Time” are anxiety personified—metronomes made of brass and strings. It’s Elfman at his most playful and mechanical. alice through the looking glass soundtrack
It’s an anthem for anyone who has ever felt trapped by society’s rules. Compared to Avril Lavigne’s “Alice” (from the first film), P!nk’s effort is less gothic and more aggressive pop-rock. One nostalgic highlight for Disney purists is the reimagining of “The Unbirthday Song.” In the 1951 animated classic, it was a jaunty, mad little tune. In the 2016 soundtrack, it gets a lavish, big-band production during the tea party scene.
Have you listened to the Looking Glass score? Do you prefer the 2010 soundtrack or the 2016 sequel? Drop your thoughts in the comments below! If you loved the Charlie and the Chocolate
The answer is a resounding, ticking "yes." While the film itself might be a polarizing trip through time, the soundtrack is a hidden gem that deserves its own spot on the tea table. Let’s start with the anchor. Danny Elfman returned to score the film, and he didn’t just rehash his old themes. Through the Looking Glass required a new mechanic: The Grand Clock .
Danny Elfman proves he is the only composer weird enough to score Wonderland, and P!nk proves she is the only pop star punk enough to crash the tea party. If you listen to the official soundtrack album
When Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland hit theaters in 2010, it wasn’t just the visual vomit of color that stuck with us—it was the haunting, percussive score by Danny Elfman. So when the sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass (directed by James Bobin), arrived in 2016, fans had one major question: Could the music possibly keep up with the madness?