#music from movies

[jules-has-notes]

Oogie Boogie's Song — VoicePlay music video

It wouldn't be spooky season for VoicePlay without an elaborate production involving costumes, makeup, and character voices, so they dipped into the soundtrack from The Nightmare Before Christmas once again. After portraying the hero and denizens of Halloween Town over the previous two years, the boys turned to the villain of the piece. And since they'd been kidnapped a couple times themselves during that time, it seemed only fair that the boys got to turn the tables for once.

They'd included an excerpt of this song in their "Aca Top 10 – Disney Villains" countdown earlier in the year, the fans had clamored for a full version, and VoicePlay definitely delivered.

Details:

title: Oogie Boogie's Song

original song / performer: Ken Page as Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

written by: Danny Elfman

arranged by: Layne Stein

release date: 18 October 2019

My favorite bits:

their closet cosplay versions of the characters, complete with dramatic high-contrast makeup

that high, taunting "Oooh, I'm really scared!"

Layne's shuffling percussion line that keeps the tempo feeling unhurried

the moments of double-tracked Geoff doing his usual non-lyric bass stuff to give the sound more depth and menace

J.None, Earl, and Eli repeating ♫ "Ha!" ♫ in their harmony lines to really rub it in

everyone's distinct character voices that they somehow maintain while singing and speaking on pitch

Layne's giving adorable finger guns on beat in the first chorus

the fun syncopation from the trio on ♫ "This may be your last song" ♫

Geoff jumping up two full octaves for that first big belt of ♫ "I'm the Oogie Boogie man!" ♫

J's bouncy gallop as they sing ♫ "roly poly Santa Claus" ♫ 🎅

that funky descending arpeggio from Geoff after Layne's "to add a little spice"

the eerie, ghostlike ♫"oooh"s ♫ in the backing vocal behind Santa's "please come to your senses"

those cool raver mouth lights in the blackout breakdown section

the crunchy harmonies for ♫ "shut this fella up" ♫

the jittery audio panning on ♫ "drowning in my tears" ♫ (Listen with headphones if you can.)

Eli's plaintive descending riff behind "I'm going to do my stuff."

the playful tone of "Imma do the best I can."

Layne's descending tom line to transition into the key change

those light, rounded arpeggios behind "Release me fast…"

the meta humor of Geoff addressing his actual brother-in-law as "Oh, brother…"

Earl putting a little extra grit on "You haven't got a prayer."

Eli's wavy hand motions as the whole group creeps toward Santa

that long belt on ♫ "No-WHEEERE" ♫ followed by going even higher

Geoff spelunking down three and a half octaves in about ten seconds, good grief

the captions (accurately) describing his final subharmonic note as "subterranean"

that deep, gravelly chuckle under the rest of the group's laughter

Trivia:

This is the third of four consecutive Nightmare Before Christmas videos VoicePlay created as their Halloween offerings.

It was filmed at the REBL HQ studio at Full Sail University, with production assistance from several of the film students there, and set design by the studio's production design instructor.

Their costumes represent characters from the movie. Geoff is, of course, the titular Oogie Boogie, as he was two years earlier for their version of "What's This?". Eli, Earl, and J.None are his minions: Lock, Shock, and Barrel, respectively. And Layne cast himself as Jack Skellington's ghost dog, Zero.

To achieve those looks, the guys once again called on stylist Tanya Buzu, who had previously dressed them for the "Beautiful Low" and "Shape of You / No Diggity" mashup videos.

The character appearances were made complete with makeup from their frequent collaborator, Rick Underwood.

The performer in the Santa costume is Kathy Castellucci's brother, Pasquale Palazzolo, who had known most of the guys since they were in high school together.

Santa's dialogue, however, was provided by Eli, who lends his voice acting talents to many of their guest characters.

For their "Kidnap the Sandy Claws" video the following year, Eli and J.None reprised their roles as Lock and Barrel, but everyone else was recast.

Geoff's original final note was an E2 (already fairly low), but Layne asked if he could take it down the octave for a more dramatic ending. He gave it his best shot, and the E1 that reliably shocks YouTube reactors was born. He quickly got good enough at it to consistently perform the song in their live shows starting that holiday season.

The funky bass-guitar-sounding descending arpeggio at 1:20 was created by layering two different takes of Geoff singing the notes in two different octaves, then applying a filter in post-production.

The Facebook upload hit a million views in less than three weeks.

The YouTube version quickly caught up and surpassed that total, with another recent surge of views bringing it over 13 million after the passing of Oogie Boogie voice actor Ken Page in late September 2024.

A fan's daughter was inspired to draw her mom some adorable chibi-fied versions of some of the characters.

digital drawings posted by @/tra23581191 on Twitter

[uwudonoodle]

The Chipettes - Diamond Dolls

Started my workout to this banger.

[texaschainsawmascara]

Jennifer Tilly playing poker

[dogpawsswapgod]

certified banger

[elcieford]

let me know if you recognize this from anything.

[noknowshame]

always a fun time when real life people are doomed by their own narratives. like guys you know it doesn’t have to be like this right? this isn’t a stageplay the foreshadowing isn’t real until you make it real

[kathaynesart]

REPLICA PLAYLIST

MUSIC UNDER CUT

I have been receiving requests for any songs that inspired Replica, so here, have my personal playlist. Sorry it’s not Spotify/Soundcloud but they don’t have some of these songs available so uh… guess you’re stuck with YouTube vids. For fun I'll include my personal titles for them (which might give a few hints of what to expect in the future/end).

Replica Main Theme - “Die for You” by Grabbitz Like Father Like Son Like Brother (Omega and Shelldon) - "As Above So Below" by Alistair Lindsay Mikey's Theme / The 1st Vision - "Suzume no Tojimari" by Nanoka Hara Military (Mad) Dogs / Central Park Colony - "Imperium" by Madeon Shanghai - "Icarus" by Madeon Boom Goes the Donnie-mite (Mikey/Donnie vs the Sweeper) - "The Red Zone" by Mitsuoto Suzuki The Day the Sky Bled Red - "7 Seconds Till the End" by Nobuo Uematsu Going Out Like a Boss (Raph and Leo) - "Agape" by Nicholas Britell Remembering the Right Way (Mikey and Leo) - "The Souls of Many" - by Alistair Lindsay Mystic Hands / The 2nd Vision - "Am I Dreaming" by Metro Boomin x A$AP Book 2 Trailer - "Sea Dragon" by Covet 7 Years Later - "Iron" by Woodkid Leo's Theme / Attack on the Labor Camp - "Ego Death" by Polyphia Omega's Theme - "Touch" by Daft Punk Flat Lines (Omega Alone) - "Die Toteninsel Emptiness" by 1000 Eyes Spear - "Monsters" by Tommee Profitt Final Protocol - "The Kraken" by Katie Dey Rise / Epilogue - "Close in the Distance" by Masayoshi Soken & Tom Mills

I will admit, it's a little embarrassing since you can easily see the patterns of what I've been listening to for the past year or two. I swear I listen to more than just videogame OSTs, these songs just jive well with the story and I often find lyrics distracting when brainstorming scenes. Regardless, the music I listen to is such an important part of my creative process and some of these songs really defined the scenes I now have locked in my head. So I figured it was only fair to give them the credit they're due.

I will continue to add to this playlist, and will note in comic updates when one of these songs is applicable!

[internetgiraffekid1673]

Today on the list of "good stuff that happened": I got to tell my brother about how Percy Jackson in the Son of Neptune is absolutely insane and spends basically the whole book just making the Romans go "?!"

Highlights include exploded water cannons during war games, showing up carrying a goddes and tearing apart furies with a whirlpool, mouthing off to Mars, third-wheeling/babysitting the precious young smoll inexperienced beans that are Frazel, willingly drinking Maybe Poison, and generally breaking a lot of things by Fighting Like a Greek. Continued to explain that the best part about the multiple perspectives in these books is this:

Percy: I'm a loser, lol! I have no idea what I'm doing, also everyone is cooler than me and I'd die for them! Also Annabeth is cute when she's threatening people with a knife.

Annabeth: *while planning 6 steps ahead* Percy is an idiot. Dear gods I love him so much. Such a wonderful idiot.

Literally everyone else: Percy is (one of) the most powerful demigod(s) I've ever heard of, and he gives no shits about any rules anymore. This man is scary and dangerous and I am so glad he's on my side. Annabeth is a terrifying force to behold and I can't keep up with her. I am unsure if them being so in love with each other makes it better or worse. If they ever turn evil, we are so fucked.

[jules-has-notes]

Aca Top 10: Disney Villains — VoicePlay music video

Many actors contend that it's more fun to play baddies who get to indulge their darker desires without regret. The same often applies in musicals, whether they're on stage or screen. Disney knows how to craft a good villain song. These are some of their most fun, slick, seductive, and dastardly.

Details:

title: Aca Top 10 – Disney Villains

original songs / performers: "Friends on the Other Side" by Keith David as Doctor Facilier in The Princess and the Frog (2009); [0:33] "Mother Knows Best" by Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel in Tangled (2010); [0:50] "Trust In Me" by Sterling Holloway as Kaa in The Jungle Book (1967); [1:08] "The Siamese Cat Song" by Peggy Lee as Si and Am in Lady and the Tramp (1955); [1:28] "Oogie Boogie's Song" by Ken Page as Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993); [1:52] "Cruella De Vil" by Bill Lee as Roger Radcliffe in 101 Dalmatians (1961); [2:16] "Gaston" by Jesse Corti as LaFou & Richard White as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (1991); [2:50] "Hellfire" by Tony Jay as Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996); [3:06] "Poor Unfortunate Souls" by Pat Carroll as Ursula in The Little Mermaid (1989); [3:25] "Be Prepared" by Jeremy Irons as Scar in The Lion King (1994)

written by: "Friends on the Other Side" by Randy Newman; "Mother Knows Best" by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater; "Trust In Me" by Robert & Richard Sherman; "The Siamese Cat Song" by Peggy Lee & Sonny Burke; "Oogie Boogie's Song" by Danny Elfman; "Cruella De Vil" by George Bruns & Mel Leven; "Gaston" by Alan Menken & Howard Ashman; "Hellfire" by Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz; "Poor Unfortunate Souls" by Howard Ashman & Alan Menken; "Be Prepared" by Elton John & Tim Rice

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci & Layne Stein

release date: 22 March 2019

My favorite bits:

Layne kicking things off with scampering percussion before settling into a swingy groove

J.None showing off his smooth lower range

the vibratto Earl puts on that final high ♫ "motheeer" ♫

both Eli and Layne doing snaky hand motions during "Trust In Me" 🐍

Geoff's big bass drops on ♫ "ey-yyyes" ♫ and the final ♫ "meee" ♫

that crunchy harmony on ♫ "don't pleeease" ♫

all the shenanigans with the tiny kitty figurine 🐈

getting a preview of the "Oogie Boogie" production to come

that funky take on the second half of "Cruella"

the back row's dubious reactions to Geoff asserting his intimidation factor in "Gaston" as Layne fixes his hair

the extended transition — ♫ "Gimme hip-to-hip" ♫ ::Eli and J start flossing:: 🕺 "Chapstick!" ::Earl holds up a tube::

the clever coordination of ♫ "[tur]-ning me to" ♫ and ♫ "number two" ♫ at the end of "Hellfire"

Layne's bubbly percussion during "Poor Unfortunate Souls"

Earl getting annoyed at J and Eli joining him on the lyrics of "Be Prepared" before they return to harmonies

the three octave unison between Geoff and Earl

that nice clean ending

Trivia:

○ VoicePlay had recorded or performed several of these songs before.

They did a full version of "Cruella de Vil" in collaboration with Disney for the Diamond Edition release of 101 Dalmatians on Blu-ray. They also included an excerpt in their aca-Disney medley to celebrate 20 years of Disney shows on Broadway.

"Gaston" is part of their Beauty and the Beast medley, Tale As Old As Time, on their 2012 album "Once Upon an Ever After".

"Be Prepared" is part of their "OUaEA" Lion King medley, The King Has Returned. (That's also where the snippet over the end screen is from.)

"Mother Knows Best" was part of "The Story of Rapunzel" that they performed at Disney World's 2015 Social Media Moms Celebration.

○ They had also previously created a shorter villains medley including several of these songs for Jonathan Freedman as part of their Disney Sessions collaboration with the Aladdin stage cast.

○ Since this video was released, the guys have recorded longer versions of several more of these tunes.

"Friends on the Other Side" was their Halloween video for 2021, as well as their first reunion with J.None after he left to join the U.S. Navy Band.

"Oogie Boogie's Song" was their Halloween video later in this year.

"Poor Unfortunate Souls" was included in their Little Mermaid medley with Rachel Potter a year and a half later.

"Hellfire" was their Halloween video in 2023, also with J.None as the featured guest.

Geoff did a short of "Trust In Me" on his solo channel in 2024.

○ The guys' shirts are once again thematically appropriate.

Eli — Darth Vader from Star Wars in the style of Leonardo Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" drawing

Earl — the face of Hades from Hercules in blue and purple linework with yellow eyes and teeth, surrounded by blue flames, all with a glow effect meant to imitate neon lights

J.None — a full-body portrait of Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame with one hand extended to the side (I couldn't find the exact design, but I found one that's somewhat close and did a bit of editing to get it closer.)

Geoff — the stylized face of Scar from The Lion King

Layne — Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog mirrored in the style of a playing card, with glowing red cards floating near his outstretched fingers and his name on a banner across the middle

○ Geoff later mentioned in his interview on The Charismatic Voice that he'd considered auditioning for Gaston at Disney World when he worked there, but that the guys who play the role are usually four to six inches taller than him due to the costume and choreography required.

○ They garnered a bit of praise from prolific a cappella arranger Rob Dietz, who they'd met during The Sing-Off, and who would become a frequent collaborator in a few years.

○ An artist fan was inspired to create a gender bent version of Cruel-Layne De Vil.

drawing by rtlndr_ on Instagram

○ The boys busted out some of their best evil laughs to further entertain their social media followers.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by VoicePlay (@thevoiceplay)

○ This is the final entry in a mini-series within their "Aca Top 10" series, which was preceded by countdowns for "Disney Heroes" and "Disney Sidekicks" over the previous year and a half.

[soosoosoup]

rewatched treasure planet

[jackklinemybeloved]

[…]

Percy’s warning to fellow half-bloods in the audience, across different mediums.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (2005) The Lighting Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (2017) Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series Teaser (2023)

[wavetapper]

rb this and tag your favourite soundtracks! they can be anything like games or movies or shows or whatever i wanna know what the best ones are 👀

[automaticheartcrusade]

Some people have already posted pics of them at the show tonight for Cinderella’s castle, and apparently there’s what looks like a playbill or just a card. But either way HOLY SHIT IT LOOKS SO GOOD? OH MY GOOODD.

I can’t this is beautiful. I love the passion Starkid has for this show, they really went all out!