Title - 'The Hero of Color City’ (Varese Sarabande)
Artist - Zoe Poledouris-Roche & Angel Roche Jr.
The story line for this incredible new movie is just as unique, as mesmerizing as the delightful score from partners, Zoe Poledouris-Roche & Angel Roche Jr. Each night, when Ben falls asleep, is Crayons jump into their magical Crayon Box, which transports them to their home in Color City, a world of dazzling hues, soaring fantasy and the whimsy of childhood. This land is fed by an enchanted rainbow and waterfall that provides the City and its citizens with color.
When Yellow, our timid heroine, is accidentally left behind in Ben’s room, she inadvertently awakens two Unfinished Drawings: King Scrawl, a huge, powerful, mute monster - and Gnat, Scrawl’s motor-mouthed, overactive sidekick. In search of color for themselves, they follow yellow to Color City, causing panic and concern along the way. If Scrawl and Gnat can claim the waterfall for themselves, Color City will fade, and along with it our loveable characters will disappear.
Unique, right? I told you, and the score from Zoe Poledouris-Roche & Angel Roche Jr. allows this enchanting story - with voices provided by Christina Ricci, Sean Astin, Owen Wilson, Rosie Perez, Jessica Capshaw, Craig Ferguson and Wayne Brady - to free flow beautifully. The partners translate the experience of their life together into a tapestry of rock, urban, indie, punk and orchestral music.
The eldest daughter of the late film composer, Basil Poledouris, Zoe - a Fellow of the Sundance Institute Composer’s Lab - boasts songwriting and scoring credits for major motion pictures such as ‘Starship Troopers,’ ‘Shadow of Doubt,’ etc. and multiple festival favorites, inclusive of ‘White of Winter.’
With each color representing a musical instrument, it’s much like the recording of Prokofiev’s ‘Peter and the Wolf,‘ which follows much the same vein. It teaches us that music can be as important as storytelling, creating nuance and relationships wholly illustrated by sound. The first digital song from the alum is the joyous song, ‘Color the World,’ performed by the duo accompanied by a children’s chorus.
Reviewed by: Russell A. Trunk
www.VareseSarbande.com
www.ZoeandAngel.com