A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

Well-known for his western scores, Bruce Broughton has mastered every other genre he's composed in as well, from action thriller (Shadow Conspiracy) to animated kids' capers (The Rescuers Down Under).  Kids' capers of a different kind came with this 1992 sequel to the popular Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.  Bigger, louder and worse than the original, Broughton (seemingly, as ever) was working on a film that didn't deserve him, but (also, as ever) he didn't let that stop him from giving it his all with this impressive, mad-cap comedy score.

Impressively, James Horner managed to get Disney sued by the estates of two different composers because of alleged plagiarism in the original score, but of course Broughton doesn't go in for that sort of thing.  However, his score clearly owes a debt in style, if not specific content, to the great comedy scores of the past, particularly the classic Warner Bros. cartoon music, with its massive brass sound highlighted by a wonderfully crisp recording.  It's also blessed with a catchy and fun main theme which Broughton throws around all over the place over the course of the album.  Comparisons with other modern-day scores?  Well, the frenetic, larger-than-life mickey mousing is a little similar to Randy Newman's work for Pixar, though probably a bit smoother on the whole; and it's difficult to resist a comparison with Jerry Goldsmith's recent Looney Tunes: Back in Action, a comparison in which Broughton comes off more favourably - Honey, I Blew Up the Kid is certainly a more even and satisfying listen overall, though it admittedly lacks the killer highlights of Goldsmith's work.

The pace and excitement of the bulk of the score is such that a breather is needed every now and again, and a fine one comes in the middle of the album with the touching (if brief) "Sneaking Out".  "Don't Touch That Switch!", which follows, may only be 26 seconds long, but what a 26 seconds they are!  (I've often had occasion to remark to my girlfriend that it's not really a problem when something only lasts 26 seconds - quality not quantity, and so on.)  It's easy to see why it was included, and in those 26 seconds Broughton squeezes in more notes than (to be facetious) John Barry would do in a two hour score.  "Clear the Streets!" and "Car Flight" are possibly the standout cues; the former has a vague air of the Old West about it, truly delightful stuff, while in the latter Broughton pulls out all the stops for some non-stop fun.  

I can't fail to comment on the playing of the Hollywood musicians, which is terrific: this is tricky music to peform, and both Broughton and producer Douglass Fake mention in the brief liner notes that they performed admirably, mostly sight-reading as ever.  This is frantic, madcap fun, a delightful score from start to finish, and comes highly recommended.  It's a crime that Broughton doesn't get work in feature films any more, one of the great mysteries of film music.

Tracks

1. Main Title (3:03)
2. To the Lab (1:53)
3. Adam Gets Zapped (:35)
4. Putting on Weight? (1:19)
5. Macrowaved (3:15)
6. How'd She Take It? (3:11)
7. Sneaking Out (1:12)
8. Don't Touch That Switch! (:26)
9. The Bunny Trick (2:41)
10. Get Big Bunny (4:11)
11. Clear the Streets! (3:00)
12. Car Flight (4:38)
13. Ice Cream! (3:47)
14. Look at That, Mother! (2:26)
15. That's All, Folks! (4:20)