warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

'DCONSTRUCTED': Disney Remix Album Review

Michelle Tiu |
April 21, 2014 | 7:36 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

 ruining your childhood since 2014. (@MusicAmznUS / Twitpic)
ruining your childhood since 2014. (@MusicAmznUS / Twitpic)
Like most people, my first thoughts upon hearing about Disney's EDM remix album "DCONSTRUCTED" was: "Oh dear God. This cannot end well."

But maybe Disney wouldn't screw this up if big names like Avicii, Kaskade, and Armin van Buuren were the ones doing the remixing... Right?

Wrong. Unfortunately, those superstar DJs couldn't save this album no matter how hard they tried.

Remixed by British DJ Mat Zo, the album's opening track "Circle of Life" from "The Lion King" (1994) starts off in much the same way as the original song did, but veers off into strange directions once the first drop sets in. And while this drop would make a great addition to any standard EDM track, it unfortunately turns this Disney classic into a laughable shadow of its former self.

However, there are a few standout tracks, such as "Derezzed" and "Fall" - both from the 2010 film "Tron: Legacy."

With the original "Tron: Legacy" soundtrack composed by French electronic duo Daft Punk, it's easy see why these are some of the only songs on "DCONSTRUCTED" that actually turned out well. Shinichi Osawa's extended mix of "Main Street Electrical Parade" isn't too bad on the ears either.

The "Inspired by" tracks that weren't based on existing Disney tunes were - for the most part - decent sounding, but didn't create any sense of nostalgia or connection to the movies they were supposedly based on.

However, the most disappointing remix on the album is Armin van Buuren's take on the smash hit "Let It Go" from Disney's most recent box office success "Frozen" (2013).

Van Buuren's remix is basically a cop-out because only the original song's chorus is sampled with the rest of the track is comprised of typical EDM instrumentals. The Dutch DJ played it way too safe when he could've easily made a decent mix out of "Let It Go," which has a far more modern sound than many of the other songs on the "DCONSTRUCTED" tracklist - especially if he'd gone with Demi Lovato's radio-ready pop-rock version of the song instead of the movie version with Idina Menzel.

Speaking of that tracklist, where are all of those "classics" Disney's been advertising?

Aside from "Circle of Life," "You've Got a Friend In Me," "Let It Go," and "Once Upon a Dream," most people probably wouldn't get a nostalgic feel from listening to the other ten songs on this album (see "Roar" from "Monsters University"). And even though it spawned the best sounding tracks on "DCONSTRUCTED," I highly doubt that anyone considers the mediocre-at-best "Tron: Legacy" a Disney classic.

Overall, this Disney remix album is - unsurprisingly - a disappointment due to the fact that most of the songs are "DCONSTRUCTED" and remixed until they're no longer recognizable except for maybe a few snippets of sampled dialogue, lyrics, or instrumentals from the original source materials.

If you dare, you can stream the album on Amazon or watch the album sampler below.

Reach Staff Reporter Michelle Tiu here and follow her on Twitter.



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.