23 of the best film scores

The score of Willy Wonka finds a sweet balance between whimsical charm and a psychedelic nightmare trip. That and Gene Wilder’s performance made for some serious confectionary magic.

The thing about The King and I is that one is going to want to hit the dance floor in the most elegant way after listening.

Long before Disney could ring up one of the biggest names in music to sing on their movies’ soundtracks, they relied heavily on the score, especially back in 1942 when they released Bambi. The music drove a lot of the emotion and action of this harrowing tale.

There is a certain composer’s name that will pop up a lot when it comes to film scores and the best of the best, and that is John Williams. A master of the craft, he truly knows how to make an impact with sound, and that’s what has kept many terrified of Jaws and its signature theme for years.

A fantasy adventure like Lord of the Rings  isn’t going to have Justin Timberlake singing and dancing. Instead, it will have powerful orchestral moments that add to the grandiose nature of the iconic book-turned-movie franchise.

In a movie where the main character lacks a vocal box, music has to be the driving force, and Disney outdid themselves when it came time to pair Wall-E with a soundtrack tailor-made for his robotic ways.

John Williams added another Oscar to his mantle for delivering the music for Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List. It was not the easiest task in the world, but he was able to find a way to capture the true tragedy surrounding the events of that film.

Danny Elfman is another beast when it comes to compositions. If there was ever a Verzuz for composers, he’d have to go head-to-head with John Williams. Elfman has been director Tim Burton’s right-hand man for decades now, creating the noir meets fantastical style of Burton’s films, including Edward Scissorhands. 

Robin Hood dropped during what is considered Disney’s Bronze Age, an era of films released right after Walt Disney’s passing that didn’t fare too well at the time. However, films from that time have become revered fan favorites, including Robin Hood. Of course, part of that is due to the relatable nature of the movie (taxes, ugh) and the music that holds it together.

Swashbuckling escapades through the high seas have never sounded as exhilarating as in the initial Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Arguably the best Batman movie to ever exist because Tim Burton wasn’t afraid to let a comic book movie and the realm of the Dark Knight be a little camp, a little dark, and incorporate Danny Elfman’s genius.

Anastasia came out towards the end of the '90s when Disney was still rolling high with movies like Aladdin and Mulan but managed to carve out a little space for itself thanks to great casting and a royal score that added to this delightful Russian tale.

Whenever any music from The Exorcist plays, know that people within earshot are terrified.

Forrest Gump took fans through his life and world history, and the score had to fit not only moods and moments but also change with time as the story took viewers through a few decades.

Nine Inch Nails made their name by making industrial rock, so it is still pretty surprising that their own Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were able to compose the score for a movie that is deeply rooted in jazz.

There are a lot of great moments without Jurassic Park that are paired with memorable sounds, but nothing will ever top “Welcome to Jurassic Park” playing as the gates open for the first time in the movie.

Harry Potter was a bookstore success, but not every hit book series allows itself to be a billion-dollar movie-making machine. Thankfully for the team behind bringing Harry Potter to life, they got John Williams to create the music that would make Hogwarts truly pop.

The Little Mermaid kicked off Disney’s most influential and celebrated eras in 1989 by making their animation feel like a Broadway performance with larger-than-life musical numbers, and those soundtracks are seared into the minds of all who watched.

Having been a stage production a handful of years before heading to the big screen, it's not shocking that West Side Story has a score that reigns supreme.

John Carpenter really said if you want to make something great, do it yourself. He wrote the screenplay, directed the movie, and composed the haunting score for Halloween.

Beauty and the Beast did wonders for animation, as it was the first animated movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and its success then made it the first Disney movie to inspire a Broadway play. Thankfully, the score was already set in place and perfect as is.

The soundtrack to Titanic sold over 30 million copies and everyone knows it was because of that singular song by Celine Dion. While that's what moved CDs back in the late '90s, watching the movie makes it clear that the score was just as great as the Canadian songstress's powerhouse ballad.

Star Wars has gifted the world with so many remarkable characters, but one could argue the music created for it is just as beloved as Jedis and villains, and that’s all thanks to John Williams.