We’re back! Hot on the heels of our rankings for the scores of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the films of 1984, we’re today ranking the scores of all 37 (as of this writing) feature films from DreamWorks Animation.

With the company celebrating its 25th anniversary, Abominable recently out on Blu-ray, and Trolls World Tour hitting theaters in April, this seemed like an appropriate time.

DreamWorks launched onto the scene in 1998 with a pair of very different films: The Prince of Egypt, a traditionally drawn 2D Biblical epic, and Antz, a CG film about anthropomorphic ants… starring Woody Allen.

Over the years, their feature film catalog has continued in this manner – it’s been a bit hit or miss. There have been a lot of great movies, don’t get me wrong, but for every How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda, we got a Boss Baby and Bee Movie.

But we’re not here today to talk about the merits of the films themselves. We’re here to talk about the music. If I’m being honest, there are a lot of movies here that I’ve never seen. But we’re not ranking the movies. We’re ranking their scores, and frankly, not having seen the movie really helps you divorce the score from the story.

To clarify, we’re talking about the orchestral scores for each movie. Not the soundtracks that include songs from the films. We omitted all songs from contention. And those soundtrack releases that are a mix of both, only the instrumental score tracks factored in our decision.

(Click here for our review of the DreamWorks in Concert performance.)

This obviously presented a slight problem for the three films that are actually musicals (The Prince of Egypt, Road to El Dorado, and Trolls), but you can see below how we handled those.

It’s also worth pointing out that SO MANY of these scores were composed by the same few guys. Hans Zimmer was on board with DreamWorks from the very beginning as head of the film music division. As a result, a vast majority of the films were either composed by him (his name is on 12 of these!) or by one of the composers who work with him through his company, Remote Control Productions.

In fact, only 4 of these 37 scores were composed by people not directly connected to Zimmer! Consequently, many end up feeling like clones of or at least very similar to one another. Sounds and themes echo throughout the catalog.

For example, as I conducted my research and listened to all of these scores multiple times, I’d find myself humming a tune or whistling snatches of a score… and have no idea which movie it was from.

How under the radar are these scores? Only two of these scores were even nominated for an Academy Award (The Prince of Egypt and How to Train Your Dragon), and neither won.

There are plenty of surprises in our ranking, but what surprised me the most is how few fell into our “middle of the road” bucket. Almost all were either “top tier” or… ahem… “bottom of the barrel.”

I should also mention that if you want to listen to the scores yourself, most of them are streaming on Amazon Music if you’re a subscriber. Not an endorsement; just a fact. And if you’re interested, I’ve pulled together the best of the scores (according to me) in this playlist, which is organized in order of release. (You can make your own Spotify playlist; I don’t need to do ALL the work here.) Listen and enjoy!

So without further ado, here’s the Roarbots’ definitive yet completely subjective ranking of the scores of DreamWorks Animation.

#37: The Road to El Dorado

composed by Hans Zimmer & John Powell (2000)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Cheldorado”

Kicking things off is one of DreamWorks’ three musicals. Most of this soundtrack is composed of Elton John & Tim Rice songs (trust me, this is no The Lion King) and other songs sung by the likes of the Backstreet Boys and Don Henley. It’s excruciating. There are only three score tracks, and they’re a wild “meh.” But hey, it’s all up from here!

#36: Over the Hedge

composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams (2006)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “The Family Awakes”

The score is interspersed with songs written and performed by Ben Folds. Listen, I’m a huge Folds fan, and they save the soundtrack as a whole (I mean, come on, it has a version of “Rockin’ the Suburbs” with William Shatner!), but the score pieces are entirely forgettable.

#35: Shark Tale

composed by Hans Zimmer (2004)

available on YouTube

listen to: “Some of My Best Friends are Sharks”

There’s only one score track on the official soundtrack. I found a bootleg score release with a questionable track listing, but with only one track to judge, this one just sinks like a lead shark.

#34: Flushed Away

composed by Harry Gregson-Williams (2006)

available on YouTube

listen to: “Life in the Sewer”

Totally unremarkable in every way.

#33: Shrek Forever After

composed by Harry Gregson-Williams (2010)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Never Been Better”

Like the movie, this one is entirely forgettable.

#32: Puss in Boots

composed by Henry Jackman (2011)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “The Puss Suite”

I wanted to like this one. Especially with Rodrigo y Gabriela on several tracks, I really wanted to like this one. But each time I turned it on, I forgot it as I was listening to it.

#31: Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted

composed by Hans Zimmer (2012)

available on YouTube

listen to: “New York City Surprise,” “Fur Power”

The soundtrack has only a few score tracks, and they’re Zimmer being Zimmer.

#30: Megamind

composed by Hans Zimmer & Lorne Balfe (2010)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Giant Blue Head,” “Roxanne”

This is a somewhat by-the-numbers kids’ action score. It’s not memorable and is almost devoid of themes.

#29: Monsters vs Aliens

composed by Henry Jackman (2008)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Meet the Monsters,” “The Ginormica Suite”

Like Megamind one spot down, this is also a by-the-numbers kids’ action score lacking memorable themes.

#28: Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

composed by Hans Zimmer (2002)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Homeland”

Listen, we have to leave the TEN(!) Bryan Adams songs on the table. What’s left is Hans Zimmer being very Hans Zimmery, so if that’s your thing…

#27: Shrek the Third

composed by Harry Gregson-Williams (2007)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “The Frog King Dies,” “King Arthur”

This is the most forgettable of the original Shrek trilogy. We’re basically listening to vanilla action movie music.

#26: Madagascar

composed by Hans Zimmer (2005)

available on YouTube

listen to: “Zoosters Breakout”

The score is interspersed with classic songs and even features John Barry’s “Born Free.” Zimmer’s original pieces, though, are fairly bland.

#25: Trolls

composed by Christophe Beck (2016)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Knocked Down”

I know. Believe it or not, there actually IS a score release for Trolls. And, just as you might think, it’s FAR overshadowed by the song soundtrack. As one of DreamWorks’s three musicals – and with songs like “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and “Get Back Up Again” – the score just fades away.

#24: Chicken Run

composed by John Powell & Harry Gregson-Williams (2000)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Opening Escape,” “Escape to Paradise”

Dominated by a lot of upbeat marches, the score for Chicken Run isn’t bad… it’s just not particularly memorable.

#23: Kung Fu Panda 2

composed by Hans Zimmer & John Powell (2011)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Save Kung Fu,” “Po Finds the Truth,” “Zen Ball Master”

It’s a fun listen, but except for a few tracks, it’s ultimately unsatisfying. Surprisingly, though, there are hints at Powell’s How to Train Your Dragon in parts.

#22: Mr. Peabody & Sherman

composed by Danny Elfman (2014)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “The Flying Machine,” “History Mash-Up”

Listen, it’s Danny Elfman. I really wanted this one to land higher. But in the end, it’s a solid “ok” and that’s about it. It doesn’t even feature the classic Peabody’s Improbable History theme from The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends! Unforgivable.

#21: Turbo

composed by Henry Jackman (2013)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Tuck & Roll,” “Turbo”

The soundtrack is a mix of only a few score tracks with a lot of pop songs from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Run DMC, and the Jackson 5. If there were more score to judge, this might’ve nudged a little higher. Alas.

#20: Bee Movie

composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams (2007)

available on YouTube

listen to: “Main Titles,” “Bees to the Rescue”

Surprisingly fun, given the movie’s reputation. But only good enough to crack the top 20.

#19: The Boss Baby

composed by Hans Zimmer & Steve Mazzaro (2017)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Toodaloo Toilet-Head!” “Arrrggh,” “Go Get Yourself a Horse”

There’s a surprising amount of funk in this one. There’s also a lot of high brass action/spy music, which recalls The Incredibles. But it’s very middle of the road.

#18: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

composed by Julian Nott (2005)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “A Grand Day Out,” “Fluffy Lover Boy”

If you’re a Wallace & Gromit fan, you’ll enjoy hearing the old-school theme, but that’s really all there is to it. The rest of the score is fun, but it’s ultimately not very memorable.

#17: Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

composed by Theodore Shapiro (2017)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Treehouse,” “Separation Anxiety,” “The Prank for Good”

Say what you will about Dav Pilkey‘s creations Captain Underpants and Dog Man, the kids love ’em. And though I never saw this movie, I have seen many episodes of The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants on Netflix (my kids love it), and it certainly has a lot of charm… especially the friendship between 4th graders George and Harold. The score to the movie is, in a word, fun. And I think that’s exactly what they were going for. Success!

#16: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

composed by John Powell (2019)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “With Love Comes a Great Waterfall,” “The Hidden World,” “Once There Were Dragons”

This is a solid score, but it pales in comparison to the first two. It’s triumphant and exhilarating, but the stunning main theme is mostly absent. Which sadly knocks this one down the list.

#15: Shrek

composed by Harry Gregson-Williams & John Powell (2001)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Friends Journey to Duloc,” “Starry Night,” “Ride the Dragon”

Shrek gets a lot of dubious side-eye today, but keep in mind that’s after three sequels and pop culture saturation during the Aughts. The original film is still super charming, as is the music. The melodies and music might not be incredibly memorable, but it’s still better than a full half of DreamWorks’ other film scores.

#14: Shrek 2

composed by Harry Gregson-Williams (2004)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Prince Charming,” “Magic Tea,” “All is Revealed”

I know, I’m also a little surprised to see two Shreks back to back, and the sequel higher than the original, no less! Both are enjoyable scores, and they’re really pretty much equal, but this one is slightly more memorable and catchy.

#13: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

composed by Hans Zimmer (2008)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Once Upon a Time in Africa,” “Party! Party! Party!” “Rescue Me”

Right? I guess this is where the surprises just start rolling in. The soundtrack here is a mix of Zimmer’s score and pop songs from Will.i.am. The score is a mix of typical Hans Zimmer, some African-inspired music, and… polka versions of familiar tunes (e.g., “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” theme). It’s good, I swear!

#12: Antz

composed by Harry Gregson-Williams & John Powell (1998)

available on YouTube

listen to: “The Colony,” “The Picnic Table,” “Z to the Rescue”

Antz was DreamWorks’ first animated film (and only the second CG animated feature ever, after Toy Story), but it was doomed from the start since it ultimately went up against that other ant movie from Pixar, which was released the same year. Still, even though the movie may not have aged particularly well, the score is surprisingly good. And I’m frankly surprised it landed this high on the list.

#11: Kung Fu Panda

composed by Hans Zimmer & John Powell (2008)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Hero,” “Dragon Warrior Rises,” “Oogway Ascends”

On paper, this shouldn’t work. Jack Black as a pudgy panda that learns kung fu? And not only that, but it’s backed by a score that plays it all as deadly serious. This isn’t goofy music to support slapstick humor. This is a legitimately solid and dramatic score with plenty of Chinese motifs that support a legitimately good movie.

#10: Penguins of Madagascar

composed by Lorne Balfe (2014)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “The Penguins of Madagascar,” “Private’s Theme,” “Mendiculus”

Remember this one? The Madagascar spinoff? The score has a definite 007/spy movie feel, which is appropriate to the plot, and it’s surprisingly enjoyable! I’ll be honest, it may have landed in the top 10 simply because it’s so distinct from the rest of this group, but the score as a whole is really solid.

#9: Rise of the Guardians

composed by Alexandre Desplat (2012)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Dreamsand,” “Memorial,” “Easter”

With Desplat at the helm, this one goes WAY outside the standard DreamWorks composer box (and it ups the fancy quotient by 1000% with a song by Renée Fleming). If you listen to the entire DreamWorks catalog in chronological order, as I initially did, it’s like a breath of fresh air since it’s so distinct from everything that came before. Desplat gives this one its own personality, and it soars.

#8: Kung Fu Panda 3

composed by Hans Zimmer (2016)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Oogway’s Legacy,” “The Legend of Kai,” “The Dragon Warrior,” “Passing the Torch”

Yep, the THIRD Kung Fu Panda movie ranked the highest. Betcha didn’t see that coming, did you? Of the three, the music here is by far the most emotional, and it was a definite improvement over the second. The score is also elevated by having pianist Lang Lang on several tracks.

#7: The Croods

composed by Alan Silvestri (2013)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Smash and Grab,” “Star Canopy,” “Cave Painting Theme,” “Epilogue”

This is legendary film composer Alan Silvestri’s sole score with DreamWorks, and he stakes a claim with a film that flew under far too many radars. Unlike so many of these scores, The Croods actually has themes! Beautiful, intimate themes. And Silvestri brought in the USC Marching Band one of the most fun tracks.

#6: Abominable

composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams (2019)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Play to the Rooftops,” “The Leshan Buddha,” “Everest”

Many of the tracks have Chinese influences, which makes sense given that the story is set in China, and traditional Chinese instruments and melodies pop up in several tracks – giving Abominable a uniquely Chinese sound (even more so than Kung Fu Panda). The sweeping score is both grand and personal – perfect for a story that travels across China but remains rooted in family.

#5: How to Train Your Dragon 2

composed by John Powell (2014)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Losing Mom,” “Stoick’s Ship,” “Toothless Found”

The music might not be as great as the original, but neither is the movie. Still, Powell’s score here is pretty great and better than a vast majority of the DreamWorks catalog, just like the movie.

#4: Home

composed by Lorne Balfe (2015)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Symphony in Oh,” “Smek Down,” Moving Day,” “Returning the Shusher”

It has themes! It’s grand and epic! It’s lush and orchestral! It’s just beautiful, and it’s in the top 5 for a reason.

#3: Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

composed by Harry Gregson-Williams (2003)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: “Syracuse,” “Is it the Shore or the Sea?” “Sinbad Returns and Eris Pays Up”

I know! What?? Listen, I’m just as surprised as you are that this landed so high on the list. Sinbad might be the most forgotten DreamWorks film, and at first I thought the music just seemed good since it was such a surprise. But no, I listened to this score numerous times to make sure, and I’m here to say that it really is that good.

#2: The Prince of Egypt

composed by Hans Zimmer (1998)

available on Amazon Music / YouTube

listen to: “The Burning Bush,” “Red Sea”

Of DreamWorks’ three musicals, this is perhaps the hardest one to separate the songs from the score. Back in ’98, Stephen Schwartz’s songs for The Prince of Egypt became a phenomenon. The music was so popular that two other albums “inspired by” the music were released for different genres (country and gospel). And I won’t lie, songs like “When You Believe” and “All I Ever Wanted” hold up. If The Prince of Egypt were released just a few years later, I guarantee you it would’ve been adapted for Broadway. Still, Hans Zimmer’s score for the film soars and elevates this one to the second spot.

#1: How to Train Your Dragon

composed by John Powell (2010)

available on Amazon Music

listen to: the whole thing, but especially “This is Berk,” “Forbidden Friendship,” “Test Drive,” “Coming Back Around”

Come on. Like this was ever in doubt. John Powell’s music is SO MUCH of what makes this movie so great. The triumphant theme will give you chills and make you want to take flight with Toothless… or at least watch the movie again. And quite honestly, it’s what helped the second and third movies in the trilogy rank as high as they did on this list.