John Powell

John Powell

Sound
1963-09-18
London, England

Biography

John Powell is an English composer best known for his film scores. He has been based in Los Angeles since 1997 and has composed the scores to over 70 feature films. He is best known for composing scores for films, including Face/Off, the Bourne film series, the Happy Feet films, United 93, X-Men: The Last Stand, Wicked and its sequel, Evolution, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Migration, Drumline, Hancock, The Call of the Wild, Bolt, eight Blue Sky Studios films, and nine DreamWorks Animation films. His work on Happy Feet, Ferdinand, and Solo: A Star Wars Story has earned him three Grammy nominations. He was nominated for an Academy Award for How to Train Your Dragon. Powell was a member of Hans Zimmer's music studio, Remote Control Productions, and has collaborated frequently with other composers from the studio, including Harry Gregson-Williams on Antz, Chicken Run, and Shrek and Zimmer himself on Chill Factor, The Road to El Dorado, and the first two Kung Fu Panda films. He has also collaborated with film directors such as Carlos Saldanha, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders, Benjamin Renner, Chris Renaud, George Miller, John Woo, Ron Underwood, Doug Liman, Charles Stone III, Simon Otto, Jared Hess, and Paul Greengrass. Description above from the Wikipedia article John Powell (film composer), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For & Full Filmography3 Titles

#1Epic Ride: The Story of Universal Theme Parks

Drama Series - 2025, 16 episodes as Himself

8.8 / 10
Documentary

A celebration of the history and legacy of Universal Destinations & Experiences. Through unprecedented access, rare archival and intimate interviews with directors, producers, executives, and A-list celebrities, it explores Universal's film and theme park history as well as provide a behind-the-scenes countdown to the opening of its new theme park, Universal Epic Universe.

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#2Score: A Film Music Documentary

Movie - 2017, 2h 15m as Self

7.2 / 10
MusicDocumentary

Music is an integral part of most films, adding emotion and nuance while often remaining invisible to audiences. Matt Schrader shines a spotlight on the overlooked craft of film composing, gathering many of the art form’s most influential practitioners, from Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman to Quincy Jones and Randy Newman, to uncover their creative process. Tracing key developments in the evolution of music in film, and exploring some of cinema’s most iconic soundtracks, 'Score' is an aural valentine for film lovers.

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#3Soaring to Life: The Making of How to Train Your Dragon

Movie - 2025, 2h 15m as Self

7.0 / 10
Documentary

A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the live-action film "How to Train Your Dragon," following writer and director Dean DeBlois' journey of reimagining the animated franchise and revealing the film's elaborate sets and filmmaking technology.

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