Composer Jim Dooley Talks With Us About ‘Kim Possible’ and More

There’s no denying that the role of the strong, fierce female has found a large resurgence in film/tv after the success of DC Comic’s Wonder Woman and more recently Marvel’s Captain Marvel.

While these two examples are geared more toward an older demographic, Disney’s recent Kim Possible feature film targets a younger generation that shows girls they can be leaders and heroes too.  While she may not be a super hero or crime fighter, another character currently on TV showing great strength is Violet Baudelaire from Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. For the last three seasons of the series Violet has been forced to overcome obstacles brought on by the evil Count Olaf (played by Neil Patrick Harris), all the while staying strong for her newly orphaned siblings.  You may ask what these two characters have in common? They are both given musical life by Emmy winning composer Jim Dooley. We spoke with Dooley about these characters and more in the below interview.

I read that you weren’t that familiar with the Kim Possible cartoon. Do you feel that was an advantage when you scored the Kim Possible film, because it helped you create something completely fresh?

Jim Dooley: From the start the filmmakers made it clear that we were not approaching this as a cartoon.  Our ‘Kim’ is a real-life hero but she faces common human challenges that we can all relate to.  Combining the action hero she is while also overcoming adversity helped focus the score for me.  

Were you given specific perimeters to score Kim Possible? If so, what were they?

JD: I was directed to score it like a big Hollywood action movie.  To not play into her age or gender at all.  I think this approach helped give the film more punch than you might expect.

You haven’t scored many action films, did you do anything different when first approaching Kim Possible?

JD: Maybe not by myself but I have worked on many action films with Hans Zimmer in the past.  I contributed additional music to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Tears of the Sun, The DaVinci Code and many others.

Some of my video game work has been action based like Socom 3: US Navy Seals and the InFamous series. I have also done many albums of Film Trailer music so this was a natural extension for me.

Was there anything you learned from scoring Kim Possible?

JD: Nothing necessarily new but it’s always a pleasure to work with people that understand story.   I was very fortunate to have a great team to work with.

A Series of Unfortunate Events is based on a series of books.  Did you look at the books in Season 3 ahead of time before you began work on them?

JD: I did not look at the books. I didn’t want to know too much about where it was going. There can be a problem when the omniscient composer gets involved. You can tip things for the audience. I wanted to see it new from their eyes. It helps to see where the surprises are if you don’t know too much before going in.

You scored Season 2 of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Did you approach Season 3 any differently than the last?

Each season has its own challenges.  As the poster says ‘We’ve saved the worst for last.’  In season 3 whatever hope the children have been holding on to has been dripping away.  Keeping this idea moving forward was a challenge as the children find no solace in their world.

You experimented with many different types of musical genres for A Series of Unfortunate Events, which one came the most natural to you?

JD: I really enjoyed the Grim Grotto episodes. We could play more thriller/horror with the deadly mushrooms and a good bit of sea shanty on the submarine with Fiona and her best mate.

You have a very long resume. How do you constantly bring a new approach and tone to your scores without sounding the same all the time?

JD: For me the variety is what helps the most.  That and being open to new music and new life experiences which you can bring into the projects.  I do my best when I bounce from medium to medium.  For example, doing a TV show, and then a game, and then a movie, and then a commercial.  I find if I do too many of one thing in a row it’s easier to get stale.  Also, making your own instruments and samples helps you start from a place you haven’t been before and that is key.

Have you seen Avengers: Endgame? What did you think about Alan Silvestri’s score?

JD: I am probably the only person in the world that hasn’t seen it. I stopped watching the Avengers movies when they had to fight a computer. It reminded me of Superman vs Richard Pryor. That being said I am a big fan of Alan’s work!  His Back to the Future scores are just unbeatable.