Ein Mädchen Namens Willow
Fabian Römer
" quite excellent "Written by Joep de Bruijn - Review of the download only release
Ein Mädchen Namens Willow (A Girl Named Willow, 2025) is a German children's coming-of-age adventure with a touch of magic. As Willow and three other children share an inherited gift of magic, through tutoring from a mentor who has awakened from a book, they can use their power in an adventure to stop property developers from destroying the forest.
For the orchestral score by Fabian Römer he utilised all the expected ingredients. First, there is a lovely theme for Willow. Together with another familiar aspect – a series of ethnic and wind instruments performed by Sandro Friedrich - they express the theme of the forest and all living creatures; they form the musical heart of the entire score. Both carry an often varied but mostly endearing and calming, yet also larger, dramatic feel that enhances the film. In arresting developments, the lurking-to-be-destroyed nature and sense of adventure are underscored through a terrific string motif.
The element of unavoidable fantasy conveyed through familiar techniques and instruments is not as impressive, but luckily it does not dominate the score and appears in good balance with the other themes. Early on, upon Willow's realisation that the forest is in danger, a cue starts as she meets a fox and delves deeper into a spiritual connection with her surroundings, seeing a piano embedded in a tree, playing a few notes, continued by the piano itself, which is then overtaken by the composition by Römer. Unfortunately, this combination of magic and realism is sparse in entire film.
Interestingly, the book tutor, an overacting, cliché servant type, does not receive a cliché, bouncy bass strings, tongue-in-cheek theme, but whenever the children converge with him, you either hear silence or an overarching 'magical' music accompanying their tutorial developments. There is, however, some quirky, non-magical music for scenes as the children infiltrate the ballet class of one of the property developers, underscored by tongue-in-cheek strings, as well as playful, recurring music used in investigative scenes during school time.
In terms of voices, the composer uses small dosages of choir throughout the score. However, he underscores a series of rituals of witchcraft among the children in a song, as well as a pop song in the end credits. Both include thematic material. The first is appropriate storywise; the second is a lackluster 'listen to your heart' type of pop song.
Upon viewing dozens of family films featuring a child befriended to an animal and ecological rescuing, a slice of magic realism or less attractive fantasy magic, they share a lot in common. Over the last 30 years or more, there have been many excellent scores, but the ones that distinguish themselves most include magic realism and a more unique musical identity. Johan Söderqvist's 2003 Misa Mi is a testament to this. Ein Mädchen Namens Willow is somewhere between this but is nonetheless quite excellent.
Tracklist
1. Ein neuer Ort 2:32
2. Zu spät 0:41
3. Der Fuchs weist den Weg 2:43
4. Willows Thema 2:05
5. Geier und Geier 0:55
6. Schlüsselbaum 0:51
7. Schlechte Nachrichten 2:39
8. Die geheimnisvolle Hütte 4:25
9. Grimmoor 1:17
10. Element Feuer 1:10
11. Die anderen Junghexen 1:08
12. Zeigdichzauber 1:35
13. Gemeinsam durch den Wald 1:59
14. Element Wasser 1:44
15. Die Ahnen 2:33
16. Kein Tütü 0:47
17. Element Erde 0:40
18. Die Vorbereitung 1:39
19. Zeit verrinnt 1:25
20. Die Zeremonie 2:21
21. Gegen den Sturm 4:47
22. Deine Schuld 1:16
23. Unter Geiern 3:18
24. Die Entschuldigung 1:42
25. Hexenschwestern 3:13
26. Nicht allein 1:43
27. Gerettet 1:49
28. Ein Mädchen namens Willow 1:50
Total Album Time: 54:47
(29-10-2025)
For the orchestral score by Fabian Römer he utilised all the expected ingredients. First, there is a lovely theme for Willow. Together with another familiar aspect – a series of ethnic and wind instruments performed by Sandro Friedrich - they express the theme of the forest and all living creatures; they form the musical heart of the entire score. Both carry an often varied but mostly endearing and calming, yet also larger, dramatic feel that enhances the film. In arresting developments, the lurking-to-be-destroyed nature and sense of adventure are underscored through a terrific string motif.
The element of unavoidable fantasy conveyed through familiar techniques and instruments is not as impressive, but luckily it does not dominate the score and appears in good balance with the other themes. Early on, upon Willow's realisation that the forest is in danger, a cue starts as she meets a fox and delves deeper into a spiritual connection with her surroundings, seeing a piano embedded in a tree, playing a few notes, continued by the piano itself, which is then overtaken by the composition by Römer. Unfortunately, this combination of magic and realism is sparse in entire film.
Interestingly, the book tutor, an overacting, cliché servant type, does not receive a cliché, bouncy bass strings, tongue-in-cheek theme, but whenever the children converge with him, you either hear silence or an overarching 'magical' music accompanying their tutorial developments. There is, however, some quirky, non-magical music for scenes as the children infiltrate the ballet class of one of the property developers, underscored by tongue-in-cheek strings, as well as playful, recurring music used in investigative scenes during school time.
In terms of voices, the composer uses small dosages of choir throughout the score. However, he underscores a series of rituals of witchcraft among the children in a song, as well as a pop song in the end credits. Both include thematic material. The first is appropriate storywise; the second is a lackluster 'listen to your heart' type of pop song.
Upon viewing dozens of family films featuring a child befriended to an animal and ecological rescuing, a slice of magic realism or less attractive fantasy magic, they share a lot in common. Over the last 30 years or more, there have been many excellent scores, but the ones that distinguish themselves most include magic realism and a more unique musical identity. Johan Söderqvist's 2003 Misa Mi is a testament to this. Ein Mädchen Namens Willow is somewhere between this but is nonetheless quite excellent.
Tracklist
1. Ein neuer Ort 2:32
2. Zu spät 0:41
3. Der Fuchs weist den Weg 2:43
4. Willows Thema 2:05
5. Geier und Geier 0:55
6. Schlüsselbaum 0:51
7. Schlechte Nachrichten 2:39
8. Die geheimnisvolle Hütte 4:25
9. Grimmoor 1:17
10. Element Feuer 1:10
11. Die anderen Junghexen 1:08
12. Zeigdichzauber 1:35
13. Gemeinsam durch den Wald 1:59
14. Element Wasser 1:44
15. Die Ahnen 2:33
16. Kein Tütü 0:47
17. Element Erde 0:40
18. Die Vorbereitung 1:39
19. Zeit verrinnt 1:25
20. Die Zeremonie 2:21
21. Gegen den Sturm 4:47
22. Deine Schuld 1:16
23. Unter Geiern 3:18
24. Die Entschuldigung 1:42
25. Hexenschwestern 3:13
26. Nicht allein 1:43
27. Gerettet 1:49
28. Ein Mädchen namens Willow 1:50
Total Album Time: 54:47
(29-10-2025)