ComingSoon spoke with The Newton Brothers (John Andrew Grush and Taylor Newton Stewart), the composers for X-Men ’97, about their work on the incredible new animated series.
With a personal history deeply rooted in the X-Men franchise and the 90s series, this talented duo seamlessly blends traditional orchestration with electronic elements. The result is a fresh take on the beloved 1990s cartoon, paying homage to its legacy while introducing a contemporary twist.
Infused with electrifying guitar riffs that ignite the series’ action, fans can rediscover the wildly popular Saturday morning cartoon. The score reflects a decade in which the iconic characters lived while introducing exciting new additions to the cast. The series promises to captivate audiences whether you’re a devoted follower of the classic or a newcomer to the mutant adventures.
ComingSoon: How does it feel to be part of the revival of such an iconic series like X-Men with X-Men ’97, especially considering your personal history with the franchise?
The Newton Brothers: It’s electrifying to be part of the continuation of such an iconic series like X-Men with X-Men ’97!
For both of us, it’s a full-circle moment that’s nothing short of magical. Growing up with the X-Men, feeling every triumph, setback, and pulse-pounding moment alongside these characters, and now, contributing to their legacy—it’s like being part of a dream we’ve had since we first heard Ron’s unforgettable theme tune.
To add our voice to the chorus that’s bringing this beloved series back to life, to blend the old with the new, and to help introduce these heroes to a new generation while honoring the fans who’ve been there from the start—it’s a privilege that we take very seriously. The entire team is not just reviving a show; they’re reigniting a worldwide phenomenon, and to be a part of that is exhilarating!!
The original X-Men animated series from the 90s had a distinct musical style. How did you approach honoring that while also bringing your own unique flair to the score for X-Men ’97?
We had to really dive deep into exploration on the front end of scoring to find the sound of the show. When we came on board, the team gave us some advice to pay attention to our memory of what the original show was vs what the show was. Initially, our memory was of a synth score, but on re-examining, it was so much more. There was a mix of everything. The palette was a collage of instruments and we wanted to honor that and build off of that. We didn’t want any idea to be discounted in our discovery phase, so we incorporated old and new analog synths, old and new digital synths, plugins, drum machines, guitars, basses, percussion, orchestra, and loads of choir.
Once we had found the palette and themes, we set off to find moments to lean into nostalgia and moments to introduce new ideas. Probably much like an artist playing a concert where they incorporate the fan favorites while sprinkling in new songs to expand on the catalog.
Can you discuss the process of blending traditional orchestration with electronic elements to create the sound of X-Men ’97? What were some of the challenges and inspirations behind this fusion?
We typically begin by mocking up a demo of each cue/song. That process can involve us tracking ideas that will be replaced and some things that will remain throughout the process. We’ll stack vocals, record instruments that we can play and everything else will be performed via MIDI samples as well as a lot of audio surgery to create interesting textures and sounds. The process of recording our instruments live with other instruments we’re programming, allows us to balance cues/songs as we go which ultimately helps once we record orchestra and choir, because the melding of sounds has already undergone a lot of massaging on our end.
Of course, humans are delightfully imperfect, even when they’re exceptional, and that is what makes the music breathe and sing. Because of this, we had Snacky, one of our music editors, take the recorded orchestra and choir after everything has been recorded and he has perfected an art form of doing micro surgery to our tracks with the orchestra and choir to make sure everything is adhering to a flow and not just landing on a grid.
Performance is paramount in the conveying of emotion and that performance needs to always feel sincere every step of the way, but in order to bring everyone together to record, there must be some forced organization so the players know what to play and when to play it. If you think about a band of 5 players in a garage in high school, they might trade ideas and organically build a song. That process yields an incredibly fluid and sincere situation.
Unfortunately, we don’t have all month after school to rehearse and play with the orchestra and choir, so we must constrict the music to sheet music. In doing that, it can be easy to lose sight of sincerity through necessity of an accurate performance. Our orchestrator and conductor, Mark Graham, champions the sincerity of each performance and recording. We all flew to Vienna to be there for the recordings to make sure to do everything we could to encourage sincerity and vulnerability.
X-Men ’97 promises to introduce exciting new additions to the cast. How did these new characters influence your approach to composing their themes and incorporating them into the overall score?
This was a really exciting part of the process. We would take our palette of sounds and find new and old characters sounds and themes through storyline and aesthetic provided by the exceptional writing, animation and directing. A lot of the influence of the writing of new characters was born from some of the new pieces we did for classic characters. There’s such an evolution of the characters even in this season, so we had to be aware of these shifts and make sure not to get stuck in an idea that could not be malleable. For example, we have different themes for Magneto’s different situations throughout the season.
The series is known for its action-packed scenes. How did you use electrifying guitar riffs to enhance the intensity and excitement of these moments?
The action scenes were a blast to work on! So much energy and excitement. Pounding percussion and bass with mixtures of guitar and blazing synth leads on top of it. We had orchestra and choir to accentuate and fill out the sound, but it was important to have pointed sounds upfront. The synth leads and guitars really helped to achieve this. While working on the Main Title, we really wanted them to encapsulate our own group of X-Musicians, so we reached out to Nili Brosh to bring her wildly fabulous guitar skills to the main title.
As composers, how do you navigate the balance between paying homage to the original series while also infusing fresh elements into the score to appeal to modern audiences?
We tried to approach this with both reverence and innovation. First, we did a deep dive into the heart of the original series, immersing ourselves in its iconic themes and understanding the emotional and narrative depths they conveyed. This research helped point our skis/snowboards down the hill toward our new compositions, which helped to keep us in line with the same spirit and energy that captivated audiences back in the 90’s. We wanted the sound to feel familiar and new.
To infuse fresh elements, we experimented with modern synths, innovative orchestration, and contemporary rhythms, blending the classic with modern. Our goal was to strike a harmonic balance where the new score resonates with long-time fans, evoking nostalgia and excitement, while also appealing to new viewers with its modernity and freshness. It’s a dynamic interplay of honoring the past and embracing the future, creating a musical experience that’s hopefully timeless.
Your score for the film adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy’s was well-received in the horror genre. How does scoring for animation like X-Men ’97 differ from scoring for live-action films?
X-Men ’97, like the original, packs a lot of story into each episode, and it’s quite purposeful. Scoring the show requires acute attention to detail and shifts because if you miss one shift in tone, even the most inexperienced viewer can feel it. The stakes of the “when” and “where” of the music in X-Men ’97 are much higher. That doesn’t mean those shifts don’t exist and aren’t important in live action, but in the example of FNAF, a shift to a big scare would probably be accompanied by a lulling of silence prior, while the emotional scenes require a very light touch to not be too melodramatic, but to allow the viewers to sit with their own feeling of sadness, loneliness, fear, horror etc…
X-Men ’97 is set to captivate both devoted fans of the classic series and newcomers to the mutant adventures. How did you approach creating a score that would resonate with both audiences?
Marvel and the creators decision to acquire the rights to the Main Title solidified the connection to the original series. We were able to employ that theme throughout the season, while building new connections to themes and sounds.
Can you share any insights into your collaboration process with the creators and producers of X-Men ’97? How closely did you work together to ensure that the music perfectly complemented the visuals and storytelling?
We worked very closely with Marvel, Brad, Dana, Beau, Jake, Dave, Justine, Christian, the directors, and the rest of the team to ensure that we were on the right track. The team was so encouraging about things they loved when we’d do playbacks, and they were equally encouraging about things that didn’t land or felt like they were the wrong intention.
Additionally, the adjustments they’d suggest were always elevating everything. Sometimes, the smallest adjustment would make a great difference, and that’s the pleasure of being able to work with a ridiculously talented team who all share the same goal of making the best show possible while honoring the story, both old and new.
With X-Men ’97 premiering soon on Disney+, what do you hope viewers will take away from the musical experience of the series, and what are you most excited for them to hear in your score?
We hope that the music in X-Men ’97 is a friendly passenger that accompanies and underscores the joy, emotion, anger, sadness, exhilaration, and adventure that the fans will experience. Season 1 is quite a journey and we’re excited for the fans to feel and experience that journey both emotionally and musically.
