John Debney is an American composer and conductor whose work spans film, television, video games, and theme park attractions. The son of Disney producer Louis Debney, he grew up in Glendale, California, close to the Walt Disney Studios, earned a degree in music composition from the California Institute of the Arts in 1979, and began his career writing and orchestrating music for Disney before moving into television.
Through the 1980s and 1990s he scored series as varied as A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, The Young Riders, Star Trek: The Next Generation (US, 1987), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (US, 1993), Seaquest DSV (US, 1993), and The Cape, winning several Primetime Emmy Awards along the way. Decades later he returned to episodic scoring with his large-orchestra music for Seth MacFarlane's The Orville.
His feature breakthrough was the lavish symphonic swashbuckler Cutthroat Island (US, 1995), still among his most admired scores. Debney has since become one of Hollywood's most versatile and prolific composers, moving between comedy (Liar Liar, Bruce Almighty, Elf (US, 2003)), family and animated films (Hocus Pocus (US, 1993), The Emperor's New Groove, Chicken Little, The Jungle Book), action (Iron Man 2 (US, 2010), Sin City (US, 2005), Predators (US, 2010)), and musicals (The Greatest Showman). His score for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (2004) earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, and in 2005 he became the youngest recipient of ASCAP's Henry Mancini Award. A frequent conductor of his own music, he remains highly active, with recent credits including Hocus Pocus 2, Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga, and The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.
80 for Brady (Music from the Motion Picture)
John Debney
United States / 2023-03-21
Intrada INT 7175
1xCD (Album) / 28 Tracks / 40:29 m:s
The Adventures of Sharkboy & Lavagirl in 3-D
United States / 2005-06-28
Varèse Sarabande 302 066 658 2
1xCD (Album) / 22 Tracks / 43:27 m:s
The Adventures of Sharkboy & Lavagirl in 3-D
Germany / 2005-07-11
Colosseum Schallplatten VSD 6658
1xCD (Album) / 22 Tracks / 43:27 m:s
Alex Cross (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
John Debney
United States / 2012-10-22
Metropolis Movie Music
Digital (Album) / 24 Tracks / 61:24 m:s
Aliens in the Attic
United States / 2009-08-11
Varèse Sarabande 302 066 982 2
1xCD (Album) / 26 Tracks / 43:57 m:s
Aliens in the Attic
Germany / 2009-08-11
Colosseum Music Entertainment CVS 6982.2
1xCD (Album) / 26 Tracks / 43:57 m:s
Amazing Stories
Georges Delerue
United States / 1999
Varèse Sarabande VSD 5941
1xCD (Album) / 18 Tracks / 40:03 m:s
The Ant Bully (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
John Debney
United States / 2006-08-01
Varèse Sarabande 302 066 748 2
1xCD (Album) / 27 Tracks / 56:47 m:s
The Ant Bully (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
John Debney
Germany / 2006-07-31
Colosseum Schallplatten VSD-6748
1xCD (Album) / 27 Tracks / 56:47 m:s
Back To The Future - The Trilogy
Germany / 1999-09-21
Colosseum Schallplatten CVS 5950.2
1xCD (Album) / 20 Tracks / 52:12 m:s
Back To The Future - The Trilogy
Alan Silvestri
United States / 1999-09-21
Varèse Sarabande 302 065 950 2
1xCD (Album) / 20 Tracks / 52:12 m:s
Bonnie and Clyde
United States / 2013-12-03
La-La Land Records LLLCD 1292
1xCD (Album) / 28 Tracks / 60:30 m:s
Clifford the Big Red Dog (Music from the Motion Picture)
John Debney
United States / 2021-12-07
Intrada INT 7167
1xCD (Album) / 38 Tracks / 58:00 m:s
Clifford the Big Red Dog (Music from the Motion Picture)
John Debney
United States / 2021-11-12
Paramount Music
Digital (Album) / 38 Tracks / 60:01 m:s
Cutthroat Island
United Kingdom / 1995
Silva Screen FILMCD 178
1xCD (Album)
Cutthroat Island (Original Motion Picture Score)
John Debney
United States / 2016-07-05
La-La Land Records LLLCD 1387
2xCD (Album) / 39 Tracks / 145:59 m:s
Cutthroat Island (Original Motion Picture Score)
John Debney
Spain / 2024-01-08
Quartet Records QR532
2xCD (Album) / 39 Tracks / 145:46 m:s
Cutthroat Island (Original Motion Picture Score)
John Debney
Spain / 2024-01-08
Quartet Records QRLP44
2xLP (Album) / 19 Tracks / 71:06 m:s
Cutthroat Island (Original Motion Picture Score)
John Debney
United States / 2017-08-23
La-La Land Records
Digital (Album)
Cutthroat Island (The Complete Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
John Debney
Belgium / 2005-04-05
Prometheus Records XPCD 157
2xCD (Album) / 38 Tracks / 145:28 m:s
Dream House
United States / 2011-10-11
Varèse Sarabande 302 067 115 2
1xCD (Album) / 15 Tracks / 56:18 m:s
Dream House
Germany / 2011-10-11
Colosseum Music Entertainment CVS 7115.2
1xCD (Album) / 15 Tracks / 56:18 m:s
Duma (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
John Debney
United States / 2005-11-08
Varèse Sarabande 302 066 701 2
1xCD (Album) / 19 Tracks / 39:40 m:s
Duma (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
John Debney
Germany / 2005-11-07
Colosseum Schallplatten CVS 6701.2
1xCD (Album) / 19 Tracks / 39:40 m:s
Elf: The Deluxe Edition (Original Motion Picture Score)
John Debney
United States / 2021-11-19
Varèse Sarabande (CD Club) VCL 1121 1270
1xCD (Album) / 44 Tracks / 60:07 m:s