This is a list of compositions by Danny Elfman for film, television, stage and the concert hall.
For a list of recordings, see Danny Elfman discography, and for Elfman's work as lead singer/songwriter of Oingo Boingo, see Oingo Boingo discography.
Film scores The following list consists of select films for which Danny Elfman composed the score and/or songs.
1980s Year Title Director Studio(s) Notes / Accolades 1980 Forbidden Zone Richard Elfman The Samuel Goldwyn Company First film scoreFilm released in 1982 though Elfman has said he wrote the music in 1980In addition to composing the score and songs with the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, Elfman arranged and performed Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher" with new lyrics as the character SatanGrow, Kory. "Inside Danny Elfman’s Twisted Cult Film ‘Forbidden Zone’", Rolling Stone, November 6, 2015. 1985 Pee-wee's Big Adventure Tim Burton Warner Bros.Aspen Film Society Debut score for a major film studio 1986 Back to School Alan Metter Orion PicturesPaper Clip Productions In addition to composing the score, Elfman appears in the film as the lead singer of Oingo Boingo performing their song "Dead Man's Party"Buck, David. "Mystic Knights of the Movie Soundtrack", Tedium, March 14, 2018. Wisdom Emilio Estevez 20th Century Fox (United States)Cannon Films (International)Gladden Entertainment Composed, arranged and performed by Elfman entirely on synthesizer 1987 Summer School Carl Reiner Paramount Pictures 1984 Publishing put out this previously unreleased score by Elfman in 2023 on CD and on vinyl in 4 different color variants. 1988 BeetlejuiceTim Burton Warner Bros.The Geffen Company At the top of the "Main Titles" music as heard in the film, Elfman sings lyrics from "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" in the style of Harry Belafonte, the original version of which is used to comic effect later in the film Nominated- Saturn Award for Best Music Midnight Run Martin Brest Universal PicturesCity Light Films Big Top Pee-wee Randal Kleiser Paramount Pictures Hot to Trot Michael Dinner Warner Bros. Scrooged Richard Donner Paramount PicturesMirage Productions 1989Batman Tim Burton Warner Bros.Grammy Award Best Score Soundtrack for Visual MediaGrammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition (for "Batman theme")
1990s Year Title Director Studio(s) Notes 1990Nightbreed Clive Barker 20th Century FoxMorgan Creek ProductionsDick Tracy Warren Beatty Touchstone PicturesSilver Screen Partners IVMulholland Productions Nominated- Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television Darkman Sam Raimi Universal PicturesRenaissance Pictures Edward Scissorhands Tim Burton 20th Century Fox Nominated- Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or TelevisionNominated- Saturn Award for Best Music 1992 Article 99 Howard Deutch Orion Pictures Batman Returns Tim Burton Warner Bros. In addition to composing the score, co-wrote the song "Face to Face" with Siouxsie And The Banshees 1993 Sommersby Jon Amiel Warner Bros.Le Studio Canal+Regency EnterprisesAlcor Films The opening theme would later become the music for the Regency Enterprises logo, albeit as a condensed sample. Henry Selick Touchstone PicturesSkellington Productions First score for an animated Film. In addition to the score, Elfman wrote ten original songs and provided the singing voice of main character Jack Skellington, among others Saturn Award for Best MusicNominated- Grammy Award for Best Children's Album 1994 Black Beauty Caroline Thompson Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Family Entertainment 1995 Dolores Claiborne Taylor Hackford Columbia PicturesCastle Rock EntertainmentNominated- Saturn Award for Best Music Dead Presidents Albert HughesAllen Hughes Hollywood PicturesCaravan PicturesUnderworld Entertainment First Elfman score to be credited as conductor To Die For Gus Van Sant Columbia PicturesRank OrganisationLaura Ziskin Productions Elfman and Van Sant performed some vocals on the score credited to "Little Gus And The Suzettes" 1996Mission: Impossible Brian De Palma Paramount PicturesCruise/Wagner ProductionsMission: Impossible themes by Lalo Schifrin Peter Jackson Universal PicturesWingNut FilmsNominated- Saturn Award for Best Music Freeway Matthew Bright Republic PicturesThe Kushner-Locke CompanyIllusion Entertainment Group Extreme Measures Michael Apted Columbia PicturesCastle Rock EntertainmentSimian Films Mars Attacks! Tim Burton Warner Bros. PicturesTim Burton ProductionsSaturn Award for Best MusicNominated- Satellite Award for Best Original Score1997Men in Black Barry Sonnenfeld Columbia PicturesAmblin EntertainmentParkes/MacDonald ProductionsSaturn Award for Best MusicNominated- Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy ScoreNominated- Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television Flubber Les Mayfield Walt Disney PicturesGreat Oaks Good Will Hunting Gus Van Sant Miramax FilmsBe GentlemenNominated- Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score 1998 Sam Raimi Paramount Pictures (North America and United Kingdom)Concorde Filmverleih (Germany)UGC Fox Distribution (France)Toho-Towa (Japan)Mutual Film CompanySavoy PicturesTele-MünchenMarubeniNewmarket Capital Group A Civil Action Steven Zaillian Touchstone PicturesParamount PicturesWildwood Enterprises, Inc 1999 InstinctJon Turteltaub Touchstone PicturesSpyglass Entertainment Anywhere but Here Wayne Wang 20th Century Fox Sleepy Hollow Tim Burton Paramount Pictures (Select territories)Summit Entertainment (International)Mandalay PicturesScott Rudin ProductionsAmerican ZoetropeTim Burton ProductionsSatellite Award for Best Original ScoreSaturn Award for Best Music
2000s Year Title Director Studio(s) Notes 2000 Proof of Life Taylor Hackford Warner Bros. PicturesCastle Rock EntertainmentBel-Air EntertainmentAnvil FilmsNominated- Satellite Award for Best Original Score The Family Man Brett Ratner Universal PicturesBeacon PicturesSaturn Films 2001 Planet of the Apes Tim Burton 20th Century FoxThe Zanuck Company Nominated- Grammy Award Best Score Soundtrack for Visual MediaSpy KidsRobert Rodriguez Dimension FilmsTroublemaker StudiosComposed with John Debney & Harry Gregson-Williams 2002 Spider-Man Sam Raimi Columbia PicturesMarvel EnterprisesLaura Ziskin ProductionsSaturn Award for Best MusicNominated- Grammy Award Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media Men in Black II Barry Sonnenfeld Columbia PicturesAmblin EntertainmentMacDonald Parkes Productions Red Dragon Brett Ratner Universal PicturesImagine Corporation Chicago Rob Marshall Miramax FilmsProducer Circle Co.Zadan/Meron ProductionSongs by John Kander & Fred EbbAdapted material by Kander Nominated- BAFTA Award for Best Film Music 2003Hulk Ang Lee Universal PicturesMarvel StudiosValhalla Motion PicturesGood MachineReplaced Mychael Danna Nominated- Saturn Award for Best Music Big Fish Tim Burton Columbia PicturesJinks/Cohen CompanyThe Zanuck CompanyNominated- Academy Award for Best Original Score Nominated- Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best ScoreNominated- Golden Globe Award for Best Original ScoreNominated- Grammy Award Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media 2004 Spider-Man 2 Sam Raimi Columbia PicturesMarvel EnterprisesLaura Ziskin ProductionsNominated- Satellite Award for Best Original ScoreNominated- Saturn Award for Best Music 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tim Burton Warner Bros. PicturesVillage Roadshow PicturesThe Zanuck CompanyPlan B EntertainmentTheobald Film ProductionsIn addition to score, wrote five songs and sings all vocal parts of the Oompa-Loompa characters Nominated- Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media (for "Wonka's Welcome Song")Nominated- Saturn Award for Best Music Corpse Bride Warner Bros. PicturesTim Burton ProductionsLaikaPatalex II Productions In addition to the score, composed all four songs and voiced of the character "Bonejangles" who sings "Remains of the Day" Nominated- Satellite Award for Best Original Score 2006 Deep Sea 3D Howard Hall Warner Bros. FilmsIMAX Business Needs Adapted from Elfman's concert work Serenada Schizophrana, with additional music by Elfman and composer Deborah Lurie Nacho Libre Jared Hess Paramount PicturesNickelodeon MoviesBlack & White Charlotte's Web Gary Winick Paramount PicturesNickelodeon MoviesWalden MediaThe K Entertainment Company 2007 Meet the Robinsons Stephen Anderson Walt Disney PicturesWalt Disney Animation StudiosNominated- Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production Spider-Man 3 Sam Raimi Columbia PicturesMarvel EnterprisesLaura Ziskin Productions Themes onlyScore composed by Christopher Young Peter Berg Universal PicturesRelativity MediaForward PassStuber/Parent 2008 Standard Operating Procedure Errol Morris Sony Pictures ClassicsParticipant Media Elfman's score incorporates two movements from his Serenada Schizophrana concert work, specifically "Pianos" and "Blue Strings" reworked and retitled as "Main Titles: Vacation in Iraq" and "A Bad Feeling" respectively Wanted Timur Bekmambetov Universal PicturesSpyglass EntertainmentRelativity MediaMarc Platt ProductionsKickstart ProductionsTop Cow Productions In addition to the score, wrote and sang the song "The Little Things" in English and Russian for the soundtrack Hellboy II: The Golden Army Guillermo del Toro Universal PicturesRelativity MediaLawrence Gordon/Lloyd Levin ProductionsDark Horse EntertainmentHellboy themes by Marco Beltrami Milk Gus Van Sant Focus FeaturesAxon FilmsGroundswell ProductionsJinks/Cohen Company Nominated- Academy Award for Best Original ScoreNominated- Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best ScoreNominated- Grammy Award Best Score Soundtrack for Visual MediaNominated- Satellite Award for Best Original Score 2009Notorious George Tillman, Jr. Fox Searchlight Pictures Bad Boy FilmsBy Storm FilmsState Street PicturesVoletta Wallace Films Terminator Salvation McG Warner Bros. Pictures (United States)Columbia Pictures (International)The Halcyon CompanyWonderland Sound and Vision Terminator themes by Brad Fiedel 9 Shane Acker Focus FeaturesRelativity MediaLux Animation Elfman provided themes only, with score composed by Deborah Lurie Taking Woodstock Ang Lee Focus Features
2010s