Various Artists: The Lizzie McGuire Movie - Original Soundtrack (2003) [Japanese Release 2004] RESTORED

The Lizzie McGuire Movie is a soundtrack album from the film of the same name, released on April 22, 2003. It is mostly composed of songs from or inspired by the 2003 film The Lizzie McGuire Movie, including Hilary Duff's "Why Not" and sister Haylie's "Girl in the Band". "Why Not" was released as a single outside the United States on June 23, 2003 and later included on Hilary Duff's second album, Metamorphosis, with different lyrics in the first verse. The album has been certified platinum by the CRIA and 2x platinum by the RIAA has sold 2,000,000 copies in the U.S.

The film based on ABC's hugely popular tween/young adult TV show Lizzie McGuire, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, features an appropriately playful and romantic mix of teen pop – including several songs by Hilary Duff (Lizzie herself) – dance-pop, and ballads that reflects the movie's vacation-in-Rome plot. Not coincidentally, Duff's songs are among the best on the album. "Why Not," its remix, and "What Dreams Are Made Of" don't feature especially memorable songwriting or arrangements. In fact, they sound a little dated. However, Duff herself shows promise as a singer, and more importantly, as a vocal personality; she's a charming actress who has the potential to become a charismatic singer if she's given more interesting material to work with.




Overall, the soundtrack's perky, upbeat songs fare better than the somewhat drippy ballads – Atomic Kitten's "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)," the Cooler Kids' "All Around the World" (which was co-produced by Luscious Jackson's Jill Cunniff), and Jump5's "Shining Star" have the weightless sweetness of the best teen pop, along with a slightly hip edge. Vitamin C's cover of the Italian pop classic "Volare" works better in theory than it does in practice; while she has the pipes to make the song work, the pounding rhythm on this version robs the melody of almost all of its swing. Similarly, Taylor Dayne's cover of "Supermodel" pales in comparison to RuPaul's original; it's unclear whether or not his/her version didn't appear because of licensing costs or because Disney didn't want to include a song by a drag queen on the soundtrack to a family film. The slower tracks, like Paolo & Isabella's "What Dreams Are Made Of (Ballad Version)" and LMNT's "Open Your Eyes (To Love)" just don't have any of the funky sense of fun or sensitivity that makes Lizzie McGuire so popular; they're sappy instead of moving. Overall, The Lizzie McGuire Movie is a fun but not especially memorable soundtrack; the soundtrack to the TV show captures the sweet giddiness of its heroine better, but most Lizzie fans won't be too disappointed by this album.

~ Review by Heather Phares, all media guide

Tracklist:

01. Hilary Duff – Why Not
02. Atomic Kitten – The Tide Is High (Get The Feeling)
03. Cooler Kids – All Around The World
04. Paolo & Isabella – What Dreams Are Made Of (Ballad Version)
05. Jump 5 – Shining Star
06. Vitamin C – Volare
07. LMNT – Open Your Eyes (To Love)
08. The Beu Sisters – You Make Me Feel Like A Star (Lizzie Mix)
09. Taylor Dayne – Supermodel
10. Lizzie McGuire (Hilary Duff) – What Dreams Are Made Of
11. Dean Martin – On An Evening In Roma
12. Haylie Duff – Girl In The Band
13. Cliff Eidelman – Orchestral Suite From The Lizzie McGuire Movie
14. Hilary Duff – Why Not (McMix)


Soundtrack Album Produced by Elliot Lurie and Jay Landers
Mastered by Gene Grimaldi at Oasis Mastering.

Original Release Date: April 22, 2003
Japanese Release: February 4, 2004
Label: Avex Trax, Japan
Catalog No.: AVCW-12366