A very silly film starring Robin Williams, Flubber was a Disney remake of The Absent Minded Professor, but this time the magic seemed to be lacking as the film attracted lousy reviews but - as is typical of John Hughes productions which attract lousy reviews - it took in a fortune at the box office anyway and, slightly surprisingly, Williams hasn't had a hit remotely as big since.  Director Les Mayfield - whose previous film was the Miracle on 34th Street remake - persuaded Danny Elfman to join in the project, which was possibly his most inspired move, since the music shines above everything else in the film.

Completely whacky, sometimes resembling his silliest music for Tim Burton only raised to the nth power, you just know that Elfman had an absolute ball writing and recording this.  The score's centrepiece is the "Mambo del Flubber", featuring (literally) bells and whistles, along with virtually everything else apart from the kitchen sink - though maybe that too - it's an infectious, feel-good piece which you could play over and over.  The composer keeps up the craziness through much of the score, with music which is just perfect for the film, yet surprisingly complicated - it's impeccably played by the LA musicians.  However, for all that, the score is at its best when Elfman introduces a rare extended melody.  The first highlight is "Flying High", a wonderful piece which maintains the quirky orchestration of the rest of the score but still manages to feature a wonderful, childish innocence; and later on, the consecutive cues "Remarkable" and "Weebo's Death" feature touching, gentle arrangements and prove to be surprisingly moving, a sure sign of the composer's class.

Elfman has managed to maintain a completely distinctive style through his career despite developing considerably as a composer along the way; Flubber is one of his busiest scores, and a brilliant one at that.  For such a lightweight, disposable film, it's quite remarkable.  I suppose it will never go down as one of Elfman's very best works, but the sheer creativity and invention on display can't fail to impress.  The lengthy end title track alone is a remarkable piece of work and makes the CD worth a purchase, and the extraordinary (in every sense) "Mambo del Flubber" makes it nigh on unmissable for Elfman fans.