David Metzger (also known as Dave Metzger) is a veteran American composer, orchestrator, and arranger. He is best known for his work on the animated films Frozen, Moana, and How to Train Your Dragon, as well as the musical The Lion King. He has also worked on numerous video games, such as Halo 2, Age of Empires III, and Gears of War 2.
Biography[]
David Metzger was born in Corvallis, Oregon on December 12, 1960. He started playing piano at the age of six and later learned guitar, bass, and drums. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied composition, arranging, and film scoring. He graduated in 1986 and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. Metzger began working as an orchestrator and arranger for various composers, such as Hans Zimmer, John Powell, and Mark Mancina.
He also composed music for television shows, such as The Simpsons, Futurama, and Star Trek: Enterprise. He received his first major film credit as an orchestrator for The Lion King in 1994, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. Metzger continued to work on several animated films, such as Tarzan and Kung Fu Panda. From 1992 to 1997, he was the arranger for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In 1998, Metzger received a Tony and a Drama Desk nomination for his orchestration of the Broadway musical The Lion King.
In 2013, Metzger worked on the Disney film Frozen, which became a worldwide phenomenon and won two Academy Awards, including Best Original Song for "Let It Go". Metzger's orchestration for the song was described as "lush" and "magical" by reviewers. He also worked on the sequel Frozen II in 2019, which featured more complex and diverse musical styles. Metzger's other notable works include How to Train Your Dragon and its sequel and Moana, which was nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Metzger currently lives in Sherwood, Oregon with his wife and has two adult sons.
Filmography[]
Film Orchestrator[]
1990s[]
| Year | Title | Studio(s) | Composer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Lion King | Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios |
Hans Zimmer | |
| 1998 | Armageddon | Touchstone Pictures | Trevor Rabin | |
| 1999 | Tarzan | Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios |
Mark Mancina |
2000s[]
| Year | Title | Studio(s) | Composer(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Atlantis: Milo's Return | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Disneytoon Studios |
Don L. Harper | |
| Brother Bear | Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios |
Mark Mancina | Vocal Arranger | |
| The Haunted Mansion | Walt Disney Pictures | Mark Mancina | Composer of Additional Music Sound Consultant | |
| 2004 | The Lion King 1½ | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Disneytoon Studios |
Don L. Harper | |
| 2006 | Glory Road | Walt Disney Pictures | Trevor Rabin | Additional Orchestrations |
| 2008 | Bolt | Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios |
John Powell |
2010s[]
| Year | Title | Studio(s) | Composer(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Mars Needs Moms | Walt Disney Pictures | John Powell | |
| Winnie the Pooh | Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios |
Henry Jackman | ||
| 2012 | Wreck-It Ralph | Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios |
Henry Jackman | |
| The Avengers | Marvel Studios | Alan Silvestri | ||
| 2013 | Planes | Walt Disney Pictures Disneytoon Studios |
Mark Mancina | Composer of Additional Music |
| Frozen | Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios |
Christophe Beck Robert Lopez Kristen Anderson-Lopez |
Additional Work as Song Arranger | |
| 2014 | Planes: Fire and Rescue | Walt Disney Pictures Disneytoon Studios |
Mark Mancina | Composer of Additional Music |
| Muppets Most Wanted | Walt Disney Pictures | Christophe Beck | ||
| 2015 | Strange Magic | Touchstone Pictures Lucasfilm |
Marius de Vries | Choir Contractor |
| Frozen Fever | Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios |
Christophe Beck | Additional Work as Song Arranger and Conductor | |
| Ant-Man | Marvel Studios | Christophe Beck | ||
| 2016 | Moana | Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios |
Mark Mancina Lin-Manuel Miranda Opetaia Foa'i |
Additional work as Song, Score, and Vocal Arranger, Additional Music Composer |
| 2017 | Olaf's Frozen Adventure | Christophe Beck | Additional work as Music Song Producer and Song and Score Arranger | |
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Henry Jackman | Song Arranger and Orchestrator of "A Place Called Slaughter Race" | |
| 2019 | The Lion King | Walt Disney Pictures Fairview Entertainment |
Hans Zimmer | |
| Frozen II | Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios |
Christophe Beck Robert Lopez Kristen Anderson-Lopez |
Song Arranger and Orchestrator of all songs; Score Orchestrator; Co-Producer of all songs |
2020s[]
| Year | Title | Studio(s) | Composer(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Disenchanted | Walt Disney Pictures | Alan Menken | Song Arranger and Orchestrator of all songs |
Broadway Orchestrations[]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Lion King | Nominated for Tony Award for Best Orchestrations Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Orchestrations |
| 2018 | Frozen |
Film and TV Composer[]
| Years | Title | Studio(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–2003 | The Legend of Tarzan | Walt Disney Television Animation | TV, 9 episodes |
| 2002 | Tarzan & Jane | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Walt Disney Television Animation |
DVDX Nomination for Best Original Score in a DVD Premiere Movie Co-composed with Patrick Griffin and Don L. Harper |
| 2005 | Tarzan II | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Disneytoon Studios |
DVDX Winner for Best Original Score in a DVD Premiere Movie Co-composed with Mark Mancina |
| 2006 | Brother Bear 2 | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Disneytoon Studios | |
| 2023 | Once Upon a Studio (and its later extended cut) |
Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios |
Also serving as orchestrator in the original cut |
| Wish | Also serving as orchestrator |