Best soundtracks by year
Here’s an updated version of this list. I have added soundtracks that I heard first in 2019. The big winner of 2019 is Randy Newman for his delightful Toy Story 4.
Year | Winner | Runner Ups | Honourable Mentions |
2019 | Toy Story 4 | Avengers: Endgame | Captain Marvel |
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World | Missing Link | ||
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil | Shazam! | ||
Spider-man: From from Home | Tolkien | ||
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | |||
2018 | Mission: Impossible — Fallout | Avengers: Infinity War | Bad Times at the El Royale |
Isle of Dogs | Freaks | ||
Ocean’s Eight | Soul | ||
Solo: A Star Wars Story | |||
2017 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Justice League | Blade Runner 2049 |
Pitch Perfect 3 | Murder on the Orient Express | ||
Spider-man: Homecoming | Thor: Ragnarok | ||
War for the Planet of the Apes | Wonder Woman | ||
2016 | Star Trek Beyond | Captain America: Civil War | Batman v Superman |
La La Land | Captain Fantastic | ||
Passengers | The Light Between Oceans | ||
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | Race | ||
Zootopia | X-Men: Apocalypse | ||
2015 | Tomorrowland | The Good Dinosaur | Ant-Man |
Inside Out | Avengers: Age of Ultron | ||
Jurassic World | Mr. Holmes | ||
Mad Max: Fury Road | Pitch Perfect 2 | ||
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel | Spectre | ||
Star Wars: The Force Awakens | |||
2014 | Edge of Tomorrow | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | The Imitation Game |
Guardians of the Galaxy | Interstellar | ||
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies | Maleficent | ||
How to Train Your Dragon 2 | The Penguins of Madagascar | ||
X-Men: Days of Future Past | |||
2013 | Saving Mr. Banks | Belle | About Time |
Despicable Me 2 | The Croods | ||
Frozen | Snowpiercer | ||
Man of Steel | Thor: The Dark World | ||
Star Trek Into Darkness | |||
2012 | Skyfall | The Avengers | Cloud Atlas |
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel | Moonrise Kingdom | ||
Brave | Pitch Perfect | ||
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Sherlock — Series 1 | ||
Prometheus | Snow White and the Huntsman | ||
2011 | The Way Back | Captain America | Hugo |
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | The King’s Speech | ||
One Day | Rango | ||
X-Men: First Class | Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | ||
Thor | |||
2010 | How to Train Your Dragon | Alice in Wonderland | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 |
Inception | Iron Man 2 | ||
Lost — The Final Season | RED | ||
Never Let Me Go | Salt | ||
Robin Hood | True Grit | ||
Toy Story 3 | |||
2009 | Star Trek | Avatar | An Education |
Up | Coraline | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | |
Fantastic Mr. Fox | Moon | ||
Lost — Season 4 | Where the Wild Things Are | ||
Sherlock Holmes | |||
2008 | WALL-E | Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Score | Changeling |
The Dark Knight | Hancock | ||
Lost — Season 3 | Quantum of Solace | ||
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | The X-Files: I Want to Believe | ||
2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Atonement | The Bourne Ultimatum |
Enchanted | Juno | ||
Stardust | Ocean’s Thirteen | ||
Ratatouille | |||
2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest | The Illusionist | Casino Royale |
The Incredibles | The Da Vinci Code | ||
The Lake House | Lady in the Water | ||
Lost — Season 2 | Wah-Wah | ||
X-Men: The Last Stand | |||
2005 | Inside Man | Batman Begins | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
Firefly | Memoirs of a Geisha | ||
Madagascar | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | ||
Serenity | Pride & Prejudice | ||
Water | |||
2004 | A Very Long Engagement | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | The Bourne Supremacy |
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events | National Treasure | ||
The Village | Ocean’s Twelve | ||
The Terminal | |||
2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Finding Nemo | The Last Samurai |
The Italian Job | Matchstick Men | ||
Mona Lisa Smile | School of Rock | ||
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | X-Men 2 | ||
The Triplets of Belleville | |||
2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More, With Feeling | The Bourne Identity |
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone | Catch Me If You Can | ||
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones | Spider-Man | ||
Star Trek: Nemesis | |||
2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Amelie | Donnie Darko |
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Legally Blonde | ||
Monsoon Wedding | Moulin Rouge! | ||
Monsters, Inc. | Ocean’s Eleven | ||
Shrek | Planet of the Apes | ||
2000 | Chicken Run | Cast Away | Chocolat |
O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Requiem for a Dream | ||
1999 | Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace | American Beauty | Instinct |
Star Trek: Insurrection | The Matrix | ||
Toy Story 2 | The World is Not Enough | ||
1998 | Dark City | Antz | Circle of Friends |
A Bug’s Life | Crusoe | ||
Life is Beautiful | Highlander | ||
Pleasantville | The Mask of Zorro | ||
The Truman Show | Shakespeare in Love | ||
The X-Files | |||
1997 | The Sweet Hereafter | The Fifth Element | Alien Resurrection |
The Lost World: Jurassic Park | Air Force One | ||
Titanic | Contact | ||
Tomorrow Never Dies | Men in Black | ||
The Winter Guest | |||
1996 | Star Trek: First Contact | The Rock | Mission: Impossible |
1995 | Apollo 13 | Babe | Batman Forever |
Braveheart | Mr. Holland’s Opus | ||
GoldenEye | Sense and Sensibility | ||
Toy Story | |||
1994 | Star Trek Generations | Don Juan DeMarco | Black Beauty |
Ed Wood | It Could Happen to You | ||
Forrest Gump | Legends of the Fall | ||
Maverick | The Shawshank Redemption | ||
Stargate | Wolf | ||
1993 | Jurassic Park | Benny & Joon | Addams Family Values |
The Nightmare Before Christmas | Dave | ||
Sommersby | Groundhog Day | ||
1992 | Medicine Man | Batman Returns | Alien3 |
Strictly Ballroom | Death Becomes Her | ||
Scent of a Woman | |||
1991 | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | Backdraft | The Addams Family |
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey | ||
Hook | |||
1990 | Dances With Wolves | Awakenings | Dick Tracy |
Back to the Future Part III | Gremlins 2 | ||
Edward Scissorhands | Quigley Down Under | ||
The Russia House | |||
1989 | Batman | Back to the Future Part II | The Abyss |
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier | Field of Dreams | Dead Poets Society | |
Licence to Kill | Driving Miss Daisy | ||
The Mission | Henry V | ||
1988 | Willow | Beetlejuice | Hot to Trot |
Powaqqatsi | Scrooged | ||
Working Girl | |||
1987 | Crocodile Dundee | La Bamba | The Untouchables |
The Living Daylights | |||
1986 | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | Aliens | The Delta Force |
Labyrinth | |||
1985 | Brazil | Back to the Future | A Chorus Line |
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure | Cocoon | ||
A View to a Kill | The Goonies | ||
Witness | Out of Africa | ||
Young Sherlock Holmes | |||
1984 | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock | Ghostbusters | Footloose |
Gremlins | Supergirl | ||
Once Upon a Time in America | |||
1983 | Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi | Octopussy | Never Say Never Again |
1982 | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | Blade Runner | |
1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | For Your Eyes Only | |
1980 | Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back | ||
1979 | Star Trek: The Motion Picture | Alien | 1941 |
The Great Train Robbery | Moonraker | ||
1978 | Superman: The Movie | ||
1977 | Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope | The Spy Who Loved Me | Close Encounters of the Third Kind |
Saturday Night Fever | |||
1976 | The Pink Panther Strikes Again | Midway | |
1975 | The Return of the Pink Panther | Jaws | |
1974 | The Man with the Golden Gun | ||
1973 | Live and Let Die | Battle for the Planet of the Apes | |
1972 | The Godfather | Conquest of the Planet of the Apes | |
1971 | Diamonds Are Forever | Escape from the Planet of the Apes | Wild Rovers |
1970 | Beneath the Planet of the Apes | ||
1969 | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | Midnight Cowboy | |
1968 | Planet of the Apes | The Lion in Winter | |
1967 | You Only Live Twice | Casino Royale | |
1966 | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly | Born Free | |
1965 | Thunderball | ||
1964 | Goldfinger | A Shot in the Dark | Zulu |
1963 | The Pink Panther | From Russia with Love | The Great Escape |
1962 | Hatari! | Dr. No | |
1961 | West Side Story | ||
1960 | The Magnificent Seven | Never on Sunday | |
1959 | Peter Gunn |