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Castle thunder - alternate versions

An older variation of the sound effect, followed by the more recent version

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Castle thunder is a sound effect that consists of the sound of a loud thunderclap during a rainstorm. It was originally recorded for the 1931 film Frankenstein, and has since been used in dozens of films, television programs, and commercials.

History

After its use in Frankenstein, the Castle Thunder was used in dozens of films from the 1930s through the 1980s, including Citizen Kane (1941), Bambi (1942), You Only Live Twice (1967), Young Frankenstein (1974), Star Wars (1977), Ghostbusters (1984), Back to the Future (1985), and Big Trouble in Little China (1986).^[1]^[2] Use of the effect in subsequent years has declined because the quality of the original analog recording does not sufficiently hold up in modern sound mixes.^[2]

The effect appears in Disney productions (largely from the 1940s to 1980s), and Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including the original Scooby-Doo animated series.^[3] It can also be heard at the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disney theme parks.^[2]

The sound can be found on a few sound effects libraries distributed by Sound Ideas (such as the Soundelux Master Collection, the Network Sound Effects Library, the 20th Century Fox Sound Effects Library and the Hanna-Barbera SoundFX Library).

References

^ Kelly, Kevin (March 3, 2008). "The "Castle Thunder" Noise that Rocked a Thousand Movies". io9. Gizmodo Media Group. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c Kroon, Richard W. (2010). A/V A to Z: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Media, Entertainment and Other Audiovisual Terms. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-7864-9556-6.
^ Cox, Trevor (2014). The Sound Book: The Science of the Sonic Wonders of the World (1st ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-3932-3979-9.

External links

[io9-1] Kelly, Kevin (March 3, 2008). "The "Castle Thunder" Noise that Rocked a Thousand Movies". io9. Gizmodo Media Group. Retrieved March 9, 2017.

[atoz-2] Kroon, Richard W. (2010). A/V A to Z: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Media, Entertainment and Other Audiovisual Terms. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-7864-9556-6.

[sound-3] Cox, Trevor (2014). The Sound Book: The Science of the Sonic Wonders of the World (1st ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-3932-3979-9.

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|Recording of thunder used as a sound effect}}
-{{refimprove|date=February 2011}}
+{{listen|filename=newcastlethunder.ogg|title=Castle thunder - alternate versions|description=An older variation of the sound effect, followed by the more recent version}}
-'''Castle thunder''' is a [[sound effect]] that consists of the sound of a loud thunderclap during a rainstorm. It was originally recorded for the 1931 film ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]'', and has since been used in dozens of movies, [[List of Disney animated features|Disney]] and [[Hanna-Barbera]] cartoons, and TV series, and television commercials.
+'''Castle thunder''' is a [[sound effect]] that consists of the sound of a loud [[thunder|thunderclap]] during a rainstorm. It was originally recorded for the 1931 film ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]'', and has since been used in dozens of films, television programs, and commercials.
 ==History==
+After its use in ''Frankenstein'', the Castle Thunder was used in dozens of films from the 1930s through the 1980s, including ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (1941), ''[[Bambi]]'' (1942), ''[[You Only Live Twice (film)|You Only Live Twice]]'' (1967), ''[[Young Frankenstein]]'' (1974), ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977), ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' (1984), ''[[Back to the Future]]'' (1985), and ''[[Big Trouble in Little China]]'' (1986).<ref name="io9">{{cite web |url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/363094/the-castle-thunder-noise-that-rocked-a-thousand-movies |last=Kelly |first=Kevin |title=The "Castle Thunder" Noise that Rocked a Thousand Movies |website=[[io9]] |publisher=[[Gizmodo Media Group]] |date= March 3, 2008 |accessdate=March 9, 2017}}</ref><ref name="atoz">{{cite book|last= Kroon |first= Richard W. |title=A/V A to Z: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Media, Entertainment and Other Audiovisual Terms|page=127|publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]|location=Jefferson, N.C.|year=2010|isbn=978-0-7864-9556-6}}</ref> Use of the effect in subsequent years has declined because the quality of the original [[analog recording]] does not sufficiently hold up in modern sound mixes.<ref name="atoz" />
-After its 1931 use in ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]'', the effect was used in many films from the 1930s through the 1980s (including Mel Brooks'/Gene Wilder's ''[[Young Frankenstein]]'' (1974)), until it was mostly retired by 1988.
-{{listen|filename=Castle thunder.ogg|title=Castle thunder|description=The ubiquitous sound effect}}
-It was also heard on various [[List of Disney animated features|Disney]] and [[Hanna-Barbera]] cartoons, particularly the original ''[[Scooby-Doo]]'' cartoons, while more recent ''Scooby-Doo'' series only used the thunder sound effect in a couple of episodes to make way for newer, digitally-recorded thunderclaps (with the case of ''What's New, Scooby-Doo?'', the Foley department of [[Warner Bros. Animation]] would actually record real thunderstorms for use on the show.) With the exception of two made-for-video movies in 2003, nearly none of the made-for-video Scooby-Doo movies have used castle thunder.
-The castle thunder effect has also been utilized as part of various sound "mixes" along with other sound effects to achieve a desired outcome. For example, in the 1974 film ''[[Earthquake (film)|Earthquake]]'', the effect is mixed with several others (including rumbling, cracking, waterfall, and glass breaking) to simulate the sound of a dam bursting. It was also used as the sound effect of the bombs dropped from a [[TIE fighter#Other_TIE_craft|TIE Bomber]] in the video game ''[[Star Wars: Rogue Squadron]]'', as well as on ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'' when the girls would zoom off in flight. Both the old and more recent version were used in the popular computer game ''[[Oregon Trail II]]'' when the player would encounter a thunderstorm.
-It was also heard regularly on the TV series ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'' and in the opening credit scene of ''[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]]''. The sound effect is used in the [[Haunted Mansion]] at [[Disneyland]] within the Stretching Room, as well as on the [[Disney World]] version of the ride, but it was replaced with new thunder sounds in 2007. It was also heard on a ''[[Mike's Super Short Show]]'' segment on [[Disney Channel]] advertising the movie based on the Haunted Mansion attraction.
-The sound can be found on a few sound effects libraries distributed by [[Sound Ideas]] (such as the Network Sound Effects Library, the 20th Century Fox Sound Effects Library and the Hanna-Barbera SoundFX Library).
-{{listen|filename=newcastlethunder.ogg|title=Castle thunder - alternate versions|description=An older variation of the sound effect, followed by the more recent
- version}}
+The effect appears in [[List of Disney animated features|Disney]] productions (largely from the 1940s to 1980s), and [[Hanna-Barbera]] cartoons, including the original ''[[Scooby-Doo]]'' animated series.<ref name="sound">{{cite book|last= Cox |first= Trevor |title=The Sound Book: The Science of the Sonic Wonders of the World|edition=1st|page=193|publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company]]|location=New York|year=2014|isbn=978-0-3932-3979-9}}</ref> It can also be heard at the [[The Haunted Mansion|Haunted Mansion]] attraction at Disney theme parks.<ref name="atoz" />
-Castle thunder can also be heard (usually not very often) on several contemporary animated shows such as ''[[Rocko's Modern Life]]'', ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' (mainly episodes with [[Stephen Hillenburg]] as creative director), ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]'', ''[[Courage the Cowardly Dog]]'', ''[[Pucca (TV series)|Pucca]]'', [[Camp Lazlo]], ''[[Doug]]'', ''[[Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends]]'', ''[[George of the Jungle (2007 TV series)|George of the Jungle]]'', ''[[Samurai Jack]]'', ''[[The Batman (TV series)|The Batman]]'', ''[[The Fairly OddParents]]'', ''[[Loonatics Unleashed]]'', ''[[The Magic School Bus (TV series)|The Magic School Bus]]'', ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'', ''[[The Ren & Stimpy Show]]'' (mainly the [[Spumco]]-produced episodes), ''[[Pink Panther and Pals]]'', ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'' (mostly the later episodes by [[Chris Savino]]), ''[[Cow and Chicken]]/[[I Am Weasel]]'', ''[[The Looney Tunes Show]]'', ''[[New Zoo Revue]]'', ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' and ''[[Little Bear (TV series)|Little Bear]]''. Similarly, the sound effect was also used in the [[closing logo]] for Thunder Pictures, the company that produced ''[[Clarissa Explains It All]]''. Since the late 1980s, many cartoons have featured a variation with an electrical zap-like sound at the beginning. Castle thunder was also used frequently during Nickelodeon's former "Shriek Week" and "Shocktober" blocks.
+The sound can be found on a few sound effects libraries distributed by [[Sound Ideas]] (such as the Soundelux Master Collection, the Network Sound Effects Library, the 20th Century Fox Sound Effects Library and the Hanna-Barbera SoundFX Library).
-==List of appearances==
-;In film:<ref name="hlf">{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/sound/castlethunder.html|title=Castle Thunder|work=Hollywood Lost and Found|accessdate=16 February 2010}}</ref>{{div col}}
-*''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (1941)
-*''[[Ghost of Frankenstein]]'' (1942)
-*''[[The Reluctant Dragon (film)|The Reluctant Dragon]]'' (1941)
-*''[[Bambi]]'' (1942)
-*''[[Chicken Little (1943 film)|Chicken Little]]'' (1943)
-*''[[Make Mine Music]]'' (1946)
-*''[[Fun and Fancy Free]]'' (1947)
-*''[[Melody Time]]'' (1948)
-*''[[Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein]]'' (1948)
-*''[[The Little House]]'' (1952)
-*''[[Ben and Me]]'' (1953)
-*''[[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]'' (1954)
-*''[[Lady and the Tramp]]'' (1955)
-*''[[Kronos (film)|Kronos]]'' (1957)
-*''[[Darby O'Gill and the Little People]]'' (1959)
-*''Noah's Ark'' (1959)
-*''[[Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)|Sleeping Beauty]]'' (1959)
-*''[[Swiss Family Robinson (film)|Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1960)
-*''[[Dinosaurus!]]'' (1960)
-*''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'' (1961)
-*''[[Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol]]'' (1962)
-*''[[Cleopatra (1963 film)|Cleopatra]]'' (1963)
-*''[[Savage Sam]]'' (1963)
-*''[[Mary Poppins (film)|Mary Poppins]]'' (1964, original soundtrack version)
-*''[[The Sound of Music]]'' (1965)
-*''[[The Jungle Book (1967 film)|The Jungle Book]]'' (1967)
-*''[[Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day]]'' (1968)
-*''[[The Aristocats]]'' (1970)
-*''[[Snoopy, Come Home]]'' (1972)
-*''[[Blacula]]'' (1972)
-*''[[Charlotte's Web (1973 film)|Charlotte's Web]]'' (1973)
-*''[[Robin Hood (1973 film)|Robin Hood]]'' (1973)
-*''[[Where the Red Fern Grows (1974 film)|Where the Red Fern Grows]]'' (1974)
-*''[[Young Frankenstein]]'' (1974)
-*''Rikki-Tikki-Tavi'' (1975)
-*''[[The Hindenburg (film)|The Hindenburg]]'' (1975)
-*''[[Murder by Death]]'' (1976)
-*''[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope]]'' (1977)
-*''[[The Rescuers]]'' (1977)
-*''[[Pete's Dragon]]'' (1977)
-*''[[Prophecy (film)|Prophecy]]'' (1979)
-*''[[The Muppet Movie]]'' (1979)
-*''[[Escape from Alcatraz (film)|Escape from Alcatraz]]'' (1979)
-*''[[Banjo the Woodpile Cat]]'' (1979)
-*''[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]]'' (1979)
-*''[[Airplane!]]'' (1980)
-*''[[The Watcher in the Woods]]'' (1980)
-*''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'' (1980)
-*''[[History of the World, Part 1]]'' (1981)
-*''[[The Fox and the Hound]]'' (1981)
-*''[[Conan the Barbarian (1982 film)|Conan the Barbarian]]'' (1982)
-*''[[The Secret of NIMH]]'' (1982)
-*''[[First Blood]]'' (1982)
-*''[[Airplane II: The Sequel]]'' (1982)
-*''[[The Last Unicorn (film)|The Last Unicorn]]'' (1982)
-*''[[National Lampoon's Vacation]]'' (1983)
-*''[[Trading Places]]'' (1983)
-*''[[Twilight Zone: The Movie]]'' (1983)
-*''[[The Day After]]'' (1983)
-*''[[Ghostbusters]]'' (1984)
-*''[[Conan the Destroyer]]'' (1984)
-*''[[The NeverEnding Story (film)|The NeverEnding Story]]'' (1984)
-*''[[Frankenweenie (1984 film)|Frankenweenie]]'' (1984)
-*''[[The Care Bears Movie]]'' (1985)
-*''[[Back to the Future]]'' (1985)
-*''[[Pee-wee's Big Adventure]]'' (1985)
-*''[[Clue (film)|Clue]]'' (1985)
-*''[[Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation]]'' (1986)
-*''[[Short Circuit]]'' (1986)
-*''[[The Karate Kid, Part II]]'' (1986)
-*''[[Big Trouble in Little China]]'' (1986)
-*''[[The Great Mouse Detective]]'' (1986)
-*''[[An American Tail]]'' (1986)
-*''[[The Brave Little Toaster (film)|The Brave Little Toaster]]'' (1987)
-*''[[The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland]]'' (1987)
-*''[[The Monster Squad]]'' (1987)
-*''[[Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers]]'' (1987)
-*''[[Daffy Duck's Quackbusters]]'' (1988)
-*''[[Child's Play (1988 film)|Child's Play]]'' (1988)
-*''[[The Land Before Time]]'' (1988)
-*''[[Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School]]'' (1988)
-*''[[Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf]]'' (1988)
-*''[[Back to the Future Part II]]'' (1989)
-*''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]'' (1989)
-*''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven]]'' (1989)
-*''[[Bride of Re-Animator]]'' (1990)
-*''[[Total Recall (1990 film)|Total Recall]]'' (1990)
-*''[[Beethoven (film)|Beethoven]]'' (1992)
-*''[[Death Becomes Her]]'' (1992)
-*''[[Tom and Jerry: The Movie]]'' (1993)
-*''[[The Halloween Tree (1993 TV film)|The Halloween Tree]]'' (1993)
-*''[[Space Jam]]'' (1996)
-*''[[Snake Eyes (film)|Snake Eyes]]'' (1998)
-*''[[Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman]]'' (2000)
-*''[[Hey Arnold! The Movie]]'' (2002)
-*''[[Spider-Man]]'' (2002)
-*''[[Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Vampire]]'' (2003, 5.1 Surround version only)
-*''[[Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico]]'' (2003)
-*''[[Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed]]'' (2004)
-*''[[The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie]]'' (2004)
-*''[[Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers]]'' (2006)
-*''[[A Matter of Loaf and Death]]'' (2008)
-*''[[Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins]]'' (2009)
-*''[[Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare]]'' (2010)
-*''[[A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!]]'' (2011)
-*''[[Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur]]'' (2011)
-*''[[Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown]]'' (2011)
-*''[[A Fairly Odd Christmas]]'' (2012)
-*''[[ParaNorman]]'' (2012)
-{{div col end}}
 ==See also==
 *[[Wilhelm scream]]
 *[[Howie scream]]
-*[[Tarzan yell]]
+*[[Tarzan yell|Tarzan's jungle call]]
 *[[Goofy holler]]
@@ Line 142: / Line 21: @@
 ==External links==
-*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z6tq_Y5_Ao Video compilation of castle thunder in modern animation]
+*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQJXYMTasAo Common variants of the sound effect]
+*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gHOL5vlnCo Video compilation of castle thunder in modern animation]
 *[http://acousticengineering.wordpress.com/2013/07/23/the-thunder-sound-weve-all-heard-in-the-movies/ How the crash and roll of castle thunder matches the science of thunderstorms]
 [[Category:In-jokes]]
 [[Category:Sound effects]]
+[[Category:1931 works]]
+[[Category:Lightning]]