Return to Dream Land (theme)
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"Return to Dream Land"[1], also known as "Returning to Dream Land",[2] is the ending theme of Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, playing during the Main and Extra Modes' staff credits. This theme was composed by Hirokazu Ando.
Composition
"Return to Dream Land" is an extensive unlooping track that makes use of many of the themes heard throughout its game of origin, such as "Road to Victory" and "Sky Tower, "Four Adventurers: Cookie Country" and "The Adventure Begins", "Magolor, the Far-Flung Traveler", as well as the classic "Green Greens" and "Kirby's Triumphant Return". The key and tempo of "Return to Dream Land" change throughout the piece, but it retains its acoustic instrumentation throughout.
Opening the track is an F major piano iteration of the "Road to Victory" motif, specifically calling back to the beginning of "A Visitor from Afar". When this motif plays out, a suspense follows, at which point the scenery at the credits starts to change as well. Next, a harmonic F major "Four Adventurers: Cookie Country" plays with a solo cello, followed by a solo flute, both with piano accompaniment. It transitions to the opening of "Halcandra: A New Enemy", played by an oboe and strings in C minor, with a flute complementing it with rising passages as the visuals feature swirling rainbows. To match the source's tonal structure, an E-flat major version of "Four Adventurers: Cookie Country" performed by a viola responds, seconded by the flute. Next, the "Halcandra: A New Enemy" opening returns in B-flat minor, this time played by the cello and supporting strings. In contrast to the space scenery, it switches to the somewhat brighter C minor middle section of "Sky Tower" (or "Road to Victory"). It reaches the dominant of E-flat major and has a brief fanfare reminiscent of the beginning of "Magolor, the Far-Flung Traveler". This fanfare is interrupted by a grandiose march-like "The Adventure Begins", featuring brass. It ends in a subdominant suspense, where a bell solemnly reiterates "The Adventure Begins" in A-flat major.
The woodwinds come in with a gentle and melancholic "Four Adventurers: Cookie Country", with hints of "Magolor, the Far-Flung Traveler" and "Kirby's Triumphant Return" at the end of the phrases. The pace accelerates as a C major middle section of "Sky Tower" plays. It ends in an A major dominant suspense, which leads to a triumphant section where "The Adventure Begins" in the strings, seconded by the brass counterpoint "Magolor, the Far-Flung Traveler". Before they reach their end, the two themes swap roles midway, and the latter plays out properly, coinciding with a pleiad of stars matching up as a scenery. As the two themes conclude, "Green Greens" enters in G major, and soon afterwards it turns to C minor and slows down. The minor does not stay for long. "Four Adventurers: Cookie Country" plays in C major once more with hints of "Kirby's Triumphant Return". A truncated version of "The Adventure Begins" plays in E-flat major, first softly and then louder, sounding much like in "Each to His Own World". It flows into what would be its middle section ("Four Adventurers: Cookie Country") and "Green Greens". They end in a harmonic major suspense. The track accelerates, and as the Lor Starcutter and Landia fly through the cosmos in the visual part, an inverted "Halcandra: A New Enemy" and "Road to Victory" play out together in D-flat major. They slow down drastically by the end, where "Kirby's Triumphant Return" at its fullest, followed by "Four Adventurers: Cookie Country" conclude the track. The last chord is a suspense and flows into the Warp Star sound effect to make way for a good-bye.
Game appearances
Kirby's Return to Dream Land / Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
"Return to Dream Land" serves as the credits music for the Main and Extra Modes of Kirby's Return to Dream Land and its remake. It can be played in the Jukebox as track number 108 (130 in the remake).
Kirby Star Allies
A large unmodified chunk of "Return to Dream Land" makes up the first part of "Memories of the Grand Finale." along with staff credits music from other games, playing during The Happiest Curtain Call.
Other appearances
"Return to Dream Land" appeared in Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition Compilation Soundtrack.
A portion of "Return to Dream Land" is rearranged as part of the "Kirby's Return to Dream Land Medley" in the Kirby 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert.
Additionally, an arrangement of "Return to Dream Land" was present in the Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival, where it plays in a medley called "Kirby Endings" with other Kirby ending themes.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Return to Dreamland[sic] |
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| Chinese | Return to Dreamland[sic] |
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| Dutch | Terugkeer naar Dream Land | |
| French | Retour à Dream Land | Return to Dream Land |
| German | Rückkehr nach Dream Land | Return to Dream Land |
| Italian | Ritorno a Dream Land | Return to Dream Land |
| Korean | Return to Dreamland[sic] |
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| Brazilian Portuguese | De volta a Dream Land | Back to Dream Land |
| Spanish | Regreso a Dream Land | Return to Dream Land |