Netflix’s upcoming crime thriller Animals marks Ben Affleck’s second directorial collaboration with the streamer in 2026, following the success of The Rip. Affleck also stars in the film alongside Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, and Steven Yeun, with the story following a Los Angeles mayoral candidate and his wife racing to raise a ransom after their son is kidnapped. The film premieres in select theaters and globally on Netflix on October 9, 2026.
While the full story and cast details are covered elsewhere, this article focuses on the music: who’s composing the Animals score, what’s been confirmed about the soundtrack so far, and what fans can expect as the release date approaches.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Film | Animals (2026) |
| Director | Ben Affleck |
| Studio / Production Companies | Artists Equity, Makeready, Fifth Season |
| Distributor / Platform | Netflix (select theaters same day) |
| Film Release Date | October 9, 2026 |
| Composer | Harry Gregson-Williams |
| Score Album Label | Pending official announcement |
| Score Album Release Date | Pending official announcement |
| Total Tracks | Pending official tracklist |
| Runtime | Pending official tracklist |
Animals Soundtrack Overview
As of this writing, no official soundtrack or score album for Animals has been announced. This is expected at this stage — Harry Gregson-Williams’s attachment to the project was only confirmed by Film Music Reporter on August 12, 2026, just weeks ahead of the film’s October premiere, and score albums for thrillers of this scale are typically announced much closer to (or on) release day.
What is confirmed is the film’s tone going into the scoring process. The first teaser trailer for Animals, also released around mid-August 2026, is entirely dialogue-free, relying on tense, atmospheric music and the sound of a ringing phone to build dread rather than on dialogue or a temp needle-drop track. That suspense-driven approach lines up with the kind of tense, character-focused thrillers Gregson-Williams has scored for Affleck before.
We’ll update this section with official label, release date, and format details the moment a score album is announced.
Who Composed the Animals Soundtrack?
The score for Animals is composed by Harry Gregson-Williams, confirmed via Film Music Reporter’s August 12, 2026 report on the assignment. It marks Gregson-Williams’s fourth collaboration with Affleck as director, following Gone Baby Gone, The Town (co-scored with David Buckley), and Live by Night.
Harry Gregson-Williams is a veteran English composer, conductor, and orchestrator whose career spans more than three decades of film, television, and video game scoring. Classically trained as a chorister at St John’s College School in Cambridge before attending Stowe School and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, he built his reputation through long-running collaborations with directors including Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, and Andrew Adamson.
His filmography includes major franchise work such as the Shrek series, the Chronicles of Narnia films, and the Metal Gear video game series, alongside acclaimed dramatic scores for The Martian, Kingdom of Heaven, and Man on Fire. He is the older brother of fellow film composer Rupert Gregson-Williams. Beyond Animals, his upcoming work includes Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars (opening August 28, 2026), Antony McCarten’s The Price of Peace, and the fourth season of HBO’s The Gilded Age (co-scored with Rupert Gregson-Williams).
Animals Official Tracklist
No official tracklist for Animals has been released. A search of Film Music Reporter’s assignment coverage and FMDB’s release database turned up no score album listing as of this article’s publication. Given the composer was only confirmed in mid-August and the film doesn’t premiere until October 9, 2026, this is consistent with normal pre-release timing rather than a confirmed absence of a planned release.
This section will be updated with the full, verified tracklist and per-track durations as soon as an official release is announced.
Score Highlights
Status: Pending.
Because no score material from Animals has been released or previewed beyond the trailer’s underscore, we can’t yet describe specific cues or standout tracks with any confidence — and we won’t speculate or invent titles ahead of an official release.
What can be said, cautiously, is contextual: the film’s marketing has leaned entirely on tension-building atmosphere rather than dialogue or licensed music, and Gregson-Williams has a long track record of scoring similarly high-pressure, morally murky thrillers for Affleck. Whether that translates into a specific stylistic direction for Animals remains to be confirmed once the score itself is available.
Animals Licensed Songs / Needle Drops
Status: No confirmed needle drops at this time.
Multiple entertainment outlets covering the Animals teaser trailer — including The Boston Globe, TheWrap, and Netflix Life — independently describe it as dialogue-free and driven entirely by score and sound design, with no licensed song featured. A search of needle-drop databases did not return a matching entry for this film; the only “Animals” result on WhatSong corresponds to an unrelated animated series and is not connected to this project.
If licensed songs are confirmed for the finished film once it premieres, this section will be updated with verified artist and scene information.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Selected Filmography
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Chicken Run (co-composed with John Powell) |
| 2001 | Shrek (co-composed with John Powell) |
| 2003 | Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas |
| 2005 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe |
| 2006 | Flushed Away |
| 2007 | Gone Baby Gone |
| 2008 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian |
| 2010 | The Town (co-scored with David Buckley) |
| 2011 | Arthur Christmas |
| 2016 | Live by Night |
| 2018 | Early Man (co-composed with Tom Howe) |
| 2023 | Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget |
| 2026 | The Dog Stars |
| 2026 | Animals (upcoming) |
Where to Listen to the Animals Soundtrack?
No score album for Animals is currently available on streaming platforms. Once an official release is confirmed, it’s expected to follow standard Netflix original scoring rollout patterns and land on services like Spotify and Apple Music around the film’s October 9, 2026 premiere. We’ll link direct streaming pages here as soon as they go live.
FAQs
Who is composing the music for Animals (2026)?
The score is composed by Harry Gregson-Williams, confirmed via Film Music Reporter on August 12, 2026.
Is this Harry Gregson-Williams’s first time working with Ben Affleck?
No. He previously scored Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone, The Town (with David Buckley), and Live by Night, making Animals their fourth collaboration.
When does Animals release?
Animals premieres on Netflix and in select theaters on October 9, 2026.
Has an official soundtrack or score album been announced?
Not yet. As of this article’s publication, no tracklist, label, or release date has been confirmed for the score album.
Are there any licensed songs in the Animals trailer?
No. The teaser trailer is dialogue-free and built entirely around score and sound design, with no confirmed licensed song.
How many composers worked on the Animals score?
One. Harry Gregson-Williams is credited as the sole composer based on currently available sources.
Where can I stream the Animals soundtrack once it’s released?
It isn’t available yet. It’s expected to arrive on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music around the film’s October 9, 2026 release.