If you watched the 2022 Streamy Awards, you may have wondered why Jimmy Donaldson traveled to Antarctica instead of accepting his third-straight Creator of the Year award. On Christmas Eve, subscribers to Donaldson’s MrBeast channel got the answer to that question — and it involved a surprising collaborator.
Donaldson and his buddies spent 50 hours on their own amidst the desolate terrain of Antarctica. That setup would make for an epic video even without a soundtrack, but the MrBeast contingent happened to run into a legendary musician on its polar voyage. Donaldson met Hans Zimmer while in Antarctica, and the German composer agreed to provide a fitting score for the creator’s latest video.
‘I Survived 50 Hours In Antarctica’ features some of Donaldson’s regulars, including Karl Jacobs and Sapnap, as well as guest star Dream. The Minecraft creator recently revealed his face to his 30 million subscribers, and he is now showing it in videos across YouTube. During the two-day trek, Donaldson explored stunning snowy terrain while Jacobs dug a deep hole back at camp. The score is vintage Zimmer, with plenty of churning strings and dynamic soundscapes.
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The story behind the Donaldson/Zimmer partnership is serendipitous. After the creator learned that another famous artist was in Antarctica at the same time he was, he worked quickly to make the collaboration happen. Donaldson pitched his video to Zimmer and the composer agreed to score the video after just four hours.
To turn around the required music in a short time frame, Zimmer teamed up with James Everingham and Adam Lukas, who are members of the collective known as Bleeding Fingers Music. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the musical threesome previously united to score the docuseries Frozen Planet II, which explores wildlife in the world’s polar regions.
“The moment I heard Hans was there too, I knew I had to work with him on this no matter what it took,” Donaldson said in a statement. “No one else would understand what surviving in such a crazy place is like! We had to get it done super quick, and when we reached out, he was just as excited.”
Zimmer added that the score was a “crazy” challenge, as has become the norm within MrBeast videos. The score for the creator’s latest clip is titled ‘Antarctica or Bust’ and is available on YouTube.
