Irrespective of being released along with the soundtrack in May 2012, the score album was separately released, in order to be shortlisted for nominations at award ceremonies,[1] including Academy Awards, which was rejected due to the inspiration of classical music from Benjamin Britten's compositions.

[2] Mark Mothersbaugh, who composed for Anderson's early films had worked on one of themes.

But for Moonrise Kingdom, I was trying more to embrace the world of fantasy of those two adolescents, and capture their sense of adventure and purity.

"[6] He wrote a seven-minute suite entitled "The Heroic Weather Conditions of the Universe"; describing the title Anderson had said that "it is possible we went too far with the title—we thought it might make it sound more epic".

[6] He recalled in a 2015 interview to Vulture, on the motivation of the music, as while building the instrumentation of the suite, orchestra and choir, the score "gave the sensation where we were following the path of the two children.

[8] The seven-minute score was split into five pieces, to "fit different moods of the picture" and was surprised at the film's premiere in Cannes, on how the score was edited and assembled with Britten's music, and felt moved with the use of the "Cuckoo Chorus" in climax.