The Music That Made the World Go Round – Howard Ashman on Disney Plus

“Howard,” a documentary that follows the life and work of Disney Legend and Academy Award-winning lyricist Howard Ashman, will arrive on Disney+ August 7. The film originally premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.

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Directed by Don Hahn, “Howard” is the untold story of Howard Ashman, the brilliant lyricist behind Disney classics like “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “The Little Mermaid.”

“You may not know his name, but you sure know Howard Ashman’s music,” said Don Hahn. “He’s one of the greatest storytellers of the twentieth century who helped to revitalize the American musical and re-energize Disney Animation. He left us a songbook that still lives on in us today, yet his personal story has never been fully told until now.”

Life on Center Stage

Before landing at Disney, Ashman and his collaborator Alan Menken were known for writing the Off-Broadway musical adaptation of Roger Corman’s horror comedy film “Little Shop of Horrors.” When the quirky musical was adapted into the 1986 theatrical film of the same name, Ashman also wrote the screenplay. Menken and Ashman were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Mean Green Mother from Outer Space,” a song added to the film that wasn’t in the original stage play.

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Ashman’s additional stage works include “God Bless You,” “Mr. Rosewater,” which was Ashman’s first musical written with Menken, and “Smile,” written with Marvin Hamlisch.

Ashman and the Disney Renaissance

Ashman was foundational to the early years of the Disney Renaissance. He was the creative force behind some of the most iconic songs from Disney Animation’s second golden age, from “Under the Sea” to “Beauty and the Beast.” He fought to keep “Part of Your World” in “The Little Mermaid” and pitched the idea of a musical adaptation of “Aladdin.” 

Among Ashman’s accolades during his career, he won two Academy Awards (one posthumous) out of seven nominations. “Under the Sea” won Best Original Song in 1989 for “The Little Mermaid.” His life partner Bill Lauch accepted his Oscar at the 1992 Academy Awards ceremony when “Beauty and the Beast” won Best Original Song.

Featuring never-before-seen archival footage, personal films and photographs, as well as interviews with Howard’s friends and family, the film is an intimate look at the Disney Legend’s life, his creative drive, and the process behind the music. Ashman died of complications from AIDS in 1991, before “Beauty and the Beast” was released in theaters.

The film features interviews with Ashman’s longtime musical collaborator Alan Menken, who also scored the film, Bill Lauch (Ashman’s Partner), Jodi Benson (voice of “The Little Mermaid”), Paige O’Hara (voice of “Beauty and the Beast”), Sarah Gillespie (Ashman’s Sister), and more.

Produced by Hahn and Lori Korngiebel at Stone Circle Pictures, “Howard” premieres Friday, August 7, exclusively on Disney+.