The Musicalization of Animation: How Broadway Made the Big Screen Sing

By: May. 13, 2017
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In 1937, Snow White advised us to whistle while we work. In 1940, Jiminy Cricket taught us the power of wishing upon a star. Sleeping Beauty walked with us once upon a dream in 1959, and in 1967, Baloo gave us life lessons in the bare necessities. The stories we remember, but it's the songs from our favorite animated movies that have left an even deeper impression.

By the 1980's, after years of box office flops and critical failures, the future of animated feature films seemed bleak- until Disney proved that an old formula was the best solution. The power of song led animation out of the dark ages and into a renaissance that called on composers and lyricists from the world of theatre to give a new voice to a dying art.

Since the release The Little Mermaid in 1989, the most successful and beloved animated movies have also been musicals, and in turn, most of those animated movies have been turned into successful stage productions. With the most recent arrival of Anastasia on Broadway (based on the 1997 film, which featured a score by Broadway songwriting team Ahrens and Flaherty), we're journeying to the past to dig deeper into the history of Broadway's music men and women, and how they gave adults and children alike a new song to sing.

Alan Menken & Howard Ashman

The Little Mermaid (1989)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Known best at the time for their work on the off-Broadway hit Little Shop of Horrors, Disney approached songwriting team Ashman and Menken about bringing contemporary musical theatre to several possible projects. The first, The Little Mermaid, kicked off an era of animated musicals and gave the duo their first Oscars (Best Original Score and Best Song: "Under the Sea"). Following the success of The Little Mermaid, the duo made magic again with Beauty and the Beast, again winning two Oscars (Best Original Score and Best Song: "Beauty and the Beast")

Alan Menken & Howard Ashman/Tim Rice
Aladdin (1992)

Ashman, who originally pitched the film in 1988, sadly passed away during the development of Aladdin. Following his death, Menken teamed with stage composer Tim Rice, who worked previously with Andrew Lloyd Webber on Evita, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Jesus Christ Superstar. Six of the fourteen songs written for Aladdin are included in the final film. The music earned the movie its two Oscars (Best Original Score and Best Song: "A Whole New World").

Elton John & Tim Rice
The Lion King (1994)

Rice recommended Elton John as a collaborator when Menken was unavailable for Disney's next big film. The duo wrote five songs for the The Lion King. The soundtrack went on to become the fourth best-selling album of 1994 and is the only soundtrack for an animated film to be certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. The duo earned an Oscar for Best Song ("Can You Feel the Love Tonight") and Hans Zimmer also won for Best Original Score.

Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz
Pocahontas (1995)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Following his work on Aladdin, Menken decided to team with another New York-based writer- Stephen Schwartz, whose previous stage work included Pippin, Godspell and Children of Eden. The film earned two Oscars (Best Original Score and Best Song: "Colors of the Wind") and the soundtrack also earned triple platinum certification. Afterwards, the duo got their choice of projects and landed on the darker Hunchback to followup.

Alan Menken & David Zippel
Hercules (1997)

For his sixth animated Disney film, Menken worked with lyricist David Zippel, whose previous theatrical credits included City of Angels and The Goodbye Girl. At the suggestion of director John Musker, the duo used gospel music as a storytelling tool throughout the film. "Go the Distance" was nominated for and Oscar for Best Song, but ultimately lost to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic.

Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
Anastasia (1997)

20th Century Fox got in on the musical action with the help of songwriting team Ahrens and Flaherty, whose previous writing credits included Once on This Island and My Favorite Year. The show's anthem, "Journey to the Past," was nominated for an Oscar but lost to... you guessed it- "My Heat Will Go On."

Stephen Schwartz
The Prince of Egypt (1998)

Following Hunchback, Schwartz went solo as composer and lyricist for DreamWorks. The film features eight of his songs, one of which ("When You Believe"), went on to win an Oscar for Best Song. He also picked up a nomination for Best Original Score with composer Hans Zimmer.

Alan Menken & Glenn Slater
Home on the Range (2004)
Tangled (2010)

Slater joined forces with Menken shortly after Hercules, and the pair started writing songs for the lesser-known Home on the Range. Though the film floped at the box office, it cemented a partnership that would go on to create stage shows like Sister Act, Leap of Faith, and additional songs for The Little Mermaid. They collaborated on their second animated film, Tangled, and "I See the Light" was nominated earned an Oscar nomination for Best Song, but lost to Randy Newman's "We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3).

Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez
Frozen (2013)

The husband and wife team was called on, soon after Robert finished working on The Book of Mormon. Eight of the twenty five songs they wrote for the film made it into the movie, the most popular being "Let It Go," which went on to win an Oscar for Best Song and became a pop culture phenomenon.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa'i, and Mark Mancina
Moana (2016)

In the height of Hamilton-mania, creator Lin-Manuel Miranda joined Foa'i and Mancina to write songs for Walt Disney Animation Studios' latest theatrical release. "How Far I'll Go" earned an Oscar nomination for Best Song.


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