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Howard Ashman is a featured article, which means it has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Disney Fanon Wiki community. If you see a way this page can be updated or improved without compromising previous work, please feel free to contribute.

Howard Elliot Ashman was an American playwright, lyricist, libretto, and musician for Disney Animation who worked with Alan Menken.

Career[]

Freaky Friday (1983 animated)[]

Starts up, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken worked in animated musical faning, fan and fanon version, This project about in fantasy-comedy film Freaky Friday.

The Little Mermaid[]

When Freaky Frdiay was almost done, Ashman and Menken were approached to write music for a Disney film of their choice. Ashman chose The Little Mermaid and wrote all seven songs. Ashman not only wrote the music with Menken but he also served as the film's producer. Ashman also conducted Jodi Benson to sing "Part of Your World" right and he also dressed up as Ursula to show Pat Carroll how to sing "Poor Unfortunate Souls". Ashman and Menken won three Academy Awards for original songs in the movie in 1989.

Beauty and the Beast[]

When The Little Mermaid was almost done, Ashman and Menken were bought into team writing songs again for another project called Beauty and the Beast. Howard really wanted to work on another project called Aladdin and The Nightmare Before Christmas, but with the studio in need of help, he reluctantly agreed. The original story was early selected by Walt Disney in the 1940s and 50s but was scrapped when the animators couldn't find the right story. Ashman solved the biggest problem Disney himself faced with the story. The original story involves a maiden who is kept prisoner by a beast and transforms him by love. Howard said, "The Beast is the guy with the problem. He's got to redeem himself by the movie's end. His act of love allows the girl to leave his castle." Walt's nephew Roy Edward Disney decided to give Beauty and the Beast another shot. Ashman and Menken wrote all six songs. Since Beauty and the Beast was a musical Ashman chose many Broadway actors and actresses including Paige O'Hara, Jerry Orbach, and Angela Lansbury to voice the characters and he also coached them very well to sing the songs just perfectly. The song "Human Again" was planned to be in the original film, but due to story problems, it had to be cut out. Menken fixed the story problems for the 1994 Broadway production and the song was a success. The song would later be animated and brought to life in the 2002 IMAX release.

Aladdin[]

When Beauty and the Beast was almost done, Ashman and Menken pitched a treatment of the story of Aladdin and wrote many songs. But after being asked to help out with Beauty and the Beast, Ashman reluctantly agreed. Three of Ashman's songs made it into the final version, "Arabian Nights", "Friend Like Me", and "Prince Ali". Directors Ron Clements and John Musker talked to Menken and Ashman about writing a song for the Magic Carpet ride but sadly didn't have the time to write it. Lyricist Tim Rice, who was working on a project known at the time as King of the Jungle, was asked to help finish the songs for Aladdin.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Edited version)[]

Death[]

Before he passed away, they showed him an unfinished version of Beauty and the Beast. He then died four days later on March 14, 1991, at a hospital in New York City, at the age of 40. Ashman never married, but he was survived by his life partner Bill Lauch, his sister Sarah Ashman-Gillespie, and his mother Shirley. Beauty and the Beast was dedicated to Ashman during the end credits, reading:

To our friend, Howard,
Who gave a mermaid her voice
And a beast his soul,
We will be forever grateful

Howard Ashman
1950-1991

Legacy[]

At the 1983 Oscars for Freaky Frdiay Ashman told Menken they needed to talk when they got home to New York City about something important that couldn't be mentioned at the Oscars. When they got back to Ashman's house in New York, Ashman told Menken that he was sick and was HIV positive, and revealed during the production of Beauty and the Beast that he had been diagnosed with AIDS which made him weaker every day but never stopped him from writing songs.

In 1996, one of the reprisals Howard wrote for Arabian Nights was featured in Aladdin and the King of Thieves. By 2001 Howard and his musical partner Alan Menken were named Disney Legends, their plaques are presented together on the same post at the Team ― Disney Michael D. Eisner Building.

In March 2017, Don Hahn confirmed he was working on a documentary biographical film about Howard Ashman, titled Howard. It made its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22, 2018.

Post release[]

Mexicagrandos[]

In Three years ago tooked before was Beauty and the Beast (1991) it competed directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi[]

In Three years ago tooked before was Aladdin (1992) it competed directed, written and produced by John Musker and Ron Clements.

The Tiger and the Mouse Deer[]

In three years ago, before was The Lion King (1994) it completed score composed by Hans Zimmer.

Spirited[]

In these years ago, it songs composed with co-lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.

Gallery[]

Video[]


v - e - d
Walt Disney Animation Studios - Transparent Logo
1920s—1970s
Disney's Nine Old Men: Milt KahlFrank ThomasOllie JohnstonLes ClarkJohn LounsberyMarc DavisWard KimballEric LarsonWolfgang Reitherman

Animators: Bill TytlaArt BabbittLee BlairPreston BlairFred MooreShamus CulhaneCy YoungDon LuskNorman FergusonHal KingJack HannahDick KinneyHal AmbroKen O'BrienJudge WhitakerBill JusticeDon BluthGary GoldmanCharles A. NicholsBlaine GibsonJohn EwingWalt StanchfieldFred HellmichAmby PaliwodaWilfred JacksonXavier AtencioBen SharpsteenEarl HurdDale OliverEric CleworthDavid HandFred SpencerJulius SvendsenKenneth MuseRudolf IsingHugh HarmanFriz FrelengWalt KellyLeo SalkinJohn Dehner
Visual Development, Layout, Background Artists and Character Designers: Gustaf TenggrenMary BlairMarjorie RalstonLillian BoundsJoe GrantMel ShawClaude CoatsDon DaGradiJohn HenchEyvind EarleKen O'ConnorThor PutnamAlbert HurterJohn HubleyHerbert RymanDon GriffithBasil DavidovichJack BoydPeter EllenshawRuthie TompsonEarl Duvall
Storyboard Artists and Writers: Bill PeetRalph WrightDick HuemerFloyd NormanYale GraceyTed SearsErdman PennerJoe RinaldiWinston HiblerOtto EnglanderWilliam CottrellBill BergAl BertinoT. HeeHomer BrightmanTed OsbourneLarry ClemmonsHarry ReevesJesse Marsh
Directors: Clyde GeronimiHamilton LuskeJack KinneyTed BermanRichard RichNathan GrenoGeorge ScribnerRiley ThomsonDick LundyJack KingBurt Gillett
Producers: Walt DisneyRon MillerKen AndersonDon DuckwallPerce PearceMargaret J. Winkler

1980s—present
Renaissance Directors: Rob MinkoffRoger AllersGary TrousdaleKirk WiseChris SandersMark DindalJohn Musker

Story Trust Directors: Ron ClementsChris BuckByron HowardDon HallChris WilliamsRich MooreStephen J. Anderson
Producers: Peter Del VechoClark SpencerRoy ConliDorothy McKimDon Hahn
Chief Creative Officer: Jennifer Lee
Associated Figures: Bob IgerRoy Edward DisneyMichael EisnerJohn LasseterEd CatmullJeffrey KatzenbergBob Chapek
Signature Voice Actors: Jim CummingsAlan TudykKatie LowesJohn DiMaggioMaurice LaMarcheJodi BensonDavid Ogden StiersJesse CortiPaul BriggsRaymond S. PersiPhil JohnstonFrank WelkerBill FarmerBrian Cummings
Signature Musicians: Robert B. Sherman Richard M. Sherman Alan Menken Kristen Anderson-Lopez Robert LopezLin-Manuel MirandaHoward AshmanTim RicePhil CollinsStephen SchwartzMarc ShaimanDanny Troob
Supervising Animators: Glen KeaneAndreas DejaEric GoldbergMark HennJohn PomeroyRandy HaycockDale BaerT. Daniel HofstedtTony BancroftTom BancroftTony FucileAnthony DeRosaRuss EdmondsMichael SurreyBruce W.SmithDuncan MarjoribanksRuben AquinoNik RanieriRon HusbandRick FarmiloeTom SitoTony AnselmoRandy CartwrightAnne Marie BardwellShawn Keller
Visual Development & Storyboard Artists: Dean DeBloisLisa KeeneClaire KeaneBrittney LeeJin KimShiyoon Kim


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