History Creator / HowardAshman

The end result was ''The Little Mermaid'', a film that Ashman yielded large amounts of creative control. He was known throughout the studio as a perfectionist, and he was often uncompromising in getting the exact vocal performance he needed. This included insisting to the casting team that they hire Broadway professionals as the voice actors, a choice that led to Creator/JodiBenson getting the part of Ariel, having previously played the led in ''Smile''. Ashman also had a major feud with Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, who insisted that the song "Part of Your World" should be cut from the movie because one kid fell asleep during the scene at a test screening. In the end, Ashman's efforts were paramount to the movie becoming an instant classic and immediate success for the company once released in 1989.

The end result was ''The Little Mermaid'', a film that Ashman yielded large amounts of creative control. He was known throughout the studio as a perfectionist, and he was often uncompromising in getting the exact vocal performance he needed. This included insisting to the casting team that they hire Broadway professionals as the voice actors, a choice that led to Creator/JodiBenson getting the part of Ariel, having previously played the led in ''Smile''. Ashman also had a major feud with Disney chairman Creator/JeffreyKatzenberg, who insisted that the song "Part of Your World" should be cut from the movie because one kid fell asleep during the scene at a test screening. In the end, Ashman's efforts were paramount to the movie becoming an instant classic and immediate success for the company once released in 1989.

Tragically, as ''Beauty and the Beast'' was still in production, Ashman was diagnosed with AIDS during the peak of the crisis. Originally kept a secret in fear of it costing his job and hurting Disney's image, he soon told Menken and the rest of the studio as his health worsened. Everyone at Disney offered generous support, even providing accommodations so he could work from home at his New York apartment during recording sessions. Though he was on the verge of death, Ashman worked on the film until mere days before his passing in 1991, not living to see the film's completion.

Howard Elliott Ashman (May 17, 1950 – March 14, 1991) was an American songwriter, playwright and stage director best known for his musical collaborations with Music/AlanMenken. The duo found success with the dark comedy stage musical ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors'', which lead to them being the music team behind the animated Franchise/{{Disney|AnimatedCanon}} films ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', the two films seen as responsible for saving Creator/{{Disney}} as a company and ushering the [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation Disney Renaissance]].

Moving to New York City after he attended college, Ashman started his career as a playwright, though none of his plays received much attention. He met Alan Menken at the BMI workshop in the city, and their bond lead to them working on their first musical ''God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater''. Though not a success, they made another attempt with an adaptation of the 1960 cult film ''Film/TheLittleShopOfHorrors''. The 1982 off-off-Broadway production became an overnight sensation, propping them up as an in-demand songwriting team.

The end result was ''The Little Mermaid'', a film that Ashman yielded large amounts of creative control. He was known throughout the studio as a perfectionist, and he was often uncompromising in getting the exact vocal performance he needed. This included insisting to the casting team that they hire Broadway professionals as the voice actors, a choice that lead to Creator/JodiBenson getting the part of Ariel, having previously played the lead in ''Smile''. Ashman also had a major feud with Disney chairman Creator/JeffreyKatzenberg, who insisted that the song "Part of Your World" should be cut from the movie because one kid fell asleep during the scene at a test screening. In the end, Ashman's efforts were paramount to the movie becoming an instant classic and immediate success for the company once released in 1989.

The end result was ''The Little Mermaid'', a film that Ashman yielded large amounts of creative control. He was known throughout the studio as a perfectionist, and he was often uncompromising in getting the exact vocal performance he needed. This included insisting to the casting team that they hire Broadway professionals as the voice actors, a choice that lead to Creator/JodiBenson getting the part of Ariel, who had previously played the lead in ''Smile''. Ashman also had a major feud with Disney chairman Creator/JeffreyKatzenberg, who insisted that the song "Part of Your World" should be cut from the movie because one kid fell asleep during the scene at a test screening. In the end, Ashman's efforts were paramount to the movie becoming an instant classic and immediate success for the company once released in 1989.

His death caused mourning throughout the company, and ''Beauty and the Beast'' was dedicated to him. The film became the first animated film to be nominated for the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Picture, and he posthumously won for Best Original Song. His partner of seven years, Bill Lauch, would accept the award on his behalf. ''Aladdin'' would release a year later and, though he wrote 16 songs intended for the film, only three of them made the final cut, with the film's other two songs being written by Creator/TimRice.

Howard Ashman (May 17, 1950 - March 14, 1991) was an American songwriter, playwright and stage director best known for his musical collaborations with Music/AlanMenken. The duo found success with the dark comedy stage musical ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors'', which lead to them being the music team behind the animated Franchise/{{Disney|AnimatedCanon}} films ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', the two films seen as responsible for saving Creator/{{Disney}} as a company and ushering the [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation Disney Renaissance]].

The end result was ''The Little Mermaid'', a film that Ashman yielded large amounts of creative control. He was known throughout the studio as a perfectionist, and he was often uncompromising in getting the exact vocal performance he needed. This included insisting to the casting team that they hire Broadway professionals as the voice actors, a choice that lead to Creator/JodiBenson getting the part of Ariel, who had previously played the lead in ''Smile''. Ashman also had a major feud with Disney president Creator/JeffreyKatzenberg, who insisted that the song "Part of Your World" should be cut from the movie because one kid fell asleep during the scene at a test screening. In the end, Ashman's efforts were paramount to the movie becoming an instant classic and immediate success for the company once released in 1989.

Moving to New York City after he attended college, Ashman started his career as a playwright, though none of his plays received much attention. He met Alan Menken at the BMI workshop in the city, and their bond lead to them working on their first musical ''Theatre/GodBlessYouMrRosewater''. Though not a success, they made another attempt with an adaptation of the 1960 cult film ''Film/TheLittleShopOfHorrors''. The 1982 off-off-Broadway production became an overnight sensation, propping them up as an in-demand songwriting team.

However, Ashman's sights were set on his dream project, a musical titled ''Theatre/{{Smile}}''. This was a collaboration with composer Music/MarvinHamlisch loosely based on the 1975 musical of the same name. Premiering in 1986, it flopped and closed after only 48 performances. With his determination at a lull, Menken and Ashman were soon offered the opportunity to work on a Disney musical designed to return to the lavish princess musicals decades long gone. Ashman was hesitant at first, worried that the Hollywood system would compromise his creative vision, but he decided to take it because he thought the last great place to do Broadway musicals was animation.

Howard Ashman (May 17, 1950 - March 14, 1991) was an American songwriter, playwright and stage director best known for his musical collaborations with Music/AlanMenken. The duo found success with the dark comedy stage musical ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors'', which lead to them being the music team behind the animated Franchise/{{Disney|AnimatedCanon}} films ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', the two films seen as responsible for saving Disney as a company and ushering the [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation Disney Renaissance]].

However, Ashman's sights were set on his dream project, a musical titled ''Theatre/{{Smile}}''. This was a collaboration with composer Music/MarvinHamlisch loosely based on the 1975 musical of the same name. Premiering in 1986, it flopped and closed after only 48 performances. With his determination at a lull, Menken and Ashman were soon offered the opportunity to work on a Disney musical designed to return to the lavish princess musicals decades long gone. Ashman was hesitant at first, worried about the Hollywood system compromising his creative vision, but he decided to take it because he thought the last great place to do Broadway musicals was animation.

The end result was ''The Little Mermaid'', a film that Ashman had large amounts of creative control over. He was known throughout the studio as a perfectionist, and he was often uncompromising in getting the exact vocal performance he needed. This included insisting to the casting team that they hire Broadway professionals as the voice actors, a choice that lead to Creator/JodiBenson getting the part of Ariel, who had previously played the lead in ''Smile''. Ashman also had a major feud with Disney president Creator/JeffreyKatzenberg, who insisted that the song "Part of Your World" should be cut from the movie because one kid fell asleep during the scene during a test screening. In the end, Ashman's efforts were paramount to the movie becoming an instant classic and immediate success for the company.

Menken and Ashman's talents were soon requested for Disney's upcoming film ''Beauty and the Beast'', whose original pitch had to be scrapped for being too stuffy and reliant on the source material. The now-musical demanded just as much attention for the duo, with many of the creative decisions Ashman insisted being duplicated here. Ashman was also pushing for his new passion project, an adaptation of ''Literature/ArabianNights'' mixed with Vaudeville comedy. This soon became the start of ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', a production that Katzenberg was originally hesitant to push forward into production until he saw it as potential competition for the eventually unreleased ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler''.

Tragically, as ''Beauty and the Beast'' was still in production, Ashman was diagnosed with AIDS during the peak of the crisis. Originally kept a secret in fear of him costing his job and Disney's reputation, he soon told Menken and the rest of the studio as his health worsened. Everyone at Disney offered generous support, even providing accommodations so he could work from home at his New York apartment during recording sessions. Though he was on the verge of death, Ashman worked on the film until mere days before his passing in 1991, not living to see the film's completion.

Moving to New York City after he attended college, Ashman started his career as a playwright, though none of his plays received much attention. He met Alan Menken at the BMI workshop in the city, and their bond lead to them working on their first musical ''Theatre/GodBlessYouMrRosewater''. Though not a success, they made another attempt with an adaptation of the 50's cult film ''Film/TheLittleShopOfHorrors''. The 1982 off-off-Broadway production became an overnight sensation, propping them up as an in-demand songwriting team.

His death caused mourning throughout the company, and ''Beauty and the Beast'' was dedicated to him. The film became the first animated film to be nominated for the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Picture, and he posthumously won for Best Original Song. His partner of seven years, Bill Lauch, would accept the award on his behalf. ''Aladdin'' would release a year later and, though he wrote 16 songs intended for the film, only three of them made the final version, with the other two songs being written by Creator/TimRice.

Ashman's legacy as a songwriter is vast, with many contemporaries citing him as an influence, including Creator/LinManuelMiranda and Music/RobertLopez. He is also a respected figure within the [=LBGTQ+=] community for being a gay man with a catalog that inspired many, and "Part of Your World" remains a popular [=LBGTQ+=] allegory and anthem. Jeffrey Katzenberg claims that there are two angels looking down on Disney that are crucial to the company being where it is today: Ashman and Creator/WaltDisney himself.

However, Ashman's sights were set on his dream project, a musical titled ''Theatre/{{Smile}}''. This was a collaboration with composer Music/MarvinHamlisch loosely based on the 1975 musical of the same name. Premiering in 1986, it flopped and closed after only 48 performances. With his determination at a lull, Menken and Ashman were soon offered the opportunity to work with them on a Disney musical designed to return to the lavish princess musicals decades long gone. Ashman was hesitant at first, worried about the Hollywood system compromising his creative vision, but he decided to take it because he thought the last great place to do Broadway musicals was animation.

The end result was ''The Little Mermaid'', a film that Ashman had large amounts of creative control over. He was known throughout the studio as a perfectionist, and he was often uncompromising in getting the exact vocal performance he needed. This included insisting to the casting team that they hire Broadway professionals as the voice actors, a choice that lead to Creator/JodiBenson getting the part of Ariel, who had previously played the lead in ''Smile''. Ashman also had a major feud with Disney president Creator/JeffreyKatzenberg, who insisted that the song "Part of Your World" should be cut from the movie because one kid fell asleep during the scene during a test screening. In the end, all of Ashman's decisions were paramount to the movie becoming an instant classic and immediate success for the company.

Menken and Ashman's talents were soon requested for Disney's upcoming film ''Beauty and the Beast'', whose original pitch had to be scrapped for being too stiff and down-to-earth. The now-musical demanded just as much attention for the duo, with many of the creative decisions Ashman insisted being duplicated here. Ashman was also pushing for his new passion project, an adaptation of ''Literature/ArabianNights'' mixed with Vaudeville comedy. This soon became the start of ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', a production that Katzenberg was originally hesitant to pitch until he saw it as potential competition for the eventually unreleased ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler''.

Tragically, as ''Beauty and the Beast'' was still in production, Ashman was diagnosed with AIDS during the peak of the crisis. Originally kept a secret in fear of him costing his job and Disney's reputation, he soon told Menken and the rest of the studio as his health worsened. Everyone offered vast amounts of support, even providing accommodations so he could work from home at his New York apartment during recording sessions. Though he was on the verge of death, Ashman worked on the film until mere days before his death in 1991, not living to see the film's release.

His death caused mourning throughout the company, and ''Beauty and the Beast'' was dedicated to him. The film became the first animated film to be nominated for the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Picture, and he posthumously won for Best Original Song. His partner of seven years, Bill Lauch, would accept the award on his behalf. ''Aladdin'' would released a year later and, though he wrote 16 songs intended for the film, only three of them made the final version, with the other two songs being written by Creator/TimRice.

Ashman's legacy as a songwriter is vast, with many contemporaries citing him as an influence, including Creator/LinManuelMiranda and Music/RobertLopez. He is also a respected figure within the [=LBGTQ+=] community for being a gay man with a catalog that inspired many, and "Part of Your World" remains seen as a highly popular [=LBGTQ+=] allegory. Jeffrey Katzenberg claims that there are two angels looking down on Disney that are crucial to the company being where it is today: Ashman and Creator/WaltDisney himself.

** ''Film/BeautyAndTheBeast2017'' (previously unused lyrics written by Ashman were in this version's "Gaston")