Alan Menken
Born: 22 July 1949, New Rochelle, New York.
Biography:
Multi Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken studied piano and violin in high school, received further education at New York University, and chose music over medicine as a career after graduation. He began his career as a songwriter, but a meeting with lyricist Howard Ashman brought Menken to the world of musical theatre, where he flourished. Menken and Ashman debuted with "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater" in 1979, and went on to collaborate on such hit shows as "Her Pilgrim Soul", "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz", "King David", "A Christmas Carol", "Weird Romance", and of course "Little Shop of Horrors". When "Little Shop" was turned into a movie in 1986, Menken's name began to be associated with film music, and he was hired to breathe musical life into the (at the time) ailing Disney studio. Through collaborations with great lyricists such as Ashman, Tim Rice and Stephen Schwartz, Menken almost single-handedly revived the musical fortunes of the studio's animation department, writing songs and score for now-classic films such as "The Little Mermaid" (1989), "Beauty and the Beast" (1991), "Aladdin" (1992), "Pocahontas" (1995) and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1996), and winning an astounding eight Academy Awards on the way, making him the third highest individual Oscar-winner in history. However, after his sixth score for the Magic Kingdom, "Hercules" in 1997, was a comparative critical and commercial failure. Menken returned to his musical theatre roots, premiering "King David" on Broadway in late 1997, and supervising a new stage production of "Little Shop of Horrors" starring Hunter Foster and Kerry Butler. Menken returned to the cinema in 2004 with the score for the animated movie "Home on the Range", and since then has gone on to write critically acclaimed scores for Disney’s “The Shaggy Dog” in 2006 and “Enchanted” in 2007. Menken lives in upstate New York with his wife Janice and his daughters, Anna and Nora.
Reviews:
Beauty and the Beast, Enchanted, Home on the Range, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Pocahontas.
Filmography:
Enchanted (2007), The Shaggy Dog (2006), A Christmas Carol: The Musical (2004), Home on the Range (2004), Noel (2004), Hercules (1997), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Pocahontas (1995), Life with Mikey (1993), Aladdin (1992), Lincoln (1992), Newsies (1992), Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Little Mermaid (1989), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), The Line (1980).
Highest Grossing Films as at end of 2007 (adjusted for inflation):
Aladdin ($370.8m), Beauty and the Beast ($245.3m), Pocahontas ($230.4m), The Hunchback of Notre Dame ($160.4m), Hercules ($152.9m), The Little Mermaid ($150.4m), Enchanted ($131.5m), Little Shop of Horrors ($73.9m), The Shaggy Dog ($65.7m), Home on the Range ($57.0m)
Awards:
1995 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Score - Pocahontas
1995 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Song - "Colours of the Wind" from Pocahontas
1992 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Score - Aladdin
1992 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Song - "A Whole New World" from Aladdin
1991 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Score - Beauty and the Beast
1991 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Song - "Beauty and the Beast" from Beauty and the Beast
1989 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Score - The Little Mermaid
1989 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Song - "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid
2007 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song – “Happy Working Song” from Enchanted
2007 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song – “So Close” from Enchanted
2007 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song – “That’s How You Know” from Enchanted
1997 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song - "Go The Distance" from Hercules
1996 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Musical/Comedy Score - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1992 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song - "A Friend Like Me" from Aladdin
1991 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song - "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast
1989 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song - "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid
1986 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song - "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space" from Little Shop of Horrors
1992 Golden Globes - Winner, Best Original Score - Aladdin
1992 Golden Globes - Winner, Best Original Song - "A Whole New World" from Aladdin
1991 Golden Globes - Winner, Best Original Score - Beauty and the Beast
1991 Golden Globes - Winner, Best Original Song - "Beauty and the Beast" from Beauty and the Beast
1989 Golden Globes - Winner, Best Original Score - The Little Mermaid
1989 Golden Globes - Winner, Best Original Song - "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid
1997 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Song - "Go The Distance" from Hercules
1996 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1995 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score - Pocahontas
1992 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Song - "Prince Ali" from Aladdin
1991 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Song - "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast
1989 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Song - "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid
1993 BAFTA Awards – Nominee, Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music – Aladdin
1992 BAFTA Awards – Nominee, Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music – Beauty and the Beast
1995 Grammy Awards – Winner, Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television – “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas
1993 Grammy Awards – Winner, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Aladdin
1993 Grammy Awards – Winner, Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television – “A Whole New World” from Aladdin
1992 Grammy Awards – Winner, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Beauty and the Beast
1992 Grammy Awards – Winner, Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television – “Beauty and the Beast” from Beauty and the Beast
1990 Grammy Awards – Winner, Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television – “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid
1993 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television – “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin
1990 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – The Little Mermaid
1990 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television – “Kiss the Girl” from The Little Mermaid
Links:
The Whole Wide World of Alan Menken.
Alan Menken tribute from Disney.
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