28/04/2026
Disney legend Alan Menken looks back on the creation of some of the most beloved songs in animation history — from ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to ‘Aladdin’ ‘Pocahontas,’ ‘Hercules’ and beyond. Sitting at the piano, he reflects on the collaborators who shaped these classics, including Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Stephen Schwartz, and revisits the moments that sparked songs like “Part of Your World,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Whole New World.”
He shares the emotional journeys behind these works — from the hopeful, upward-reaching notes of Ariel’s ballad to the aching sense of time passing within Belle and the Beast’s love theme — and speaks candidly about writing through Howard Ashman’s terminal illness with AIDS, reinventing Hercules’ anthem for strength and discovering the first spark of ‘Pocahontas’ through “Colors of the Wind.” Menken also reflects on the simple joy that fuels his life’s work: the daily pull to sit at the piano and explore the possibilities of music, and the way a few notes can instantly transport us “like the smell of your favorite meal.”
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