Movies

Howard Review – The Making of a Disney Classic

by Dana Abercrombie0

Almost three decades ago, the world lost not only one of the best lyricist but one of Broadway’s dearest icons. Howard Ashman didn’t just write songs, he wrote music that would forever touch our lives, so we could pass it down from generation to generation. While his death, will always have us wondering what could have been; his work continues to live on through various Disney live-action remakes like The Little Mermaid on Broadway and the Tony Award-winning movie musical Beauty and the Beast.

Even though Ashman helped usher in the golden age of animated musicals which helped save Disney from folding, not much is known about his short-lived life. Fortunately, Don Hahn’s documentary dives deep into his magical yet tragic journey with the help of Ashman’s co-workers, family members, and friends.

Howard is a deeply insightful, caring and personal documentary which explores Ashman as a musical genius and a fearful gay man, who at any minute could lose it all.

In a rather linear fashion, the documentary begins with his sister where Ashman’s love of theater started as a child. At a young age, Ashman was putting on creative shows for his family on a daily basis by using basic homemade toys. From there he discovered the theater and honed his skills by writing imaginative musicals as a teenager. While he was content with his life, he longed for more adventure and sought better opportunities in New York City. Co-founding the WPA Theater which started out as all startups in a random office building in LES, his life forever changed when he met composer Alan Menken who wanted to collaborate on a musical adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. Despite a very successful run at a smaller venue, the production fell apart once it ran on Broadway. Fortunately, that didn’t deter the duo and they adapted Roger Corman’s 1960’s smash comedy Little Shop of Horrors which had a five-year run and was beloved by theatergoers and movie lovers when it was written for the screen in 1986 (it was even nominated for a Grammy).

Ashman would go on to find success with multiple musical adaptations, but it wasn’t until the flop of the musical adaptation of Smile which led to volatile creative differences with Marvin Hamlisch did Ashman’s life change for the best. Recruited by Jeffrey Katzenberg, he moved to California to work for Disney where he helped build their animation department. In a recorded interview, he told a 92nd Street Y audience that animated musicals were the next big thing not knowing he was predicting his very successful career.
Image result for howard ashman little shop of horrors
Despite Ashman’s success, he was harboring a deep secret, he was HIV-positive (a death sentence in the 90’s). While living with architect Bill Lauch, Ashman hid not only their relationship from the public but also his diagnosis. Afraid of the backlash he would face (especially from the family-friendly All-American values of Disney), he continued to work despite his illness and the heavy toll it took on his body.

During this time he worked with Menken again for Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. It wasn’t until the creation of Beauty and Beast did Menken decide to pour his personal struggles and fears into the song “The Mob Song,” it was his psychological release. The lyrics had a special meaning to Ashman who felt like an outsider as a gay HIV-positive man. During the 90’s not much was known about HIV/AIDS, and many gays faced discrimination and were being murdered.

As Ashman’s body continued to deteriorate, he finally told his co-workers including Menken who found out a few days later after they won an Oscar for “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid. His fears would go unwarranted, as Disney supported him during his toughest battle, even moving their entire office to his hospital room to continue working on Beauty and Beast. Unfortunately, Ashman died before the release of the movie but he was awarded a posthumous Oscar for Best Song.
Hahn created a documentary about Disney and Ashman would be proud to show. Filled with behind the scenes footage of Angela Lansbury and Jerry Orbach singing as Mrs. Potts and Lumiere, to the planning of Aladdin and failed concept of The Little Mermaid’s Ursula. Ashman is an insightful documentary flowing with the heart and soul of Disney magic. Thoughtful, kind, and unabashed, there are both pleasurable and heartbreaking moments. Ashman produced our childhood in songs while Howard the documentary reminds us why Ashman made Disney the happiest place on earth.
Former genius and a woman of mystery and power, whose power is exceeded only by her mystery, Dana Abercrombie has been watching movies since birth (yes birth...we did say "genius"). Despite her secret desire of wanting to give it all up to become a gorgeous billionaire, Dana is most passionate politics about movies often times getting in many heated debates resulting in being thrown out of many gatherings. Despite having a degree in English AND Journalism (multi-tasking FTW!) from the University at Albany-SUNY, she is currently interested in perusing a degree at Yale Law School, because one should never give up on a dream of becoming a gorgeous billionaire...and knowing how to sue someone as a result of those heated debates.