D23 Presents Destination D: 75 Years of Disney Animated Features - Day 2
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AN EVENING WITH ALAN MENKIN
A festive air of expectation filled the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel as the crowd waited for the evening’s concert. A gallery of invited guests was on hand as well. Spotted among them were Disney Legends Richard Sherman, Floyd Norman, Bob Gurr, and Dave Smith, along with many noted Disney personalities. The stage was dominated by a grand piano.
Entering to cheers and applause, Academy Award winner Alan Menken launched right into his music, starting with a number from Aladdin. As the applause died down, he turned to a roughly chronological survey of his innumerable hit songs, starting with early work with his first collaborator, Howard Ashman. God Bless You, Mister Rosewater didn’t put them on the map, but Little Shop of Horrors more than made up for it. He followed up with a number composed for the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, and the song Disneyland from the Broadway musical Smile.
But it was his numbers from his first Disney film The Little Mermaid that really roused this audience. Following up with Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, Menken and partner Howard Ashman seemed unstoppable, garnering six Academy Awards for the three films. Ashman’s untimely death before the opening of Aladdin seemed overwhelming at the time. But Menken was able to continue.
The live action film musical Newsies was next. Menken ruefully noted that in the year 1992 he received both the Academy Award for best score and song (for Aladdin), as well as a Razzie Award for worst song (High Times, Hard Times from Newsies). But Menken didn’t look back, moving on through Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, and his next Academy Award winner, Pocahontas.
Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules were next, with a number from his stage production of A Christmas Carol as well. He also performed from the score of King David, another stage production. This was followed by Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Home on the Range. Many in the crowd were not aware that Menken had composed the next number in the program, the theme song from Tokyo DisneySea’s Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage.
The concert ended with a series of numbers from recent projects, including screen work for Enchanted and Tangled (as well as a stirring theme song for Captain America). For recent stage work he played songs from The Little Mermaid, Sister Act, Newsies, Leap of Faith and the upcoming Broadway production of Aladdin.
Menken closed the night with a moving tribute to his writing partner, Howard Ashman. The song Proud of Your Boy had been cut from the film version of Aladdin, but is to be incorporated into the stage version. The song was sung and played, as a photo of Ashman and Menken, Academy Awards in hand, filled the screen.
It was a magical night, not just for the wonderful songs and stories, but also as a fitting close to a weekend devoted to 75 years of Disney feature animation.
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-- Posted September 12, 2012
-- Text and Pictures by Doug Marsh