Distinguished composer/lyricist Alan Menken is responsible for penning many of the catchiest tunes of the Disney features of the late '80s and '90s, including such chart-toppers as "Whole New World" (from Aladdin) and "Colors of the Wind" (Pocahontas). A graduate of New York University, Menken got his start when noted playwright Howard Ashman chose him and Lehman Engel to write the music for his 1978 adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. Menken and Ashman had major success as a team when they adapted Roger Corman's popular 1960 film Little Shop of Horrors into an off-Broadway smash that became a feature film in 1966. With Menken supplying the tunes and Ashman writing the lyrics, the duo began working for Disney on The Little Mermaid, the studio's first major animated feature in years. For their catchy calypso tune "Under the Sea," Menken and Ashman earned an Academy Award. Menken went on to earn several more Oscars for his songwriting work, at one point tying with costume designer Edith Head as the person to win the third most Oscars in history. Following Ashman's death in 1991, Menken continued working for Disney with others, notably Stephen Schwartz.
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mirror Mirror
Composer (Music Score) |
2012 | |||
|
Tangled
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
2010 | |||
|
Enchanted
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
2007 | |||
|
Finding Kraftland
Participant |
2006 | |||
|
The Shaggy Dog
Composer (Music Score) |
2006 | |||
|
Christmas Carol: The Musical
Composer (Music Score) |
2004 | |||
|
Home on the Range
Composer (Music Score) |
2004 | |||
|
Noel
Composer (Music Score) |
2004 | |||
|
Hercules
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1997 | |||
|
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Composer (Music Score) |
1996 | |||
|
Pocahontas
Composer (Music Score) |
1995 | |||
|
Life with Mikey
Composer (Music Score) |
1993 | |||
|
Aladdin
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Lincoln: I Want to Finish This Job, 1864
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Lincoln: Now He Belongs to the Ages, 1865
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Lincoln: The Making of a President, 1860-1862
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Lincoln: The Pivotal Year, 1863
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Newsies
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Beauty and the Beast
Composer (Music Score) |
1991 | |||
|
The Little Mermaid
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1989 | |||
|
Little Shop of Horrors
Composer (Music Score) |
1986 |










