Alan Irwin Menken is an American composer and conductor, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and Skydance Animation. Menken's contributions to The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and Pocahontas (1995) won him two Academy Awards for each film. He also composed the scores and songs for Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Newsies (1992), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Home on the Range (2004), Enchanted (2007), Tangled (2010), Disenchanted (2022), and Spellbound (2024), among others. His accolades include winning eight Academy Awards — becoming the second most prolific Oscar winner in the music categories after Alfred Newman, a Tony Award, eleven Grammy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and a Daytime Emmy Award. Menken is one of twenty-one people to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.
Tangled is a 2010 American animated musical adventure fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Loosely based on the German fairy tale "Rapunzel" in the collection of folktales published by the Brothers Grimm, the film was directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, and produced by Roy Conli, from a screenplay written by Dan Fogelman. Featuring the voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and Donna Murphy, Tangled tells the story of Rapunzel, a lost young princess with magical long blonde hair who yearns to leave her secluded tower. She accepts the aid of an intruder, the outlaw Flynn Rider, to take her out into the world which she has never seen.
Glenn Slater is an American lyricist for musical theatre. He has collaborated with Alan Menken, Christopher Lennertz, Andrew Lloyd Webber, among other composers. He was nominated for three Tony Awards for Best Original Score for the Broadway version of The Little Mermaid at the 62nd Tony Awards in 2008, Sister Act at the 65th Tony Awards in 2011, and School of Rock at the 70th Tony Awards in 2016.
Aladdin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack for the 1992 Disney animated film Aladdin. The album was released by Walt Disney Records on CD and cassette tape on October 27, 1992. The soundtrack was intertwined with demos, work tapes and unreleased masters, as well as original scores in 1994 in a four-disc box set entitled The Music Behind the Magic: The Musical Artistry of Alan Menken, Howard Ashman & Tim Rice. A remastered reissue with altered lyrics and new artwork was released on March 27, 2001. A special edition reissue featuring two previously released demos and new artwork was released on September 28, 2004. The Legacy Collection: Aladdin was released on September 9, 2022, to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Aladdin.
The Little Mermaid: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 1989 Disney animated film The Little Mermaid. It contains the songs from the film written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as the film's score composed by Alan Menken. The score was orchestrated by Thomas Pasatieri. The album has achieved multi-platinum sales and won the Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children. The album includes recordings of the music that won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television, the Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the official soundtrack album to the 1991 Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast. Originally released on October 22, 1991, by Walt Disney Records, the album's first half – tracks 2 to 9 – generally contains the film's musical numbers, all of which were written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman, while its latter half – tracks 10 to 14 – features its musical score, composed solely by Menken. While the majority of the album's content remains within the musical theatre genre, its songs have also been influenced by French, classical, pop and Broadway music. Credited to Various Artists, Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features performances by the film's main cast – Paige O'Hara, Richard White, Jesse Corti, Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury, Robby Benson and David Ogden Stiers – in order of appearance. Additionally, the album features recording artists Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson, who perform a pop rendition of the film's theme song of the same name, which simultaneously serves as the soundtrack's only single.
Pocahontas: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 1995 Disney animated film Pocahontas. It was released by Walt Disney Records on May 30, 1995, on CD and audio cassette. The soundtrack contains songs from the film, including each instrumental song, written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, and conducted by David Friedman. The main songs feature vocals by Judy Kuhn, Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Jim Cummings, David Ogden Stiers, and Bobbi Page. The soundtrack features two hit singles; "Colors of the Wind" performed by American singer and actress Vanessa Williams, and the film's love theme song "If I Never Knew You" performed by American singers Jon Secada and Shanice. The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.
The Disney Renaissance was a period from 1989 to 1999 during which Walt Disney Feature Animation returned to producing critically and commercially successful animated films. The ten feature films associated with this period are The Little Mermaid (1989), The Rescuers Down Under (1990), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Mulan (1998), and Tarzan (1999).
Rapunzel is a fictional character in Disney's animated film Tangled (2010). Based on the title character from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the same name, Rapunzel is a young princess kept unaware of her royal lineage by Mother Gothel, a vain woman who kidnaps her as a baby to hoard her hair's healing powers and remain young forever. Raised in a secluded tower, Rapunzel escapes with a wanted thief who promises to help her see the elusive floating lights in time for her 18th birthday, in exchange for a crown she has hidden from him. She is voiced by actress and singer Mandy Moore.
Mother Gothel is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Tangled (2010). The character is voiced by actress and singer Donna Murphy in her voice acting debut; Murphy auditioned for the role spontaneously upon learning from her agent that Disney was auditioning actresses for the film's villainous role. Loosely based on Dame Gothel from the German fairy tale "Rapunzel", Mother Gothel is a vain old woman who hoards the strong healing powers of a magical gold flower to live for many, many years and remain perpetually young and beautiful. When the flower is harvested to heal the kingdom's ailing queen, its powers are inherited by the king and the queen's beautiful young daughter Rapunzel, removing Gothel's access. With her life suddenly endangered, Gothel attempted to take a single tendril from Rapunzel, but the tendril loses its power when cut, so she kidnaps the infant, imprisoning the princess in an isolated tower for eighteen years while posing as her mother to exploit her powers. To ensure Rapunzel does not leave, she tells her the outside world is dangerous and full of people who might steal her hair to use for themselves.
"I See the Light" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater for Walt Disney Animation Studios' animated film Tangled (2010). A duet originally recorded by American recording artist and actress Mandy Moore and American actor Zachary Levi in their respective film roles as main characters Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, the folk-inspired pop ballad serves as both the film's love and theme song. Lyrically, "I See the Light" describes the developing romantic relationship between Rapunzel and Flynn, and is featured as the seventh track on the film's soundtrack album.
Eugene Fitzherbert, born Horace and known by the alias Flynn Rider, is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Animation Studios' animated film Tangled (2010), its short 2012 film Tangled Ever After, and the 2017 television series Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. The character is voiced by American actor Zachary Levi, who decided to audition for the role upon learning that he would also be providing the character's singing voice. Levi's duet with singer and co-star Mandy Moore, "I See the Light", would go on to become the actor's first professionally recorded song and musical debut.
"Mother Knows Best" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater for Disney's animated film Tangled (2010). Included on the film's soundtrack album, it was recorded by American actress and singer Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel, the film's main villain, and details the character's efforts to frighten Rapunzel into remaining within the confines of their secluded tower so she can continue exploiting her hair's regenerative properties. A musical theatre-inspired pop ballad lyrically consisting of passive-aggressive insults, the song's upbeat melody belies its dark lyrics about fearmongering, lying, and manipulation. Gothel eventually reprises "Mother Knows Best" in a more vengeful, sinister manner once Rapunzel openly defies her for the first time.
"Belle" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for Disney's animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). Recorded by American actors Paige O'Hara and Richard White, "Belle" is a mid-tempo classical music-inspired song that borrows elements from Broadway and musical theatre. It was the first song Ashman and Menken wrote for Beauty and the Beast, which they feared Disney would reject due to its length and complexity, but the film's producers ultimately liked the song.
"When Will My Life Begin?" is a song from Disney's 2010 animated feature film, Tangled. It is sung by American actress Mandy Moore in her vocal role of Princess Rapunzel and serves as the "I Want" song of the film. It is reprised later on once she is allowed out of the tower for the first time. A short reprise with Rapunzel reiterating her situation, and reasoning that "I've got my mother's love...I have everything" etc., was cut from the final film, though was included in the soundtrack. Lyrics are by Glenn Slater, and music is by Alan Menken.
"I've Got a Dream" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater from Disney's 2010 animated feature film, Tangled. It is performed by Brad Garrett, Jeffrey Tambor, Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi.
Tangled is a media franchise owned by The Walt Disney Company that began with the 2010 American animated film of the same name, directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard from a screenplay by Dan Fogelman. Produced by Roy Conli, the film featured songs by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, while Glen Keane, John Lasseter, and Aimee Scribner served as its executive producers. The film was loosely based on the German fairy tale "Rapunzel" from the 1812 collection Grimms' Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm.
Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure is an American animated television series developed by Chris Sonnenburg and Shane Prigmore, and produced by Disney Television Animation. It premiered on Disney Channel as a Disney Channel Original Movie titled Tangled: Before Ever After on March 10, 2017. Its regular episodes premiered on March 24, 2017. The series is based on the 2010 film Tangled and features the returning voices of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, alongside Eden Espinosa, Clancy Brown, Julie Bowen, James Monroe Iglehart, Jeff Ross, Paul F. Tompkins, and Jeremy Jordan.
Tangled: Before Ever After is a 2017 American animated musical fantasy television film produced by Disney Television Animation, that premiered on Disney Channel as a Disney Channel Original Movie. It is a sequel to the Walt Disney Animation Studios film Tangled and takes place between the original 2010 film and the short Tangled Ever After, and serves as the first episode to Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. It was directed by Tom Caulfield and Stephen Sandoval. The film centers around Rapunzel's adjustments to the life of a princess, and the mysterious return of her 70 feet (21 m) of magical, golden hair.
Disenchanted (Original Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2022 film of the same name directed by Adam Shankman. The sequel to Enchanted (2007), the film's original music included songs written and produced by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, both of whom wrote the music for the previous installment. Menken also composed the incidental underscore for the film. Menken's longtime collaborator Michael Kosarin conducted the songs and score. Unlike the first film's soundtrack, the sequel was intended to have more songs, and all those tracks were performed by the film's cast members, including Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, Gabriella Baldacchino, Maya Rudolph, Griffin Newman, James Monroe Iglehart, Ann Harada, and Michael McCorry Rose.
