ContributorsPublishersAdvertisers

Alan Menken

avatar
Alan Menken
Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer, songwriter, music conductor, director and record producer. Menken is best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and Pocahontas (1995) have each won him two Academy Awards. 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), among others. He is also known for his work in musical theatre for Broadway and elsewhere. Some of these are based on his Disney films, but other stage hits include Little Shop of Horrors (1982), A Christmas Carol (1994) and Sister Act (2009). Menken has collaborated with such lyricists as Lynn Ahrens, Howard Ashman, Jack Feldman, Tim Rice, Glenn Slater, Stephen Schwartz and David Zippel. With eight Academy Award wins, Menken is the second most prolific Oscar winner in the music categories after Alfred Newman, who has 9 Oscars. He has also won 11 Grammy Awards, a Tony Award and many other honors.
Expandarrow_down
Born
1949-07-22
Birth Place
New York City, U.S.
Expandarrow_down
Billboard

Alan Menken to Receive Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award at Hollywood in Vienna Gala in September

Click here to read the full article. Alan Menken is finally set to receive the Max Steiner Film Achievement Award at the Hollywood in Vienna gala on Sep. 24, more than 2-1/2 years after the award was first announced. Menken was announced as the recipient on Feb. 29, 2020, just days before the COVID-19 pandemic put such gatherings on a very long hold. But now it’s back on: Stars from Broadway and the West End will pay tribute to the eight-time Academy Award winner at the 13th Hollywood in Vienna. The event will be held at the Vienna Concert Hall (Wiener...
Picture for Alan Menken to Receive Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award at Hollywood in Vienna Gala in September
Broadway.com

Watch Alan Menken and the Stars of Little Shop of Horrors Perform a Tiny Desk Concert

Little Shop of Horrors, which plays off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. To mark the occasion, NPR released a Tiny Desk concert of the cast. Conrad Ricamora and Tammy Blanchard, who lead the show, are joined by Christian Borle, Aaron Arnell Harrington, Stuart Zagnit, Tatiana Lofton, Cristina Raé, Khadija Sankoh and composer Alan Menken to perform the numbers "Skid Row (Downtown)," "Feed Me (Git It!)," "Somewhere That's Green," "Dentist!" and "Suddenly Seymour." Watch the performance below, and be sure to experience Little Shop live on stage!
Picture for Watch Alan Menken and the Stars of Little Shop of Horrors Perform a Tiny Desk Concert
RELATED CHANNELS
NewsBreak
Entertainment
ComicBook

The Little Mermaid: Lin-Manuel Miranda Talks Working With Alan Menken For Live-Action Remake

Lin-Manuel Miranda is one busy guy. Not only did he write music for Disney's newest animated feature, Encanto, but he also just made his directorial feature debut with Tick, Tick... Boom!. Both movies are being met with praise with Encanto earning a 93% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 94% audience score. Tick, Tick... Boom! is currently up on the site with an 88% and a 95%. Encanto is far from Miranda's only Disney project. He previously wrote music for Moana, and he's currently working on the live-action reboot of The Little Mermaid, which is expected to feature new music by Disney Legend Alan Menken, who worked on the animated classic. During a recent interview with Collider, Mirando spoke about working with Menken.
New Haven Register

A Q&A with Alan Menken as he readies for special 'hometown show' at The Ridgefield Playhouse

RIDGEFIELD — Legendary composer Alan Menken will return to The Ridgefield Playhouse this weekend for an intimate concert experience — and his first in-person engagement since COVID-19. The latest EGOT winner — the rare achiever of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony — was one of the first performers to grace the Playhouse stage and has appeared there multiple times over the years. The special “hometown show” this Saturday night, however, marks Menken’s first full concert at the venue.
Norwalk Hour

Disney Legend Alan Menken to perform in Ridgefield next month

For fans of “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Little Shop of Horrors,” Alan Menken is a household name. The longtime lyricist, composer and Disney Legend has penned the songs for dozens of musicals on the big screen and on Broadway, and he’s bringing those songs and the stories behind them to Ridgefield Playhouse in early November.
RIDGEFIELD, CT
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
NewsBreak
Arts
NewsBreak
Theater & Dance
NewsBreak
Performing Arts
NewsBreak
Music
dapsmagic.com

Disney Legend Alan Menken to Perform Live in November

Disney Legend Alan Menken is performing a live show at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, Connecticut on November 6, 2021. This show, A Whole New World of Alan Menken has Menken performing the music he has created throughout his life and shares stories about the songs that have become beloved Disney classics. This includes music from The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, Tangled, and many more.
ComicBook

Little Mermaid Live-Action Remake to Feature Four New Songs From Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda

We're swimming in a sea of Disney live-action remakes, and the next movie on the docket is The Little Mermaid. The movie won't be released until Memorial Day 2023, but Halle Bailey (Ariel) promises it will be worth the wait. The live-action remake is expected to feature new music by Disney Legend Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, Disney's Encanto), and according to Disney's For Scores podcast (via Variety), that will amount to four new songs.
MOVIES
Variety

‘The Little Mermaid’ Live-Action Film Will Feature Four New Songs, Alan Menken Reveals on ‘For Scores’ Podcast

In the latest episode of the Disney’s “For Scores” podcast, EGOT-certified composer Alan Menken looks back at his history with the studio, for whom he composed songs and scores for “The Little Mermaid,”  “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin.” He also reveals there will be at least four new songs composed and written for the live-action version of “The Little Mermaid.” Says Menken: “At first, Lin-Manuel Miranda was struggling to do Alan Menken-style songs, and he felt like, walking in Howard Ashman’s shoes was a daunting prospect.  Then we wrote some songs that were in Lin’s wheelhouse and for me, walking in...