Alan Menken News & Discussion

[PatchofBlue]

I've heard the melody of "Part of Your World" described as a few things--the movement of water, and now "a reach upward to the surface."

[Farerb]

It's the way the surface looks like when you look at it from underwater:

[Disney's Divinity]

I liked that he vaguely referenced the fact that he got so many Oscars angered some people... TBH, I think that had a role in Menken being pushed out during the Lasseter takeover, since I know Lasseter was chummy with the Oscar types in part because he wanted PIXAR to be popular with that crowd.

[Sotiris]

In a new interview, Menken revealed he's working on a new TV series with Glenn Slater and Dan Fogelman and some other people he worked with on Galavant.

[Disney's Divinity]

Interesting. Hope it's another musical show like Galavant, but maybe it's an animated series or possibly a one-off show like R&H's Cinderella?

[PatchofBlue]

It's the way the surface looks like when you look at it from underwater:

Very late to responding to this, but I really like this observation!

Anyways, The Guardian just dropped an interview with Menken. Most of it's stuff we already know, but it's gratifying every time we see a person like him recognized through a prominent outlet.

Legendary Disney composer Alan Menken on winning Oscars, Razzies and his ‘filthy’ rock musical
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/ ... ld-musical

Menken approaches new projects the same way he did back then. “We’re not going to start writing until we figure out what’s the story, and will it make a good musical. How do we structure it? Where would the songs go? What would the musical world of this story be? You can talk for weeks about the entire picture – you want to feel it in detail before you allow the muse to emerge.”

In recent years, he’s revisited many of his scores for Disney’s stage and live action adaptations, including the West End version of Hercules and the 2023 remake of the Little Mermaid, collaborating with Lin-Manuel Miranda on new tracks.

“On the one hand, you’re the keeper of the flame, but you’re also a member of a new team that’s going to reinterpret the material,” Menken says. “You’ve to be flexible; be patient. Patience is not one of my strong suits. I’m an ADHD kind of person and I just want to go. I write fast.”