Alan Menken News & Discussion

[Disney's Divinity]

Oh, well. I wish he'd won, but I'm not surprised. And when you consider some of the people who do have EGOTs....it's really a meaningless title, although it's nice for a resume.

If he really wants to win an Emmy though, he'll have to do it with another company, because Disney gives no shits about him or helping him become an EGOT. If anything, they would like if he stayed on an inferior level to Disney's newest prize talent. I wonder if he could've won last year with "Galavant" or "Hero's Journey"? (Btw, Sotiris, have you heard anything else about the Galavant soundtrack...? Many people were thinking the wait might've been that they were seeing if they would get to promote it as an Emmy-winning series and/or with music from an EGOT composer.)

[Sotiris]

Btw, Sotiris, have you heard anything else about the Galavant soundtrack...?

As of September 7th, it was still in the works according to Glenn Slater.

[Sotiris]

Alan Menken is performing a one-man show called A Whole New World of Alan Menken at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California on Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. You can buy tickets, here.

Poster art by Disney animator Allen Ostergar.




Articles

A Whole New Way of Experiencing the World of Alan Menken
http://www.scfta.org/revue/0816/revue-0816-alan.html

Disney films composer Alan Menken will bring his 'Whole New World' to Segerstrom Center
http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilo ... story.html

Composer Alan Menken to take center stage in Costa Mesa
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/menk ... ittle.html

A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF ALAN MENKEN was a night full of magic at Segerstrom Center for the Arts
http://www.mouseinfo.com/new/2016/09/a- ... -the-arts/

Alan Menken Enchants with the Stories Behind the Songs in His One-Man Show
http://thedisneyblog.com/2016/10/02/ala ... -man-show/

10 awesome things we learned about Alan Menken at his one-night only show
http://disneyexaminer.com/2016/10/03/10 ... only-show/

BWW Review: Alan Menken Debuts Fresh Retrospective Concert at Segerstrom Center
http://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angele ... r-20161010

[blackcauldron85]

Alan Menken Enchants with the Stories Behind the Songs in His One-Man Show
http://thedisneyblog.com/2016/10/02/ala ... -man-show/

[Disney's Divinity]

Not that I think anyone here will much care, but I just read some song spoilers for Dancing with the Stars this coming week and apparently the only couple I'm watching for (Jana and Gleb) will be dancing to "Somewhere That's Green."

[D82]

Kristen Anderson-Lopez interviews Alan Menken at his home in this video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYthXY3yhn4[/youtube]

It's a bit long, but I think it's interesting. He performes a very brief portion of one of the songs he composed for the "I See the Light" scene in Tangled before the final song was chosen, at this point of the interview: https://youtu.be/QYthXY3yhn4?t=1876

[D82]

Alan Menken said in an interview that among his future projects is an animated film! I hope it's from Disney and it's greenlighted. Anyway, if it's from another studio, it's still great news.

What are you working on next?

A lot of film projects. Apparently, we're talking about a live-action movie-musical of The Little Mermaid. I had one meeting with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Marc Platt and that was it. It was great. I don't know who's directing it, I don't know who's writing it, but they're tied up in London for Mary Poppins Returns. I've known Lin-Manuel for much of his life; when he was a kid, he went to school with my niece.

At Disney, there's also the Aladdin live-action movie, a developing sequel to Enchanted, and the Tangled TV show, and at Warner Bros., there's apparently going to be another Little Shop of Horrors adaptation. And I've been working on an original musical for Universal [with Josh Gad and Jeremy Gerelick] — Steven Schwartz and I wrote a whole score and lots of songs. It's a lot of fun. And also, my first animated movie in over a decade, but nothing's greenlighted.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-v ... ter-985602

[Sotiris]

Alan Menken said in an interview that among his future projects is an animated film! I hope it's from Disney and it's greenlighted.

There's no way in hell, it's Disney's. I'll bet you anything.

[D82]

^ I've reread Alan Menken's words and I think you're right. If it was from Disney he would've included it when he mentions the projects he has at the company. I knew it was very difficult Disney had offered him an animated film, but I thought that maybe after the good work he's done in the live action Beauty and the Beast and so far in Tangled: The Series, they could've considered hiring him for that job again. But I guess that hasn't happened yet unfortunately. Nevertheless, as I said, I'm excited he could be doing an animated movie, even if it's not at Disney. What I found a bit odd is that he says it's his first animated movie in over a decade when he worked on Sausage Party last year. Maybe he meant his first animated musical in over a decade, because he only wrote one song for that film.

[Sotiris]

I knew it was very difficult Disney had offered him an animated film, but I thought that maybe after the good work he's done in the live action Beauty and the Beast and so far in Tangled: The Series, they could've considered hiring him for that job again.

The quality or success of his work has nothing to do with it. It's because WDAS is run by Lasseter and Lasseter doesn't want to work with him for some reason. Post-Tangled, Menken has worked on projects for almost every other division of the company except those run by Lasseter, including Walt Disney Studios, Marvel Studios, Disney Television Animation, ABC Studios, Disney Theatrical Productions, Disney Parks and Resorts, Walt Disney Records etc.

What I found a bit odd is that he says it's his first animated movie in over a decade when he worked on Sausage Party last year. Maybe he meant his first animated musical in over a decade, because he only wrote one song for that film.

Yes, that's what he meant. I guess the animated film he's working on now will get released in 2020 or later. I really hope it'll get greenlit soon.

[DisneyFan09]

There's no way in hell, it's Disney's. I'll bet you anything.

Isn't he involved in Enchanted 2?

At least Lasseter's lack of involvement in the first film proves why Menken was a part of it in the first place.

[blackcauldron85]

Isn't he involved in Enchanted 2?

He mentioned Enchanted 2!

a developing sequel to Enchanted

[D82]

The quality or success of his work has nothing to do with it. It's because WDAS is run by Lasseter and Lasseter doesn't want to work with him for some reason.

We don't have any confirmation of that, but yes, everything suggests that is John Lasseter who doesn't let him work at WDAS. However, we don't really know why. If he has something personal against him, as I think you once said you believed, then yes, it's probable that Menken won't work on any animated Disney film as long as Lasseter runs the studio. But if the reason is, for example, that Lasseter simply wants new composers because he wants to be the one who discovered them for Disney instead of using discoveries from past managements like Menken, then I think it's still possible he would hire him for a project if there weren't other composers available at the moment (he worked with him on Tangled, after all), or even that he would change his mind and want him again if Menken won an oscar, for instance. But I don't really know, I'm just speculating.

[Disney's Divinity]

I'm glad to hear of something new happening with Stephen Schwartz again. Hopefully whatever the film is (and whatever studio it's at) will pan out. And I'm really happy about Enchanted 2, more than I'd expected I would be, considering new Menken + Idina, Marsden, and Adams.

I'd read recent comments that they're still working on the Galavant soundtrack... :/ I would go ahead and buy the soundtrack on iTunes, but I'd rather wait a while longer before giving up hope on a physical release.

[blackcauldron85]

Alan Menken to be Honored by Songwriters Hall of Fame
http://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/201 ... hall-fame/

[blackcauldron85]

Disney Legend Alan Menken to Perform Brand-New One-Man Show at D23 Expo 2017
https://d23.com/alan-menken-one-man-sho ... expo-2017/

[Maria_Potter]

New Alan Menken Interview. Does anyone know what the "new song [he's] doing for a Disney animated” is?

[D82]

New Alan Menken Interview. Does anyone know what the "new song [he's] doing for a Disney animated” is?

Does "a Disney animated" mean an animated film, or could it also be an animated show like Tangled: The Series? If it's an animated film, that's very exciting news!

In the interview Alan says the following regarding the songs from Beauty and the Beast submitted to the Oscars:

I’ve allowed two of the songs to be considered, which may have been a mistake. “Evermore” and “How Does a Moment Last Forever”. So we’ll see. We will see.

Do you think he actually has a say in deciding which songs are submitted as he says? I thought it was the executives who decided that.

[Sotiris]

Does "a Disney animated" mean an animated film, or could it also be an animated show like Tangled: The Series? If it's an animated film, that's very exciting news!

I asked the interviewer about it but she refused to clarify because the information was given "off the record". I doubt it's an animated feature because he specified it's only one song. So, it can't be a musical and for song contributions in non-musicals, Disney usually gets pop artists with their writing teams to do that for both WDAS and Pixar films. Coco is a rare exception since it was planned to be a traditional musical when the Lopezes came on board and wrote the song. My guess, it's either an unannounced song for the next season of Tangled or a song for some other TV project. Perhaps an intro song for one of their shows in development.

Do you think he actually has a say in deciding which songs are submitted as he says? I thought it was the executives who decided that.

Nah, I think Disney simply informed him of their decision to submit the songs in question and he just went along with it.

[D82]

^Thanks for your answer, Sotiris. Yes, what you say makes sense. It's most likely a song for a TV project. Regarding Alan's involvement in the selection of the songs that are submitted to the Oscars, I think it's probably like you said as well.