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Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer and conductor. Over his career he has received numerous accolades including winning eight , a , eleven , seven Golden Globe Awards, and a Daytime Emmy Award. He is one of 21 recipients to have won the competitive .

He is best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Menken's contributions to The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and Pocahontas (1995) won him two for each film. He also composed the scores and songs for Little Shop of Horrors (1986), (1992), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Home on the Range (2004), Enchanted (2007), (2010), Disenchanted (2022), and Spellbound (2024), among others.

He is also known for his work in musical theater for winning the Tony Award for Best Original Score for Newsies (2012). He was Tony-nominated for Beauty and the Beast (1993), The Little Mermaid (2008), Sister Act (2009), and Aladdin (2014). His other stage hits include Little Shop of Horrors (1982), A Christmas Carol (1994), Leap of Faith (2012), and A Bronx Tale (2016).

Menken has collaborated with lyricists such as , Jack Feldman, , , , , , Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Early life and education
Alan Irwin Menken was born on July 22, 1949, at French Hospital in , to Judith and Norman Menken. His father was a boogie-woogie piano-playing dentist, and his mother was an actress, dancer and playwright. "Timeline. Official Site" , Alanmenken.com, accessed February 19, 2016 His family was . Menken developed an interest in music at an early age, taking piano and violin lessons. He began to compose at an early age. "Alan Menken: Year Inducted 2001" , Disney Legends, D23.com, accessed February 19, 2016 At age nine, at the New York Federation of Music Clubs Junior Composers Contest, his original composition "Bouree" was rated Superior and Excellent by the judges.

Menken noted that "Before college, I was writing songs to further my dream of being the next . A lot of guitar songs – I was composing on piano before that."

He attended New Rochelle High School in New Rochelle, New York, and graduated in 1967. Menken remembers: "I'd make up my own fugues and sonatas because I was bored with the piano and I didn't want to practice; so I'd go off on tangents". He then enrolled at New York University. Menken graduated in 1972 from University College of Arts and Science at the Heights campus, which is now the College of Arts and Science. After college, he attended the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

Menken recalled: "First, I was pre-med. I thought I'd be a dentist like my dad. Finally, I got a degree in music, but I didn't care about musicology. It wasn't until I joined BMI Workshop ... under , and walked into a room with other composers that I knew this was it."

Career
1974–1987: Early career and breakthrough
After graduating, Menken's plan was to become either a rock star or a recording artist. His interest in writing musicals increased when he joined the Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) Musical Theatre Workshop and was mentored by . From 1974 to 1978, he showcased various BMI workshop works, such as Midnight, Apartment House (lyric by Muriel Robinson), Conversations with Pierre, Harry the Rat and Messiah on Mott Street (lyrics by David Spencer). According to Menken, during this period, he "worked as a ballet and modern dance accompanist, a musical director for club acts, a writer, arranger, a songwriter for and a vocal coach". He performed his material at clubs like The Ballroom, Reno Sweeny and Tramps. "Biography, 1972-1980" , Alanmenken.com, accessed February 19, 2016

In 1976, John Wilson reported for The New York Times that members of Engel's BMI Workshop began performing as part of the "Broadway at the Ballroom" series: "The opening workshop program ... featured Maury Yeston and Alan Menken, both playing their piano accompaniment and singing songs they have written for potential musicals." Wilson reviewed a performance at the Ballroom in 1977 where Menken accompanied a singer: "In the current cabaret world, a piano accompanist is no longer expected to merely play piano for a singer. More and more, pianists can be heard joining in vocally, harmonizing with the singer, creating a background of shouts and exclamations or even doing brief passages of solo singing."

Menken contributed material to like New York's Back in Town, Big Apple Country, The Present Tense (1977),

(2025). 9780786457311, McFarland.
Real Life Funnies (Off-Broadway, 1981), Diamonds (Off-Broadway, 1984), and Personals (Off-Off-Broadway, 1985). His revue Patch, Patch, Patch ran at the West Bank Cafe in New York City in 1979 and featured . The New York Times reviewer wrote: "The title song ... refers to a life's passage. According to Alan Menken ... after age 30 it is a downhill plunge." Menken wrote several shows that were not produced, including Atina, Evil Queen of the Galaxy (1980), with lyrics by Steve Brown. He also wrote The Thorn with lyrics by Brown, which was commissioned by Divine in 1980. This was a parody of the film The Rose, but they could not raise the money to have it produced.
(1994). 9780671884673, Simon and Schuster.
He collaborated with in an uncompleted musical called Babe (),
(2025). 9780199742097, Oxford University Press. .
with in Kicks: The Showgirl Musical (1984), and with David Rogers in The Dream in Royal Street (), which was an adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Menken contributed music for the film The Line (1980), directed by Robert J. Siegel.

Menken finally achieved success as a composer when playwright chose him and Engel to write the music for his musical adaptation of 's novel God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. The musical opened in 1979 at the WPA Theater. "Stage: God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater: In Vonnegut Land", The New York Times, May 21, 1979, p. C14 to excellent reviews and modest box office. It transferred after several months to the Off-Broadway Entermedia Theater, where it ran for an additional six weeks.Corry, John. "Broadway: The Phoenix's place in the city's theatrical life", The New York Times, August 17, 1979, p. C2Jones, Kenneth. "Menken & Ashman's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater Gets NYC Concert March 7" , Playbill, March 6, 2003, accessed February 18, 2016 " God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater Listing" , Lortel.org, accessed February 18, 2016Vonnegut, Kurt. "Script" Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Samuel French, Inc., 1980, , pp. 3-4 Menken and Ashman wrote their next musical, Little Shop of Horrors, for a cast of only 9 performers, including a puppeteer. This musical is based on the 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors. It opened at WPA Theater in 1982 to warm reviews. It moved to the Off Broadway Orpheum Theatre in the East Village, Manhattan, where it ran for five years. The musical set the box-office record for highest grossing Off-Broadway show of all time. It toured around the world, won theater awards and was adapted as a 1986 musical film starring that earned Menken and Ashman their first nomination for the song "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space". "Menken Biography" , Songwritershalloffame.org, accessed February 22, 2016 For his body of work in musical theatre, he was awarded the BMI Career Achievement Award in 1983.

In 1987, Menken and lyricist David Spencer's adaptation The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, based on the 1959 novel of the same name, was produced in Philadelphia. After substantial re-writes, it was produced in 2015 in Montreal. In 1992, the WPA Theatre produced Menken's Weird Romance, also with lyrics by Spencer. Menken's musical based on the novella A Christmas Carol, with lyrics by and book by , debuted at Madison Square Garden's Paramount Theater in 1994.Richards, David. "Theater Review. A Christmas Carol; A Famous Miser, Tiny Tim and a Tap-Dancing Chorus" , The New York Times, December 2, 1994, accessed February 18, 2016 The show proved successful and was an annual New York holiday event. "Show History" , MTIshows.com, accessed February 18, 2016 From 1989 to 1990, Menken and wrote songs for the popular puppet TV show . . Michael Davis. New York, Penguin Group. 2008. p. 269 In 2008, Menken said that his work on Sesame Street was "pathetic money, but it still had some prestige to it. It was on the air and he was getting some royalties". The duo also wrote a song titled "Wonderful Ways to Say No" for the 1990 animated anti-drug special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.

1989–2007: Disney Renaissance and Broadway work
On the strength of the success of Little Shop of Horrors, Menken and Ashman were hired by Walt Disney Studios to write the music for The Little Mermaid (1989). The challenge was to create an animated musical film of this Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale that could sit alongside the Disney films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella. The Little Mermaid opened to critical and commercial success and signaled a new Disney era called the Disney Renaissance. The film gave them their first Academy Award win: Best Song for the song "Under the Sea". Menken also won the 1989 Academy Award for Best Score. "Menken Academy Awards" , Awardsdatabase.oscars.org, accessed February 19, 2016 Critic declared in his review, the contains some of the best Disney music since the glory days."

Menken and Ashman's Beauty and the Beast garnered them three 1991 Academy Award nominations for Best Song, winning for its title song. Menken won another Academy Award for Best Score. The two were working on Aladdin at the time of Ashman's death in 1991. Ashman wrote only three songs in the film and Menken collaborated with , who was then working on The Lion King, to write the rest of the songs for the film. The film won an Academy Award in 1992 for Best Song, "A Whole New World". Menken also won the Oscar for Best Score. Menken debuted on Broadway with a musical theater adaptation of Beauty and the Beast that opened in 1994 and ran for 13 years before closing in 2007. In 1997, he collaborated with lyricist on a musical, King David, based on the biblical character, which was performed in a on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Little Shop of Horrors played on Broadway from 2003 to 2004. "Alan Menken" , Internet Broadway Database, accessed February 17, 2016

Menken's musical film , with lyrics by Jack Feldman, was released in 1992. Three more animated musical films followed. Menken collaborated with for Pocahontas, for which the two won two Academy Awards: Best Song and Best Musical or Comedy Score. In 1996, the same musical team created the songs, and Menken, the score, for The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In 1997, Menken reunited with his early collaborator, , for his last film in the era, Hercules. Hercules, TCM.com, accessed February 19, 2016 Menken also wrote the music for the Michael J. Fox vehicle Life with Mikey (1993),Rainer, Peter. "A Fox Steals the Show in Too-Cute Life", Los Angeles Times, June 4, 1993, accessed February 18, 2016 the holiday film Noel (2004)Demonte, Adena. Noel , Film Monthly, December 1, 2004, accessed February 18, 2016 and Mirror Mirror (2012).Phares, Heather. "Alan Menken: Mirror Mirror (Soundtrack)" , AllMusic, accessed February 18, 2016 His other film scores for Disney have included Home on the Range (2004), the remake of The Shaggy Dog (2006), Enchanted (2007), and (2010).

2008–2016: Return to Broadway
He next created the stage version of The Little Mermaid, which played on Broadway from 2008 to 2009 and for which he received a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Score. Menken's stage adaptation of Sister Act debuted in London in 2009, and opened on Broadway in 2011. He was nominated for another Tony Award for Best Score. "2011 Tony Nominations Announced!" BroadwayWorld.com, May 3, 2011 Menken received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.Gans, Andrew. "Alan Menken to Be Honored with Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame" , Playbill, November 8, 2010 In December 2010, he was a guest on the quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!. " Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! for December 18, 2010" , NPR.org, accessed February 18, 2016 In 2012, Menken won a Tony Award for Best Score for his musical adaptation of Newsies, which ran until 2014. He also wrote the music for Leap of Faith, which had a brief run on Broadway in 2012. His stage adaptation of Aladdin opened on Broadway in 2014, earning him another Tony nomination for Best Score. In 2013, he was a guest at the annual Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, and was honored with the Junior Theater Festival Award.Hetrick, Adam. "2013 Junior Theater Festival to Feature Newsies Cast, Alan Menken, Thomas Schumacher, Jeff Calhoun and More" , Playbill, January 7, 2013 He gave a concert there, including music that was cut from various productions, while talking about his creative process.

Menken's stage adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame played at La Jolla Playhouse, California, in 2014. In 2015, Menken co-composed the score for the musical television series alongside Christopher Lennertz, reuniting him with screenwriter . Menken also co-wrote songs for the series alongside . The series lasted two seasons, first airing on January 4, 2015, and last airing on January 31, 2016. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz was revived in Montreal in 2015,Viagas, Robert. "Alan Menken-David Spencer Musical Duddy Kravitz Will Get Another Chance in Montreal" , Playbill, March 28, 2014 "Cast Set for World Premiere of Alan Menken Musical Duddy Kravitz in Montreal" , BroadwayWorld.com, March 10, 2015 and played at the Paper Mill Playhouse in 2016. The Verdict: Critics Review 'Bronx Tale: The Musical'" , Playbill, February 17, 2016 Menken is currently working on stage musical adaptations of Night at the Museum and .

2017–present: Live-action Disney films
Menken wrote songs for a prospective prequel/spin-off series to 2017's Beauty and the Beast titled Little Town, which would be centered on Gaston and LeFou. The series would be released on Disney's streaming service, Disney+, and Menken would also be an executive-producer on the series. In February 2022, it was reported that the series would not go forward for now. In March 2017, Disney released a live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, directed by and starring and , with the songs from the 1991 film and new material by Menken and Rice. Menken collaborated with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul on writing new songs for the 2019 live-action version of Aladdin, directed by .

As of 2019, Menken reunites with his Newsies creators Jack Feldman and to develop a new musical called Greetings from Niagara Falls. A reading was held in January 2019; however, there is no word on future plans for the project at this time. "Shoshana Bean, Bonnie Milligan, Terrance Mann, Nancy Opel Lead Reading of Greetings From Niagara Falls From The Creative Team Of Newsies" broadwayworld.com, January 22, 2019 In 2017, Menken and Slater returned to write songs for the animated series Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, which is set after the events of Tangled. The series ended in 2020, after three seasons. On July 26, 2020, Menken and Slater won the Daytime Emmy Award for Original Song in a Children's, Young Adult or Animated Program for the song titled "Waiting in the Wings".

Menken again worked with Stephen Schwartz to write new songs for Disenchanted, the sequel to Enchanted, Menken also worked on new music for a live-action film adaptation of The Little Mermaid, directed by , with longtime The Little Mermaid fan Lin-Manuel Miranda, whom Menken knew since the former's childhood, as Miranda went to the same school as Menken's niece. Menken is also working alongside former Disney chief creative officer on a project at Skydance Animation. On May 20, 2020, the project was revealed to be 's Spellbound. Menken will co-write songs for Spellbound alongside collaborated with lyricist , with whom he worked on Home on the Range and Tangled. Menken is also reportedly attached to a sequel to Aladdin. Menken was set to work with Schwartz to write new songs for a remake of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which Menken would score. However, in May 2023, Menken suggested that the development had been stalled due to the original movie's content and themes.

With eight Academy Awards, only composer Alfred Newman (nine wins), art director (11 wins) and (22 wins) have received more Academy Awards than Menken. He is tied for fourth place with late costume designer , and currently holds the record for the most wins for a living person. Disney Legends – Alan Menken , Disney Legends, D23.com, accessed February 19, 2016

Personal life
Menken was introduced to ballet dancer Janis Roswick while working with the Downtown Ballet Company. They have been married since November 1972 and live in North Salem, New York with their two daughters, Anna and Nora. "Westchester Fall Arts Preview: Theater" westchestermagazine.com, Retrieved October 2, 2014.

Artistry and reception
Menken described his signature style of songwriting as pop and rock music married with a "theatrical sensibility" derived from working with theatre composers and . Darryn King of The Sydney Morning Herald observed that Menken's first three Disney films alone demonstrated a wide range of musical genres and styles, namely , , French music hall, Mozart , and "the Harlem grooves of and ". Writing for the same publication, Debbie Cuthbertson identified romance, swelling strings, and humour as trademarks of Menken's songs. Menken said he prefers his compositions to be "hummable", and emphasized the importance of creating infectious melodies and rhythms that elicit desired emotions.

Menken described himself as a chameleon in terms of his composing process. When writing for Disney films in particular, he attempts to progress the story in a manner appropriate for each character and dramatic situation by gathering as much information as possible about the project before composing using a piano. His music his also created prior to the scripts and storyboards. Menken records his own demos using either a straight piano-vocal or piano-vocal- orchestral arrangement. He maintains that there is little value in writing music that does not elicit strong emotional responses from listeners. said the composer's work is "Rich with the tones, colors, and textures that help viewers feel those big moments deep in their hearts". Although he rarely orchestrates or conducts his own work, he produces his film's soundtracks and remains in the control room during recording sessions. Menken has written with numerous lyricists throughout his career, his most famous collaboration remaining his songwriting partnership with Ashman, despite having worked together for a relatively short period of time. He initially wrote both music and lyrics and considers himself to be a strong lyricist, but decided to focus on composing upon meeting Ashman. He said he enjoys working with different lyricists because "they reflect different dimensions of my career". Lyricist and frequent collaborator said Menken is arguably "the greatest melodist that we've had in the theatre and the film world for the past 30 years".

Steve Hochman of Grammy.com said Menken "ranks among the top composers in film and theater", writing, "his music is part of the DNA of several generations of children and parents alike". In 2024, Katcy Stephan of Variety said he "he remains one of the industry’s most sought-after songwriters". 's Logan Culwell-Block described Menken as "one of musical theatre’s most prolific composers—but what puts him in an elite class is not the quantity of his output, but its quality". According to Jeff Bond of The Hollywood Reporter, Menken is largely responsible for redefining the musical genre for a contemporary audience both in film and on stage, calling him "one of film music’s most versatile craftspeople". Phil Sweetland of American Songwriter credited Menken's work for Disney with preserving musical theater after the genre had fallen into decline following the Golden Age of musicals, before its resurgence in the 1990s and early 2000s. However, King observed that, despite his achievements, Menken's work is often overlooked and dismissed due to his affiliation with animation and children's entertainment. Menken himself has said he dislikes writing specifically for children, despite the target audience of much of his best-known projects, and credits Ashman with teaching him not to write directly to children. Menken explained that "I never write for kids ... I write for myself. I want to tell a story. I want to make those kids feel like I felt when I saw those earlier movies". His work has influenced a generation of songwriters across film and stage. Menken has noted his influence on songwriters and musicians such as , , , Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, , and , although he maintains he does not have a specific protege. Although Lopez believes Menken can practically do anything, he possesses in particular "a God-given gift for a heartfelt emotional melody that will bring tears to your eyes".

Menken is an EGOT winner, having won at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony for his work.

Works
Film
1972A Dancer's Life
1986Little Shop of Horrors Composed original and new songs with lyrics by ; score by
1989The Little Mermaid
 First score for an animated film
Composed songs with lyrics by Howard Ashman
1990John G. Avildsen Composed song "Measure of a Man"; score by
1991Beauty and the Beast
 Composed songs with lyrics by Howard Ashman
1992 Composed songs with lyrics by Jack Feldman; score by J.A.C. Redford
Chris Columbus Composed song "My Christmas Tree" with lyrics by Jack Feldman; score by
AladdinJohn Musker
Ron Clements		 Composed songs with lyrics by Howard Ashman &
1993Life with Mikey Composed songs "Cold Enough to Snow" and "Life with Mikey Theme" with lyrics by & Jack Feldman
1995Pocahontas
Eric Goldberg		 Composed songs with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
1996The Hunchback of Notre DameGary Trousdale
Kirk Wise
1997HerculesJohn Musker
Ron Clements		 Composed songs with lyrics by
2004Home on the Range
John Sanford		 Composed songs with lyrics by
Noel Composed song "Winter Light" with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
2006The Shaggy Dog
2007Enchanted Composed songs with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
2010
 Composed songs with lyrics by Glenn Slater
2011 Composed "Star Spangled Man" with lyrics by David Zippel; score by
Jock the Hero DogDuncan MacNeillie Composed song "Howling at the moon" with lyrics by Tim Rice; score by and
2012Mirror Mirror
2016
 Co-composer with Christopher Lennertz;
Composed song "The Great Beyond" with lyrics by Glenn Slater, , , Ariel Shaffir and Kyle Hunter
Aria for a CowDan Lund ;
Composed song "Aria" with lyrics by Howard Ashman
2017Beauty and the Beast Returned from the 1991 animated film
Composed original songs with lyrics by Howard Ashman;
Composed new songs with Tim Rice
2018Ralph Breaks the Internet
Phil Johnston		 Composed songs "In This Place" and "A Place Called Slaughter Race" with lyrics by Phil Johnston & Tom MacDougall; score by
Holmes & Watson Composed song "Strange Sensation" with lyrics by Glenn Slater; score by Mark Mothersbaugh
Howard Documentary film
Disney+ original film
Limited theatrical run in 2018; official release in 2020
2019Aladdin Returned to score from the 1992 animated film
Composed original songs with lyrics by Howard Ashman & Tim Rice; Composed new songs with lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
2022Disenchanted Disney+ original film
Returned from the 2007 film
Composed songs with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
2023The Little Mermaid Returned to score from the 1989 animated film
Composed original songs with lyrics by Howard Ashman; Composed new songs with lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
2024Spellbound original film
Composed songs with lyrics by Glenn Slater

Television
1989–1990 Composed "Grouchelot", "What is Friend?", "It's Gonna Get Dirty Again," "Snuffle Friends," "Martian Family (Yip Yip Song)," "Monster Up and Down", "Pond Full of Fish" and "Todos un Pueblo"
1989Polly Television film
Composed song "By Your Side" with lyrics by Jack Feldman; score by
1990Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue TV special
Composed "Wonderful Ways to Say No" with lyrics by Howard Ashman; score by , , , Bill Reichenbach, Bob Mann and
1992Lincoln Television film
2004A Christmas Carol Television film
Composed songs with lyrics by ; score by Michael Kosarin
2013The Neighbors Episode: "Sing Like a Larry Bird"
Composed "More or Less The Kind of Thing You May or May Not Possibly See on Broadway", "Giselle", "More or Less The Kind of Thing You May or May Not Possibly See on Broadway" (Reprise)
2015–2016 Composed complete soundtrack, score co-composed with Christopher Lennertz
2017 Television film
original film
Composed songs with lyrics by Glenn Slater; score by Kevin Kliesch
2017–2020Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure Composed complete soundtrack, score composed by Kevin Kliesch
2019The Little Mermaid Live! TV special
Composed original songs with lyrics by Howard Ashman; Composed new songs with lyrics by Glenn Slater
2020Central Park Episode: "Dog Spray Afternoon"
Composed song "Spoiler Alert" with lyrics by Glenn Slater
2021The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode: "The Star-Spangled Man"
Composed "Star Spangled Man" with lyrics by David Zippel for ; score by Henry Jackman
2022 TV special
Composed original songs with lyrics by Howard Ashman; Composed "Evermore" with lyrics by Tim Rice

Theater
  • Dear Worthy Editor (Off-Broadway, )
  • : Book by Judy Menken
  • :Based on the letters-to-the-editor of Jewish-American newspaper Daily Jewish Forward
  • Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (Off-Broadway, 1979)
  • : Lyrics by and Dennis Green
  • : Based on a 1965 novel by
  • The Dream on Royal Street (Regional, 1981)
  • : Lyrics by David Rogers
  • : Based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
  • Little Shop of Horrors (Off-Broadway, 1982; West End, 1983; Broadway, 2003)
  • : Lyrics by Ashman
  • : Based on the 1960 black comedy film
  • Weird Romance (Off-Broadway, 1992)Gussow, Mel. "Review/Theater; Nearby Science Fiction In a Musical of 2 Parts" , The New York Times, June 23, 1992
  • : Lyrics by David Spencer
  • : Two one-act musical: Based on "Her Pilgrim Soul" and "The Girl Who Was Plugged In"
  • Beauty and the Beast (Broadway, 1994; West End, 1997)
  • : Lyrics by Ashman and
  • : Based on the 1991 Disney film
  • A Christmas Carol (Madison Square Garden, 1994–2003)
  • : Lyrics by
  • : Based on 1843 novella by
  • King David (Broadway, 1997)
  • : Lyrics by Rice
  • : Based on the Biblical books of Samuel, 1 Chronicles and
  • Der Glöckner von Notre Dame (Berlin, 1999)
  • : Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
  • : Based on the Disney film and the 1831 novel by
  • The Little Mermaid (Broadway, 2008)
  • : Lyrics by Ashman and
  • : Based on the Disney film
  • Sister Act (West End, 2009; Broadway, 2011)
  • : Lyrics by Slater
  • : Based on the 1992 comedy film
  • Leap of Faith (Broadway, 2012)
  • : Lyrics by Slater
  • : Based on the 1992 film
  • Newsies (Paper Mill Playhouse, 2011; Broadway, 2012)
  • : Lyrics by Jack Feldman
  • : Based on the 1992 film
  • Aladdin (Seattle, 2011; Broadway, 2014)
  • : Lyric by Ashman, Rice and
  • : Based on the 1992 film
  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (La Jolla Playhouse, 2014)
  • : Lyrics by Schwartz
  • : Based on the 1996 film and the 1831 novel by
  • The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (Montreal, 2015)
  • : Lyrics by Spencer
  • : Based on the 1959 novel by
  • (Broadway, 2016)
  • : Lyrics by Slater
  • : Based on the 1990 autobiographical one-man play by Gans, Andrew. "De Niro and Zaks Pick Jason Gotay, Nick Cordero, Richard H. Blake to Star in 'Bronx Tale: The Musical'" , Playbill, December 18, 2015
  • Hercules (Central Park, 2019)
  • : Lyrics by David Zippel
  • : Based on the 1997 Disney film

Other
  • Aladdin, Jr. – 1-act, 7-scene musical adapted from the animated film Aladdin 1992
  • Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage – Theatrical show at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World
  • – Theatrical show at Disney California Adventure
  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Theatrical show at Disney's MGM Studios, Walt Disney World
  • – Attraction at Disney California Adventure
  • Sindbad's Storybook Voyage featuring "Compass of Your Heart" – Attraction at , Tokyo Disney Resort
  • Dramatists Guild of America YouTube Channel music video featuring "Someone Wrote That Song"
  • Tangled: The Musical – Theatrical show on the Disney Cruise Line (starting November 2015)
  • Dubai Parks and Resorts's official theme song "All the Wonders of the Universe" (opening October 2016)
  • Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular 2017 celebration featuring the world premiere of "The Sum of Us" (lyrics by Jack Feldman) for soloist, chorus, and orchestra (Brian Stokes Mitchell, U.S. Army Soldier's Chorus and the Boston Pops Orchestra)

Awards and nominations
Alan Menken has received eight (and nineteen nominations), becoming the second most prolific Oscar winner in the music categories after (who has 9 Oscars), eleven (and twenty-four nominations), one (and four nominations), and one Daytime Emmy Award. He has also received seven Golden Globe Awards (and sixteen nominations), one Drama Desk Award (and five nominations), and three Outer Critics Circle Awards. Four of Menken's songs have won both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award in a songwriting category (either Song of the Year or Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television).

He was made a Disney Legend in 2002 and was the recipient of a Richard Kirk Career Achievement Award in 1998, a Freddie G. Award for Musical Excellence in 2013, and The Oscar Hammerstein Award in 2013, among others.

The American Film Institute included the title song from the film Beauty and the Beast, in the AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs. Five other songs from his Disney films were nominated:

  • "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid (1989)
  • "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast (1991)
  • "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast (1991)
  • "A Whole New World" from Aladdin (1992)
  • "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin (1992)

In 2006, AFI listed its 25 greatest movie musicals, with Beauty and the Beast (1991) ranked 22nd. It is the only animated musical film on the list. Four of his other film musicals were also nominated:

  • Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
  • The Little Mermaid (1989)
  • Aladdin (1992)
  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

In 2019, Menken finally accepted the Razzie Award for Worst Original Song he won at the 13th Golden Raspberry Awards (1993) for "High Times, Hard Times" from (1992), becoming the first person to win a Razzie and Oscar in the same year. Menken wrote the music for the song, and shared the award with lyricist Jack Feldman.

In 2020, Menken reached status when he won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song in a Children's, Young Adult or Animated Program for co-writing the song "Waiting in the Wings" for Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure.

Further reading
  • Https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9112996" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Disney Biography of Menken
  • Britannica Book of the Year, 1997. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved September 6, 2007.
  • Interview with Alan Menken, theartsdesk.com. Posted May 16, 2010.

External links

: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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