Biography
Distinguished composer/lyricist Alan Menken is responsible for penning many of the catchiest tunes of the Disney features of the late '80s and '90s, including such chart-toppers as "Whole New World" (from
Aladdin) and "Colors of the Wind" (
Pocahontas). A graduate of New York University, Menken got his start when noted playwright Howard Ashman chose him and Lehman Engel to write the music for his 1978 adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. Menken and Ashman had major success as a team when they adapted
Roger Corman's popular 1960 film
Little Shop of Horrors into an off-Broadway smash that became a feature film in 1966. With Menken supplying the tunes and Ashman writing the lyrics, the duo began working for Disney on
The Little Mermaid, the studio's first major animated feature in years. For their catchy calypso tune "Under the Sea," Menken and Ashman earned an Academy Award. Menken went on to earn several more Oscars for his songwriting work, at one point tying with costume designer
Edith Head as the person to win the third most Oscars in history. Following Ashman's death in 1991, Menken continued working for Disney with others, notably Stephen Schwartz. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide