Disney Composer Alan Menken Breaks Down His Most Iconic Songs | PEOPLE
Dec 30, 2025•Channel
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Video Overview
Video Details
Published5 months ago
Duration11:21
Video IDS24Fot2FJJc
Languageen
CategoryEntertainment
PrivacyPublic
Made for KidsNo
Video TypeRegular Video
Performance Metrics
Views32.8K
Likes2K
Comments154
Engagement Rate6.70%
Likes per 100 views6.23
Comments per 1K views4.69
Video Tags
#people#people magazine#alan menken#disney composer#disney music#a whole new world#part of your world#beauty and the beast#disney songs breakdown#disney songwriting#little mermaid songs#aladdin songs#pocahontas colors of the wind#hercules go the distance#disney animation music#howard ashman#beauty and the beast song#disney legend alan menken interview#writing disney music#disney composers
Description
Disney legend Alan Menken looks back on the creation of some of the most beloved songs in animation history — from ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to ‘Aladdin’ ‘Pocahontas,’ ‘Hercules’ and beyond. Sitting at the piano, he reflects on the collaborators who shaped these classics, including Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Stephen Schwartz, and revisits the moments that sparked songs like “Part of Your World,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Whole New World.”
He shares the emotional journeys behind these works — from the hopeful, upward-reaching notes of Ariel’s ballad to the aching sense of time passing within Belle and the Beast’s love theme — and speaks candidly about writing through Howard Ashman’s terminal illness with AIDS, reinventing Hercules’ anthem for strength and discovering the first spark of ‘Pocahontas’ through “Colors of the Wind.” Menken also reflects on the simple joy that fuels his life’s work: the daily pull to sit at the piano and explore the possibilities of music, and the way a few notes can instantly transport us “like the smell of your favorite meal.”
Timestamps
0:00 – Alan Menken Reflects on a Lifetime of Music
0:45 – The Little Mermaid (1989): “Part of Your World”
2:36 – Beauty and the Beast (1991): “Beauty and the Beast”
3:48 – Aladdin (1992): “Proud of Your Boy”
5:03 – Aladdin (1992): “A Whole New World”
6:17 – Pocahontas (1995): “Colors of the Wind”
7:02 – The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996): “Out There”
8:43 – Hercules (1997): “Go the Distance”
10:22 – Why Menken Still Loves Writing Music
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Disney Composer Alan Menken Breaks Down His Most Iconic Songs | PEOPLE
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