If you’ve ever loved a Disney song, chances are 65-year-old Alan Menken wrote it. With Oscars, Grammys, and Tonys to his name, he’s now set his sights on TV with ABC’s medieval musical comedy Galavant (which concludes Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC). EW asked the legend to recount the stories behind some of his most iconic songs.
“Part of Your World,” The Little Mermaid (1989) “There had never really been an ‘I want’ number before in a Disney film. Subsequently everybody at Disney would ask, ‘Where’s our “I want” moment?!’ But it’s that important moment where you engage the audience in the quest of the central character so you know what you’re rooting for. We jokingly used to call this one ‘Somewhere That’s Wet,’ like ‘Somewhere That’s Green’ [from Little Shop] but underwater. My favorite part is that motif [that sounds like] water flowing, which beautifully set up the tone and became the central theme. We knew the whole score was going to a Caribbean place, so we toyed with the idea of reggae [for the rest], but we landed on calypso because it’s poppier and more interesting. Sebastian is more of a Trinidadian crab than Jamaican, certainly more of a Harry Belafonte type.”
“Belle,” Beauty and the Beast (1991) “The story behind this is that Howard Ashman was HIV-positive and wasn’t telling anybody—he had been very quiet. And here we had written this crazy seven-minute opening number that was much more ambitious than anybody had asked for, and I remember his fear [about everything] in that moment. I remember Howard was very, very reluctant to send it out, thinking that we were going to be laughed at. He delayed sending it for two days. Finally, of course, we sent it, and Disney loved it. You didn’t open an animated movie with a seven-minute number, but it redefined the form. We wanted to keep it very classical Mozart, very She Loves Me, with a quiet opening—’Little town, it’s a quiet village…’ And then it explodes. ‘Bonjour!’” [Beauty and the Beast was dedicated to Ashman, who died eight months before the film’s release.]
Anna: Kristen Bell
Best known for her role as Veronica Mars, Kristen Bell plays Anna, the younger sister of Elsa in Disney’s Frozen. Although Anna will not be officially added to the pantheon of Disney princesses until she’s inducted in an official ceremony at a later date, Bell was nonetheless excited for the part. “Oh, I was in glee.” Bell said in an interview with wegotthiscovered.com. “I have always wanted to be part of a Disney animated feature. I grew up watching all of the old Disney musicals, and was especially obsessed with The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. It had always been my dream as a little girl to be a Disney princess, like it is everybody’s.” Disney; Imeh Akpanudosen—WireImageElsa: Idina Menzel
Fans of Broadway and Glee will instantly recognize Idina Menzel. The storied thespian was part of the original casts of Rent and Wicked as Maureen Johnson and Elphaba respectively. She also played Shelby Corcoran, Rachel Berry’s mother, in Glee. Like Anna, Elsa will not be officially known as a princess until the character is inducted at a later date.Disney; Imeh Akpanudosen—WireImageMerida: Kelly Macdonald
The Scottish actress made her movie debut in the cult classic Trainspotting and played Helena Ravenclaw in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 before voicing Merida, the first Disney princess produced by Pixar. Disney; Todd Williamson—Invision/APRapunzel: Mandy Moore
The Grammy-winning pop star made her music debut with the single “Candy” in 1999. Ten years later she was singing a different tune as a Disney princess. “To be a Disney princess in a Disney film, it really has been a total dream come true.” said Moore in an interview with SheKnows.com.Disney; Brian Dowling—PictureGroup/APTiana: Anika Noni Rose
It was Anika Noni Rose’s lifelong dream to work for Disney. “Since I was a little kid I wanted to work for Disney—and I didn’t need to be the Princess! I would have been a tick or a flea!” The Tony Award winning actress got her wish when she was chosen to voice Tiana in The Frog Princess. In 2011, Rose would also be inducted into the Disney Legends, a hall of fame for those who have made a significant impact on the Disney legacy.Disney; Todd Wawrychuk—Disney Channel/Getty ImagesMulan: Ming-Na Wen
The Chinese-American actress made her television debut on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in 1985 as a Royal Trumpeter and starred in The Joy Luck Club as June Woo before she became the voice of Mulan. She currently plays Melinda May on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Disney; Jeffrey Mayer—WireImage/Getty ImagesPocahontas: Irene Bedard
Born in Alaska, Irene Bedard is of Inupiat, Inuit and Métis descent. Bedard was not only the voice of Pocahontas, animators also incorporated some of her facial expressions into the character.Disney; Jeffrey Mayer—WireImage/Getty ImagesJasmine: Linda Larkin
“Aladdin was my first big job, and it definitely opened a lot of doors for me,” Larkin once said. “I think being the voice of Princess Jasmine has given me an extra advantage in getting some of the jobs I’ve had—although sometimes they find out about me being Princess Jasmine after they’ve hired me, and that’s always fun!” She would continue her acting career on TV series such as Wings and Law & Order: Criminal Intent and was honored as a Disney Legend in 2011. Disney (2)Belle: Paige O’Hara
Paige O’Hara auditioned for Belle five times before she got the role. “I had been a Disney fanatic from the time I was little,” O’Hara once said. “As soon as I heard about the project, I called my agent and said, ‘I have to be seen for this.’ She would go on to have a musical career spanning the opera and Broadway and was inducted into the Disney Legends in 2011.Disney; Jeffrey Mayer—WireImage/Getty ImagesAriel: Jodi Benson
Jodi Benson’s goal was always to make it to Broadway, but along the way she beat out over 500 other actresses to become the voice of Ariel. She was also the voice of Barbie in Pixar’s Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 and also became a Disney Legend in 2011.Disney; Jordan Strauss—Invision / APAurora: Mary Costa
Mary Costa’s first professional singing job was as the voice of Aurora. “I really had no experience, but by the time the movie was released, I was singing in the opera. It was a very fast, exciting time for me.” Costa would go on to perform in 44 operatic roles throughout the United States and Europe and joined the Disney Legends in 1999.Disney; Disney/APCinderella: Ilene Woods Ilene Woods lucked into the role of Cinderella by singing “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo,” “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” and “So This Is Love” for her songwriter friends Mack David and Jerry Livingston. Walt Disney heard her recordings and hired her to be the voice of Cinderella. Woods would be honored as a part of the Disney Legends in 2003.Disney (2)Snow White: Adriana Caselotti
More than 150 girls had already auditioned for the role of Snow White before Adriana Caselotti was chosen to voice the first Disney princess. She recalled in 1987, “I’d never worked in show business before (Snow White). I feel very blessed. Not everyone gets the chance to be part of a genuine classic like Snow White.” Caselotti would also be inducted into the Disney Legends in 1994.Disney; AP
