Phone Conference with Disney Legends!

Alan Menken & Richard Sherman

         Is there a Disney fan anywhere, or anyone for that matter that doesn’t know the music of Disney legends Alan Menken and Richard Sherman? I defy you now to sing along when you hear any song from “Mary Poppins,” “Jungle Book”,  “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast”, or their non Disney accomplishments such as “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” or “Little Shop of Horrors.”  Today I was thrilled to be a part of a conference call with these two amazing talents all leading up to their concert at D23 this Saturday. Both gracious, easygoing and down to earth, they shared for a better part of an hour what it has been like to be a part of the history of music through the years.  Here’s a little background of these two extraordinary talents:

Richard M. Sherman and his brother Robert B. Sherman composed some of the most beloved songs in the Disney canon. The Disney Legends won two Oscars^® for their work on Mary Poppins, and during their decades–long association with Disney they wrote more than 200 songs for 27 films and two dozen television productions. They made unforgettable contributions to such Disney films as The Parent Trap, The Jungle Book, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and the entire Winnie the Pooh series, as well as the family classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. They also penned beloved songs for Disney Parks including the theme songs for Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, It’s a Small World, and Carousel of Progress. Richard wrote the song “Make Way for Tomorrow Today” for the blockbuster film Iron Man 2.

With eight Academy Awards, Alan Menken has received more Oscars than any living person. He has written songs and scores for some of the world’s most beloved films: Tangled, Enchanted, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Hercules, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Little Shop of Horrors, Home on the Range and Newsies. His song “Star Spangled Man,” was the patriotic anthem of the 2011 hit film Captain America: The First Avenger. Menken’s Broadway successes include his 2012 Tony Award^® for Newsies, plus The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors, and Sister Act. His other stage productions include King David, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and his latest stage production Aladdin: The New Musical, opening next year.