Disney News and Interviews From The Mouse Castle: Maurice Sendak and More Howard Ashman Inside the Mouse Castle Lounge

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Maurice Sendak and More Howard Ashman Inside the Mouse Castle Lounge

Howard Ashman

It's Howard Ashman Part 2 in The Mouse Castle Lounge as I continue my conversation with the late lyricist's sister, Sarah Ashman Gillespie. In part one, we talked about Sarah's website and blog, Howard Ashman: Part of His World, and discussed Howard's early career. Today, we talk about how Howard and his musical collaborator Alan Menken met, a partnership that would produce classic song after classic song for the Disney animated features The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Sarah and I also discuss how Howard brought his east coast theatrical sensibilities to the west coast and made them work in the world of film animation.

We also take a look at Howard's famous temper, which could avail itself to anyone who didn't quite embrace or understand the creative passion of its owner--as illustrated in this cartoon by Beauty and the Beast director Kirk Wise following a less-than-successful story meeting with Howard and co-director Gary Trousdale:

But wait, there's more! Also in the Lounge, we pay a visit once again to the Walt Disney Family Museum and take a look at their new Maurice Sendak exhibit: 50 Years, 50 Works, 50 Reasons. My guest is guest curator Anel Muller, who gives us insight into Sendak's work, which was more than just his seminal children's book Where the Wild Things Are. He was a gifted writer, illustrator and set designer...and he was a huge Disney fan. Who knew?