I didn’t know how much of my childhood is thanks to ‘Howard’

Posted on August 14, 2020

By MARK VIOLA

The Disney Renaissance, which began in 1989, was responsible for some of the greatest animated films ever produced in this country, including “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast.”

One of the artistic minds behind these films, and who can possibly be credited with saving Disney as a company, is writer and lyricist Howard Ashman, a veteran of the New York theater scene who wrote many of the most pivotal songs of my (and many others’) childhood before dying of AIDS in 1991.

“Howard” is a new Disney+ exclusive documentary which tells Howard’s story in the words of his friends and family (as well as his own), through a series of interviews and archival footage.

Of course, one can be a bit cynical about a Disney-produced documentary, one written and directed by Don Hahn (responsible for a number of other Disney-themed docs), but Ashman’s story is one worth telling, and this is a documentary I’m glad I saw, especially considering how influential his films were.

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