Alan Menken

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 3D Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 12th, 2012 at 2:51 pm

I’ve loved Beauty and the Beast for twenty years.  My grandmother bought me the VHS when I was a kid, I went to see the IMAX re-release as a teenager, I bought the special edition DVD later that year, then I bought the special edition Blu-ray back in 2010, and have been expecting the 3D version ever since I saw the opening number at Comic-Con back in 2008.  I’m not 3D’s champion and Beauty and the Beast doesn’t need a 3D post-conversion.  It’s perfect the way it is, but I’m willing to put on a pair of 3D glasses if it means I get to see it on the big screen again.  But is it possible to improve upon perfection and if not, does that lower the quality?

39 Songs Contend for Best Original Song Oscar; Nominees Include THE MUPPETS and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 19th, 2011 at 2:38 pm

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced today that 39 eligible songs will contend for the Best Original Song Oscar this year. Important to note is that a relatively recent rule change states that songs must be judged in the capacity that they appear in each film. In early January the voting body will get together and watch clips from each eligible movie in which the 39 songs are featured, after which they will determine the nominees. The list of eligible songs include three tracks from The Muppets, Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi’s song “Gathering Stories” (which director Cameron Crowe co-wrote) from We Bought a Zoo, and composer/songwriter/eight-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken’s “Star Spangled Man” from Captain America: The First Avenger. I’m partial to Jonsi’s work or “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets, but we’ll see how the Academy’s taste stacks up towards the end of January.

Hit the jump to check out the full list of eligible songs. The 84th Academy Award nominations will be announced on January 24th.

Alan Menken to Score Tarsem Singh’s Snow White Film MIRROR MIRROR

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 8th, 2011 at 5:54 pm

Relativity continues to distance their Snow White film Mirror Mirror from Universal’s dark and gritty take Snow White and the Huntsman, as the studio has tapped Disney regular Alan Menken to compose the score. The eight-time Oscar winner is responsible for the music and songs from classics like Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. Heat Vision reports that Menken will be taking on scoring duties for director Tarsem Singh’s Snow White story, which is described as a “comedic adventure.” The trailer for the film was pretty terrible and cartoony, but maybe over-the-top is what Singh is going for. The addition of Menken is in keeping with the lightness we’ve seen of the project thus far.

Menken recently composed music and songs for 2007’s Enchanted and last year’s Tangled. This year he contributed the song “Star Spangled Man” to Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger. I’m partial to his work with Disney, but it’ll be interesting to see what he brings to the Snow White pic. Hit the jump for a sampling of his work. Mirror Mirror opens March 16th, 2012.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and More to Perform Songs at Academy Awards

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 4th, 2011 at 12:12 pm

What are the Oscars without a little pageantry?  As it’s been done in years prior, the Best Song nominees will be performed by the folks who sang them in the movie.  Gwyneth Paltrow will perform “Coming Home” from Country Strong; Randy Newman will perform “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3; songwriter Alan Menken will provide piano accompaniment to Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi for “I See the Light” from Tangled; and songwriter A.R. Rahman will join Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine to perform “If I Rise” from 127 Hours.

Hit the jump for the press release and to hear the songs.  The 83rd Academy Awards will be held on February 27th.

WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY DVD Review

by Bill Graham    Posted: January 6th, 2011 at 6:00 pm

If you were around in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, you likely saw the re-emergence of Disney animated films. From 1984 to 1994, there was a string of instant classic films, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. However, that success was built on the base of one of the roughest times in Disney Animation Studios history. Waking Sleeping Beauty documents the power struggles and infighting that occurred during this golden era of creativity and passion that left us with some of the greatest animated films ever made. Remarkably, no stone seems left unturned in the illuminating and emotional documentary that utilizes archival footage, interviews, and photos to piece together this look behind the scenes of Disney at the time. So hit the jump for my full review of Waking Sleeping Beauty.

4 Clips from Disney’s TANGLED Featuring Zachary Levi and Mandy Moore

by Bill Graham    Posted: November 15th, 2010 at 3:15 pm

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 50^th animated feature film is Tangled, and they really made this one special. This retelling of the Grimm fairy tale about Rapunzel and her magical hair may have some cautiously optimistic, but having seen the film I am just plain confident that audiences will enjoy it. Directed by Byron Howard and Nathan Greno, this tale features the voice work of Zachary Levi, Mandy Moore, Tony Award-winning actress Donna Murphy, and Brad Garrett. All four get in on the action–and singing–with a slew of brand new songs composed by the legendary Alan Menken. Did I mention the film has perhaps some of the best animation to date?  Hit the jump to check out four clips from Tangled, which hits theaters in 3D on November 24th.  Also, look for new interviews with the cast very soon.

Over 40 Images from Walt Disney’s TANGLED

by Bill Graham    Posted: November 8th, 2010 at 4:05 pm

We have all seen the marketing push that Disney is making for Tron: Legacy. Well, their 50^th animated feature film, Tangled, is not exactly sliding into its November 24 release date unnoticed. Now we have 24 brand new images from the upcoming fairy tale reimagining of Rapunzel, and they show off the stunning animation from the film. We’ve also posted all the previously released images.  So hit the jump to check out my favorite character, Pascal, and some images of the fantastic Mother Gothel, Maximus, and more.

Directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno Interview TANGLED

by Bill Graham    Posted: September 30th, 2010 at 8:14 pm

The fourth and final interview at Disney Animation Studios for Tangled was with the directing duo of Byron Howard and Nathan Greno, whom I had the pleasure of speaking with at Comic-Con less than two months before. The best thing about Byron and Nathan is that they are a great pair to interview; fun, energetic, and full of passion for what they do. Seeing as they are the minds behind the scenes, I prodded for information about their future plans, what it was like to gather this kind of cast, and how one of my favorite characters, Maximus, came about. Join me after the break for my full interview and a brief recap of the highlights from their roundtable interview earlier that day.

Mandy Moore Exclusive Interview TANGLED

by Bill Graham    Posted: September 28th, 2010 at 10:13 pm

When I looked through the talent available to interview during my Tangled press day at Disney, Mandy Moore immediately caught my attention. Mandy was a star at the same time of Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Jessica Simpson, yet she managed to avoid the fall from grace of her peers and has avoided the overexposure that the 24 hour news cycle generally favors. So, when she puts her name on a high-profile project like Disney’s 50^th animated film, you don’t pass up the opportunity to sit down and talk with her. Join me after the break for the highlights and full transcript of the interview as we discuss hair, working with Alan Menken, her favorite Disney films, and more.

Alan Menken Exclusive Interview TANGLED

by Bill Graham    Posted: September 27th, 2010 at 11:28 pm

Although I took a break for Fantastic Fest, I had promised all the interviews from my visit to Walt Disney Animation Studios earlier this month. So, here is my one-on-one with the legendary Alan Menken, who wrote the music for Tangled and worked in the golden age of Disney animation in the early ‘90s. Join me after the break for the full transcript and a few highlights.

Disney’s RAPUNZEL Is Now TANGLED

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 12th, 2010 at 2:23 pm

Disney Animation Studios is getting a bit clever with the title for the next film as Producer Roy Conli has announced [via Facebook] that their 2010 film will no longer be called Rapunzel and will now be known as Tangled.  Here’s what Conli had to say:

“Hey everyone, I’m Roy Conli, producer of Disney’s next animated film. I have some exciting news to share, and it was important to me that YOU guys – the Disney fans – hear it first. I want to tell you about Walt Disney Animation Studio’s 2010 release, Tangled. It’s a really fresh, smart take on the Rapunzel story.  In our film, the infamous bandit Flynn Rider meets his match in the girl with the 70 feet of magical golden hair. We’re having a lot of fun pairing Flynn, who’s seen it all, with Rapunzel, who’s been locked away in a tower for 18 years.  I’m so proud of the crew working on this film – they’re doing a fantastic job creating an awesome story with great characters and a stunning world – and it’s all going to look amazing in 3D. All of us here at the studio are incredibly excited for you to see Tangled when it comes out in theaters this November.”

Hit the jump for more details on the film including the style of animation they’re using.  Tangled is slated to hit theaters on November 24th.

Zachary Levi and Mandy Moore to Provide Voices for Walt Disney’s RAPUNZEL

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: September 10th, 2009 at 8:40 am

With John Lasseter in London promoting upcoming Disney projects and D23 about to happen in California, I knew a lot of Disney news was about to break. So it really shouldn’t surprise me to see all these Disney stories this morning.

Anyway, the latest is Zachary Levi (“Chuck”) and Mandy Moore will be providing the lead voices for Walt Disney’s digital 3D-animated musical action-adventure “Rapunzel”. The film is based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale and it’s due for release in late 2010 with music from Oscar winner Alan Menken (“Beauty and the Beast”, “Aladdin”). For more on the project, click the jump:

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