Jim on Film: Something More
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These four films are a demonstration of the variety of musical storytelling that can be used but will only happen when different musical voices are allowed to help shape the storytelling. Cinderella would be a very different film if done in the style of Beauty and the Beast. No doubt, Menken would write a fantastic score, and everyone would love it, but it wouldn’t be the same film. Likewise, if Mack David, Jerry Livingston, and Al Hoffman had written the score for Anastasia, it would be a very different film. Not bad, just different. Different musical voices with different storytelling ideas bring about different films and unique film-going experiences.

If this analysis were to include Pinocchio, The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, or Brother Bear, the differences would be even more apparent. Of course, these are also films that are very different than the four chosen above, but that’s also partly the point. Yes, it is important not to saturate the market as Disney had been doing with three or four animated films hitting theaters, particularly when the are middling straight-to-DVD films. Despite the decision to slow down yearly production of films from Walt Disney Feature Animation, I believe a yearly release calendar could work if the films are not only great but also different from each other. A film with music can be gentle like The AristoCats and not always a blockbuster like Aladdin or an epic story like Mulan.

There are so many great songwriters out there who would make glorious additions to the Disney music library—songwriters that haven’t already made connections with the studio but would bring a fresh voice to musical storytelling.

One such team is Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, who deservedly won the Tony Award for Best Original Score for The Drowsy Chaperone. Because of the conceit of the show, a number of the songs are songs that establish character rather than showcasing the full range of songs that would be needed for an animated film, but the level of talent evidenced by the songs hints at the variety they would be capable of writing. If I could send one song to John Lasseter as an audition for them, I would send the rousing “I Do, I Do in the Sky,�? which contains such clever lyrics as:

A bride and groom in a chapel
May bring a tear to the eye
With rainbows bending before us
And clouds meandering by
One can’t restrain the sweet refrain
I do, I do in the sky.

These poetic lyrics are matched with a thrilling melody. Another gem that showcases the talent of this duo is the hilarious song “Show Off�? (easily found on YouTube from the Tonys broadcast) in which the actress Janet Van De Graaf sings about how she doesn’t want to be in the spotlight anymore, all the while expressing how much she adores it all through her actions and through singing about the very things she claims to not want to do anymore. Other great songs are the hilarious “I am Aldolpho�? and the zippy “Toledo Surprise.�?

Another great score from a recent Broadway show was Matthew Sklar’s music and Chad Beguelin’s lyrics from the musical The Wedding Singer. On first hearing, the score, which heavily pastiches songs of the 1980s, might not sound like a perfect fit for a Disney animated feature, but the clever music and lyrics showcase a duo with tremendous talent. If I could send one song to John Lasseter to hear as an audition, I would send “Not That Kind of Thing,�? which is sung by Robbie Hart and Julia Sullivan after a store clerk mistakes them for an engaged couple shopping for home furnishings. Robbie and Julia vehemently deny that they are in love, but they betray their developing feelings as they sing:

For a score filled with a number of very funny songs and written in the 1980s style, this is a song with not only its fun moments but with a truly romantic streak. Similarly, their duet “If I Told You�? is a beautiful love song in which the leads express their love for the other while doubting the chances that those feelings would be reciprocated. Another gem, also found on YouTube from the Tonys broadcast, is the opening song “It’s Your Wedding Day,�? which is an infectious and energetic tune that perfectly establishes several of the key characters.

Of all the contemporary songwriters on Broadway, my favorite is probably Jason Robert Brown, whose score for Parade is so emotional and compelling. The original Broadway cast album is twenty-eight tracks of aural richness. Again, its themes and tone is far more sophisticated than Disney would ever need, but the melodies are so wonderful and the lyrics so perfectly suited to character in this, his Tony-winning score, that it’s clear he’s extremely talented and could write for anything. My favorite song from the score can be found on YouTube, the duet “This is Not Over Yet.�? When there is a moment of hope in the rather dark events of the story, the main character, Leo Frank, sings:

As is clear from reading, the lyrics flow so beautifully from one line to the next, and the use of rhyme both internally and at the ends of the lines gives the melody a lifting, hopeful quality. Ending in a duet with his wife, Lucille, it’s a powerful song of hope and love. There are so many great songs on the CD, its hard to identify just a few of the best, but “Pretty Music�? showcases an easier-going style of song, written for a party, while “All the Wasted Time�? is a love song filled with passion. “The Old Red Hills of Home,�? which opens the show, has the beauty of “Part of Your World�? with the emotional scope of “Circle of Life.�?

And while these are several new talents who come to mind as examples of the type of talent Disney needs to utilize to ensure that their films feel different from each other, there are some significant well-known talents already established. Stephen Schwartz is so talented and, without a partner, could write fantastic songs for Disney. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty could do great things for Disney as well. And a few of the great composers of musicals from the 60s and 70s are still alive and kicking, like Jerry Herman, whose score for Mrs. Santa Clause shows that he didn’t run out of great melodies after Hello, Dolly! and Mame. There’s also Adam Guettel, the son of Mary (Freaky Friday) Rodgers and grandson of Richard Rodgers, whose Tony-winning score for Light in the Piazza is one I won’t see until the tour comes to town next week but, by all accounts, is masterful. And I doubt the Sherman brothers have lost an ounce of talent.

When managed right, I love Walt Disney Feature Animation so much and their unique identity that sets them apart from all other animation companies out there. I don’t think a story has to be reduced to “musical or not a musical�? or “Alan Menken or Phil Collins-style,�? nor does the term “musical�? have to indicate an established form of storytelling. Just as having Howard Ashman and Alan Menken injected the studio’s storytelling with such life, allowing new talents to shape how stories are told with music will provide new insights and lead to a time of growth for the many extremely talented artists at the studio.

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-- Jim Miles

-- Posted March 14, 2007