With all due respect to Tim Rice, Stephen Schwartz, Randy Newman and even Lin-Manuel Miranda—all of whom have written song lyrics for the Disney animated empire—there was no one like Howard Ashman. All one needs to do is listen to “Be Our Guest,” “Belle” and “Friend Like Me” to realize the singularity of his genius. He can be ranked with Lorenz Hart, Ira Gershwin and Oscar Hammerstein II among the more soulful and ingenious lyricists in the American songbook. Which makes “Howard,” for all its affection, detail and biographical...

Source: Wall Street Journal August 05, 2020 19:07 UTC