Howard

An official entry for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, this rich cinematic portrait of the extraordinary life and career of Howard Ashman, the legendary lyricist of Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid, is as much a heartfelt tribute to this once-in-a-generation talent as a rousing celebration of musical storytelling itself. If you love a song from a classic Disney animated feature, it is likely that Howard Ashman was the mind behind the words. Howard grew up in an average Jewish family with a passionate love for musical theater. After living the life of a starving artist in New York, he and his artistic partner, composer Alan Menken, scored an Off-Broadway sensation with their musical redux of Little Shop of Horrors. When Disney snatched up the two in the mid-’80s, they revitalized the struggling Mouse House with hits like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and Beauty (the first animated film nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture), all of which would become benchmarks in Disney’s animation renaissance. Don Hahn’s (The Lion King, Who Framed Roger Rabbit) moving film takes an affectionate look at the life of the Academy Award-winning lyricist and the legacy he left behind. Told entirely through rare interviews, fascinating archival footage, and plenty of behind-the-scenes gems, Howard is a heart-affecting film about one of the world’s most influential songwriters who brought happiness to millions of people across the globe.

Producer Lori Korngiebel and Sarah Ashman Gillespie will be in attendance to introduce the film and participate in an extended conversation moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Rothaus.