The Disney Renaissance – a hugely successful period for Disney animation from 1989 to 1999 – owes a surprising debt to the quirky, cult classic film, Little Shop of Horrors. While Disney’s Renaissance films earned billions, this creative and commercial revival wouldn’t have happened without the influence of that delightfully over-the-top musical.
The partnership between Alan Menken, who wrote the music, and Howard Ashman, who wrote the lyrics, was key to launching the Disney Renaissance. But before they brought musicals back to the big screen, they gained experience with the unsuccessful, though creatively interesting, film Little Shop of Horrors.
Alan Menkan & Howard Ashman’s First Hit Was Little Shop Of Horrors
Alan Menken and Howard Ashman – a hugely talented Disney songwriting duo – first connected in the late 1970s while working in New York City theater. Menken was a composer just starting out in musical theater after a career writing short advertising tunes, and Ashman was already known as a clever and insightful writer and director.
Howard Ashman was looking for a composer to work with on an unusual new musical, and when they met Alan Menken, they immediately connected creatively. They started working together right away, and their first collaboration was the 1979 musical God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, which was based on a novel by Kurt Vonnegut.
Despite not becoming a long-term success, the collaboration showcased a unique creative spark. Howard Ashman excelled at writing clever, character-focused lyrics and telling compelling stories, and Alan Menken composed music that could seamlessly blend humor, genuine feeling, and classic Broadway styles.
A few years later, the collaboration truly blossomed with the popular Off-Broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors (1982). Alan Menken and Howard Ashman took a cheap 1960s horror movie and turned it into a complete musical, adding rock-influenced music, emotional resonance, and a masterful blend of comedy and tragedy.
The musical approach to ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ – with Audrey’s hopes, Seymour’s struggles, and the frightening humor of Audrey II – truly brought the characters and story to life. This show sparked a wave of musical creativity that lasted for forty years, ultimately influencing the resurgence of Disney animated musicals.
Little Shop Of Horrors Underperformed Theatrically But Developed A Cult Following
When Little Shop of Horrors became a hit Off-Broadway in 1982, making a movie seemed like a natural progression. David Geffen, one of the show’s original producers and a powerful figure in the music industry, quickly started working on a film adaptation.
David Geffen approached director Frank Oz, fresh off directing The Muppets Take Manhattan, with a new project. Oz was excited by the challenge of bringing the show’s lively stage presence to the big screen and revised the script to better suit a film format.
I always loved how Rick Moranis and Steve Martin made the movie so funny – they really had a knack for comedy! And Ellen Greene was just perfect as Audrey; it’s amazing to know she actually created the role on stage first. What I didn’t realize until recently is that the incredible Audrey II puppet came to life thanks to the same talented team behind The Muppet Show and The Dark Crystal – that explains why it was so special!
Even with its strong background and talented creators, the 1986 movie Little Shop of Horrors didn’t do as well in theaters as expected. While it earned $39 million with a $25 million budget – not a complete failure – it was still a letdown considering the hype and the cost of filming a new ending.
One problem was how the movie was marketed. It combined horror, comedy, and musical elements in a way that was hard for 1980s studios to explain to viewers. Plus, musicals weren’t very popular then, as the classic era of Hollywood musicals was long over.
Filmmakers initially shot a bleak ending for the movie, mirroring the stage musical’s downbeat conclusion where the plant, Audrey II, takes over the world. However, test audiences didn’t like this sad ending, so the studio made them film a more cheerful one, which lessened the story’s sharp, critical tone.
It’s funny that what kept Little Shop of Horrors from being a huge hit initially actually helped it become a beloved cult classic. After it came out on video, a dedicated fanbase grew, and now it’s considered one of the best movie musicals from that time.
Little Shop Of Horrors Became A Template For Disney Musicals
The music in Little Shop of Horrors combined classic Broadway songwriting with surprising genres. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman specifically brought the sounds of 1960s Motown and doo-wop to the score. They continued to draw inspiration from diverse musical styles in their later work, like Caribbean rhythms in The Little Mermaid and medieval church music in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Importantly, Menken and Ashman made sure the songs were a key part of the story, not just added as entertainment. This became a defining feature of the Disney Renaissance that followed.
The musical debuted an early form of what would become a trademark for the duo: the “I want” song. This song, a key part of Alan Ashman’s approach to storytelling, lets a character express their most heartfelt wish directly and honestly – something that only musicals can really achieve.
The musical Little Shop explores the characters’ desire for a better life through two songs. Seymour expresses his wish to escape poverty in “Grow for Me,” and Audrey shares her dream of a simple, safe, and loving suburban life in the well-known song, “Somewhere That’s Green.”
The emotional depth – the feelings of empathy, desire for connection, and heartfelt longing – is much stronger in this version compared to the 1960 film. These themes went on to become central to the work of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.
Howard Ashman brought his skill for storytelling to Disney animated films. Songs such as “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid and Belle’s second performance of her song in Beauty and the Beast quickly reveal what the main characters want, allowing the audience to connect with their goals right away.
Prior to Howard Ashman’s work, Disney songs often felt like separate performances. He changed that by making sure each song actively advanced the story, similar to how songs are used in Broadway shows.
The musical Little Shop influenced the style of many famous villain songs in Disney films. For example, the playfully dramatic song “Dentist!” lets the villain, Orin Scrivello, command attention with a menacing but funny performance, proving how a villain’s song can be both scary and entertaining.
Similar storytelling elements show up in songs like Scar’s “Be Prepared” and Ursula’s “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” where villains use dramatic flair and humor to express themselves. You can even see visual connections – Ursula’s tentacles move in a way that recalls the twisting vines of Audrey II.
One of the biggest takeaways Disney learned from Little Shop was the importance of blending different tones. The musical showed that a story could be funny, heartfelt, and even a little dark, all at the same time.
This blend of styles became a hallmark of Alan Menken’s most successful Disney songs. In fact, Little Shop of Horrors foreshadowed the approach of later Disney musicals like The Little Mermaid, appearing years before Ariel’s underwater adventures began.
Menken & Ashman’s Next Collaboration Started The Disney Renaissance
Following the success of Little Shop of Horrors, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman teamed up for another landmark project: The Little Mermaid (1989). This movie dramatically changed Disney animation and how it performed financially.
The song “Part of Your World,” with its powerful expression of Ariel’s desires, was key to the film’s success. It marked a turning point for Disney, seamlessly blending heartfelt storytelling with the energy of Broadway musicals – a combination that hadn’t been seen in animated children’s films for a long time. This innovative approach became the blueprint for the Disney Renaissance.
The success of The Little Mermaid launched a hugely popular period for Disney, leading to films like Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994). These movies became major cultural moments and earned more money than any animated films before them.
| Disney Renaissance Films | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Movie | Year | Source Material | Box Office (Worldwide) | Oscar Nominations | Oscar Wins | Key Creatives |
| The Little Mermaid | 1989 | Hans Christian Andersen | $211.3M | 3 (Best Original Song ×2, Score) | 2 (Under the Sea, Best Original Score) | Alan Menken (music), Howard Ashman (lyrics) |
| Beauty and the Beast | 1991 | Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont | $425M | 6 | 2 (Best Original Song, Best Original Score) | Alan Menken (music), Howard Ashman (lyrics) |
| Aladdin | 1992 | One Thousand and One Nights | $504.1M | 2 | 2 (A Whole New World, Best Original Score) | Alan Menken (music), Howard Ashman/Tim Rice (lyrics; Ashman wrote part before his death) |
| The Lion King | 1994 | Hamlet (Shakespeare) | $968.5M | 4 | 2 (Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Best Original Score) | Elton John (music), Tim Rice (lyrics), Hans Zimmer (score) |
| Pocahontas | 1995 | Historical Figure | $346.1M | 2 | 2 (Colors of the Wind, Best Original Score) | Alan Menken (music), Stephen Schwartz (lyrics) |
| The Hunchback of Notre Dame | 1996 | Victor Hugo novel | $325.3M | 1 | 0 | Alan Menken (music), Stephen Schwartz (lyrics) |
| Hercules | 1997 | Greek mythology | $252.7M | 1 | 0 | Alan Menken (music), David Zippel (lyrics) |
| Mulan | 1998 | Chinese legend | $304.3M | 1 | 0 | Jerry Goldsmith (score), Matthew Wilder/David Zippel (songs) |
| Tarzan | 199 | Edgar Rice Burroughs | $448.2M | 2 | 1 (You’ll Be in My Heart) | Phil Collins (music, lyrics) |
Beyond just making money, these films quickly became beloved classics, consistently earning Academy Award nominations for their music and songs. This solidified their importance in film history. No other animation studio has ever created such a long series of movies that were both popular with audiences and praised by critics to the same extent.
As a movie fan, what really blows me away about this era is that Disney wasn’t just adapting easy, cheerful stories. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman were taking on some seriously challenging material! Think about it – The Little Mermaid started as a really sad, melancholic tale by Hans Christian Andersen, Aladdin was based on these epic, often complex stories from One Thousand and One Nights, and The Lion King? That’s basically Shakespeare’s Hamlet with animals! It was a surprisingly bold move for family animation.
These films connected with audiences of all ages, skillfully combining exciting plots, comedy, love stories, and catchy music. It’s surprising to realize that this hugely successful period for Disney, responsible for some of the most popular and financially successful movies ever made, began with a quirky musical about a flesh-eating plant set on the streets of Skid Row in Little Shop of Horrors.
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2026-03-11 22:35