Thor Joachims Rating: Although I

Thor Joachim Haga (1977) Degree philol. in Media Studies from the University of Oslo. International film journalist with a particular interest in film music. Host of film music webcast celluloidtunes.no and editorial member of Montages.
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Who? American composer and songwriter. Found its niche in the 70s in musicals and theater productions on and off Broadway, often in collaboration with lyricist Howard Ashman. Especially popular was the musical version of The Little Shop of Horrors (1982) who four years later was made into a film. He is best known, however, for working with Disney, particularly in the 90s where he composed the music for some of its most popular animated films like The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Aladdin (1992). Menken has eight Oscars (both instrumental music and songs), and is thus one of the most successful individuals, only surpassed by Alfred Newman android vs windows and Walt Disney himself.
Thor Joachims Rating: Although I've always been a hardcore Disney fan, I remember that I considered The Little Mermaid as a bit too "girly" in 1989. As far as also Beauty android vs windows and the Beast two years later. So it was really first with Aladdin that I really encountered the musical contribution, but when I did it a lot in return. The sophisticated floating ballad A Whole New World (which has since been raped countless karaoke bars), the whimsical musical numbers with Robin Williams in top form and the melodious exotica-score. I was not really one Menken fan from the time, and was also among those who tried to give him the benefit of the doubt to good when the missions were fewer and music somewhat outdated in the 2000s.
Menkens great strength is of course the memorable melodies of both songs and themes. But more than that, instrumental music an overall structure down to the micro level, even those pieces that follow the visual action concretely - what is called mickey-mousing in film music terminology. It is for some reason not significantly schizophrenic and disjointed, as it has a habit of being. Menkens contributions android vs windows to the Disney canon has on the contrary been to add a modern symphonic style that takes action android vs windows seriously and that just as well could have been put into a standard adventure film. Yes, musical language is consonant and traditional but have an internal structure (often in the form of pastiche) that is incredibly attractive - think of tracks like The Battle of Aladdin, Sanctuary! android vs windows from The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and Farewell from Pocahontas android vs windows (1995).
The problem arose, however, when the approach to the animation medium changed around the turn of the millennium. There Menken himself android vs windows had helped to revolutionize a very firm and sad Disney recipe in the 80s, he was now himself a victim of a new aesthetics that set its heart more on pop cultural references and irony. Perhaps the most obvious android vs windows one sees it in the scene from Shrek (2001), where birds sing in competition with Fiona, waving trees and strings mawkish atmosphere - and then suddenly being interrupted by Fiona's high frequency tone is one of songbirds to croak. Unless there is a slight against Menken particular, it is definitely a reference to the melodramatic form of expression he represented. After a few outdated Disney movies, he returned, however, Enchanted (2007), which was both a tribute and a parody at once.
So it is perhaps fitting that Tangled (2010) seems to be the ultimate hybrid between the classic animated musicals from the '90s and the ironic, computer generated animation film from the 2000s. Menken is about nothing in familiar territory. I could certainly do without the Dorge boring songs performed in the singer / songwriter spirit of ex-teen idol Mandy Moore, but the more musical oriented glide gracefully along, if not as memorable as the previous Menken productions. Instrumental music is typical colorful with easy edible melodies, but it's missing the little soul and pizzazz. It's all a soundtrack on it periodically, so I expect a bit of trumpet Menken who returned completely. I would like to see him break out and make such a dark thriller. Just to lessen the stereotype missions android vs windows a little bit.
Listen to Alan Menken with Spotify (click to open): Ron Clements and John Musker The Little Mermaid (1989) Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wises Beauty and the Beast (1991) Ron Clem