"Howard" Review - A Part of His World

It’s been quite a while since I’ve written one of these. Many of us thought we’d be back in a movie theater by now, not knowing that a science denying leadership and a major part of the country would be keeping us locked in our homes with nothing new to see. Thankfully, we have been seeing a boom in many different types of streaming entertainment during these troubling times, which has led me to finding some great pieces of cinema, including one of the most fascinating documentaries in a long while called “Howard”, currently on Disney+.

Howard, or to be more specific, Howard Ashman, was a lyricist who worked with Alan Menken on a handful of fantastic musicals, three of them being with Disney. His works include Little Shop of Horrors, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. His masterful skills shined when he created some of the most whimsical and clever lyrics of the 80s and 90s; but to simply call him a songwriter is a vast understatement. He was the person who resurrected the formula for what makes a great musical film. He took that formula to Disney and through his ruthless determination and producing, ended up creating some of the best Disney movies ever made. His time on this planet was cut way too shortly because of AIDS, but what he gave us musically was so important moving forward not just for the rest of the Disney renaissance, but for all musicals in general. I’d consider him the 2nd most important man to the Walt Disney company only behind Walt himself.

This documentary has similar undertones to another amazing Disney documentary called “Waking Sleeping Beauty” which I also highly recommend for any film or animation nerd. But while that film focuses on the Disney production side, this focuses sorely on Howard as a person and the genius that he was. It hits the mark in most places pretty well. I wish it could’ve been a half an hour more maybe diving into more of his role on the work he did for the movies, and I wish I got to see all the interviewee’s faces rather than just the audio the entire film. But from a general standpoint, it hit every mark I wanted to hit and I think it got to the real core of why Ashman’s work should always be recognized as nothing under revolutionary.

I think of Howard a lot and what he could’ve given us if he didn’t succumb to a horrible HIV related disease. But we are all so lucky to have his formula for a perfect Disney musical last this long and still be strong for generations to come. Put “Howard” on your watch list, and be a part of his world for just over 90 minutes.

Two Nebs Up!