Introduction
The musical history of Disneyena is a rich one. Throughout the past almost 100 years, the Disney name has used music as one of the primary vessels of their magic. Of course, this began with the early synchronized sound cartoons like Steamboat Willie and over time evolved into animated musical masterpieces, such as were common during the Disney Renassaince. During that time, audiences were awestruck when they saw these Broadway-style, musically rich films within the realm of animation.
In the past 10 years, live-action remakes of these animated classics have regularly been making their way to the big screen. In many of these cases, this wasn’t the first time that Disney had revisited these properties. In 1994, Disney launched their first Broadway production, based on their 1991 hit film Beauty and the Beast. For the film, composer Alan Menken collaborated with lyricist Tim Rice to write new songs to fit within the story. More than 20 years later, Menken and Rice got together yet again and wrote additional songs for the live-action remake. This is a curious phenomenon, but one that has happened at least three times already: original songs are written for an animated film, new songs are written for a stage version, and then those songs are discarded and new songs are written again for the live-action remake. This can be confusing, to put it mildly. Though many of us remember the songs in the original animated films, it is easy to forget where and when those other songs appear. This is where this document intends to help.
The purpose of this document is twofold. Firstly, I have compiled it in the hope that educators, actors, singers, and theatre practitioners can refer to it as a valuable resource when putting on a production or preparing a performance. Secondly, I hope that this will be extraordinarily helpful to those tracing the history of these famous properties or The Walt Disney Company as a whole. To be clear, this document highlights the differences in musical numbers across three incarnations of the same project, while also tracing the history and development of the respective mediums throughout the years. It also is an attempt to place the songs in chronological order where they appear in the story. Sometimes this isn’t perfectly accurate, such as in the case of deleted songs, or when story beats have shifted so dramatically during writing that the song no longer makes sense. I have includes most reprises, when they officially qualify as musical numbers either on a recording or on the official song breakdown list from Music Theatre International (MTI).
Lastly, this is an acknowledgment of Alan Menken and his collaborators. It is quite astonishing to see the vast amount of content that Alan Menken has written for The Walt Disney Company over the years, both on stage and on screen and even, occasionally, for the parks. All five of the musicals included here were composed by Menken, and for all five, he has returned to his project at least once to adapt it for a different medium, whether onstage or for a live-action remake. And through it all, he has not sacrificed quality. This is an admirable feat, and it has not gone unnoticed. For those who want to take a deeper dive into Menken, Ashman, and Rice’s work on Mermaid, Beauty, and Aladdin, I highly recommend seeking out the now out of print collection titled The Music Behind the Magic: The Musical Artistry of Alan Menken, Howard Ashman & Tim Rice.
For (almost) each song, I have included links to recordings. Whenever possible, I have attempted to use the official studio recordings. However, for various reasons, this isn’t always possible. In those cases, I have tried to provide the best samples I could find of high-quality productions that were captured on video or audio. I have used a variety of sources to compile the lists of musical numbers, all of which are cited at the end of the document.
The musicals below appear chronologically based on the date of the animated films.
The Little Mermaid
On November 17, 1989, an animated movie called The Little Mermaid was released in theaters and changed Disney forever. Not only was the film a huge success, but it also changed the direction that Disney would go for the next decade. During these years, the studio harkened back to the storytelling of old, adapting the formula slightly to follow the format of the Broadway musical. The Little Mermaid began this trend and is usually credited for kicking off what is often called the Disney Renaissance.
Following several other successes on Broadway, Disney opened The Little Mermaid on the Broadway stage in early 2008, almost 20 years after the original film. Starring Sierra Boggess as Ariel, the production featured the original music from the film as well as newly written songs by Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater. Unfortunately, the production was not a success and closed after only 685 performances. It has since been revised and is available for licensing to regional and community theatres.
A live-action remake of the animated film is currently in post-production and will likely arrive in theaters in 2022 or 2023. Directed by Rob Marshall, the film will feature four newly written songs by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast was the second and final Disney musical completed by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. The film opened in 1991 to rave reviews, with critics praising the animation along with its original music.
In 1993, then-CEO Michael Eisner made a business move that has changed musical theatre since. He decided to open a division of Disney called Disney Theatrical Productions. His plan was mutually beneficial both for the world of New York and Broadway and also for Disney itself. Inspired by the success of Beauty and the Beast, Disney decided to adapt the film for the stage. By restoring the New Amsterdam Theatre, which had been the home of the original Ziegfeld Follies, Disney created the corporate musical. Beauty and the Beast was the first of many stage productions to be developed by The Walt Disney Company.
In March of 2017, a live-action remake was released by Disney featuring a star-studded cast, the original Ashman/Menken songs, newly written songs, and an expanded plot. A prequel series based on this film is currently in development for Disney+. Tentatively titled Little Town, the series will star Luke Evans as Gaston and Josh Gad as LeFou, reprising their roles from the film. It will be a six-episode musical event, with newly written songs from Alan Menken and Glenn Slater.
Aladdin
Aladdin is arguably the most complicated entry on this document. Lyricist Howard Ashman sadly passed away during production on the film and, as a result, lyricist Tim Rice was hired to work with Menken to write new songs. With a restructured story, many of the songs written by Ashman and Menken had to be cut, and only three of their songs ended up in the final film. However, the stage musical attempted to recover some of these long-lost songs, with mixed success. Many were placed back into the score and then cut out again, as detailed in the grid below. New songs were also written for the stage show by Alan Menken and Chad Beguelin, replacing Tim Rice as lyricist.
The stage musical originally premiered in Seattle at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Following the Seattle production and a short tryout in Toronto, Aladdin officially opened on Broadway in 2014. The cast included Adam Jacobs as Aladdin, James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, and Courtney Reed as Jasmine. Iglehart would go on to win a Tony Award for his role.
A resource that I found particularly helpful in compiling the musical numbers for Aladdin was the Aladdin Musical Blog. Since the original production, the author has painstakingly traced the history and development of this stage adaptation, and all of his work is online for anybody to enjoy. He recently put together a video celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the original 5th Avenue Theatre production which features several members of the cast. I highly recommend checking it out here.
The live-action remake of Aladdin was released in 2019. Starring Will Smith as the Genie, the film featured songs by Alan Menken, with new lyrics from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. A sequel and a spin-off for Disney+ are both in development.
| Song List: | Animated | Stage | Live-Action |
| Arabian Nights | Written for film; original version contained an offensive lyric which was quickly rewritten by Rice. Otherwise, the song remains unchanged | Appears | Appears |
| One Jump Ahead | Written for film | Appears | Appears |
| One Jump Ahead (Reprise) | Written for film | Appears | Appears |
| Proud of Your Boy | Written for film, deleted | Appears | Absent |
| Count on Me | Written for film, deleted | Absent | Absent |
| Arabian Nights Reprise 1 | Written for film, deleted | Appeared in early stage version, cut before Broadway | Absent |
| Call Me a Princess | Written for film, deleted | Appeared in early stage version, cut before Broadway | Absent |
| Call Me a Princess (Reprise) | N/A | Written for early stage version, cut before Broadway | Absent |
| Why Me | Written for film, deleted | Appeared in early stage version, cut before Broadway | Absent |
| These Palace Walls | N/A | Written for the stage | Absent |
| Speechless (Part 1) | N/A | N/A | Written for film |
| Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim | Written for film, deleted | Appears | Absent |
| A Million Miles Away | N/A | Written for the stage | Absent |
| Arabian Nights, Reprise 2 | Written for film, deleted | Appeared in early stage version, cut before Broadway | Absent |
| Diamond in the Rough | N/A | Written for the stage | Absent |
| Desert Moon | N/A | N/A | Written for film, deleted |
| Friend Like Me | Written for film | Appears | Appears |
| Act One Finale (Friend Like Me (Reprise)/Proud of Your Boy (Reprise I)) | N/A | Written for the stage | Absent |
| How Quick They Forget | Written for film, deleted | Absent | Absent |
| Prince Ali | Written for film | Appears | Appears |
| To Be Free | Music written for film; Menken notes that he would have liked a song here for the Genie | Reworked version appeared in early stage version, deleted before Broadway | Absent |
| Arabian Nights Reprise 3 | Written for film, deleted | Appeared in early stage version, cut before Broadway | Absent |
| A Whole New World | Written for film | Appears | Appears |
| High Adventure | Written for film, deleted | Appears | Absent |
| Somebody’s Got Your Back | N/A | Written for the stage | Absent |
| Proud of Your Boy (Reprise II) | N/A | Written for the stage | Absent |
| One Jump Ahead (Reprise 2) | N/A | N/A | Written for film |
| High Adventure (Reprise) | N/A | Written for early stage version, cut before Broadway | Absent |
| Prince Ali (Sultan Reprise) | N/A | Written for the stage | Absent |
| Speechless (Part 2) | N/A | N/A | Written for film |
| Humiliate the Boy | Written for film, deleted | Absent | Absent |
| My Time Has Come | Written for film, deleted | Absent | Absent |
| My Finest Hour | Written for film, deleted | Absent | Absent |
| Prince Ali (Jafar Reprise) | Written for film | Appears | Absent |
| Genie’s Exit (Somebody’s Got Your Back Reprise) | N/A | Appeared in early stage version, cut before Broadway | Absent |
| Finale Ultimo (Arabian Nights (Reprise)/A Whole New World (Reprise) | Written for film; Arabian Nights (Reprise) deleted | Appears | Absent |
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hunchback is unlike any other property on this list, for a few reasons. Firstly, this is the only one that didn’t get a Broadway run (the jury is still out for Hercules). When (the English-language version) was first produced, it was done at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego in 2014. It later transferred to the Paper Mill Playhouse, and it was this version that received a cast recording. However, this wasn’t the first time the 1996 Disney film had been adapted for the stage. In the late 90s, a German-language version was released in Berlin under the title Der Glöckner von Notre Dame. With original and new songs by Alan Menken and in association with Disney, this version went on to become one of the most popular musicals in Germany. For this document, I am focusing merely on the English-language versions. For those who want to sample Der Glöckner von Notre Dame, a cast recording is available.
A resource that I found particularly helpful in compiling the musical numbers for The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the development of the stage production can is https://enseeseven-blog.tumblr.com/.
A live-action remake of the animated film is in development at Disney. It seems that Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz would return to work on the music, while the script reportedly will be written by Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang. Josh Gad would produce the project and possibly star as Quasimodo as well. In a Tweet from early this year, Gad hinted that the film is getting closer and closer.
| Song List: | Animated | Stage | Live-Action |
| The Bells of Notre Dame | Written for film | Altered version appears | TBD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanctuary/Out There | Written for film | Appears | TBD |
| Topsy Turvy | Written for film | Appears: Part One and Part Two | TBD |
| Rest and Recreation | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Rhythm of the Tambourine | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Sanctuary II/The Bells of Notre Dame (Reprise) | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| God Help the Outcasts | Written for film | Appears | TBD |
| In My Life | N/A | Written for early stage version, cut | TBD |
| Top of the World | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Tavern Song (Thai Mol Piyas) | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Heaven’s Light | Written for film | Appears | TBD |
| Hellfire | Written for film | Appears | TBD |
| Esmeralda | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| A Guy Like You | Written for film | Absent | TBD |
| Flight Into Egypt | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Esmeralda (Reprise) | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Rest and Recreation (Reprise) | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| The Court of Miracles | Written for film | Appears | TBD |
| In a Place of Miracles | Written for film, deleted | Appears | TBD |
| As Long As There’s a Moon | Written for film, deleted | Absent | TBD |
| The Bells of Notre Dame (Reprise II)/ Justice in Paris | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Someday | Written for film, deleted | Appears | TBD |
| While the City Slumbered | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Made of Stone | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Top of the World (Reprise) | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Esmeralda (Frollo Reprise) | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| The Bells of Notre Dame (Reprise)/ Finale Ultimo | Reprise written for film | Updated finale written for stage; encompasses several songs | TBD |
Hercules
A stage adaptation premiered at the Public Theatre in 2019. There is a disappointing lack of footage available from the production and as of July 2021, is the only production of the musical. No official cast recording has been released (as far as I know, there wasn’t one recorded), and videos regarding the production are few and far between. Consequently, this means that many of the newly written songs remain unavailable to hear at this time. This will likely change in the future, however, as Alan Menken is continuing to develop this project with Disney Theatricals. Look out for changes to this grid in the future.
In 2020, we revealed that a live-action Hercules remake was in the works. The Hollywood Reporter later confirmed our report and also revealed that the Russo brothers, of the MCU, would be producing this film. The script will be written by Dave Callaham, writer of the upcoming Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The Russo brothers have said that “music will certainly be a part of it”.
| Song List: | Animated | Stage | Live-Action |
| The Gospel Truth | Written for film | Appears | TBD |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Gospel Truth (Reprise-“He Ran the Underworld”) | Written for film | Appears | TBD |
| The Prophecy | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| The Gospel Truth (Reprise-“Hades Was Not Amused”) | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| The Gospel Truth (Reprise-“Young Herc Was Mortal Now”) | Written for film | Appears | TBD |
| Uniquely Greek Town Square | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Go the Distance | Written for film | Appears | TBD |
| Go the Distance (Reprise) | Written for film | Appears later in stage version | TBD |
| One Last Hope | Written for film | Appears | TBD |
| The Gospel Truth (Reprise- “Young Herc Was On His Way”) | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Forget About It | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| A Cool Day in Hell | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Uniquely Greek Tough Town | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Zero to Hero | Written for film | Appears | TBD |
| A Cool Day In Hell (Reprise) | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| Shooting Star | Written for film, deleted | Appears | TBD |
| One Last Hope (Reprise)/Go the Distance (Reprise) | Go the Distance (Reprise) written for film | One Last Hope (Reprise) written for stage | TBD |
| The Gospel Truth (Reprise- “Herc Jumped the Garden Wall”) | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| I Can’t Believe my Heart | Written for film, deleted | Absent | TBD |
| I Won’t Say (I’m in Love) | Written for film | Appears | TBD |
| Great Bolts Of Thunder | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| To Be Human | N/A | Written for stage | TBD |
| A Star Is Born | Written for film | Appears | TBD |
| Go the Distance (Finale) | N/A | Appears | TBD |
Sources:
- Alan Menken, www.alanmenken.com/.
- Daly, Steve. “Unsung ”Aladdin” Songs.” EW.com, 1992, ew.com/article/1992/12/04/unsung-aladdin-songs/.
- DisneyOnBroadway. “Making of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ Studio Cast Recording.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Jan. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIoxqM4loNw.
- DisneyOnBroadway. “Making of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ Studio Cast Recording.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Jan. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIoxqM4loNw.
- Lyne, Chris. Aladdin Musical, Jan. 2011, aladdinmusical.blogspot.com/.
- Menken, Alan, et al. The Music Behind the Magic: The Musical Artistry of Alan Menken, Howard Ashman & Tim Rice, Walt Disney Records.
- ThePublicTheater. “Adapting the HERCULES Film for the Stage | The Public Theater.” YouTube, YouTube, 4 Sept. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR96tDJ3PRE.
- “Aladdin (2011 Musical).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aladdin_(2011_musical).
- “Beauty and the Beast (Musical).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast_(musical).
- “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.” Music Theatre International, www.mtishows.com/disneys-beauty-and-the-beast.
- “Disney’s HUNCHBACK Musical Updates.” Disney’s HUNCHBACK Updates for Paper Mill and La Jolla, enseeseven-blog.tumblr.com/.
- DisneyOnBroadway. “Making of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ Studio Cast Recording.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Jan. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIoxqM4loNw.
- “Hercules (Musical).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_(musical).
- “Hercules.” Public, publictheater.org/hercules/.
- “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Music Theatre International, www.mtishows.com/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame.
- “The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Musical).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunchback_of_Notre_Dame_(musical).
- “The Little Mermaid (Musical).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Mermaid_(musical).
This is a working document and will be regularly updated as the live-action remakes are released and if the stage adaptations are revised. In the meantime, if anyone has any corrections or errors to report, please send me a note at josh@thedisinsider.com
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