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Disney: The Renaissance and the Empire

Explore episode Aug 10, 2026
Arts
Howard Ashman and the Broadway Formula That Made Disney Billions

Disney: The Renaissance and the Empire · Aug 10, 2026 Arts

Howard Ashman had one insight nobody else had: animated Disney films should be Broadway musicals. The third song of every great musical is the character sitting alone explaining what they want. That's 'Part of Your World.' That structure — combined with Alan Menken's compositions — generated Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, and turned Disney Animation into the most profitable creative engine in entertainment history.

4m 32s

Where this was said

Animation Renaissance & CAPS Tech (1989)

At 28:48 · chapter starts 24:30

The animation turnaround that defined the 'Disney Renaissance' is the product of several converging forces: Roy E. Disney's insistence that animation be protected, Peter Schneider's fearless examination of every broken process, and most crucially, Howard Ashman's unique insight that animated Disney films could be Broadway musicals. Ashman observed that in every great musical, the third song has the leading character sitting alone explaining their desire to the audience — 'Part of Your World' is Ariel doing exactly that. Combined with Alan Menken's compositions, this formula produced The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast ($330M on a $25M budget), Aladdin ($500M on $28M), and The Lion King ($750M on $45M) — the latter becoming the most successful traditionally hand-drawn animated film in history. CAPS (Computer Animated Production System), a $10M software investment developed with Pixar, eliminated the physical inking and painting process and replaced the physical multiplane camera with unlimited virtual planes — enabling richer visuals at lower cost. The Lion King was brought back to the Burbank lot in triumph, and Michael Eisner announced a new animation building on the very land originally intended for Disneyland.

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The Lion King musical has been running for 30 years across Broadway, London's West End, and global touring companies. It has grossed over $11 billion in total revenue — more than Avatar, more than Avengers: Endgame, more than any album, more than any video game. It generates an average of $350 million in revenue every single year. Disney owns it outright.

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