Alan Menken



Alan Menken (b. 1949) is an Academy Award-winning composer famous for writing songs from Disney movies such as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Menken also wrote the music for the 1982 musical Little Shop of Horrors, which was adapted into a feature film by director Frank Oz in 1986.

Early in his career, Menken was a piano accompanist for Northern Calloway before composing for Sesame Street. His Sesame Street songwriting credits include the songs "It's Gonna Get Dirty Again," "Martian Family (Yip Yip Song)," and "Todos un Pueblo." Menkin says of his time on the Street, "It was pathetic money, but it still had some prestige to it. It was on the air and I was getting some royalties."

Menken and longtime collaborator Howard Ashman also wrote the song "Wonderful Ways to Say No" for the 1990 animated TV special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue. The song was performed by an all-star cast of characters, including the Muppet Babies.