Howard

Howard is a 2018 American documentary film written and directed by Don Hahn about the life of songwriter Howard Ashman.

Synopsis[]

“Howard” is the untold story of Howard Ashman, the brilliant lyricist behind Disney classics and creator ofmusicals including featuring never-before-seen archival footage, the film explores Howard's journey to become the lyricist behind some of the most well-known family films in the world.

Plot[]

The film documents the life of songwriter Howard Ashman, who wrote the lyrics for the songs in the Disney animated films The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, as well as the stage musical, Little Shop of Horrors, and who died in March 1991 of complications from AIDS at the age of 40. The film uses the same interview presentation as Hahn's previous documentary, Waking Sleeping Beauty, where rather than "talking heads", audio interviews are used with "speech bubbles" indicating who is speaking.

Reception[]

Critical response[]

The film has earned critical praise. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 93% based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The critical consensus reads, "Howard serves as a bittersweet tribute to the life and legacy of a brilliant artist whose timeless songs served as the soundtrack for a generation of Disney fans." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter called it "a rich cinematic portrait" while Melissa Leon of The Daily Beast stated that the film is "riddled with gems from the production of now-iconic films". Common Sense Media rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, stating : "Howard is a moving documentary that offers both a behind-the-scenes look at the making of some modern-classic Disney animated films and the poignant life story of an exceptionally talented man".

Releases[]

Howard premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and was nominated for the Best Documentary Award at the 2018 Heartland Film Festival. After having a limited theatrical run on December 18, 2018, the film was released on Disney+ on August 7, 2020.

Videos[]

HOWARD Disney Trailer Official Disney UK

External links[]

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Movies

2019: Lady and the Tramp • Noelle • Togo

2020: Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made • Stargirl • Artemis Fowl • Hamilton • Magic Camp • The One and Only Ivan • Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe • Secret Society of Second-Born Royals • Clouds • Black Beauty • Godmothered • Safety • Soul
2021: Flora & Ulysses • Raya and the Last Dragon • Luca • Home Sweet Home Alone • Diary of a Wimpy Kid
2022: The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild • Turning Red • Cheaper by the Dozen • Better Nate Than Ever • Sneakerella • Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers • Hollywood Stargirl • Rise • Zombies 3 • Pinocchio • Hocus Pocus 2 • Disenchanted • Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules • Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again
2023: Chang Can Dunk • Prom Pact • Peter Pan & Wendy • Crater • World's Best • Dashing Through the Snow • Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever
2024: Descendants: The Rise of Red

Documentaries

One Day at Disney (2019-present) • Dolphin Reef (2020) • Elephant (2020) • A Celebration of the Music from Coco (2020) • Howard (2020) • Inside Pixar (2020) • Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020) • Director by Night (2022) • Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage? (2022) • Mickey: The Story of a Mouse (2022) • Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl (2022) • Stan Lee (2023) • The Beatles: Let It Be (2024) • Jim Henson Idea Man (2024) • Tiger (2024)

Shorts
Lamp Life (2020) • Once Upon a Snowman (2020) • 22 vs. Earth (2021) • Ciao Alberto (2021) • Remembering (2022) • Zen - Grogu and Dust Bunnies (2022) • Le Pupille (2022) • The Shepherd (2023)

Premier Access
Mulan (2020) • Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) • Cruella (2021) • Black Widow (2021) • Jungle Cruise (2021)

Scripted series

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019-2023) • Diary of a Future President (2020-2021) • The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (2021-2022) • Big Shot (2021-2022) • The Mysterious Benedict Society (2021-2022) • Turner & Hooch (2021) • Monsters at Work (2021-present) • Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life (2021-present) • Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. (2021-2023) • Just Beyond (2021) • The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (2022-present) • Willow (2022-2023) • National Treasure: Edge of History (2022-2023) • The Muppets Mayhem (2023) • American Born Chinese (2023) • FreeKs (2023-present) • L-Pop (2023) • Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023-present) • Iwájú (2024)

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (2019-present) • Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021-2024) • The Book of Boba Fett (2022-2023) • Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) • Andor (2022-present) • Star Wars: Tales (2022-2024) • Ahsoka (2023-present) • The Acolyte (2024)
Marvel: WandaVision (2021) • The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021) • Loki (2021-2023) • What If...? (2021-present) • Hawkeye (2021) • Moon Knight (2022) • Ms. Marvel (2022) • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) • Secret Invasion (2023) • Echo (2024) • X-Men '97 (2024-present)

Docuseries

Marvel's Hero Project (2019-2020) • The Imagineering Story (2019) • The World According to Jeff Goldblum (2019-2023) • Pick of the Litter (2019-2020) • Prop Culture (2020) • Muppets Now (2020) • Earth to Ned (2020-2021) • The Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom (2020-present) • 616 (2020) • Into the Unknown: Making Frozen II (2020) • Marvel Studios: Legends (2021-present) • Marvel Studios: Assembled (2021-present) • Behind the Attraction (2021-2023) • The Beatles: Get Back (2021) • MPower (2023) • Secrets of the Elephants (2023-present) • Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All (2023) • Choir (2024)

Reality and competition shows
Encore! (2019-2020) • Be Our Chef (2020-present) • The Big Fib (2020) • The Quest (2022)

Shorts series

Forky Asks a Question (2019-2020) • Pixar: In Real Life (2019-present) • SparkShorts (2019-present) • One Day at Disney (2019-present) • Short Circuit (2020-2022) • Zenimation (2020-present) • The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse (2020-2023) • Pixar Popcorn (2021-present) • Launchpad (2021-present) • How to Stay at Home (2021) • Dug Days (2021) • Star Wars: Visions (2021-present) • Baymax! (2022) • Ice Age: Scrat Tales (2022) • I Am Groot (2022-2023) • Cars on the Road (2022) • Zootopia+ (2022) • Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire (2023) • LEGO Pixar: Bricktoons (2024)

Other
Arendelle Castle Yule Log (2019) • Black Is King (2020) • The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special (2020) • High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special (2020) • Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021) • Werewolf by Night (2022) • The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) • LEGO Marvel Avengers: Code Red (2023)

Cancelled projects
Muppets Live Another Day • Book of Enchantment • Witch Mountain

Upcoming

Films: Aladdin: Live from the West End (TBA) • Three Men and a Baby (TBA) • The Return of the Rocketeer (TBA) • Sister Act 3: Kicking the Habit (TBA) • Flight of the Navigator (TBA) • Once on This Island (TBA) • Song for a Whale (TBA) • Superfudge (TBA) • Robin Hood (TBA) • The Sword in the Stone (TBA) • Inspector Gadget (TBA) • Phantom (TBA)

Shows: Agatha All Along (2024) • Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2024) • Eyes of Wakanda (2024) • Win or Lose (2024) • Tiana (2024) • Skeleton Crew (2024) • Daredevil: Born Again (2025) • Ironheart (2025) • Vision Quest (2026) • The Witchverse (TBA) • Darkwing Duck (TBA) • Wonder Man (TBA) • Twisted Wonderland (TBA) • King Kong (TBA) • Marvel Zombies (TBA) • A Crown of Wishes (TBA) • Gargoyles (TBA) • The Doomies (TBA) • TaleSpin (TBA) • Nova (TBA)
Shorts: An Almost Christmas Story (2024)