What is the must-have ingredient for the film music of a GRAMMY-winning composer? According to Alan Menken, it has to be "hummable."
The 11-time GRAMMY winner has built an impressive career out of composing memorable music for Disney blockbusters such as Beauty And The Beast (1991), The Little Mermaid (1989) and Aladdin (1992). A new generation will have the opportunity to hum along to the music of the former with the new live-action remake of Beauty And The Beast, starring Emma Watson, Luke Evans and Ewan McGregor, now in theaters. The adaptation, which has sparked controversy due to a brief gay kissing scene, features new recordings of the 1991 film's original songs as well as new songs penned by Menken, including one written for Celine Dion, "How Does A Moment Last Forever."
Besides ticking the hummable meter, what other criteria is key to a great film song? "[It] should elicit an emotion, of happiness, or of celebration, or of sadness, or of sorrow, or of love, or of laughter," Menken told NPR.
