Howard

Howard is a documentary about Howard Ashman, the lyricist and playwright who wrote the words for the stage musical Little Shop of Horrors and for Disney's The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Raised in Baltimore, he opened a small theater in New York and worked on the musical A Chorus Line with composer Marvin Hamlisch before moving to Los Angeles, where he and a group of collaborators developed songs for animated films. The film covers his creative method and his death in 1991 from complications of AIDS at the age of 40.

Told through rare archival footage, home movies and photographs alongside interviews with Ashman's family, friends, colleagues and his longtime partner Bill Lauch, the film traces his career from his early years in Baltimore through his New York beginnings to his work in Hollywood. Among those appearing are composer Alan Menken, Ashman's frequent collaborator, along with Lauch, Sarah Gillespie and Shirley Ashman. Don Hahn directed; he had earlier directed Fantasia 2000, and he also produced the film with Lori Korngiebel and Jonathan Polenz.

Howard runs 93 minutes and was released in 2018. It is a music documentary made in the United States by Stone Circle Pictures. On TMDB it holds a rating of 6.8 out of 10 from 57 votes.